A screen shot from Tuesday’s tax board meeting in Derby.
DERBY — After a complicated discussion over how much money to give to the school district, the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation on Tuesday approved a preliminary budget of $47,387,577 for the fiscal year starting July 1.
Public Hearing Is Monday
A public hearing on the preliminary budget is scheduled to be held online using the Zoom platform 6 p.m. Monday, May 17.
The Zoom meeting ID is 833 5934 8842.
More info on the meeting will be made available on the city’s online meeting calendar.
Immediately after Monday’s public hearing, the tax board will hold a meeting during which members have the option to make changes to the spending plan.
Final Adoption Scheduled For Tuesday
Then, at a meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, the tax board could officially vote to adopt the budget for 2021 – 2022.
That meeting is also scheduled to be held on Zoom. The meeting identification is 833 5934 8842.
Click this link for more info to be posted to the city’s website.
Mill Rate Decrease
The current mill rate in Derby is 43.869. The new preliminary budget lowers the mill rate by 5.269 mills, to 38.6.
This budget cycle includes new property assessment data from a state-mandated revaluation.
To determine your tax bill under the new budget:
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1. Find your old tax bill and look at how much you paid in property taxes. Write it down and put it to the side.
2. Find your new (or latest) assessment, which is available online here.
3. Multiply your new (or latest) assessment by 38.6, then divide that answer by 1,000. That’s your new property tax bill.
4. Compare your answer from step 1 to your answer in step 3.
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Tax Board Hesitates On School Funding
Right now the Derby Public Schools budget is $19,076,606.
The Derby Board of Education had requested an increase from the tax board of 3.3 percent, or $629,000. The bulk of that was salary increases for certified and non-certified staffers, which was $492,119 of the $629,000 increase.
Tax board members Christopher Carloni and Robert Forte wanted to flat-fund education, saying the district is in line to get more money from the state and federal governments.
During Tuesday’s three-hour plus meeting, Judy Szewczyk noted no one from the school district was in attendance, which she interpreted as an indication the school district is comfortable with its finances.
“The impression I get is that they are all set,” Szewczyk said.
Szewczyk was hesitant to add any money to the district’s basic budget because of the state’s minimum budget requirement, or MBR. The requirement prohibits a town from budgeting less for education in an upcoming fiscal year than it did in the previous year (source).
The tax board made various motions regarding how much money to allocate to education, but none could gather the seven votes needed to pass.
Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway joined the meeting at about 9 p.m. and told members that the school district is expecting $299,000 from the state that can go toward the school board’s requested $629,000 increase.
Ultimately the tax board voted to flat-fund education (they allocated one additional dollar for technical reasons). However, the tax board also voted to put $150,000 in the city’s ‘special working balance’ that can be used toward education should the need arise.
Tax board members also said the school district has access to about $300,000 in a reserve fund.
Etc.
The tax board voted to allocate $100,000 for Storm Ambulance, with the understanding the service could be receiving some of the COVID-19 relief money expected to be coming to the city from the federal and state governments.
Former interim finance director Keith McLiverty is now off the city payroll. McLiverty took a job out of state, but was still working for the city until recently.
Andrew Cota, the city’s former police chief who has served as a blight officer for more than a decade, is retiring.
Carmen DiCenso, the city’s part-time economic development liaison, is picking up additional duties, according to Mayor Rich Dziekan’s office. He’ll take on some of Cota’s blight duties and work with James Watson, the city’s other blight officer. DiCenso is also taking over administrative duties of the municipal parking garage. He’ll also continue in economic development.
DiCenso’s pay is being increased from $27,000 to $30,000, plus a $1,500 vehicle allowance and access to city gas, according to the mayor’s office.
The tax board’s preliminary budget allocates $65,000 to operate the new Payden Field House. The building department’s budget decreased from $157,359 to $151,591. The city is currently outsourcing the building inspector’s job after Carlo Sarmiento quit.
In Derby, the tax board has final say on the budget and mill rate. In Seymour, the budget goes to a public referendum (it was approved earlier this month). In Ansonia, the city’s Board of Aldermen decides (approved Monday night).
A screen shot showing the preliminary budget’s bottom line and mill rate reduction.
