Town Hall · Elsmere

Elsmere, DE town hall & government

Elsmere spent $4.4 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $714 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Elsmere's government.

Town budget

Where Elsmere's money goes

Spent
$4.4 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$714
spending per person
Long-term debt
None
none outstanding at year end
Police
$1.9 million44%
Administration & buildings
$1.5 million34%
Sewer & trash
$776,00018%
Roads & transportation
$138,0003%
Parks & libraries
$37,0001%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$37,0001%
Fire
$10,000<1%

Where the money comes from

  • Property taxes 59%
  • From the state 33%
  • Other taxes & licenses 8%
Town workforce

Who works for Elsmere

Full-time staff
24
8 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$74,700
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
11
full-time, with power of arrest
Police
12 full-time1 part
Administration & buildings
8 full-time7 part
Roads & transportation
4 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Red Clay Consolidated School District

Elsmere's K–12 school district, shared with Newport and Wilmington. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$23,294
Delaware: $22,312
Students
14,546
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$94 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Delaware districts overall: 32% local, 57% state, 11% federal

  • Local 39%
  • State 51%
  • Federal 10%

Of the $23,294 per pupil, $12,074 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Elsmere pay

Typical tax bill
$1,834
a year · Delaware typical $1,768
Effective rate
0.81%
of home value · Delaware 0.50%
Typical home value
$225,800
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Elsmere's government

🏛️ Official websiteelsmere.delaware.gov ↗

Town hall & decisions in Elsmere →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Elsmere

Elsmere is represented in Congress by Senators Christopher A. Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Representative Sarah McBride. Matt Meyer is governor.

All of Elsmere's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Elsmere

Delaware · DE
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