ORDER-2020-106 : An Appropriation from Free Cash, account number 01-324001, in the amount of $195,714.85 to various Police Department Accounts as set forth herein.

Transcript (~9 min @ 24:10)

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▶ 24:09 Speaker 1: sanella yes beckles yes Garipay yes maladin yes mcmaster yes mcnaught yes migliorelli yes stewart

▶ 24:39 Jen Grigoraitis: yes yes so the rules are suspended madam clerk can you please bring the mayor in

▶ 24:46 Speaker 1: he should be here momentarily we can there we go we all good all good so

▶ 25:03 Jen Grigoraitis: Mayor Broder is here tonight to speak to us to these two orders, and I believe provide additional detail on a memo that he provided to the Council on Monday. Just for the record, the substance of these orders were already discussed in the Appropriations Committee with their respective department heads. Mayor Broder, the floor is yours.

▶ 25:24 Paul Brodeur: Thank you, Madam President, and thank you for the opportunity to address the Council this evening. As we all know, the events of the past several weeks have led to a much needed focus on the issue of racial equity and how we can work for change in our city. While there have been difficult conversations about this topic, including at prior meetings, one thing that has already come out of these conversations is, in my opinion, a recognition that we need to confront this problem in Melrose. In addition, though, those conversations reflected a will amongst your body and the administration to devote a significant amount of financial resources to addressing the situation, even in the challenging fiscal circumstances brought on by the pandemic. And I further want to thank each and every member of this Council for the ideas and perspectives you have shared with me recently in an attempt to come to a resolution of the FY21 budget and the free cash process. As a result of those conversations I've had with individual City Council members, I believe and hope we can come to a consensus on taking the following actions. And these are the items referred to in the memo that Madam President referred to. The first step in the process I would recommend is to approve the existing amendment to appropriate $26,000 from the city's available free cash to the professional services line for the purpose of investing in the needs assessment that was referred to earlier. That money would come from the line item that includes the purchase of new firearms. It would leave intact the overtime line and leave intact the purchase of vehicles. In addition, I would ask for acceptance and approval of an amendment to reduce by $14,000 the proposed $225,000 transfer from free cash into the VIT allocation by amendment that $14,000 would also be deposited into the professional services line referenced earlier. With both amendments, the newly appropriated funds in the HR department's professional services line will total $40,000 and will be encumbered so that they are immediately available for the purpose of funding the external needs assessment we've discussed earlier tonight. Furthermore, when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue certifies the 2020 free cash, meaning the money we can actually spend in the following fiscal year, the administration does commit to presenting an order in the amount of $26,000 for the purchase of the firearms currently referenced in the order before you. And I would ask that the City Council commit to acting favorably on that order when it's submitted. And just so folks know, the free cash certification is expected on or before November 1st, 2020. There is a little bit of uncertainty there, but we do know that it usually is certified sometime in October. So it's fair to expect that that can happen by November 1st. In addition, my administration will present an order in the amount of not less than $100,000, so setting a floor that one of the people in public participation referred to from the year's fiscal 2020 free cash order in order to begin implementation of any changes, programs or procedures recommended through the external needs assessment that we would be investing in with that $40,000. I'd ask that the City Council commit to acting favorable on that order when it is submitted. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, starting in fiscal year 2022, the budget for which we will start building in January, that the administration will make an annual commitment of funds to diversity, equity, and inclusion line item within the city's operating budget To assist in meeting the challenges, both short and long term again, identified through the needs assessment and any related actions, including, but not limited to. Training diversity and recruiting, hiring retention practices and community engagement. So we will as a city. Through the regular operating budget, commit to those funds on an ongoing basis. I know that we are at the beginning of a long process that must be sustained over time. And I think this plan does that. And we know that the process will take active dialogue amongst the entire community, and we should all commit to that as well.

▶ 30:22 Speaker 8: And we need to get started. We need to get started now. I believe this plan is a good start, and I welcome your consideration tonight. And again, I appreciate the opportunity to address it.

▶ 30:36 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you, Mayor Broder. Thank you, Madam President.

▶ 30:42 Jack Eccles: I would make a motion at this time to amend Order 2020-106 on Transaction Line 2 to go from 012112-535700 to strike that and strike police ammunition and change that to 011522-529000 resources professional services okay so we have them sorry we have a motion to

▶ 31:14 Jen Grigoraitis: amend made by councillor Eccles seconded by councillor McNaught is there any discussion hey seeing none madam clerk can you please call the roll councillor

▶ 31:31 Speaker 1: Sunilla yes councillor Eccles yes councillor Garipay yes councillor Jamal ad-Din yes councillor McMaster yes councillor

▶ 31:47 Speaker 1: McNaught. Yes. Councillor Migliorelli. Yes. Councillor Stewart. Yes. Councillor Thomas. Yes. Councillor Tramontozzi. Yes. President Grigoraitis. Yes. 11 yes. 11 yes. So the order is now before us as amended. I will entertain a motion for passage. Motion for passage. Second. We have a motion for passage of order

▶ 32:11 Jen Grigoraitis: 2020-106 as amended made by councillor mcnaught seconded by councillor Migliorelli is there any discussion okay seeing none madam clerk can you please call the roll councillor snella yes

▶ 32:34 Speaker 1: councillor eccles yes councillor Garipay yes councillor demoladine yes councillor mcmaster

▶ 32:39 Speaker 9: Yes. Councillor McNaught.

▶ 32:40 Speaker 1: Yes. Councillor Migliorelli. Yes. Councillor Stewart. Yes. Councillor Thomas. Yes. Councillor Tramontozzi.