
Wikimedia Commons
Derby City Hall, in a photo from Wikimedia Commons.
DERBY — Voters will be asked in November whether to approve borrowing $3 million to pave roads in the city.
If approved, the borrowing, which would be spread out over 20 years, would cost about the city about $270,000 the first year, according to Walt Mayhew, Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan’s chief of staff.
It remains to be seen whether the borrowing will have an impact on the mill rate.
Mayhew said 1 mill equates to between $900,000 and $1 million. So if the borrowing was added to the budget today, it would add about .25 mill to the tax rate, Mayhew said.
Kevin White, a city engineer, is evaluating Derby roads to come up with a list of the roads that need the most help. That list will be ready in September or October, Mayhew said.
In a previous road bond, the city provided the public with a list of roads as explanatory text that was made available at polling places. That will happen again, Mayhew said.
Mayhew said paving costs today are about $1.85 per square foot, so $3 million would equate to about 1.6 million square feet of paving. In 2014 voters in Derby approved a road bond totaling $3.7 million. That money was used to pave more than 12 roads.
In terms of process, the city still has to approve the specific language to put on the ballot. That should happen in the next few weeks.