Members of the Derby Board of Aldermen and the city’s tax board unanimously voted Thursday to send two separate bond projects to voters.
The two questions voters will approve or reject Nov. 4 include:
- $31,240,000 for extensive repairs and upgrades to the city’s aging sewer system
- $3,750,000 to mill and pave about 12 city roads
The need for major repairs to the sewer system has been a hot-button issue in Derby for going on two years.
Approving the sewer referendum could tack on an additional $257 to the sewer bill for the typical single-family sewer user.
A typical two-family property could see a sewer bill increase by $514.
Larger non-residential users, such as Griffin Hospital, could see a $95,000 increase.
The Derby Water Pollution Control Authority held a public hearing on the sewer referendum Wednesday in City Hall. Most speakers were distraught at such a sharp increase.
WPCA engineers tried to explain that rejecting the referendum could result in even larger year-to-year increases, assuming long-neglected pump stations and other equipment starts to fail and needs immediate replacement.
The projects include replacing three pump stations, along with millions of dollars in upgrades and repairs to the city’s sewage treatment plant.
The WPCA, which has previously held well-attended public forums on the need for repairs, plans to hold more sessions to explain the problems.
Click here for an extensive story on the proposed WPCA projects.
(Please note the $30.7 million dollar amount noted in documents circulated by the WPCA at Wednesday’s public hearing did not include $500,000 in financing costs — so the dollar amount sent to referendum Thursday by the Aldermen was $500,000 higher).
The cost of the sewer referendum will be borne entirely by Derby sewer users, and not spread out to all taxpayers via the mill rate. People who use septic tanks with no ability to connect to sewers will not pay, and neither will Derby residents whose sewage flows into the Ansonia system.
Road Bond
Derby Public Works Director Anthony DeFala, Sr. wants to use $3.75 million to repair a dozen roads in Derby.
“I know it doesn’t sound like a lot of roads, but it’s a start,” DeFala said Thursday. “I’m trying to fix things and take a proactive approach to projects.”
Click here for a previous Valley Indy story on the road bond question.
He wants to mill, inspect, repair and pave the following roads:
Emmett Avenue
Seventh Street
Mount Pleasant Street
Evelyn Road
Yochers Lane
Eighth Street
Bluff Street
Mountain Street
East Hawkins Street
Benanto Drive
Pleasant View Drive
Derby-Milford Road
Catch basin repairs are on tap for four — Emmett, Mount Pleasant, Eighth and Derby-Milford — of the 12 roads listed above.
The full length of the roads listed will be milled and paved, except for Derby-Milford Road. The state is planning to do a complete overhaul of Derby-Milford Road in 2017.
DeFala plans to make enough repairs to get it ready for the major state repairs.
The impact of the road bond on the city’s tax rate was not discussed Thursday.
Both questions will be up for yes or no votes on Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
