Board of Freeholders

Board of Chosen Freeholders

Sussex County is governed by a five member Board of Chosen Freeholders. The members are elected at large to serve three-year terms. In Sussex County, it is not unusual for a Freeholder to spend between 30 and 40 hours a week on activities related to the part-time position.

The Freeholders are the center of legislative and administrative responsibility in Sussex County, and as such, perform a dual role. As legislators they draw up and adopt a budget, and in the role of administrators, they are responsible for spending the funds they have appropriated.

The Freeholder Board sets policies for the operation of four main departments: Dept. of Central & Shared Services; Dept. of Engineering & Planning; Dept. of Finance & Library Services; and Dept. of Health & Human Services, plus twelve Divisions, and a number of boards, commissions, authorities and committees. Members of the Freeholder Board also serve on the Boards of School Estimate for the Sussex County Technical School and the Sussex County Community College.

Actual day-to-day operation of the Departments is overseen by the County Administrator, who is appointed by, and reports to, the Board of Chosen Freeholders.

County Government also addresses such regional issues as Strategic Growth, solid waste disposal, water quality, the maintenance of County roads and bridges, Farmland Preservation and Open Space, and the County Library System.