INFO-2021-2 : Joint Meeting of the City Council and the School Committee to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2021 on the financial condition of the City, revenue and expenditure forecasts, and other relevant information in preparation of the FY2022 Operating Budget

Transcript (~29 min @ 2:52)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 2:48 Christopher Cinella: think so nope okay if there's no objection i'd now like to close public comment seeing none we are now closed madam clark i'd like to kindly read the one agenda item this evening

▶ 3:00 Speaker 1: info 2021-2 joint meeting of the city council and the school committee to be held at 7 30 p.m on thursday may 17 2021 on the financial condition of the city revenue and expenditure forecasts and other relevant information in preparation of the fy 2022 operating budget great thank you

▶ 3:29 Paul Brodeur: Mayor Broder. Mr. President, so thank you very much Mr. President, honorable city counselors, fellow members of the Melrose School Committee, Dr. Kuchenberger and Melrose residents viewing from home. What a difference from a year ago. Our students are back in school. Our class of 2021 is graduating on time and in person on Fred Greenfield. I have the invitation right here very excited about that our businesses are recovering people are going back to work and soon very very soon most if not all of our covet restrictions will be lifted and i'm honored to be with you here today to present the city of melrose's proposed operating budget for the coming fiscal year last year i presented a budget based on the reasonable assumption of dire revenue problems this year i am both proud and quite frankly relieved to report that thanks to our careful planning and important federal financial support we are on stable financial ground and i am proud that i can stand before you today and submit a balanced budget that looks forward to a safe recovering and prosperous malware and while the budget news

▶ 4:48 Speaker 2: is good i would be remiss to not acknowledge the tremendous loss that we have experienced surviving a global pandemic is a trauma we continue to endure and no amount of budgeting or programming or initiatives will bring back the lives lost to this to this virus or make up for the time with loved ones and friends we've missed over the last year and a half above all I'm mindful of the impact of the virus right here in Melrose where 49 of our residents our friends and family lost their lives due to COVID-19 as such I'd like to take a moment of silence and acknowledgment of those lives lost thank

▶ 5:41 Speaker 2: you I was sworn in on November 15th 2019 before any of us realized that a novel coronavirus was infecting the first of millions of people across the globe, something that we haven't dealt with in 100 years. My administration and our city, all of us, were forced to change course, to pivot to responding to a public health emergency. But now, with 52% of our residents at least partially vaccinated, relief is on the horizon. And I trust that with our continuing collaborative efforts we will come out of the other side much stronger and more resilient than ever before and when i ran for this office i promised to enhance financial transparency and improve financial excuse me improve communications from city hall my i hope that this really this budget presentation accomplishes both those goals in a dramatic way That is why this year I am proud to present RIT as a first, I believe, in Melrose history, an interactive budget dashboard. Chris Wilcock, our chief assessor, and this tool's architect, will provide more detail about how to navigate this tool momentarily. But to give a high-level overview, this intuitive dashboard provides a clear picture not only of our plans for the current fiscal year, but also provides the historical context against numbers from the previous five fiscal years right at our fingertips this presentation matches transparency with accessibility so everyone can clearly see which accounts are changing from last year and by how much and users will be able to easily compare departments over time and i believe this tool will promote civic engagement by making the budget process easier for everyone to follow Now, let's talk about revenue in any given year. Melrose can rely on a little over 3% in revenue growth. 2 and a half percent of that from increase in our property tax levy should the council so move plus any new property tax growth. This is recurring revenue. that is fairly easy to predict and is thus very reliable now this is supplemented by our school chapter 70 local aid and so-called unrestricted local aid both of which come from the state however these revenues as you all know are offset by other state assessments such as charter school tuition and mbta assessment over the last two years our net decline in overall state assistance totaled a little more than a half a million dollars so while state aid is a recurring source of revenue it is unwise to anticipate significant recurring growth from this from this source given its somewhat unpredictable path now that having been said for far too long in this city there's been a perceived conflict between investing in our city side assets and employees and our school system and i intend to move the city past this conflict with this budget this document demonstrates that we can deliver meaningful in investing in our city its departments and infrastructure while also committing to a 3.3 increase in school spending we know that a safe well-kept city is critical for all our residents and that thriving schools benefit us all

▶ 9:25 Speaker 2: this budget shows that our residents cooperation in adhering to coveted measures and our community's overall creativity and resilience have also played an incredibly important part of our recovery and in spite of the pandemic we have almost no vacancies on our main street and in one of the most challenging environments in a generation to open a restaurant our downtown is now home to Chinope, Cafe Nero, while Biddy and Bo's will open its first Massachusetts location right here in Melrose, and Santa Fe Burrito will follow suit shortly thereafter. In part that is because we have gotten creative with our public spaces for outdoor dining and recreation, an effort that we will continue, and indeed our parklets and our public art installations have added vitality and variety to our commercial spaces and we look forward to expanding those opportunities we have continued to lead the commonwealth and the nation in sustainability efforts to the work of our sustainability manager martha grover and the melrose energy commission and certainly been a fruitful public private partnership and this year as many of you know we celebrated 10 years as a green community and are now home to the first elevated pole-mounted electric vehicle charges outside los angeles county the budget before you will allow us to continue to move ahead on sustainability and resiliency as we move towards implementing a net zero 2050 plan and while our city's overall financial condition remains strong many of our residents have and continue to struggle, particularly during COVID-19. This year, we saw requests to the Melrose Emergency Fund skyrocket, particularly for food and housing assistance. And thanks to our community-minded residents and several nonprofits in support, we were able to distribute over $150,000 in relief to other Melroseans in need. This money goes towards support, housing, utilities, food holiday assistance and sometimes unique personal needs and our seniors have been impacted not only economically but physically and emotionally as well the need to expand services to our local seniors has become more important and more evident than ever that is why this year we're expanding the council and aging board membership to more accurately reflect the The diversity and needs of our senior population, it's why we've introduced an 18 hour a week social worker position. And why we are proposing the expansion of the Milano center assistant position from part time to full time specifically to meet those needs. I am proud to say that 78% of our seniors. Are now fully vaccinated and are slowly getting back to work. Doing the things they love and that station and show our standing council and aging executive director. Is now working on a series of outdoor social events for seniors. Throughout the community further these efforts along with my aging and place package passed by this city council a few months ago will make Melrose 1 of the blessed places in the commonwealth. To grow old and happily the overall tide is turning. As more and more of us become vaccinated and are able to. Excuse me resume the activities we will. However, I do think it is time for us to abandon the notion of getting back to normal. Over the past year from the devastating economic and social effects of covert 19. So, the murder of George Floyd, which has sparked a national reckoning. On race in our country and right here in our community. To the challenge of educating our students and keeping them safe under unique conditions. We have learned that what we regarded as normal. Did not work for all our residents and what we need to do now is to continue to have an honest conversation. To innovate and to move forward to address these challenges. That is why in the last fiscal year my administration and cooperation with the city council and the school committee, and the overall community has made strides to ensure that knowledge is truly 1 community. Open to all declaring indigenous people's day convening an ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion task force. And by contracting with the services of visions, incorporated the training and consulting organizations, specializing in diversity and inclusion. Now, this has proven itself time and again to be a tight knit city. Built on a sense of civic purpose, and we know that when we act together with that sense of community with an eye towards justice and fairness. We all benefit in our community, but more specifically, the operating budget for this fiscal year delivers on promises to do the following. 1st of all to provide a 1st rate education to all our students. by providing a 1.1 million dollar increase in our school operating budget the second highest dollar increase in our budget in over decade over a decade with the exception of course of the override the budget focuses on enhancing quality of life for our residents by advancing dei supporting our seniors and continuing to invest in sustainability efforts and promoting public arts culture and spaces and finally as i highlight the budget supports the use of data to drive decision making by investing in in critical infrastructure such as i.t and i suggest that the budget product that you'll see before you over the coming weeks is a critical demonstration now critical excuse me careful budgeting creates fiscal stability both for unforeseen expenses and also provides dollars for one time capital expense needs that will again improve our quality of life our capital improvement plan or our cip which i know you've heard me speak of often has addressed or identified many of these launch long-standing priorities and so-called free cash is going to help us address those needs i am particularly excited to talk about our melrose plays initiative if nothing else covet highlighted the need for high quality recreation space for the entire community thus i am calling for almost a half a million dollar investment for the creation of an inclusionary playground in the city for children of all ages and abilities a pickleball court to expand access to athletic activities for our seniors and significant upgrades at the at the Lebanon Street Girls Softball Field, which for far too long has taken a backseat for other fields and does not meet the high standards we have set for our athletic programming across the city. It's more than time for the girls to have a field they deserve. Now, we are also investing in basic infrastructure, including in our school building. As you all know, several of our buildings need new roofs and other capital repairs and IT investment. I propose leveraging approximately 1Million dollars in free cash. To make those investments, which will be supplemented by the state school building authorities, accelerated repair program. It is certainly taught us. That it is critical to make sure that the basic needs of our school buildings are taken care of. Melrose, of course, historically, and with this budget has also recognized the need. To make progress to investments in the environment and transportation and public safety. To that end, I am asking the council to commit over 300,000 dollars. To street and sidewalk repair as well as additional traffic signaling. In an effort to make it easier and safer to get around Melrose, no matter how you go about. Biking walking or driving. We are also seeking 150,000 dollars. to increase our tree canopy and $27,500 to control the water chestnut problem at El Pond, both pressing environmental needs. We, of course, will continue our public investments in public safety by recommending the purchase of a new ambulance for our fire department, as well as two vehicles and new radios for our police department. Now, over the next few weeks, as the administration presents the details of the different department budgets you will hear about those individual requests but it's important to focus on this that you will also hear of the many ways our department heads collaborated with their staff to ensure our community's resilience through this pandemic you will be proud of these departments and staff as a mind as they talk on additional responsibilities or reinvented themselves to meet unanticipated needs you will see that in Melrose there is no such thing as a departmental employee there are only our public servants dedicated individuals committed regardless of title to ensuring the quality of life for all residents of our city and beyond i want i can't stress enough that our employees are at the core of our ability to meet resident needs it is public servants after all these employees who are the engines of that public service when we fund talent we are funding services when we fund services we are funding advancement advancement leads to important innovation when we fund economic development we fund progress why do we do all this at the end of the day quite simply to make life better for our residents and finally to our residents it is my sincere hope that this innovative budget presentation the dashboard and the reports behind it will help you learn more about the work of our that our government does and how we pay for it i also hope it stirs your imagination and provides opportunities for you to become more civically engaged i am grateful for all you have done to to support each other and me and for proving that together, we are in fact getting through the crisis that is COVID-19. To the City Council, I thank you for your careful consideration of the matters before you in this budget. At this point, I would like to hand over the presentation to Chief Assessor Chris Wilcock, who will demonstrate how to use the new budget dashboard. Thank you and again, I appreciate your partnership and all your hard work on behalf of the residents of Melville.

▶ 20:46 Christopher Cinella: Thank you, Mayor Broder. Madam Clerk, do you have Mr. Wilcox in the wings? Oh, she brings him in. If we could, well, actually, if there's no objection, I'll suspend the rules so that we can bring him on. Seeing no objection.

▶ 21:08 Speaker 1: Chris Kanieris.

▶ 21:16 Speaker 1: Chris Kanieris.

▶ 21:23 Speaker 1: He mentioned earlier the presentation is really large takes a lot of bandwidth off your system so we might be on not on video but Chris can

▶ 21:38 Speaker 1: you hear us see if I can get him on the phone he may be having technical problems at his

▶ 22:31 Speaker 3: house Chris looks like he's having technical difficulties can you hear me now yes okay thank you sorry about that it's uh not the way to start off a technical presentation but I will roll with the punches so I appreciate everyone's time and I'm very excited to kind share the new approach that we had to the budget this year. This was a great project with the administration and the finance team. All the numbers that you're seeing tonight before you have been included in just a different way. I think as everyone knows it's not so much about the numbers. To me it's about consuming you know the numbers and having them easily accessible when you want to slice and dice and kind of look at things. So I'm hoping that everyone will appreciate the presentation that we put forward um kristen if you can allow me to share i'll share my

▶ 23:31 Speaker 3: screen you are the presenter okay so this is uh what we have this year this is um all a presentation that's done in microsoft power bi it's a business intelligence kind of product from microsoft and it's based on dashboards and the strengths of this software is to to be able to consume a large amount of data what is that our budget has about almost 500 lines of just different accounts and and financial information in the operating budget and over 200 entries per year on the enterprise funds so in total this has about a thousand or or actually a little less than that it has subtotals and everything but it has at least 700 lines of financial data per year over five years the first page that we're actually going to go into is the revenue this is what the city would take in through all kind of sources and this is information that's provided to us from the department of revenue and what i wanted to do was kind of start out this presentation or or this budget series with this is the limitations from prop two and a half and all the laws through mass general laws that regulate revenues for cities and towns. The interactive part of this is you can actually sort by any of these kind of categories. So while you're viewing this, you can actually go over to any of these fields, whether it's total receipts, fiscal year, any of these are sortable. On the right hand side is kind of where the graphics are and everything's tied together so you can hover over any part of these bar graphs and actually see for what fiscal year each kind of revenue source was and right now we have 2009 through 21 but the ability at the top to go all the way back to 2003 if that's something you want to research so all this information again comes right from the state and i have a link right to the data the next page is the operating budget this is comprised of about almost 480 different accounts that make up 91 million dollars of the operating budget the pie graph up at the top is what's changed from 2021 to 2022. so you can see exactly dollar amount and then percent of the 2.94 for this year of all these different departments or these different line categories if you click on them you can actually pull up all the line items that are under that section so for public safety it includes emergency management fire and police parking is also in there again you can sort any of these columns by the actual top so if you want to look for percentage increases you can do that if you want to look for actual dollars that it changed you can do that so this is right now looking at the public safety increase at by account with historical data from the previous year over on the left hand side all of these blocks from 2018 all the way up to 22 will change with it so if you drill down to a certain line item you'll notice that all of those will change along with the presentation. So if you're looking for, you know, any of these group health providers and look if you want to find out the history, here's all the history from all five years also as well with the current year. So there's a lot of kind of tools that are baked in. Some people are analytical and they want to see the actual numbers. On any of these graphics, you can actually show as a table. So if someone wants to just look at the numbers that go behind this graph here's all the information kind of behind that and you can scroll through it for any of those items the next slide is what i've um what what we've put together as far as um on maybe the budget hearings for each department so for instance i'll pick on the assessing department what this is is this is all the line items that are before you for for that night on um On this, it's interactive, so if you select the pie chart, it'll actually show you the largest expense item for the assessors is actually going to be salary and wages. The 2nd would be re, evaluation and then over on the right hand side, it highlights it, but it also gives you a 5 year kind of look back on that individual line. This is available to anything that's in the operating budget. All the way down to any of the line items, so please feel free to look at it. You can look at the whole budget if that's something you want to do. But there's a lot of stuff. That's that's in here. The next item is kind of the history of of each department. So, in 2018, our operating budget was roughly 77Million dollars since then. We're up to 91Million. So you can see based on departments what has increased over those years. Again if you want to drill into anything this will actually be interactive also and you can see kind of look back on this graphic if that's something you would like. If you hover over anything you can see the year-to-year change and again you can go right down to the department on this one. The next slide that I added this was kind of fun because this is a lot of data. The city of Melrose has four enterprise funds this has the ambulance fund mount hood fund the sewer and the water fund there's roughly 200 lines of data in all four funds but this is broken down by each enterprise fund so you have the ability to turn on each one of these enterprise funds and see the graphic of what the breakdown is for each one of the enterprise funds and then again you also have the ability to sort by percent change or by dollar change or historically by 2021 and then also on the right hand side you can also see the five year look back for any of those lines this slide is

▶ 29:57 Speaker 3: just a copy of the department kind of set up but you can go by year and see exactly what year by year each uh enterprise fund has and again sort by any of the um the accounts or descriptions um you know for any of the years the um the last slide that we have this is what i call just kind of the budget that you're used to seeing this is based off of the munis document that everyone receives every year it was my intention not to hide that not to replace it but to add some new kind of functions with it so again any of these lines are sortable if you want to see what the top budget is or the the least uh what's funded at zero you can sort by any of these lines and you can kind of you know see what's there you can also sort by description um department any of those lines you can kind of sort by and then at the totals on the bottom you can kind of tie into the total budget just to make sure nothing is missing so all these slides hopefully will help you have a very productive budget season and i know the administration really wanted to provide tools for these types of meetings so that everyone's talking on the same page and it's just using technology or a modern approach it's important to note that we can't wait for our software providers anymore this was completely hatched in-house done for with existing software for zero dollars um the mayor has set up our budgets for us to be successful and for us to do large-scale things like this so i really want to thank you uh the council and the administration for providing uh money for software and training so we can get high-level presentations like this for the city um at this point uh thank you for the time and i'll take any questions if that's something you want to do thank you thank you uh mr locock i

▶ 31:55 Christopher Cinella: I think we have to travel in to our city council meeting. So I would just encourage any counselors and our school committee members to reach out directly to Mr. Wilcox.