Valley Independent Sentinel

Derby DPW, Fire Department Spent At Least $149,000 On Blizzard

by Eugene Driscoll | Mar 4, 2013 8:57 am

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Posted to: Derby

The Derby tax board voted Feb. 27 to transfer $149,362 to cover costs incurred by the Department of Public Works and the Derby Fire Department during the Blizzard of 2013.

The blizzard hit the region Feb. 8 into Feb. 9, dumping between 26 and 32 inches in the lower Valley. It took Derby some seven days to dig out.

The tax board moved money in its budget to cover $137,947.48 for the DPW.

“That’s for storm overtime and the snow removal — all the contractors and machines we hired for snow removal,” said Ron Culmo, Derby’s DPW director.

The tax board also transferred funds to cover $11,415.82 for the Derby Fire Department.

The city instituted storm standby during the blizzard, which meant four people being paid $10 an hour manned the various fire stations.

“We put four people in each company and five in the ladder company. We fed them and they were there 24 hours a day,” Derby Fire Commissioner Kelly Curtis said.

The city was in storm standby from noon Friday, Feb. 8 until 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10.

Derby Finance Thomas Thompson said the transfers leaves $91,282 remaining in the city’s “special working balance.” That balance had been $240,645 walking into Wednesday’s meeting.

Thompson said the special working balance is meant to cover unexpected costs, such as the blizzard.

Tax board member Carolyn Duhaime asked if the blizzard money will be reimbursed by the state or federal authorities.

Tax board chairman Jim Butler explained Derby is applying for reimbursement. The process calls for the city to submit paperwork for the two days during which the city spent the most money on the storm.

Derby could see that dollar amount reimbursed to the tune of 75 percent, Butler said.

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