There are two public hearings prior to tonight’s Board of Aldermen meeting in City Hall tonight.
The public hearings start at 7 p.m.
WCPA
The first public hearing is on a proposal to create a Water Pollution Control Authority.
Currently, members of the city’s Board of Taxation and Apportionment do double duty as the city’s WPCA.
Wearing two hats apparently caused some long meetings, and the thought is separating the two might make the WPCA more efficient.
Here is a slice from the Derby charter explaining the CURRENT composition of the WCPA, courtesy of the Derby Town Clerk’s office.
“The Water Pollution Control Authority shall consist of all members of the Board of Apportionment and Taxation whose terms shall be determined by the Mayor. The Mayor of said City shall, ex officio, be a member of the Authority and shall preside at the meetings of the Authority. The Authority may employ personnel necessary to effectuate collection of the sewer use charge. The members of the Authority shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses. All plant employees of the Authority shall report to the Street Commissioner. The Authority shall utilize the City Clerk to supervise the clerical staff of the Authority. The Authority shall maintain proper accounting and financial records and shall make a written biannual report to the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen each March and September.”
Here is what the Derby Board of Aldermen wants to do, according to a draft e‑mailed to us from the Town Clerk.
“The Water Pollution Control Authority shall consist of five (5) electors of the City of Derby, who shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Board of Alderman, not more than three of whom shall be of the same political party. Those first appointed shall be designated to serve for one, two, three, four and five year terms, respectively, and thereafter a member shall be appointed annually to serve for five years, except that any vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term in the same manner as the original appointment. The Water Pollution Control Authority shall select from among its members a Chairman. No action of the Authority shall be valid unless authorized by the vote of a majority of the members present at a meeting.
The Authority may employ personnel necessary to effectuate collection of the sewer use charge. The members of the Authority shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses. All plant employees of the Authority shall report to the Street Commissioner. The Authority shall maintain proper accounting and financial records and shall make a written biannual report to the Mayor and the Board of Alderman each March and September.”
Emergency Response Committee
The second public hearing tonight is on the formation of an Emergency Response Committee in Derby.
Here is the text explaining the committee’s purpose:
“7 – 121. Creation and duties. A Emergency Response Committee is hereby created in order to examine, study and recommend procedures regarding the response by the various agencies of the City to major disasters. The Committee shall recommend the role of each agency involved and their primary activities during a disaster response. The Committee shall provide assistance for grant funding, training and projects in order to establish such procedures for emergency disaster response. The Committee shall act to coordinate such programs with Griffin Hospital, Valley Red Cross and the Valley Health Department.
7 – 122. Committee Members. The Committee shall be composed of the following City Employees and Officials:
Police Department: Police Chief or his/her designee
Fire Department: Fire Chief or his/her designee
Storms Ambulance Director or his/her designee
Office of Emergency Management: OEM Director or his/her designee
Public Works: Commissioner or his/her designee
School Department: Superintendent or his/her designee
7 – 123. Chairman. The Mayor of the City of Derby shall appoint a Chairman. The Chairman must have some emergency management or operation experience. The Chairman shall serve at the sole discretion of the Mayor. The Chairman shall call meetings to order and preside over it. The Chairman shall serve without compensation.”
A meeting of the Board of Aldermen is scheduled to take place immediately after the public hearings. Here is the agenda:
