ORDER-2021-109 : An Appropriation from Free Cash, account number (01-324001), in the amount of $604,833 (Six Hundred four thousand, eight hundred thirty-three dollars) to various accounts as set forth herein.

Transcript (~15 min @ 2:46:30)

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▶ 2:46:29 Jeff McNaught: Yeah, that's the order that we're in is what I'm saying. Perfect. So I'll read the, the 1st order is order 2021 dash 109 and appropriation from free cash account number 0, 1, 3, 2, 4, 0, 0, 1. In the amount of 604,833 dollars to various accounts set forth here in.

▶ 2:46:53 Speaker 7: So, okay, and that would be. um the medicaid the first number i'll start with would be medicaid reimbursement at 75 000 that's a school department um request and i believe leah secure may be here this evening to speak to that

▶ 2:47:15 Speaker 3: this year's hi leah good evening hi mr corey how are you thank you for being here um the floor is

▶ 2:47:20 Speaker 1: yours thank you so this is our yearly medicaid transfer um this is the um the money that goes to some of our neediest kids in the district this goes right to the special ed um right to the special ed children and we fund um it like we do every year does anyone have any questions

▶ 2:47:47 Speaker 7: mr de la rosa did you want to yes if i may and again by the way it's set up under municipal finance law is the money that we're speaking to this evening comes in to the city's general fund and it's designed that way and then it gets appropriated to the school department by design it's not a it's not an um it's not set up such that it will go directly to the school department it has to go through pre-cash and then it has to be appropriated by the city

▶ 2:48:22 Jeff McNaught: council thank you thank you mr core does anyone have any questions i see no hands if you want to

▶ 2:48:34 Speaker 3: Move on to the next piece in this order.

▶ 2:48:36 Speaker 7: Certainly. Okay. I believe. The next on list would be the 400,000 dollars for the department equipment generator. I believe. Elena is here this evening. To speak to the that request for the, um.

▶ 2:48:58 Speaker 7: Generator, please.

▶ 2:49:01 Jeff McNaught: as per ourselves welcome i believe you're on mute okay is that better yes okay

▶ 2:49:17 Speaker 2: i was i switched to the wrong microphone um so the the generator the proposals for a generator for city hall um a lot of you may have heard about this item previously we the city has applied Countless times for grant funding for this item unsuccessfully. Essentially, it does not meet the qualifications for the majority of. Um, the grant opportunities that are out there from FEMA and from the state. Um, but we have identified the need for a generator at city hall to be. Our greatest vulnerability in the city, both through our hazard mitigation plan and our, uh, municipal vulnerability preparedness. Process, um. The request is for 400,000 dollars, which covers the. Um, the installation purchase and installation and any ancillary work to install a generator for city hall. Um, and also the, the consultant that we've hired to do the. Design has identified that we should be able to also accommodate, um, some backup power solution for memorial hall as part of this same. Project, which is a real win, because that's identified as a, as a shelter location for the city. And just real quick, I know I discussed this with the council when we had the design funds appropriated, but just to remind everybody city hall houses, all of the communication systems, phones, Internet. For the police station, the fire stations. city hall itself as well as the majority of the school buildings so it's the communications hub from which all of those other buildings are run and so when power goes out at city hall other than 9-1-1 capabilities all of those other buildings lose their phone and internet service as well so that just speaks to the critical nature of this infrastructure

▶ 2:51:23 Jeff McNaught: thank you miss prodicus ellis i don't see any hands yet we may be just waiting until we go through each piece of the order

▶ 2:51:36 Speaker 7: mr deliver says so yes please the next i believe the fire chief is here to speak to his request for a motor vehicle repairs as well as additional services professional services chief please

▶ 2:51:50 Speaker 3: Good evening, everybody. Yes, thank you. I'm requesting the amount of $40,000 for vehicle repair. Most of it will be preventive maintenance to get me through to preventive maintenance for the remaining pieces of equipment that I have. Engine 4 failed its pump test last October, and i've chosen not to have it repaired uh because we're waiting on the replacement pumper which was due this month but has been backed up now two months at the factory due to covet a covert outbreak at the factory so the forty thousand dollars will get us through the remainder of the fiscal year for uh two preventive maintenance um uh scheduled preventer maintenance is on the remaining pieces as well as a ladder getting our ladder one certified in the anticipated repairs i would go with that after after the testing process the second part for the professional services i'm looking to get a membership to a software Basically, it's called Lexapro and the Fire Rescue Academy, they've joined services. What this will allow the department to do is train online to meet critical training components for OSHA as well as meeting some of our ISO training requirements. All the training meets the standard for IFSTA, it's the international – let me write down

▶ 2:53:46 Speaker 3: there for that.

▶ 2:53:53 Speaker 3: I think it's – I don't want to misquote it. Don't worry about it, Chief. Okay. Well, it's international fire regulations. They write a lot of books, fire company officers and firefighters and all the different techniques. So this software will also allow us to be able to track it and be on demand with our reporting of our training. So that's all I have right now. Thank you. Thank you, Chief.

▶ 2:54:23 Speaker 7: Thank you. Thank you. And again, to the Chair, Mr. Wilcock is here this evening to discuss request for funding for building permitting slash gis account for the remainder of this fiscal year 2021.

▶ 2:54:41 Speaker 6: hi um this uh request is based off of uh kind of the fee structure for our permitting system uh it's a percentage of the permits so when we have a large permit sometimes that goes over what we have budgeted so the good news is we have more revenues but bad news is this fund is about sixteen thousand dollars short for this year so uh my request is to to fund it so that we can pay the

▶ 2:55:13 Speaker 7: vendor throughout the end of the fiscal year thank you mr wilcock okay then the next if i may uh treasurer collector uh catherine armada has a request for professional services including software um which you would like to request this evening of the council catherine please

▶ 2:55:32 Speaker 1: Good evening. I'm not sure if you can see me. My request is for a total of $41,000 to fund the purchase and installation of the MUNIS cash management module. module this is necessary to significantly improve the cash management processes and practices that we currently have and provide more near-time information on the city's cash position it's broken down into two components the first is 21 000 for the module itself and the second is um a quote of not more than twenty thousand dollars for the services of the consulting fees um for the training and the installation of the module thank you miss armada

▶ 2:56:30 Speaker 7: and through the chair the last but not least on the um parliamentary request is additional funds for essex agricultural um if i may read into the record we've been advised um that as of 1 11 2021 two additional students attending essex north shore agricultural and technical school district moved to melrose the chapter 74 non-resident tuition and transportation costs for the students effective 1-1-2021 will be $20,833. It was originally budgeted for two students under Cindy Taymor's guidance who saw an increase another two after that and now this these two before the council tonight so there'll be a total of six students this year attending relative to Melrose. Again, this is a request for the funding which we're required to put before the board

▶ 2:57:37 Jeff McNaught: for those students. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. DeLaRusso, and that checks off everything in the first order. I believe I saw Councilor Garipay hand before. Did I miss anyone else? Okay, Vice Chair Eccles, you're up next. Anyone else? Raise your hand. Councilor Garipay, go ahead.

▶ 2:57:56 Mark Garipay: Thank you. I got a question for Ms. Prawakis-Ellis if she's still with us.

▶ 2:58:05 Jeff McNaught: She is. Her screen is off. I think she's coming back on. Still here.

▶ 2:58:09 Mark Garipay: Thank you for being here so late. Quick question on the generator. On the capital improvement plan, the quote that we had on that was back from 2019. There's a little bit more than what we have here. Is this just because of the size of the expenditure? Is this is this a pretty accurate number or do we think it'll be more?

▶ 2:58:36 Speaker 2: I think that's pretty accurate. So the reason why the number was more in the capital improvement plan was that that included the design, which the council approved 105,004 out of free cash last year. So that's been deducted from the cost at this time. So. So, what remains is about 400,000, and we do have the design engineer on board and they did submit, um, an updated cost estimate, which is is just below 400,000. so I think we're still right in the right range.

▶ 2:59:10 Mark Garipay: The total total cost of the generators just right around 500.

▶ 2:59:17 Speaker 4: 1000 and all in what we did last year. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you very much.

▶ 2:59:23 Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Council. Vice chair.

▶ 2:59:26 Jack Eccles: I don't I don't have a question. I just thought it was worth calling out that the city hall generator is 1 of the. Items that was in group a on the capital improvement plan and. By my back of the napkin count, that means that we've. Checked off about 7 of the 11 on there. And most of the ones that are, you know, sub 1Million dollars.

▶ 2:59:50 Speaker 3: Thank you, Vice Chair Eccles.

▶ 2:59:52 Jeff McNaught: Thank you, Mr. DellaRusso for helping us do that. Councilor Tramontozzi, I believe you had your hand up. No?

▶ 3:00:03 John N. Tramontozzi: Yeah. Thank you, Councilor Eccles and Councilor Garipay, addressed the issue of the generator. As the representative of the Council on the Capital Improvement Committee, I can confirm that, in fact, this was one of if not the top request of the need for the city but uh certainly up in the higher range so uh this is uh you know it is a lot of money but it is uh what was recognized to be a necessary requirement that the city expends so thank you thank you for addressing that

▶ 3:00:38 Jeff McNaught: thank you council chairman tozy do i have any other hands up i don't i don't see any so uh what is the will of the committee on this order motion to recommend for passage second motion

▶ 3:00:50 Jeff McNaught: to recommend for passage by council Garipay seconded by vice chair eccles on discussion

▶ 3:01:02 Speaker 2: seeing none madam clerk will you please call the role chair mcnaught yes vice chair eccles Yes. Council of Tramontozzi? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor

▶ 3:01:17 Speaker 2: Grigoraitis? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Thomas? Yes.

▶ 3:01:29 Speaker 2: Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. President Cinella? Yes. Levin, yes. The motion passes. Thank you all

▶ 3:01:41 Jeff McNaught: for being here tonight. Whoever is jumping off, we appreciate you hanging with us. It's been a long one. We're getting there. Next up, we have Order 2021-110, an appropriation from Free Cash, account number 01324001 in the amount of $1,150,000 to various stabilization accounts as set forth herein. Mr. De La Russa, the floor is yours again, sir. I believe you're on mute, sir.