{"utterances":[{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-08-10","video_id":1275,"video_title":"Finance - Legal and Legislative - Boards and Comm. - Appropriations and Oversight August 10th 2026","meeting_id":6007,"start_sec":518.53,"end_sec":561.48,"similarity":0.783,"text":"Good evening, Madam Chair and Councilors. Lovely to see you all. I'm thrilled to be here tonight with Dion, as I know many of us know him, for consideration of his appointment to the Human Rights Commission. I believe many of you, like me, met Dion during the campaign season last year, and while he's not at the council table, he has so much to offer Melrose, and I'm so thrilled at his willingness to serve on this important commission. In addition to deep professional experience across the Mediterranean and the United States, he also is an immigrant to the U.S. and a recent citizen. Congratulations. So brings his lived experience, his professional experience, and his academic experience to thinking through the issues of the Human Rights Commission. So I'm thrilled to put him forward for your consideration.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1217166818#t=518s","page_url":"/video/1275"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-07-28","video_id":1,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee July 28th 2026","meeting_id":6004,"start_sec":1279.11,"end_sec":1292.1,"similarity":0.728,"text":"Just to your question about timeline, in the memo, the desire was to have this in place in September, so I would certainly want us to move forward to be able to meet that timeline. If that's sort of an expectation of the community, I don't want us to hold that up.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1213778155#t=1279s","page_url":"/video/1"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-07-28","video_id":1,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee July 28th 2026","meeting_id":6004,"start_sec":2243.16,"end_sec":2307.56,"similarity":0.812,"text":"Can I say back what I think you're saying, Ms. Rozy-Thomas? Yes, of course. So your concern is that the added language allows it to be too broad, where basically someone could say, \"I'm really curious about student conduct,\" period. Yeah. But I guess I read this a little differently, which is, I think we're very, particularly as appropriate, it would never be appropriate for us to share information about a child who isn't yours with you. I already think there are guardrails around the fact that we would not do that. We don't share information about students with people who aren't their caregiver or legal guardian. I know the intent around this was to clarify that we're not consulting with parents and guardians around matters of discipline and conduct, that we're not calling you necessarily to get your feedback as a parent about how we're handling discipline. Is that a correct summary, Superintendent Berman? So I don't know if that... But I'm just thinking, people may want what you're-- We know they want that. Right. But we would never, even whether or not that sentence is in there, we would never provide that because we wouldn't share that information.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1213778155#t=2243s","page_url":"/video/1"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-07-28","video_id":1,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee July 28th 2026","meeting_id":6004,"start_sec":3251.01,"end_sec":3271.51,"similarity":0.776,"text":"Thank you for all of that, and it's really helpful to have your professional lens, but also the holistic data of how much time and resources we're putting toward implementing this policy. I'm not calling any of them out, but just do you feel comfortable saying what our elementary school principals, who are the ones that are overseeing kindergarten, what their thoughts are on this recommended change?","url":"https://vimeo.com/1213778155#t=3251s","page_url":"/video/1"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":563.27,"end_sec":583.02,"similarity":0.803,"text":"Thank you, Ms. Driscoll. More just a comment. Obviously, we're all watching closely what's happening at the federal level and that there's seems like a real movement afoot to move IDEA out of the Department of Education and into Health and Human Services. Is there any information that's been communicated to us or anything that we're kind of anticipating hearing about?","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=563s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":1250.79,"end_sec":1352.41,"similarity":0.824,"text":"Mayor Grigoris. Thank you. Not a question, just a comment. I'm really thrilled to see this kind of judicious and thoughtful distribution of the funds. I know this is front of mind for all of us, but we are one of few districts that is currently in the position we are in right now, which is being stable and actually having money that we are not making cuts. So I want to continue to see that as such a wonderful thing for us. I, too, am very grateful for the community, and so I think being able to bring back this director of visual and performing arts, which we know is very impactful in the community, but also one of the things we did when we were making cuts was add fees for our theater program. We now have hundreds of families that are paying a fee for that program. And we didn't reduce that fee, so to then be bringing back some support feels like a much nicer balance than how we've currently left things. So I'm really thrilled to see that. I know that our role is just to put money in the categories. Your role is to make decisions on how to manage the district. I'm very appreciative as a manager on the city side of how diligent you have been about that and really thoughtful about what it is that we need holistically in order to meet the needs of our students and our employees and our families. And I just wanted to caveat, I know the pending need with the bridge is that we need to renegotiate an MOU that has been allowed to lapse, so that we're, again, managing everyone that we're bringing into our building in a thoughtful and equitable way. So I'm grateful for this proposal. I know it's a great thing to have extra money. I also know it got thrown at you at very late in the game after a very thorough budget process. So thank you both for working so thoughtfully and quickly with myself and with Carrie Golden. So I'm just thrilled to see this.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=1250s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":1801.45,"end_sec":1942.82,"similarity":0.802,"text":"Oh, thank you. Yeah. I was going to say through the chair, but you are the chair, so to the chair which is probably violating protocol. I'm very appreciative of your thoughts and reasoning and thinking about the need for mathematics. I think the kind of city side of me and manager side of me that sometimes feels more like my job is similar to the superintendent's, I do think we need to make a decision tonight because I think anything that's involving people, whether that's hiring people, finding part-time people, I think to wait until July is going to further hamstring our ability to deliver whatever it is that is decided to deliver. So I caution us from-- I know, and I recognize, and we all signed up for having to make incomplete and imperfect decisions sometimes on a very tight timeline, and that's what this is. I feel like we as a community, through the override and then through the work of this committee and the superintendent and Ken Kelley and Ms. Acevedo, have really, I think, put the bones in place to try to turn math around. We're bringing back a K-6 through 12 STEM director. We've made a significant investment in, I think, $1 million in mathematics curriculum, which I think is one of the largest investments in the district's history. We are bringing back classroom teachers, which I'm hoping that we are planting the seeds that will then help us to see in coming years the changes that we all want to see. So, I feel like we've made that investment in this budget, and I think it's certainly going to take us time to see if the data follows us along. I very much hear you. This is essentially one-time money. We cannot guarantee that. I think we have to be very clear about that. I think that's an inherent risk in everything that we do in government. I'm also very worried about the federal headwinds. I forgot to mention earlier, we do have slightly over a million dollars in the special ed stabilization account, so I think, again, through some really hard and thoughtful decisions of this body and the city council, we are as prepared as we reasonably can be to hopefully weather what might be coming our way. We can't weather everything if it comes all at once, but I think, again, as a slightly anxious person, we've tried to put as much in place as we can. So, I just offer that as sort of what was going through my head as I was hearing your thoughts and concerns, which I very much appreciate.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=1801s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":4769.95,"end_sec":4791.86,"similarity":0.762,"text":"While I think that's a more inclusive term, I am going to push back because I do think parent and guardian actually comes with some legal rights that a caregiver may not have. So I think we want to be careful around, particularly when we're talking about communication regarding student information, that I think there are many people who might identify as a caregiver but may not- ... within the confines of the Millrose Public Schools, have access to information. So I","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=4769s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":4792.65,"end_sec":4797.27,"similarity":0.653,"text":"get it, but I feel like we probably legally should stick with-- I would recommend we stick with parent/guardian.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=4792s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":5167.25,"end_sec":5176.03,"similarity":0.699,"text":"Mayor? Thank you. The fact that this is no longer in the MASC manual resonates with me. There's a lot of","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=5167s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-23","video_id":8,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 23rd 2026","meeting_id":5974,"start_sec":5177.47,"end_sec":5184.85,"similarity":0.757,"text":"editing I would want to do to this policy. So, for purposes of discussion, I would make a motion to remove this policy for Melrose.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1204029576#t=5177s","page_url":"/video/8"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-09","video_id":13,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 9th 2026","meeting_id":5958,"start_sec":3616.82,"end_sec":3663.89,"similarity":0.836,"text":"Just on the outreach to the legislature, I think the committee received an email from Rep Libergarabedian, but just wanted to share with the public, we're currently waiting for the sup budget from the Fair Share Amendment to be signed by the governor. There's a lot in there, obviously, that impacts the whole state, but there were several earmarks for the Melrose Public Schools, including $90,000 for improvements to visual and performing art spaces, $75,000 for renovations to the APR at the Hoover Elementary School, $40,000 for a new AV system in the APR in the Horace Mann School, and then $20,000 for a traffic study of the Lincoln Elementary School area. So I want to thank the work of our delegation for advocating for that funding for us, and for Ken and the superintendent for partnering with my team to advocate for those identified needs to get them funded outside of our budget.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1199942771#t=3616s","page_url":"/video/13"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-09","video_id":13,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 9th 2026","meeting_id":5958,"start_sec":3705.05,"end_sec":3722.8,"similarity":0.706,"text":"Okay. Grace? Through the chair, there used to be a partnership with the middle school and the Veterans Memory Project, where we brought both veterans and eighth graders to DC, so there is some precedent for a trip like this. We also used to do the Quebec trip as a middle school trip, so that was multiple nights out of the country.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1199942771#t=3705s","page_url":"/video/13"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-09","video_id":13,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee June 9th 2026","meeting_id":5958,"start_sec":3725.23,"end_sec":3732.11,"similarity":0.749,"text":"It was open to French students, so I don't know the exact number- Okay ... but I think we do have some history of overnight trips for middle school students.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1199942771#t=3725s","page_url":"/video/13"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":1391.63,"end_sec":1577.22,"similarity":0.822,"text":"Good evening, Madam Chair and councilors. So joining me tonight is Jim Donahue, who is one of the volunteer members of our Park Commission, currently serving as its chair, Elena Proakis-Ellis, our DPW director, and Brandon Kunkel from Weston & Sampson, who is the consultant that was procured many years ago to design the feasibility study. They have a very Fancy and technical presentation. But before we get to that, just to do some framing, because I think as was mentioned in public comment, this is a project that has been in the public domain since 2020, when the city, funded through free cash, engaged in a feasibility study. So that is the first step for something like this, is to actually identify what could be feasible before we even move into design. This is about the L Pond Park and the surrounding field. So just that is a 19.1 acre active and passive recreational facility that surrounds L Pond. It's the largest recreational parcels of land in the city. Part of it is used by the Melrose Public Schools, most especially the middle school and high school, which are right across the street, during the school day for education, including physical education and some science classes. It is also used during after school hours, weekends, and as late as we can keep the lights on, by both high school athletes, recreational programming, and youth sports. The purview of the park is under the Park Commission. It also contains our veterans memorial at the Knoll, as well as our dog park, our Lyons tennis courts, our Monk Little League, our skate park, the Cabbage Patch field that's in front of the middle school, the Crystal Street tennis courts, and a parking lot that's utilized by both high school students during the school day and then users of the park on all other times. So it's a significant parcel of land, and as has been mentioned in public comment, this project was ranked number one on the capital improvement plan this year. Thank you to Councilor Park for serving as the council liaison to that. And it's appeared on previous CIPs and some portions of repair to the fields have been attempted going as far back as 2007, but there has been no significant investment in these facilities since then. So it is obviously a big undertaking. It's a big parcel of land. It serves a lot of user groups. It would be a complex project from both a regulatory perspective, a permitting perspective, as well as just a user group perspective. It's something that I think should we move forward with, it would certainly happen in a phased approach for many reasons. And it's also going to require a lot of careful planning. That process will involve experts that we have procured. It will involve DPW. It will involve the Park Commission, which is a public body with regulatory authority, as well as the Conservation Commission, which is also a public regulatory body. That is before anything would ever come before this body with any type of funding request attached to it. So it's really about having spent six years in this phase, getting ready to maybe move into the next phase. I think six years is probably too long for some people. Some people would like it to be a little bit longer. It feels just about right for government that it's taken us six years to get here. So that's what this is about very broadly, and I'll turn it over to you to talk about the technical. Sure. Okay.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=1391s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":2706.24,"end_sec":2779.49,"similarity":0.821,"text":"Yes, I think it does. I think right now we are at a standstill. One of the biggest challenges is that the Noel Memorial is not ADA compliant, and so for us to go, even in this current federal administration, even for us to go after additional federal funding, that would be a hindrance. So until we have a design and are able to say how we're going to commit to doing some of those things, I think we're really limited. Our experience thus far is that even in what feels like a very contentious federal administration, we are continuing to have some success with earmarks. Catherine Clark was able to just secure us money for Memorial Hall. But they are not interested in concepts, and they are not interested in funding designs. They are interested in paying to put shovels in ground. So we need to have a design, we need to have permits, we need to have a holistic approach so that we can then figure out if there are pieces that we can use federal money to leverage. I think state money is certainly a possibility around some of the climate resiliency work. That's a harder sell within the federal government right now, but again, I think we have to have-- Nobody wants to pay for a design. They want to be able to come and cut a ribbon and say, \"Look what we helped you do.\" And I think that's why we ask you all to fund the less glamorous but important part.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=2706s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":3252.95,"end_sec":3395.7,"similarity":0.758,"text":"and then what we're appropriating money for is the details of that design and the choices within, and that kind of thing. Yes, and I think for us as-- I have no experience in this world. Like yes, the feasibility versus design is lost, I think, for the technical thing. The crux of the problem is that these fields flood and weather. And so that is what is rendering them unusable, but that is what is exacerbating the wear and tear on them, so figuring out the drainage and therefore the associated permitting requirements. So the Conservation Commission is going to have to also have its own public process to review and approve whatever is under consideration because they also have jurisdiction because we're so close to wetlands. So I think there's going to be lots of public conversations. I know you all know this because of the roles you're in. We hear a lot of things from the public. We can very rarely deliver for everyone always, so there may be preferences for things that are then not going to be allowable by the Con Com or not going to be feasible, or we're going to also have to weigh the economics of. I think one of the big questions is, as you look at different types of surfaces, what is short-term investment versus maintenance versus long-term wear and tear and replacement for those of you that were on, I think maybe it might have been just me and Councilor Jamaleddine, I can't remember. We did have to replace the turf at Fred Green. That was-- And Councilor Williams- We were all there. ... that was $600,000. So, there's a lot of information and data, including public opinion and preference that we need to take in, that they will be synthesized by two public bodies to then come up with a recommendation that we would then have to both sequence and recommend funding to you all. Yeah. So I will just make my final comment, and it is a question as well in that, again, how detailed the feasibility study is. Turf is clearly identified as a recommendation within the feasibility study. And in a variety of roles that I've played in my life as a school administrator, I oversaw the concussion protocol within the high school and the post-hospitalization program for students who had concussions and injuries in athletics. Just want us to think very critically about the choices we make regarding turf. And personally, my daughter was the one who tore her ACL on the","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=3252s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":4535.59,"end_sec":4609.33,"similarity":0.773,"text":"No, I think on the funding aspect, we would certainly not be looking for $12 million in one fell swoop. That would be pretty unprecedented in this community. We typically have about $5 million in free cash a year. So I think as we move through the public process, it would certainly be thinking about how would you phase this. Some of it would have to be determined by where do we think we can leverage outside funding, and that may prioritize certain parts over another. This is a huge project, and this is likely going to go on if it were to move forward beyond any of our life in public service. And so I'm trying to recognize that we can continue to keep it sitting on a shelf, which I think there's a lot of great examples of that happening in this city, and we all know there are consequences for that. Or do we try to continue to move forward, make things better, give people an opportunity? I don't think that we can go back to conceptually what does this look like. That costs time and money. But I think thinking about how do we move forward now, I do feel like three of the people who would be involved in making these decisions who are sitting here before you now, I have no predetermined commitment to what the field surface look like. I also can't tell you that it gets to be grass because that's not my decision. We have two regulatory bodies that have to weigh in, and I want to respect their authority and their process. So","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=4535s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":4609.96,"end_sec":4639.59,"similarity":0.779,"text":"I think it's trying to take what we know is a deteriorating, well-used facility and try to make it better and recognize that hopefully we carry the ball a little bit further along. Look at me with the sports metaphors. And then it gets picked up by whoever is also here for us, but I think we can look at the public safety buildings. We can look at some of the states of our current school buildings. There are capital needs that we have to make incremental decisions about so that we can eventually get to a more permanent, better solution.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=4609s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":4673.05,"end_sec":4684.05,"similarity":0.772,"text":"First it would go through- To get approved? ... so the approval of any final design recommendations would have to go through, I think it's first Conservation Commission and then Park Commission. Maybe depends.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=4673s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":5054.55,"end_sec":5131.11,"similarity":0.797,"text":"Okay. So I think on the funding, first of all, any funding request comes before this body for approval. So some of what I'm talking about is purely speculative, but obviously we as a community have gotten to a point after many years where we are not using free cash to backfill budgets. So that was a long-standing practice we were using. Many of you were here when we voted to spend 50% of our free cash to backfill existing school budgets. So thanks to the override, we have remedied that. This is why you're not seeing a lot of personnel additions in the city budget, is to try to ensure that we're being conservative, we're being frugal, that we're managing money so that we continue forward. SoMost of what we're asking for free cash this year is being driven by the CIP, as you all know. I know that's been part of your conversation. So to have this as the top-rated project, that's why we're asking for this. And then the hope would be that the pieces of this project, as we figured out both what is feasible, where we can get other money, what are the priority needs of the community, how are we serving people who have been left behind in terms of the use of this park, that would then be where we would make free cash requests for you. It's certainly going to take multiple years. This is not going to be-- And I think that we would want to do that. But I'm also recognizing that, again, this is going to be long, and the longer we wait, nothing gets","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=5054s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":5132.05,"end_sec":5172.92,"similarity":0.762,"text":"cheaper. And we're continuing to spend money just to keep the fields from further deteriorating. And I do, just to echo Councilor Finocchiaro point of view, it is about the lack of the quality of the surface and the fact that basically we have our largest piece of open space is really just playing fields, because we haven't been able to activate the other things around it. So we have Mount Hood. I think some people go up there, but I think when people really think about open space in Melrose, this is what they think about. And right now, it's largely a dog park, a parking lot for high school students, a memorial that people can't get to if they're not physically able to, and playing fields.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=5132s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":5497.43,"end_sec":5541.95,"similarity":0.767,"text":"Some of the conversation has been about voices that have or haven't been included, and when decisions get made that people feel like they weren't a part of. That, to me, feels like we would be deciding to eliminate things that we've told the community were part of the plan without having had that process. And I completely understand this is six years old, but it's also to go back and redo this then resets the clock to where we were. So, I think I would feel a little like to have 11 people make that decision, even though you're elected officials and represent the whole city, that feels like we would be kind of undercutting the process, however imperfect it may have been, about what is the vision that's been presented to the community. Because this has lived on a website for six years.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=5497s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":5969.4,"end_sec":6080.93,"similarity":0.791,"text":"Yeah. And I don't mean to equivocate like a politician. I guess I will say, for those of you that know me well, I try not to throw my weight around. That's not normally how I govern, so I am not going to browbeat the Park Commission or the Con Com into a certain decision. So what I'm trying to say when I can't guarantee it is, it's not my call. There are two regulatory bodies that have to take votes to recommend something. I hope that they are very much tuning into this conversation. I think this is the first chance we've had to hear from all of you in the iteration of this council about what matters to you. Your values very much reflect mine on this issue, but it is not my decision alone. So I'm trying to be clear and honest about the fact that I don't get to decide what happens and what comes to you all. I think certainly if there was to be, I think having heard the feelings of this council, and if we were to be coming back to this iteration of this council for funding, I would be very hesitant to bring something that I know is not going to be successful based on what's being offered. I like to win, but also I want to see this project moving forward. But to Councilor Bremsky's point, there is a process. There are multiple bodies that get to weigh in on this. I know that that makes these decisions challenging because you all have to put some trust in other people, some of who you've appointed, some of who you haven't, but that we need to let them have their deliberations, their process, ask their questions, come to their determinations, and I want to be respectful of that, of their both expertise and the willingness that they have to serve in those roles. So that's why I'm not trying to hedge. I'm just trying to say, I can't make you a guarantee and I'm not going to do that because then that makes me not telling you the truth. Yeah. And I don't expect that you do that. Yeah. I'm used to you being very straightforward. However, even before when this started and you voted on it, you were among us.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=5969s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":6453.14,"end_sec":6597.56,"similarity":0.829,"text":"to me, and I guess as the mayor, maybe that matters, I think what I'm asking you tonight is for your permission to fund the beginning of a formal public process. So I think, and I know we all feel it, I sat around that horseshoe with you six years ago, I think there is some preexisting history with this project. I think there's some preexisting assumptions from everyone about that has left some kind of bad faith. And I think when I came into office, there were candidly bigger challenges than this, and so we also knew that this was really complicated and messy, and people are really passionate about it and are engaged, which is great. That's what we want to see in government. Maybe not every Monday and Thursday night, but on most of them. So it felt but to not to-- I didn't want to continue to do what we've been doing, which is allowing there to be kind of a swirl of conversation and speculation and assumptions that's not happening in any formal way, and that's not happening in the framework of here's what it is that we're trying to do. I think that is where we lose people, where people feel like we're not being candid. So I think for me, this is asking you all to say, \"Yes, we want to move into this process where we begin to have public discussions, hear from the community,\" because I think there's a lot of opinions, and we need to hear all of them. Yours are all very important, but I don't want to say that we're disengaging the public on what we know is a very passionate topic. Within the confines of the Park Commission, of the Con Com, of a reinvigorated design group that's really been dormant because there was nothing to talk about. And I know that requires investment by you all, but it also has us sort of walking with some guardrails and some expectations of what it is that we're trying to do. So I think if this were to be funded, I'm happy to commit to working with the Park Commission and the Con Com to sort of develop what a process is going to look like when there's going to be points for people to weigh in, how we're going to manage that over the two years where this is going to be happening. But that's really ultimately what I feel like I'm asking you all, is do you want to begin that public conversation or do we kind of want to stay where we are? Which is we have a lot of people saying, \"What's happening with this project? I heard it's going to be turf. I heard it's going to be grass. I heard it's never going to get done.\" Or do we want to say, \"We're actually moving along and here now public is where we want you to come and tell us what you think?\" Okay. I'm sold. If you can commit","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=6453s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":8283.52,"end_sec":8386.14,"similarity":0.813,"text":"So I think it's who has the decision, it's going to be all of the above. So I think, yes, it's going to be an iterative process. I think it's going to be what is it that we're designing and building? When do we have funding available? I think some of that we have some certainty and control over, things like free cash, and some of it we don't, federal funding. I know the EPA money that we're using, that was secured two years before we ever actually saw a dollar of it. So I think it's going to have to be somewhat of a flowing process as we manage where can we leverage funding, what are we hearing are the priorities? Again, I can't speak to, from a professional standpoint, if a certain part has to be done before another because of infrastructure needs or permitting requirements. I think all of that would have to be factored in to some sort of plan that then we can hopefully, and I know I've said it before, plan the work, work the plan, that we can hopefully follow that plan. There are absolutely going to be things that come up, both probably good and bad, that we cannot fully plan for. But I think that would be part of what this next phase would be thinking about. How do we actually moveFrom talking about this, to permitting it, to executing it. I think we have to have a lot of conversations around what it's going to look like to close huge sections of athletic fields. Putting aside the impact of recreational sports and youth sports, we have obligations as a high school to provide surfaces for teams to play. I think we've already thought about having some conversations with Stoneham and Wakefield, who have gone through that as they've built new high schools and have had to take facilities offline. So I think there's going to be a lot of different players bringing back information so that we can create a comprehensive plan and then hopefully follow it to the best of all of our ability.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=8283s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":8484.83,"end_sec":8552.7,"similarity":0.784,"text":"grass expert, is that like the right way to describe it, to help us continue. If you haven't been on some of these surfaces, there are significant areas where we basically can't grow grass. And it's a combination of the drainage, the fact that the fields are in use so often, that that is why there isn't really the ability for them to sort of recover, for lack of... I'm really outside of my depth here, but I'm trying. And so that's something that we've sort of maintained as a contract, that it's really beyond the skills and capability of DPW because it's really trying to basically continually resuscitate a field that then we are just repeatedly helping it deteriorate all season long. And I think some of, again, those folks who have had experience as parents with youth sports in Melrose, their fields are closed sometimes because of rain, but we don't care if kids get wet. It doesn't matter to us. It's about the fact that having all those feet on that wet surface is causing further deterioration and erosion of the playing surface. And at some point we can't recoup what's been lost in any sort of meaningful way. So I think that's my non-technical. How was that?","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=8484s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-06-04","video_id":15,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight June 4th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5952,"start_sec":9339.82,"end_sec":9434.71,"similarity":0.805,"text":"with great respect, I'm not totally sure it's allowable. The council's purview is to approve, reduce, reject. So I think there needs to be a conversation with legal around, and maybe that already happened, but the ability to kind of put constraints on how funding is utilized beyond what's in the body of the order. I'm not actually sure that's within the purview of this body. So I just- No, no. I appreciate that ... feel like I have to say that out loud. And I know that that's our rules for the budget. I didn't know if that also carried for- Yeah ... free cash. Right. So Executive proposes, the legislative disposes of the order. So I think in terms of, I'm happy to-- I don't know if it has to be formally attached to the order. I hear you, Councilor Williams, about wanting to feel like there's some commitment. So I'm happy to put it in writing after the fact. I think we can commit to coming back with an informational update at various points. I don't want to commit to an exact date, mostly because I don't really understand where we would be in the process, but I think I hear that there's a desire to have there be interim conversations along the way as we move through design. I'm very much open and committed to doing that with you all. Again, that would largely be informational because there would be nothing before you to take action on, which I think are typically when some of the most fruitful conversations have occurred in this room. But that would just be sort of my-- Does that answer your question? It does, and thank you for the reminder. I meant to state informational orders as another way that we can engage in this process- Yeah ... after today. So thank you for putting that one back on the table.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1198822329#t=9339s","page_url":"/video/15"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-21","video_id":17,"video_title":"Boards and Commissions - Appropriations and Oversight May 21 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5937,"start_sec":143.97,"end_sec":263.48,"similarity":0.681,"text":"Thank you. At this time, I'll motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. And I see I skipped minutes approval, so at this time, I'll also motion by unanimous consent to approve the minutes of the boards and commissions meeting from April 6th. Seeing no objections, those are now approved. The first order before us is ID number 2026-1146, the appointment of Mark McKinnon, 585 Franklin Street, to the Melrose Housing Authority for a five-year term, said term to expire first Monday of March 2029. Mr. McKinnon is completing the term of Ellen Connolly, who has stepped down. And we have with us Mr. McKinnon and the mayor. Welcome. Good evening, Madam Chair and councilors. Thank you for having us tonight. So just to expand on what was so articulately said in public comment, I'm thrilled to put Mark McKinnon before you tonight for your consideration to the housing authority. He will be replacing the longtime chair of the authority. It's not often that we replace members of that board, so it's really an important opportunity. As I believe you know, we have multiple public housing buildings here in Melrose, and while they're not directly run by the city, they're largely run through the federal and state programs. I do have the opportunity to appoint board members to help in their oversight. In addition to everything that was said about Mr. McKinnon, his lifelong commitment to Melrose, his vast professional experience, he also understands the nexus of federal, state, and local government, which is actively at play every day at the housing authority, as well as meeting the needs of complex individuals. The most frequent housing calls that come into my office are from our residents at the housing authority, and helping folks understand where the city versus the state versus the federal government ends can be really confusing, and being able to do that at a high level on the board and help to communicate that empathetically and consistently will be a really big asset for him on that board. So I'm thrilled to have him here tonight. I'm really grateful for his willingness to serve, and thank you for your consideration. Thank you, Madam Mayor. And Mr. McKinnon, would you like to say anything before we open it up for questions?","url":"https://vimeo.com/1194581324#t=143s","page_url":"/video/17"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-21","video_id":17,"video_title":"Boards and Commissions - Appropriations and Oversight May 21 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5937,"start_sec":576.23,"end_sec":628.41,"similarity":0.672,"text":"Thank you. Next up we have ID number 2026-824, the reappointment of Peter Bowman, 24 Arlington Road, to the Library Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire the last day of February 2029. Thank you for joining us. Hello. Madam Mayor. I'm going to stick around. So Mr. Bowman has graciously agreed to continue serving on the Library Board of Trustees, which is a role he has honorably held for some time. As I believe you all know, a significant portion of what that board does is oversee the many investments of funds that have been dedicated to the library, and he has provided a level of dedication and expertise that has really helped to grow those funds and also make sure that we're in compliance with the many regulations that fall onto the government. So I'm thrilled that he's willing to continue serving, especially as we begin to really get the new library up and off the ground.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1194581324#t=576s","page_url":"/video/17"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-21","video_id":17,"video_title":"Boards and Commissions - Appropriations and Oversight May 21 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5937,"start_sec":746.78,"end_sec":799.4,"similarity":0.718,"text":"And welcome back, Madam Mayor and Mr. Morales. Thank you, Madam Chair. There's a lot of really wonderful things about my role as the mayor, but definitely at the top of the list is getting to meet incredible new residents. And so I would put Mr. Morales in that category. Some people get voluntold to be on boards and commissions. He legitimately volunteered. And when his statement of interest and resume came across my desk, I was just so thrilled that someone like this, with his caliber of lived and professional experience, lives in our community and wants to help make it better. So I'm thrilled for his willingness to serve on the commission. That commission, which I know Counselor Kowal had the opportunity to serve on, is really at the nexus of diversity, equity, inclusion, and policy and regulation, since it's about ensuring that we're upholding civil rights within the city. So I think he's going to bring incredible experience and perspective to it, and I'm just really honored that he's willing to serve in this capacity.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1194581324#t=746s","page_url":"/video/17"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-19","video_id":18,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee May 19th 2026","meeting_id":5930,"start_sec":2522.05,"end_sec":2549.55,"similarity":0.699,"text":"That's great. Thank you. That's the right spot for it. Just as long as we get to see it. Oh, Ms. Mayor, go right ahead. Thank you. It's great to hear that it's been a good year. I have a middle school student, so I will attest that that's what we're hearing at home as well. But just focusing back on the program of studies, can you just talk a little bit about the new courses that are going to be coming online next year and kind of what that Any highlights we should make sure families and students know about","url":"https://vimeo.com/1193819085#t=2522s","page_url":"/video/18"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-19","video_id":18,"video_title":"Melrose School Committee May 19th 2026","meeting_id":5930,"start_sec":3628.45,"end_sec":3670.29,"similarity":0.8,"text":"Just a comment. I think I was the one that asked you for that data. I just wanted to say I appreciate it. I think we all hear from different people in the community from their perspective why somebody maybe left, or that there can be these assumptions about how widespread that is or isn't, or who's... And so I think just to have that kind of grounding in the actual numbers and where people are moving in and out of is really helpful. I know that doesn't answer the why, but just to have that background. And I just want to say how grateful I am that we're in the position we're in, knowing that our K numbers are kind of meeting benchmark, that we can so nimbly shift and add a kindergarten teacher, and that's not requiring any difficult decisions or challenges. So again, just grateful to the voters of Melrose for putting us in that position.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1193819085#t=3628s","page_url":"/video/18"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-18","video_id":19,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight-City Council May 18th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5923,"start_sec":278.11,"end_sec":307.43,"similarity":0.71,"text":"Good evening, Chair Romanul and councilors. Thank you for having us tonight, and welcome to the FY27 budget. So this is something we added last year to the process and are really grateful to be back again, which is to provide you all with an overview of the revenue side of the ledger. Obviously, your purview is on the expenditure side, but it's helpful to know what's coming in and how we get to the number that we have as you decide where funds get allocated. So I'm going to turn it over to CFO Carrie Golden to walk you through the information that's before you.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1193450381#t=278s","page_url":"/video/19"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-18","video_id":19,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight-City Council May 18th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5923,"start_sec":1495.93,"end_sec":1499.68,"similarity":0.623,"text":"I'm staying, yes ... the mayor. I'm staying, but the chief of staff is joining me as well.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1193450381#t=1495s","page_url":"/video/19"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-18","video_id":19,"video_title":"Appropriations and Oversight-City Council May 18th 2026 Budget Hearing","meeting_id":5923,"start_sec":1505.12,"end_sec":1869.74,"similarity":0.672,"text":"Thank you for having us tonight. So, I think everyone has gotten our four-page memo, and you interface a lot with myself and the mayor's office, so I don't want to read the whole thing. But just especially for some of the new councilors, besides the mayor and myself, we have Tom Dalton, who's our communications and events manager, and a part-time, 12 hours a week, executive assistant to the mayor. Those kind of seats have always existed in the mayor's office but have had different titles over the years. So my predecessor's title was director of strategic initiatives or something like that. There's been a director of community outreach. So, the bodies, or different bodies, different seats, different titles, but the mayor's always been staffed by two and a half people. We do a lot of constituent services and events, taking calls, taking walk-ins. A lot of our walk-ins and kind of calls are luckily fielded by property tax work-off folks. So, thanks to the good work of the Council on Aging, we're able to take advantage of that, and I've really built up a robust roster of folks so that I'm not constantly answering the phones and telling people how to recycle a mattress, which I'm happy to do in case y'all need to know how to do that. But we really rely on those folks to fill the gap of not having a full-time executive assistant. And when you press 0 when you call the city hall, it comes to our office, so we're constantly fielding a lot of different calls and people that walk in. So besides those kind of constituent services, we did a lot of events last year, Slice in the City, new welcome to new residents. We hope to do those again, and we'll invite you as councilors to the Slice in the City, as well as having the mayor go out into the senior houses, so kind of bringing city hall out to the people, if you will, and really trying to engage with folks. For those people that don't want to come to events, we have a robust communications strategy website, which is housed and fully run through the mayor's office through Tom Dalton. Press releases, weekly emails, social media. If you don't know what's going on in Melrose and you don't read the Melrose Weekly News, then that's shame on you because I think we have a lot of stuff that City Hall pushes out, especially through the mayor's office. And then we take on special initiatives and projects at the mayor's request. So you're all really familiar with the capital improvement planning process that we just wrapped up. Thanks to Councilor Park for sticking with us for those couple of months through that process and all of those meetings. We were also the lead for the MAPC Technical Assistance Grant, which is helping to write a strategic plan for Memorial Hall, which you all will get to understand what that's going to be about in the upcoming budget hearings. So those types of things, they're one-offs. They kind of live with the mayor's office and kind of run through me at the mayor's direction. And so building off of that into fiscal '27, we'll continue to engage residents specifically through a sustainability commission that's been part of the mayor's vision for the city. And then a birth to five, bringing that back. It was a committee that was formed under Mayor Dolan, really intended to reach those families that have younger kids that haven't gotten to school age yet, to kind of engage them in programming and community outreach and help them feel like they're part of a fabric of the community. And so those are kind of the things we do on a regular basis, things we have coming up. I don't know if there's highlights that I've missed that you wanted to talk about. I think just as we look back on fiscal '26, obviously the education around the override was a huge effort by our office, pushing out information to the public for folks to understand their options, what the consequences of those choices were, how to vote. That was really a big undertaking. Then obviously, we moved directly into both the supplemental budget, which is not-- Typically, you don't do another budget middle of the year. So both the planning for that, which was done with a really quick turnaround, and I want to particularly thank Kerry Golden for that work and department heads, and then also communicating that to stakeholders, including the council, the school committee, and the public. Obviously, this is the first time where I've been the mayor and we've had new elected officials where I wasn't also new. So working with President Freeman and School Committee Chair Kelley to get our new city councilors and school committee members oriented to the best of our ability to the role and to working with the city and the schools was another big undertaking, the CIP. And then really continuing to provide ongoing education about the impact of the override. So that is something we're very keenly aware of and will be moving forward with as you start to see projects coming online, is that 60% of our voters said yes to providing more tax revenue. 40% did not, and they still have to pay those bills. And so we want to make sure folks are understanding where that money is going and are really visually seeing the impact. I spend a lot of time getting to speak with other mayors throughout the state. We are one of few communities right now that is not in the process of making budget cuts. I think that's something that we should collectively all be really proud of. I'm grateful to the public for putting us in the position that we're in, so that will continue to be an ongoing effort. And then in addition to engaging, obviously, with the public and with you all as local elected officials, we are heavily involved and are sort of the hub for interaction with both our state and federal delegations. So that's funding opportunities, policy developments that may impact the city. So we meet monthly with our state delegation. We check in regularly with our federal delegation. I'm a member of the Metro Mayors Coalition through the Mass. area ... through the MAPC, which represents over, I think there's two million residents that are encompassed in those communities. I'm also a member of the Mayor's Coalition through MMA, which encompasses mayors throughout the state. So really trying to make sure that we're engaged with our peer groups, that we're also constantly aware of what is happening on a policy and budget level, and how that may impact Melrose, and how we can advocate for change that's going to positively impact our residents. So, that's what we do, or try to do every day.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1193450381#t=1505s","page_url":"/video/19"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":67.89,"end_sec":69.55,"similarity":0.621,"text":"It's like Beyoncé.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=67s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":142.62,"end_sec":150.12,"similarity":0.736,"text":"Thank you very much. Good evening, President Freeman, Chair Kelley, and the honorable members of the City Council and School Committee. Thank you for being here and for your service to our shared community.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=142s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":152.85,"end_sec":160.97,"similarity":0.724,"text":"Before I begin, it is with a heavy heart that I first want to acknowledge the tragedy that occurred in our community last week. There are no words to describe such a profound and painful loss, and our","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=152s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":164.22,"end_sec":168.47,"similarity":0.749,"text":"hearts are and will remain with the family, the students' friends, classmates and educators, and with the wider Winthrop School community.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=164s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":169.72,"end_sec":184.97,"similarity":0.748,"text":"I do want to thank the first responders, school personnel, city staff, parents, and community members who responded on the scene, and I know that in the very challenging days since last Monday, I have been so heartened by and grateful for the continued outpouring of care and support for one another I've seen across","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=169s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":186.47,"end_sec":189.22,"similarity":0.693,"text":"our community. May we continue to take care of ourselves and one another","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=186s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":193.06,"end_sec":202.94,"similarity":0.769,"text":"It is my honor to join members of the City Council and the School Committee in service to the people of Melrose, and my duty tonight is to present my proposed budget for fiscal year '27, which begins July 1st.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=193s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":205.44,"end_sec":211.94,"similarity":0.749,"text":"For those of you who are keeping track, this is my third budget, and the first one without cuts, thanks to the override which Melrose residents resoundingly","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=205s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":213.69,"end_sec":216.69,"similarity":0.678,"text":"Thank you to my fellow Melrosians for choosing to invest in our community.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=213s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":219.69,"end_sec":222.44,"similarity":0.713,"text":"While I am before you tonight as your mayor, I do not do this role","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=219s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":222.44,"end_sec":228.69,"similarity":0.739,"text":"alone. I would like to take a moment to thank several staff, including CFO Carrie Golden, now in her second budget as CFO and her","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=222s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":229.94,"end_sec":236.69,"similarity":0.699,"text":"11th budget during her service to the City of Melrose. She continues to bring her deep understanding of municipal finance and her commitment to Melrose to the work of stewarding the city's financial","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=229s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":239.44,"end_sec":247.94,"similarity":0.762,"text":"resources. The rest of my incredible executive team, Lauren Grinnich, Chief of Staff, Tom Dalton, Communications and Events Manager, Shannon Phillips, City Solicitor, and Polly Lada, HR Director, for the leadership and","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=239s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":253.21,"end_sec":259.09,"similarity":0.736,"text":"Our city department heads and senior staff, who, no matter what the budget has looked like, have continued to show up and work hard for Melrose.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=253s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":260.08,"end_sec":263.58,"similarity":0.734,"text":"Melrose Public Schools 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and","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=295s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":302.65,"end_sec":304.9,"similarity":0.636,"text":"thoughtful stewardship of our city and our city funds.","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=302s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":305.65,"end_sec":308.4,"similarity":0.633,"text":"I was happy to have the opportunity to meet with every councilor to hear your","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=305s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 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priorities,","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=319s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":323.4,"end_sec":325.4,"similarity":0.602,"text":"and I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with you during this important","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=323s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":328.15,"end_sec":331.9,"similarity":0.643,"text":"process. But as you all know, the council's legal and legislative role in","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=328s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":332.65,"end_sec":335.65,"similarity":0.631,"text":"the budget process is to make three choices: approve, reject,","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=332s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee May 11th 2026","meeting_id":5910,"start_sec":335.65,"end_sec":337.9,"similarity":0.739,"text":"or reduce budget lines, and we now enter the phase of the budget season in which","url":"https://vimeo.com/1191372479#t=335s","page_url":"/video/23"},{"person":"grigoraitis-jennifer","date":"2026-05-11","video_id":23,"video_title":"Joint Meeting of the City 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