Derby Voters Approve Roof Referendum

Derby voters Tuesday approved borrowing about $5.9 million to replace the roofs at three of the city’s four schools.

The vote was 236 – 86, according to unofficial results from Derby City Hall. Only about 5 percent of the city’s 6,492 registered voters cast ballots.

There were no minimum turnout required in the referendum, city officials said Tuesday (Oct. 1).

The vote means the city can replace roofs at the elementary schools (Bradley and Irving) and at the high school.

City officials said the roofs on the buildings are either at or have surpassed life expectancies. Leaks in the roof at one school — Irving, built in 1953 — forced the cafeteria there to close early at the end of the last school year.

While voters in Derby were asked to fund $5,955,000, the city expects to be reimbursed up to about 70 percent of the cost from the state.

The actual cost coming out of Derby residents’ pockets would be about $1,786,000, officials said.

The approval means a house assessed at $105,000 could see a tax bill increase of about $35 next year — assuming the current budget was carried over to next year with no changes.

At the Irving polling place, the referendum was approved 64 – 30.

At the Bradley polling place, it was approved 148 – 53.

Absentee ballots approved the borrowing 24 – 3.

Tuesday’s vote was initially supposed to include some $20 million in repairs to the city’s sewer system. However, that vote has been pushed to sometime next year.

Derby has a general election scheduled for Nov. 5.

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