Public Participation

Transcript (~6 min @ 10:25)

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

▶ 10:16 John N. Tramontozzi: And with us this evening, voting members of the committee, Alderman Mortimer, good evening, Alderman Forbes, good evening. President Kahn, non-voting members with us this evening are Alderman Inferna, Alderman Lemmerman, and Alderman Medeiros. Now we have a motion to open the floor for public participation. Second. Made by Alderman Mortimer, seconded by Alderman Forbes. All in favor? Aye. Aye. seeing none and we do have a member of the public wishing to come forward good evening and if you could just state your name for the record and we do have an

▶ 10:50 Speaker 7: order one order on the agenda this evening hi my name is Jerry Morse here to speak about that order 2017 dash 82 I have a question for the board we have so many good committees in this town populated with good and engaged citizens is there any other committee in town that up until now for this proposal about the water and sewer committee has been populated by a majority of paid city employees who are making the policy decisions and recommendations to the Board of Aldermen without the input of ordinary citizens I just wonder that I I don't know the answer but that's a relevant point to this you know it's it's interesting that there is a lot of expertise in this town and certainly we need to draw on the expertise of the paid staff but to have the paid staff making the policy considered policy decisions and recommendations that they then bring to the board here when those paid staff actually many of them actually derive some of their salary from the very water and sewer enterprise funds that they're making recommendations toward this is a potential conflict of interest there that I think is is best to avoid anyway I do applaud the improvement in this proposed order that it would then have only two paid staff one member of the Board of Aldermen and two citizens I think it would be fine to have a board that would have all citizens and the citizens could certainly use the expertise and the information that the paid staff obviously know through their through their work in the city that they could contribute to the to the decisions that the board needs to make you know

▶ 12:38 Speaker 7: from attending several years of water and sewer committee meetings and then coming here in front of the board and engaging in water and sewer issues you know I have done some homework in it and and engaged in the issues and what I've seen at the Water and Sewer Committee meetings with the current makeup is that it seems to be kind of a a one-sided perspective of the various problems that come before us and it's already kind of like they've all at some level come along the same pathway to the same way of looking at everything and you don't have that that vigorous energetic brainstorming of different ways of approaching things and different things to do and I understand how that occurs When everybody's working together all day, developing a similar, you know, perspective,

▶ 13:28 Speaker 7: it's hard to go and step out of that role at night or in the afternoon later on to have a meeting and bring things new. I think it's important to bring fresh blood, fresh ideas into these issues. You know, I was at the Water and Sewer Committee meeting earlier today, and, you know, at this point in time, I think there's probably about $4 million sitting on the table that we're not using to make our water and sewer system better. We always imply, oh, we're going to use it, but every year that that sits there is another year that we haven't solved inflow and infiltration problems. We haven't solved the leakage of our pumpage. We haven't solved a host of other issues of just regular infrastructure in the water and sewer system that under the current committee makeup, there hasn't been that impetus, that drive, that nervousness to get moving on that stuff. And I think that citizens who are paying these outrageous water bills would bring a lot to the table to help move the system forward to benefit Melrose and to benefit all the citizens going forward. so at a minimum I urge that you support this order I frankly think you could have a committee of five citizens aldermen together on there maybe even have one person the the judge of Public Works something similar to the traffic commission or something like that but you know this is certainly a positive step forward and proposing this I hope that this can get done quickly and invigorate the the water and sewer committee before we have to set rates in a couple more months from now and one of my frustrations every year is in July in August and September is a time that we could start making progress in these issues to look at some of the systemic issues and work them out so they're done well in advance of the spring when I appreciate the crunch that you're all in terms of the budget issues and then the rate setting issues and having it have that come upon you right away the makeup of those issues with a separate committee that's not bogged down with other things in city government could certainly separately take the time to look at the issues identify them work through them so that well in advance we can know maybe not the exact numbers but we can we can know what the recommended framework of setting the rates would be so So thank you for your time for letting me speak to you tonight and I hope to see the result of your discussion tonight, thank you.

▶ 16:03 Speaker 3: Very good, thank you.

▶ 16:04 Peter D. Mortimer: Motion to close public participation.

▶ 16:07 John N. Tramontozzi: Second. So there's a motion by Alderman Mortimer to close public participation. Seconded by Alderman Forbes, all in favor? Aye. Opposed, seeing none.