The Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation will host a public hearing on the proposed 2012 – 2013 budget at 6 p.m. Monday, May 21 on the second floor of Derby City Hall at 1 Elizabeth St.
The new mill rate in the proposed budget is 36.6 — a year-to-year increase of 8.7 mills.
Click here for an explanation on mill rates.
However, the mill rate increase does not necessarily mean residents will see a giant increase in their property taxes.
Derby went through a revaluation, so it depends on your property fared on its new assessment.
Revaluation saw assessments increase, decrease or stay the same, depending, in part, on where you live in Derby and the price of homes sold around you.
After Thursday’s tax board meeting, member, Judy Szewczyk produced data indicating the average tax bill would increase by just $100.
During the meeting, tax board members said a house assessed at $105,000 could pay an additional $325 in taxes next year if the budget is adopted.
Click here for a FAQ on revaluation from one of New England’s leading reval companies.
WHAT GIVES?
Every property owner in Derby should have received a letter in 2011 titled “NOTICE OF PROPERTY REVALUATION.”
The letter contained your “Total 2010 Assessed Value (from 2005)” and your “Total 2011 Assessed Value (new).”
In English — that’s your old assessment and your new assessment.
The two numbers printed under those categories are the key to finding out how much your taxes are increasing — or decreasing — under the proposed Derby budget.
Here is how to figure it out:
Take your “Total 2010” number, multiply it by 27.9 (the old mill rate) and divide by 1,000. The result is your old tax bill.
Take your “Total 2011” number, multiply it by 36.6 (the new, proposed mill rate) and divide by 1,000. The result is your new tax bill.
Finally, compare the difference between the two results.
Then breathe a sigh of relief or get out your pitchfork, depending on the number.
An example, using the Valley Indy editor’s home:
A house on Hawthorne Avenue near E Street total 2010 assessed value was $183,120.
$183,120 × 27.9 mills / 1,000 = $5,109 (the old tax bill)
The revaluation Gods now say that same house is now assessed at $140,280.
$140,120 × 36.6 mills /1,000 = $5,134 (the new tax bill)
$5,134 – $5,109 = A $25 increase in taxes under the spending plan proposed by the Derby tax board.
NOTE: This is only one example of one property in Derby. The revaluation Gods do not look at all assessments the same.
For example, Derby residents are teeing off on the new assessments and mill rate on Clearly Derby, a Facebook page run by Szewczyk, a Republican.
Budget Specifics
The following information compares the adopted 2011 – 2012 budget with the proposed 2012 – 2013 budget.
The information is from Derby City Hall’s finance department. The original documents are posted at the bottom of this story to compare.
The titles and dollar figures are for departments, not individual salaries.
MAYOR:
Current: $195,144
Proposed: $197,518
1.2 percent increase
PROBATE:
Current: $8,629
Proposed: $7,649
11 percent decrease
FINANCE COMMITTEE:
Current: $2,400
Proposed: $2,400
No increase
TOWN CLERK:
Current: $170,377
Proposed: $171,742
.8 percent increase
REGISTRAR OF VOTERS:
Current: $37,590
Proposed: $47,803
27 percent increase
LEGAL:
Current: $233,900
Proposed: $248,900
6.4 percent increase
DATA PROCESSING:
Current: $40,811
Proposed: $63,800
56 percent increase
TREASURER:
Current: $91,120
Proposed: $90,380
.8 percent decrease
INSURANCE:
Current: $531,411
Proposed: $469,097
11.7 percent decrease
RETIREMENT:
Current: $1,156,400
Proposed: $1,232,479
6.5 percent increase
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:
Current: $5,302,454
Proposed: $5,314,775
.2 percent increase
FINANCE DEPARTMENT:
Current: $181,562
Proposed: $160,144
PAYROLL TAXES:
Current: $441,000
Proposed: $493,070
11.8 percent increase
TAX COLLECTOR:
Current: $105,158
Proposed: $121,181
15.2 percent increase
ASSESSOR:
Current: $97,179
Proposed: $97,862
.7 percent increase
AUX POLICE
Current: $17,605
Proposed: $17,605
0 percent increase
POLICE:
Current: $3,181,987
Proposed: $3,606,224
13.3 increase
FIRE:
Current: $234,651
Proposed: $235,721
.4 percent increase
CIVIL DEFENSE:
Current: $14,795
Proposed: $17,475
18 percent increase
FIRE MARSHAL:
Current: $95,038
Proposed: $94,796
.2 percent decrease
PUBLIC HYDRANTS:
Current: $353,500
Proposed: $353,500
0 percent increase
MISC CAPITAL:
Current: $361,070
Proposed: $450,000
24 percent increase
HIGHWAY:
Current: $1,469,854
Proposed: $1,503,782
2.3 percent increase
CITY ELECTRICITY:
Current: $532,190
Proposed: $480,800
9.6 percent decrease
SANITATION:
Current: $1,272,499
Proposed: $1,277,499
.3 percent increase
PARKS:
Current: $251,709
Proposed: $260,293
3.4 percent increase
HEALTH SERVICES:
Current: $172,390
Proposed: $175,768
1.9 percent increase
LIBRARY:
Current: $421,895
Proposed: $462,388
9.5 percent increase
CEMETERY:
Current: $600
Proposed: $600
0 percent increase
BUILDING INSPECTOR:
Current: $143,904
Proposed: $138,855
3.5 percent decrease
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
Current: $137,686
Proposed: $135,241
1.7 percent decrease
FLOOD CONTROL:
Current: $11,050
Proposed: $11,550
4.5 percent
PLANNING AND ZONING:
Current: $15,100
Proposed: $100
Big decrease (money transferred to engineering)
INLAND WETLAND:
Current: $200
Proposed: $200
0 percent increase
SENIOR CENTER:
Current: $188,912
Proposed: $190,869
1 percent increase
BONDED INDEBTEDNESS
Current: $1,911,324
Proposed: $2,100,000
9.8 percent increase
LOCIP:
Current: $99,393
Proposed: $102,316
2.9 percent increase
CITY HALL MAINTENANCE:
Current: $271,619
Proposed: $265,540
2.2 percent decrease
CITY WIDE AGENCIES
Current: $134,226
Proposed: $147,965
10.2 percent increase
CITY WIDE FUEL
Current: $177,000
Proposed: $225,000
27 percent increase
BUDGET WORKING BALANCE:
Current: $96,465
Proposed: $270,000
179 percent increase
CITY ENGINEER:
Current: $45,000
Proposed: $55,001
22.2 percent increase
******EDUCATION:
Current: $15,449,185
(Note: The school district has this number at $15,548,000. On Thursday the tax board voted to accept this number, not the one above. See the document “Tracy letter,” below)
Proposed: $15,969,000
2.7 percent if you use the number discussed at Thursday’s tax board meeting.
YOUTH SERVICES:
Current: $35,539
Proposed: $35,000
1.5 percent decrease
TOTAL CITY BUDGET:
CURRENT: $35,691,521
PROPOSED: $37,299,388
4.5 percent increase
The proposed budget department totals:
Compared to the current budget:
