DERBY — Members of the city’s board of apportionment and taxation (tax board) unanimously approved a budget April 8 that will not raise taxes next year.
The vote was 7-0 to approve the budget and mill rate.
“I want to thank everybody on the board for all their work, and (finance director) Hall and Mayor DiMartino for putting together I think a very sound budget that is going to help to move this city forward,” said Michael Gray, a member of the tax board.
The 2025-2026 budget totals $52,891,986. That is a 0.6 percent decrease from the current, $53.1 million budget.
The mill rate is 43.2, the same mill rate adopted last year.
The budget for Derby Public Schools totals $20,448,449. The school board had asked for $21,043,120. That’s a shortfall of $594,671.
However, Superintendent Matthew Conway said the school district should be able to cover the difference. Click here for a previous story.
The budget anticipates the city switching to a new health insurance plan — Connecticut Partnership Plan. Derby Finance Director Brian Hall said the switch could save Derby $700,000 in the first year alone. However, the switch has yet to be made, and must be approved by the various city unions.
The budget does not fund big-ticket items such as fire trucks. Those are handled in the city’s capital plan. The fire department and Storm Engine Co. have been appealing to city leaders for years to fund new fire trucks as the department’s fleet ages.
City government is exploring asking voters for permission to borrow money in November in order to fund some of those needs. However, the details have yet to be worked out. Click here for a previous story.
Derby Tax Board Chairwoman Colleen Germain-Ezzo said she supports going to referendum, seconding comments by resident Karen Kemmesies, who was the only member of the public to speak at a public hearing on the budget, which was held just before the board voted.
Mayor Joseph DiMartino, who proposed the budget on April 1, thanked the officials for their work.
DiMartino said his mission with the budget was to keep the mill rate the same. Last year Derby raised the mill rate by 11.9 percent. The DiMartino administration placed the blame on previous budgets which contained poor financial forecasts that caused the city to drain its fund balance.
The fund balance was $3.98 million as of June 30, 2024.