DERBY — City voters said yes to six of the seven charter revision questions on Tuesday’s ballot.
Voters rejected a proposal to change the term for all elected officials from two years to four years.
Voters approved including adding language into the charter to note the mayor’s position is full-time. Going forward, the Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen will take up whether that means increasing the job’s salary.
Voters also approved charter changes that give the mayor a more formal role in the city’s annual budget process, and adding language to the charter stating the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen (the city’s legislative body) is the “superior body” in the city (which settles a debate that sometimes comes up involving the city’s tax board).
“I just want to thank the bi-partisan Charter Revision Commission, lead by Alderman Rob Hyder, for their efforts,” Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan said in a statement. “They stayed out of the political mud and focused on making changes to the Charter that will help our city run more efficiently. The citizens clearly agreed by voting for six out of the seven proposed changes.”
The questions and vote counts are listed below. These are unofficial numbers from the City/Town Clerk’s office.
Derby Charter Revision Questions
Shall sections 1, 4 (and several others) be amended to make general changes, update old language, delete obsolete sections, and correct grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors?
Yes: 3686
No: 995
Shall Section 4 be amended to change the term of office for all elected officials from two years to four years?
Yes: 1974
No: 2750
Shall section 10 be amended to designate the position of Mayor as full-time?
Yes: 3217
No: 1471
Shall section 16 be amended to update the duties of the Treasurer?
Yes: 3443
No: 1168
Shall section 26 be amended to designate the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen as the superior body in the city?
Yes: 2342
No: 2057
Shall section 28 be amended to require the mayor to submit an annual budget to BOAT by March 1?
Yes: 3969
No: 709
Shall section 55 be amended to allow certain members of the Board of Assessment Appeals to designate an alternate to act in their stead?
Yes: 2671
No: 1902
