ORDER-2015-60 : A Transfer of $26,566.26 From Temporary Debt Interest To Various Accounts as set forth within

Transcript (~15 min @ 1:48:38)

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▶ 1:48:36 John N. Tramontozzi: a motion to recommend by Alderman Medeiros, seconded by Alderman Inferno. On the motion, all in favor? Aye. That will be recommended. Thank you. Next order on the agenda is order 2015-60, a transfer of $26,566.26 from temporary debt interest to various accounts as set forth within.

▶ 1:49:03 Speaker 1: Mr. Del Rosso.

▶ 1:49:07 Speaker 2: Yes, according to the Treasurer Collective we had a balance of $36,447.50 available within his budget due to him realizing as he budgets our claim and budgets every conservative, he got less of a rate than he anticipated when he prepared the budget, which is good news for all of us. It continues in that trend and I hope it does going into next year. Having said that, the request covers the following items. And the first is inspection salary and wages, $13,189.16. And I believe Mr. Johnson is here to address that.

▶ 1:49:56 Speaker 1: Want to come forward, Mr. Johnson? Thank you.

▶ 1:50:02 John N. Tramontozzi: Thank you for waiting patiently. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening.

▶ 1:50:14 Speaker 1: tell us what do we have here proposing and this money will be for a new position clerical position in the building department of 18 hours a week non-benefit eligible over the past couple of

▶ 1:50:28 Speaker 1: years with the increase of permitting the amount of projects throughout the city the increase in

▶ 1:50:46 Speaker 1: codes this this position will help us uh and put data into geo they will free up she'll the person will be able to free up more time for my electrical and plumbing inspector to be out in the field instead of in the office entering data into their computers questions straightforward questions for

▶ 1:51:05 John N. Tramontozzi: For Mr. Johnson, President Conn.

▶ 1:51:11 Speaker 2: What is the annual salary going to be for this position?

▶ 1:51:15 Speaker 1: Anticipated next year, you'd see around $18,700 approximately.

▶ 1:51:22 Speaker 2: And do you have anybody doing this work at the present time?

▶ 1:51:29 Speaker 1: We haven't hired anybody, if that's what you mean.

▶ 1:51:31 Speaker 2: So it's vacant right now? Yes. And it's anticipated it's going to be an $18,700 no benefits, 18-hour per week position?

▶ 1:51:39 Speaker 1: Yes.

▶ 1:51:42 Speaker 1: Very good. Alderman Byrd and then Alderman Lane.

▶ 1:51:44 Jaclyn L. Bird: Just a quick question, Mr. Johnson. Was there a discussion when you were talking about sort of what the needs of the office were to go to some sort of automated permitting process where people come in,

▶ 1:51:59 Jaclyn L. Bird: let's say contractors, for example, and file a permit on a computer online, something like that? Were those things discussed, and is that cost prohibitive?

▶ 1:52:05 Speaker 1: It's in the future. I don't know how far in the future of the permitting tracking software you're using now we're looking at that at other avenues different companies that may show us a significant savings but it was discussed yes it was part of the better

▶ 1:52:36 John N. Tramontozzi: way to go okay yes thank you thank you mr chairman very good um alderman right with boizel did we have i did it did that's what i thought thank you thank you i don't know if alderman

▶ 1:52:49 Francis X. Wright Jr.: boizel has questions too um paul just i mean i know from my discussions with you over the last couple of years i mean you guys are out straight right yeah it was swamped and swamped and as you

▶ 1:52:58 Francis X. Wright Jr.: touched on by all by by getting some administrative help this allows your inspectors to be out in the field and and that's really what serves the community because if somebody has a building permit or wants a building permit or needs some type of relief with planning's assistance and all that and they need you guys out there where the city correct and its residents are much better off making by us making this investment to have your guys out there and women inspecting and offering advice to our residents and property owners and keeping the process moving because you know there's nothing worse than if you're trying to put on an addition for a new kitchen or a bathroom or or you're trying to do over some space in your in your in your home where you're trying to get a business up and running then being delayed by the building department

▶ 1:53:53 Speaker 1: That is correct. That is the ultimate goal. It also serves a purpose where, when we looked at this, it's, you know, do we increase inspectors' hours to gain those inspections, and it made more physical sense to hire someone part-time.

▶ 1:54:14 Francis X. Wright Jr.: So you would be paying inspectors additional time, time and a half, potentially, to do administrative work that doesn't allow them to do that which really they're trained to do, which is to be out in the field and making decisions that are code-related.

▶ 1:54:29 Speaker 1: That's correct.

▶ 1:54:30 Francis X. Wright Jr.: Great. Thank you.

▶ 1:54:33 Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You're welcome. Alderman Boisjot, do you still want to? Yes, I was, but that was my question.

▶ 1:54:36 Robert A. Boisselle: Yes. Let me move on to another question. You talked about technology in your office and so forth. I work with other groups in inspectorial services in different agencies. And they're walking around with iPads and other devices. They feel they're filling out the appropriate forms. They come back to the office and they just adjust into the computer and everything downloads into that computer. Has there's been discussion of that, that type of technology?

▶ 1:55:12 Speaker 1: As I understand it, prior to myself coming here, they had something similar with a small device that was provided by the permit tracking vendor.

▶ 1:55:27 Speaker 1: And when I first got here, I sat down with my staff and asked them, you know, what did they think of this? and from what I gathered at that point they had already stopped using them this because the download times coming in plugging them in and downloading and tried to sync everything in wasn't working my goal would be to have that pad out in the field where it's real-time inspecting it's real-time reporting so that's that's you know within the next three years maybe three

▶ 1:56:00 Speaker 2: to five depending on when did you come to work for Melrose we came 2007

▶ 1:56:04 Robert A. Boisselle: So it's been seven, seven years. Seven years. I think you better have a second look. It's been, it's, it's, the technology's really changed.

▶ 1:56:14 Speaker 2: Yes. Amazingly.

▶ 1:56:15 Speaker 1: I, I would agree.

▶ 1:56:17 Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 1:56:19 Peter D. Mortimer: You're welcome. Baldwin, Mortimer. Thank you very much, Chairman Tramontozzi. For the reasons you stated, I think this is, this money is well invested, the 18,000. It allows you to do work like you've done on some of the condemnable properties that we've had in Melrose, and you're out there, and I just want to mention quickly some recognition for your work, hand in hand with City Solicitor Van Kampen, and making sure that people take care of their properties in our city. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. Any further discussions or questions for Mr. Johnson? Seeing none, I think you're free to go. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. De La Rosa, proceed with, who do you want up next, Memorial Hall or the Health Department?

▶ 1:57:04 Speaker 2: First me. First you? All right. I'm up there for around 7,622 10. Got it, yeah. And I was advised that one of my very good, loyal staff is retiring in May and after 27 years.

▶ 1:57:29 Speaker 2: obviously this is a balance that I would be obligated to pay and as she goes but that's why the request is before you is for retirement and this is to pay six point five weeks of due time for vacation any discussions for questions

▶ 1:57:52 Speaker 1: from mr. Belarus on this item seeing none you may move forward motion to recommend for Pat and we're not well we've got a couple on Japanese thank you

▶ 1:57:56 Speaker 2: and we here again through the chair for the next two items and then some thank

▶ 1:58:08 Speaker 1: you miss clay good evening again so of animal sheltering the health shops

▶ 1:58:19 Speaker 3: disposal so the animal pound if you remember some of you will remember in 2007 a Melrose resident passed away and bequeathed to the city over fifteen thousand dollars for an animal pound which was very generous not enough to build a pound nor were we interested in building a pound and so the money was accepted and has been used for pound fees for animals that are lost or dumped in the city so we've been using that money since 2007 and we're out and I

▶ 1:59:10 Speaker 3: didn't we didn't ask for it in the budget this year because we thought we would be able to get through this year but we've had a couple of the end of last year in the beginning of this year we had more than we expected so we're using the last the last few years we're using about $3,000 a year to pay for pound fees which we do either at the vet across the street or at the VCA in Wakefield so by law we have to keep the animals seven days used to be ten now it's seven and then we work really hard to have the animals adopted so that's and then for the next fiscal year will be this would be creating a new line item and then we'll ask for the full amount for next year and it'll just become part of the budget sharps disposal actually used to be in the public works sustainable right sustainable funds with their trash removal two years ago it became illegal to put sharps in the trash we do have a sharps kiosk downstairs in the lower level we so we're using the state the

▶ 2:00:40 Speaker 3: state contract bid number which is $35 a box plus $35 a pickup we get pickups every other week our participation has really been growing over time which is really really good and all of our neighboring communities also have the same system so we're not getting sharps from other communities so that is so

▶ 2:01:08 Speaker 3: So that wasn't put into our budget this year, and it wasn't until this fiscal year that I was told that it wasn't going to be in their budget. So I didn't know to ask for it in our budget. So it's mid-year, and this is for the annual amount for this fiscal year with the current state contract price. What was the third thing?

▶ 2:01:26 Speaker 6: $500.

▶ 2:01:27 Speaker 2: $500.

▶ 2:01:28 Speaker 3: The third thing was— Sorry, it's late. sorry it's late um third thing is medical supplies for the school nurses that line item's been level funded probably about 10 years and the price of the supplies needless to say has been going up every year so we're we're last year we actually ran out of money at the end of the school year and basically didn't have some of the supplies we needed for the very end of the year So this year, we really don't want that to happen. So we're asking for a small amount of money, $500 that will basically cover the increase in our costs for ice packs, Band-Aids, nothing fancy, just the basics.

▶ 2:02:17 Speaker 1: Okay, very good. Any questions for Ms. Clay? Seeing none, thank you. Thank you. That's very well explained.

▶ 2:02:27 Speaker 2: And then, last but not, Kathy Pickett-Broder.

▶ 2:02:32 John N. Tramontozzi: Good evening, Kathy Pickett-Broder, Memorial Hall. How are you? Good, thank you, and you?

▶ 2:02:39 Speaker 4: I only want a little bit.

▶ 2:02:42 John N. Tramontozzi: Yeah. Elevator maintenance.

▶ 2:02:46 Speaker 4: In the first quarter of this year, we've had an unusual amount of things break in the hall at once. Three out of the four auto sump pumps, two of the toilets, an elevator broke on a Saturday night, and piano string in the Steinway broke. I've gone through my building repair budget for the first time in six years. I now have inspections that have to happen every year. It's the fire extinguisher inspection, the kitchen fire suppression system inspection, the kitchen hood inspection, the fire alarm testing, and the ice machine cleaned. And that's just normal repairs that usually come out of this budget, and I just don't have any. So that's why I'm asking.

▶ 2:03:29 John N. Tramontozzi: All right, pretty straightforward explanation. Any questions?

▶ 2:03:35 Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you.

▶ 2:03:37 Speaker 2: Thank you.

▶ 2:03:38 John N. Tramontozzi: Motion to recommend for . Anything further, Mr. DelaRusso, on this? No. So we have a motion to recommend by Alderman Mortimer. Second. Seconded by Alderman Forbes. On the motion, any further discussion? Seeing none, on the motion, all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Great, so that will be recommended to the full board. The next order up is order 2015-55 appropriation in the amount of $194,259.32.