Jane Gruenebaum, County Council Member District 3
Like many coastal residents, I believe enough is enough. The current status quo serves the interests of a few. As a Sussex County Council member, I will bring balance to the table, and I will work to change those ordinances that ignore concerns about the environment and infrastructure.
View the Sussex County Council Calendar
Upcoming Events
Upcoming JAVA with Jane
June 25
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Lewes Public Library (medium meeting room)
This is the last JAVA with Jane until Sept.
Upcoming Interviews on Radio Rehoboth
(radiorehoboth.com)
July 15, 2026
8:30 a.m.
July 29, 2026
8:30 a.m.
What’s Happening:
Juneteenth serves to remind us of the courage of generations of Black Americans who struggled, often losing their lives, to gain freedom and to be accorded the full rights of citizenship. Observing Juneteenth is not only about remembering our history, but also a reminder that progress is not guaranteed and that protecting our rights require constant vigilance. As this administration systematically unravels with historic gains of the Civil Rights laws, we all are called upon to stand up, speak out and take action.
Council passed the budget for the next fiscal year that, for the first time, contains an impact fee that will support our schools. One of the topics I talked about during my campaign was the need for this sort of fee. It’s long overdue.
Council has continued to work on the ordinances that I’ve written about before. We passed the ordinance making changes to the Sussex County Rental Program to incentivize the development of more workforce housing units. We passed the updates to 99-C which among other things better protects wetlands, more precisely defines open space within developments and encourages the use of more native plantings.
Council held hearings on the Open Space ordinance and on the ordinance to eliminate cluster subdivisions in the rural areas to disincentivize sprawl. Considerable opposition to both ordinances were voiced at the hearings and so both ordinances remain under consideration.
Council will hold hearings on the proposed Forest Protection ordinance in July. In the last 25 years, Sussex has lost 43,000 acres of forests. That is 1720 acres a year. Saving our remaining forests, particularly those most critical to our ecosystem is an absolute necessity. Sussex is the only county in Delaware that does not have a forest protection ordinance. This is critical and, yet, will receive opposition. Please make your opinions known by writing to Council, attending the hearings and testifying.
Since our last newsletter, I have the opportunity to meet with the Broadkill Beach community, the Sandy Brae community, to attend a fun gala for RD20, to attend a RD 38 picnic, to meet with constituents in Welches Pond and as the picture shows to help plant a tree, descended from a tree living here during the revolutionary war period, at Hopkins Preserve.
