DERBY — Two members of a state panel keeping an eye on the city’s finances said they support Mayor Joseph DiMartino’s new “shared services committee.”
The local committee, with members appointed by the mayor, has met twice. They are exploring whether Derby can save money by streamlining or merging some operations between city hall and the school district.
Example: right now the city has a finance department and the school district has a business office. The committee is looking at whether combining those departments makes sense.
Michael LeBlanc and Diane Waldron, two members of the state Municipal Finance Advisory Commission (MFAC) said they like the idea.
What’s MFAC?
Derby has been meeting with MFAC since September 2020, after a series of issues arose in the city budget. MFAC declared Derby a “tier 1” community in August 2023, meaning the appearances are mandatory, about three months before Mayor Joseph DiMartino was elected.
Derby officials regularly meet with MFAC because of historically late audits, audits that showed a series of bookkeeping problems in the city and the school district, and audits that uncovered budget deficits. Members of the commission review Derby’s audits and budgets, and ask questions of city officials during each meeting.
The commission is a group of professionals who specialize in municipal finance.
Click here for a report on what MFAC is and how it works.
Shared Services
Any suggestions that come from Derby’s shared services committee must also be reviewed and approved by the Derby Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen.
The committee’s members are:
- Derby Town/City Clerk Marc Garofalo (D)
- Tax board chairwoman Colleen Germain-Ezzo (D)
- Alderman Rob Hyder (unaffiliated, ran on the Democratic line)
- Alderman George Kurtyka (Democrat, Aldermanic president)
- Derby school board chairman Kenneth Marcucio, Sr. (D)
- Tax board member James Silkoff (Republican)
The committee’s next meeting is March 4. In addition to possibly creating one finance department for the school and city, they are also looking at merging human resources.
Here are the committee’s next steps as outlined by Gildea, the committee’s chairman.
- Finalize revised joint HR job description (clarify reporting, leave language, BOE vs. City authority).
- Select preferred appointment model (Municipal, Joint, or BOE).
- Establish hiring, evaluation, discipline, and termination authority in writing.
- Adopt formal conflict resolution process between City and BOE.
- Determine legal structure (ordinance, service agreement, or both).
- Validate legal compliance (charter, statute, collective bargaining).
- Set implementation timeline and institutional safeguards to ensure long-term stability.
- Request draft ordinance language from Corporation Counsel – future
- Obtain BOE counsel review of governance structure.
At the MFAC meeting Feb. 18, commissioner Waldron suggested the city and school district explore whether combining IT services can be done.
Click here for a previous story on MFAC and Derby.