New Castle County Council on Oct. 28 approved Ordinance 25-128, transferring $900,000 from the general fund tax stabilization reserve to the Department of Administration Office of Law to fund attorney fees and litigation expert witnesses.

The measure was placed before the council for consideration and passed by roll call, with the clerk announcing the final tally as 11 yes, 1 no and 1 not voting.

The ordinance drew sustained comment from Councilman Street, who objected to the county''s contracting record and said he would not support the appropriation unless the county made a demonstrable effort to retain more Black attorneys under contract. "There's no way in hell I'm a vote for this ... I have yet to see a black attorney represent the county in anything," Street said during the debate.

Councilman Hollins responded to Street's charge by naming past and present Black attorneys who have served in county legal roles and arguing the county has had Black attorneys on staff and in retained positions. Hollins said the county has not always made sufficient efforts to engage Black attorneys by contract and that the council should open opportunities.

The ordinance text appropriates $900,000 from the general fund tax stabilization reserve account to the Office of Law for attorney fees and litigation expert witnesses. The council president called the roll after debate; the clerk announced the outcome as adopted.

Discussion-only remarks did not change the ordinance text; no amendment was offered on the floor. The council recorded 11 votes in favor, 1 opposed, and 1 not voting.

The council did not specify contract recipients or a vendor list during the meeting; the appropriation moves funds into the Office of Law budget to pay outside counsel and experts as needed for pending or anticipated litigation.

Council members later continued to debate broader contracting and hiring practices outside the formal vote, urging future attention to diversity in selections for retained counsel.

Ordinance 25-128 will become part of the FY2026 operating budget if implemented according to the county''s budget and procurement procedures. The meeting record does not specify the vendors who will receive funds or a schedule for retention.