The budget battle continues in Derry, as one fire station is slated to shut down.
Hundreds sign petition to overturn Derry budget cuts
DERRY- 800 Derry residents signed a petition to fight some of the largest budget cuts in town history.
Organizers say they went out on petition drives only twice in the last few weeks and were able to get about 800 signatures on eight different petition questions. It's all meant to overturn cuts made in the last month.
At a special meeting Monday, Derry town councilors voted to hire Manchester law firm Devine Millimet to look at the petitions to make sure the petitions are valid. They also voted to appropriate up to $10,000 for legal costs.
Once they’re approved, the council has the opportunity to overturn the cuts. If they don't, they must send it a special election where the residents will get to decide.
Residents are very vocal about their disappointment over the cuts and how the decisions were made.
Many accuse the four councilors who voted to approve massive cuts of forming an alliance to all vote the same way.
The eight petitions deal with some of what organizers consider the most important cuts, they include eliminating the human resources position, cuts to police and fire, and shutting down one of the fire stations.
The cuts approved by the council last month will go into effect July 1, but could be overturned if the petitions are approved.
