ORDER-2016-148 : A Transfer of $333,620.00 From Group Health account 019142-549201 and Workers Comp account 019122-543102 to various accounts as set forth within.

Transcript (~16 min @ 1:03:42)

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▶ 1:03:41 Speaker 2: Thank you, Chief.

▶ 1:03:44 Scott M. Forbes: Next order, we have order number 2016-148. It is a transfer of $338,620 from group health account number 019142-549201 and workers' comp account number 019122-543102 to various accounts set therefore within.

▶ 1:04:12 Michael P. Zwirko: Alleman Suarco please. I'd like to take a moment here of personal preference. So this order here totals three hundred thirty eight thousand six hundred twenty dollars of which there are many bundled pieces of appropriation. One of those pieces is for the Office of Planning and Community Development of which my wife is an employee. Because of that I've spoke with the State Ethics Commission. I will be unable to participate in this order voting and matter of fact I'll be leaving the chamber during the discussion for it so I just wanted to make that disclosure public and I'm going to recess myself thank you all

▶ 1:04:54 Speaker 4: that's working so the reading of the order motion to suspend the rules to

▶ 1:05:00 Scott M. Forbes: hear from the appropriate city officials motion to suspend the rules I believe we were already under suspension of the rules but thank you sir mr. shot good evening good evening thank you and be so kind to kind of summarize the the order as well as the attachment that was given to the Finance Committee I will

▶ 1:05:22 Speaker 9: appreciate it there are several various items that this order funds I'd like to list them and then we can go back and if there are any questions to any particular portion of it we can answer it the first the first segment continues our partnership with the veterans department and their supporters and it will fund continued improvements to the knoll area and between the two playing fields with the creation of a memorial in honor of World War two veterans that will be located between World War one and Korea on the east side and will be constructed late summer early fall for dedication in November Veterans Day working with Ryan and his staff and veterans committee and veterans across Melrose we hope to make this another dedication to to the veterans of Elros the second portion of the order is a partnership with the Friends of the Milano Center the Milano Center is 20 years old last year celebrated its 20th anniversary the transfer of 20,000 will fund facility improvements to the infrastructure of the building in conjunction with ongoing projects that are being planned and funded by the Friends of the Milano Center that's the

▶ 1:06:50 Speaker 3: second portion of the order mr. chairman through you to mr. Shannon when you describe these can you indicate the amounts for the very sure so the first

▶ 1:06:59 Speaker 9: was a transfer of $7,000 total and to park and forestry in the amount of

▶ 1:07:08 Monica C. Medeiros: 4200. I think we may be on a different order. I don't think

▶ 1:07:15 Monica C. Medeiros: so. 2016 dash 148 2016 dash 148 from group health insurance to

▶ 1:07:23 Monica C. Medeiros: the first the first line item listed was snow, salt and

▶ 1:07:35 Speaker 9: chemicals. 120,000. So I can speak to them that order. I can speak to the order of the projects however you want to do

▶ 1:07:49 Speaker 9: by order by order mr. chairman I'll just rearrange I'll rearrange the groupings

▶ 1:07:54 Speaker 3: yeah just just so the public knows we have a couple of different breakdowns

▶ 1:08:03 John N. Tramontozzi: yes identical yeah I'll follow that yeah if I may I think you're you're going by your email that you sent to us right right well it doesn't it doesn't it doesn't match with the no I can I can switch to this order not a problem I

▶ 1:08:19 Speaker 2: think that's thank you so the transfer to there's a memo yes

▶ 1:08:25 Monica C. Medeiros: there are separate email yes oh I don't think it's in IQ m2 it is it is yeah I'm

▶ 1:08:33 Speaker 3: in split a split view right now motion for a short recess mr. chairman second

▶ 1:08:36 Scott M. Forbes: We have a motion for a short recess, made by President Kahn, seconded by Allman, Mortimer. All those in favor? Aye. We'll take a short recess.

▶ 1:08:57 Scott M. Forbes: Finance Committee is back in session. Mr. Schenner, if you could please continue.

▶ 1:09:01 Speaker 9: Okay, so we'll continue with the project items. The first was the Knoll Memorial. The second was facility improvements at the Milano Center, the partnership with the Friends of the Milano Center.

▶ 1:09:15 Speaker 9: The third is a transfer of $46,500 into the existing facility FY16 budget for public works.

▶ 1:09:28 Speaker 9: The transfer funds several unanticipated and emergency capital expenditures and repairs within school and municipal buildings.

▶ 1:09:42 Speaker 9: The fourth project that this order funds is for the installation of new classrooms. the twenty thousand five hundred dollar request funds furnishings and equipment required to add new classrooms within the school district for the 2016-17

▶ 1:10:06 Speaker 9: school year the transfer also balances the snow budget for this fiscal year 223 thousand nine hundred and seventy dollars of this transfer will go into existing fy16 budget to balance it so that we do not carry a deficit into the next fiscal year

▶ 1:10:27 Speaker 9: five thousand dollars of the transfer will purchase furnish furniture furniture and equipment for the office of planning and community development and fifteen thousand six hundred and fifty dollars of the transfer will be used to construct the storage shed behind fred green bleachers and press box that will store field and team equipment for the high school middle school

▶ 1:10:53 Speaker 9: and user groups of the facility so those are the general areas that the transfer funds

▶ 1:11:00 Speaker 9: for going back to the order to print out if you want me to just quickly run through that i can the public work the first two items are for the snow deficit 120 670 and 65 100. and mr

▶ 1:11:15 Speaker 3: shannon you're reading from the memo of april 25th 2016. april 19th 2016 is what i have

▶ 1:11:30 Speaker 9: the third 28 000 is for school contractual that covers the public works facility improvements

▶ 1:11:37 Speaker 9: public work salary overtime is for the snow deficit 20 500 is for school furniture

▶ 1:11:48 Speaker 9: 20 000 in city expenditure contract maintenance is for the council on aging 18 5 is municipal

▶ 1:11:59 Speaker 9: building repair 15 650 is for the storage shed that we spoke about 14 100 is for snow deficit

▶ 1:12:12 Speaker 9: 5 000 is for planning department furniture 4 200 and 2800 is for the memorial the veterans

▶ 1:12:31 Scott M. Forbes: memorial at the knoll senator these funds came from a transfer out of the group health account and the workers comp account is that correct in saying that and that's correct all right so we uh the audience yourself or uh mr de la rosa could explain how those funds became available

▶ 1:12:51 Speaker 7: mr de la rosa can speak to what was available yes uh that's exactly correct that's where the funds came from 25 5 from workers comp and the balance on health insurance do you have any

▶ 1:13:12 Peter D. Mortimer: questions from the committee see no voting members motion to recommend for passage second we got a

▶ 1:13:14 Scott M. Forbes: motion to recommend maybe alderman mortimer second and by alderman Tramontozzi on discussion we have

▶ 1:13:20 Monica C. Medeiros: alderman Medeiros thank you um just a couple of quick things so the expenditures here relative to snow and ice and does that take care of all the snow and ice removal costs for this season that were correct and the uh the office furniture has this already been purchased no this is not

▶ 1:13:45 Monica C. Medeiros: and i know we recently somewhat recently uh voted to expend some funds for furniture up in the uh

▶ 1:13:57 Speaker 6: Connelly conference room?

▶ 1:13:58 Speaker 9: That's correct.

▶ 1:13:59 Speaker 6: In the mayor's suite.

▶ 1:14:04 Monica C. Medeiros: And has that already been purchased, or will this be done together?

▶ 1:14:07 Speaker 9: No, the mayor's office, the mayor's conference room furniture has been purchased. It's due to arrive shortly. The training room furniture was purchased and is in the office. the painting improvements have all been completed to the lower conference room the office of planning and community development there's four thousand dollars of that original which has been set aside this finishes funding the entire office being remodeled I have a memo from the planning director Denise Gaffey she was she's at another meeting this evening but what she she wrote the following I've prepared this memo in support of my request for funding for furniture in the office of planning and community development as you know the furniture in the office is for the most part decades old most of the desks show significant wear and tear and because they are so old were never designed for modern technology or to optimize work efficiencies the desk in the planning director's office is more modern and was salvaged at no cost several years ago but has never fit it properly into the space most of the chairs are also decades old and was salvaged from other departments total funding for this project is ninety five hundred four thousand of which is in hand funding will be used to provide two new workstations for the outer office for the conservation agent and accounts manager GIS analyst for new desks for the planning staff the assistant planning director ZBA coordinator energy efficiency manager and clerk of the works and eight chairs new furniture for director's office will include a new workstation new peninsula conference table new bookcase lateral file and four guest chairs uh the furnace they have reached out to several vendors to get prices and this way we we know that this price is firm thank you thank you thank you alderman

▶ 1:16:11 Speaker 3: madaris next up president khan so we're we're going to expend 20 000 to buy furnishings for

▶ 1:16:18 Speaker 9: the schools is that correct yeah i if i may through the chair i have a memo from the superintendent that we received today she also was unable to make it due to a prior commitment she wrote that on april 26 2016 melrose school committee approved the addition of two additional classrooms to accommodate the expected enrollment of 330 incoming kindergarten students for the 2016-17 school year after completing a capacity analysis the administrative team recommended that additional classrooms be added at the lincoln and roosevelt elementary schools conversion of the music room at each school will require that each classroom be provided with sufficient furniture fixtures and equipment to ensure equity with every other classroom in each building and to ensure that the academic program can be provided without compromise based on the costs associated with last year's additions of two classrooms we anticipate that the cost for the two classrooms will be twenty thousand five hundred our goal is to he is to have each room ready by august 19 2016 so that the administration and teachers can set up classrooms prior to school opening on august 29 to 2016 from cindy

▶ 1:17:43 Speaker 3: taymor superintendent melrose public schools okay so it appears that this this transfer would fully fund all furniture needs for the new classrooms that's correct for the schools for the upcoming year and and just to reiterate snow deficit of the last two years is completely retired if this order is acted upon favorably is that correct that's correct we are waiting um for final

▶ 1:18:11 Speaker 7: figures for the mimer and fema um reimbursements we're doing so once i get those but um for all purposes our purposes here this is this is it for us we're not going to carry a deficit

▶ 1:18:21 Speaker 3: into 17 on so nothing carries over we have no ongoing budgetary impact relative to snow

▶ 1:18:29 Speaker 3: and how much how much have we transferred out of the group health account with these appropriations is it in excess of $400,000 yes it is and what

▶ 1:18:42 Speaker 3: do you anticipate if you know the closeout balance will being for that

▶ 1:18:50 Speaker 7: account for this year through the chair I would anticipate that we we would We still have approximately $88,000 within that budget available according to the human resource department director.

▶ 1:19:02 Speaker 3: So as a result of this opt out program, you were able to realize a savings of approximately a half a million dollars?

▶ 1:19:09 Speaker 7: Through the chair again, it was also a combination of people that they worked initiative to alter plans that were selected so that we take the lesser code employees to take the least cost plan still providing the coverage they needed so it was really a combination of several items at the same time okay so as a result of

▶ 1:19:30 Speaker 3: those initiatives you were able to save approximately $500,000 that you've been

▶ 1:19:37 Speaker 7: able to use for other purposes that's my that's correct okay that's all thank you

▶ 1:19:45 Scott M. Forbes: president khan any other around discussion we did have a motion uh to recommend this order that was made by allman mortimer and seconded by allman Tramontozzi all those in favor aye any opposed gentlemen this order will be recommended before our next board meeting