WILMINGTON — Wilmington Mayor John Carney is hoping to increase career-readiness in local children through several pathway initiatives offered in his newly proposed budget, including a new business development pilot program.
If approved by the Wilmington City Council, the youth entrepreneurship and business development program would be run by the city’s parks and recreation department and supported by local businesses and entrepreneurs. For six to eight weeks, teenagers would attend a weekly workshop or class on topics like branding, business plan development, financial literacy, e-commerce and product development.
Those courses would culminate in a business showcase style event.
“Wilmington’s youth deserve outlets that help them realize their limitless potential,” Carney stated in an email. “We must be innovative and find ways of engaging and educating our youth. This pilot aims to do just that, and it’s an opportunity to provide them with real world knowledge.”
The pilot program is targeted for teens between 14 and 17 and the class size has yet to be determined. Instructors would ideally include local entrepreneurs and business professionals who would volunteer their time, though Deputy Chief of Staff Daniel Walker said that the mayor would like to see corporate sponsors help cover costs for materials and other staff as needed.
Carney’s proposed budget for Wilmington involves a staggering $201.6 million spending plan, which includes no property tax increases but water and sewer rate hikes by 6% and 6.6% respectively. He also focused on safe, clean and strong neighborhoods for all residents and in his budget address issued in late March, adding that he believes that investing in parks and recreation is one way to achieve that.
To that end, Carney has also proposed establishing a film, media and content creation lab for youth at the William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center and an expansion of STEM, coding and robotics initiatives, along with literacy and tutoring services.
The proposed parks and recreation department budget is $13.9 million for fiscal year 2026 – a $1.4 million increase from the previous budget. But that includes a rise in salaries due to program expansions and more.
The increase also includes other step increases, cost-of-living adjustments and temporary salary increases related to the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program to help support the service without reducing the number of meals.
Wilmington budget discussions are underway and are scheduled to run through the rest of April.
