Here are some highlights from the May 28 meeting of the Derby Board of Aldermen:
Get Rid Of The Snow, Or Else!
Aldermen added a $100 fine to punish residents or businesses who don’t remove snow from sidewalks 24 hours after a winter storm ends.
Previously, if you didn’t clear your sidewalks 24 hours after a storm, a city crew would show up and do it for you, then send you a bill.
That will still happen, but now snow devils face an additional $100 fine.
Anthony DeFala, public works honcho, will be the guy calling police if you insist on leaving 16 feet of snow on your sidewalk. Only police officers can actually issue a ticket.
New Position In The Town Clerk’s Office
The Aldermen May 28 approved the creation of a second assistant town clerk in the town clerk’s office.
The position was discussed at length during tax board budget meetings.
The starting salary is about $47,000, according to multiple statements made by tax board members during recent Derby budget talks.
Here’s the job posting:
Part of the new person’s responsibility will be posting information to Derby’s website. The city finally created an official website earlier this year.
The discussion over the position generated confusion among Aldermen and Town Clerk Marc Garofalo over whether the position should be created “contingent” upon the money being allocated by the Derby tax board.
It was confusing because the tax board, during the budget discussions, indicated they needed the Aldermen to create the position before it could be funded.
So, they put the money for the position into a “special working balance” within the recently approved budget (instead of cutting it out from the budget since the position hadn’t been created by Aldermen).
The question of who and how and who funds new positions in Derby government is often a chicken-before-egg debate depending on which board does what and when.
“We legislate, they appropriate,” said Alderman Ron Sill, cutting through some of the confusion.
Derby Cares
Alderman Art Gerckens said last month the “Derby Cares” initiative is moving forward.
“Derby Cares” is a group of volunteers who will seek out people and families to help in the city. Specifically, it is targeted toward properties that are falling into disrepair because the owner is elderly, sick or otherwise impaired.
The city has a blight ordinance and two facility inspectors who keep an eye on blight in Derby. “Derby Cares” is sort of an offshoot of that program, looking to connect volunteers who may clean up properties that are at risk.
“Derby Cares” still needs volunteers. Anyone who wants to help out should drop Gerckens a line at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
To learn everything there is to learn about this new Derby initiative, please read the report below:
