An Appropriation in the amount of $126,652,797 to fund the Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Operating Budget.
Agenda original PDF
Minutes original PDF
A. (ID # 2026-1208): An Appropriation in the amount of $126,652,797 to fund the Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Operating Budget. Motion to Hold made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine Vote not immediately taken Motion for Recess made by President Freeman at 8:07 PM Seconded by Councilor Williams 2 All were in favor and meeting was recessed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None Meeting back from recess and reopened at 8:08 PM Vice Chair Vandiver stated that as a point of clarification for the Council and anyone watching, this public hearing on the budget, while it does have one agenda item, it is an agenda item for the public to comment on. It's not something that the Council needs to take action on. Councilor Finocchiaro withdrew the Motion to Hold IV. ADJOURNMENT Motion to Close the public hearing made by Councilor Karamcheti at 8:09 PM Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and public hearing was closed 3 C
2026-1208 FY27 General Fund DPW Budget $11,702,429
2026-1206 FY27 Water Enterprise Operating Budget $6,702,788
2026-1205 FY27 Sewer Enterprise Operating Budget $8,461,623
2026-1207 FY27 Solid Waste Enterprise Operating Budget $3,639,322
2026-1175 Free Cash – Ell Pond Park Design & Permitting $710,000 2026=1176 Free Cash – Lebanon Street TIP 75% Design $400,000
2026-1177 Free Cash – School Signage $20,000
2026-1251 Sewer Retained Earnings Vactor Downpayment $150,000
2026-1213 Proposed FY27 Water Rates N/A
2026-1214 Proposed FY27 Sewer Rates N/ADPW General Fund Budget Breakdown Code DPW Division FY27 Budget 401 Admin. and Engineering $1,002,159 402 Facilities $5,581,051 422 Highway $2,137,826 423 Snow and Ice $800,000 433 Sanitation (non-enterprise) $246,481 475 Parks and Forestry $1,086,999 485 Automotive-Fleet $483,119 491 Wyoming Cemetery $364,794 TOTAL $11,702,429DPW Items Restored in FY26 Supplemental Budget All DPW positions funded in FY25 Summer help program Saturday weekly overtime at the City Yard Overtime for flower watering and parklets Roadway line painting Sidewalk repairs Seasonal Sunday municipal trash barrel pickup Adopt-a-Site program support FY27 Budget Highlights Across all DPW Divisions Union salaries include step increases but no COLAs (laborers and clerical negotiations wrapping up) Most remaining items not restored in supplemental budget have been restored for FY27. For example, clothing and professional development lines in Admin/Engineering budget Budgets reflect rising energy and fuel costs No net change in total positions in general fund and W/S FY27 Budget Highlights Facilities Positions restored OT increased to more closely align with actual needs Library electricity reflects all electric building $500,000 recurring capital added to building repairs line $100,000 capital outlay for annual asbestos removal in schools FY27 Budget Highlights Highway Moved one position into Highway to perform more sidewalk work Increased street light maintenance to match needs Large contractual increase to street sweeping based on new bids Snow and Ice Increasing annually to approach actual costs Sanitation Updates to match actual needs and rising costs FY27 Budget Highlights Parks and Forestry Moved one employee out of P&F Removed last year’s supplemental contractual labor for tree trims Maintained $100,000 for new tree planting Automotive Moving one employee out of Fleet budget (maintains position) Restoration of budgets and increasing fuel costs Cemetery Moving one employee to Cemetery to match existing staffing Restoration of supplies to match needs FY27 Budget Highlights Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds MWRA Assessment Increases Rising electrical costs Increase of water meter lines to $25K in each fund to replace as needed Increase of Vactor payments from $80K to $90K for new truck ($610,000 vehicle cost plus financing – Sewer Only) Solid Waste and Recycling Enterprise Fund Contractual increases to curbside collection and disposal Debt repayments for trash and recycling carts Capital Items in FY27 Budget In DPW Budget: $100,000 asbestos removal in schools $1,230,000 in Highway: roads ($600K), sidewalks ($250K), drainage ($330K), traffic calming ($50K) $100,000 tree planting Capital Items in FY27 Budget Capital Outlay presented previously by Finance: DPW gas pump repairs - $50,000 Masonry stair and wall projects - $250,000 Electrical/ArcFlash study for buildings - $225,000 Milano Center additional exterior improvements - $75,000 MVMMS Phase 2 Building Management System (BMS) upgrades- $100,000 to combine with Green Communities and National Grid incentive funding Hoover All Purpose Room - $75,000 to supplement state earmark Water and Sewer Rates No water and sewer rate increases proposed for FY27 for both volumetric rates and base fees No transfers to reserves – already at 10% goal Rates projected to meet all revenue obligations with no transfers from retained earningsQuestions City of Melrose DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS FY27 BUDGET Who is DPW? Melrose DPW Mission Statement: The Melrose Department of Public Works provides quality services to the community in the areas of drinking water, wastewater, solid waste, recycling, parks, forestry, fleet, highway, cemetery, facilities, engineering, and administration, while promoting health, safety, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility through the teamwork and commitment of an honest and dependable workforce. Who is DPW? Four Main Divisions: Administration Engineering/Water & Sewer Billing Facilities Operations DPW Administration & Finance Public Relations Accounts Payable/Receivable Payroll Environmental/Outreach Coordinator Rentals CoordinatorDPW Engineering & Water/Sewer Billing Capital Projects – Planning, Design, and Construction Permits and Inspections Development Reviews Records and Plans/GIS Water and Sewer Billing DPW Facilities Division Custodial Services – Schools and Municipal Buildings Building Maintenance and Repairs Building Capital Projects DPW Operations Division Highway Parks and Forestry Fleet Cemetery Sanitation (Partially Enterprise Funded) Water and Sewer (Enterprise Funded) Snow and Ice DPW Staffing 70 full-time employees 1 part-time employee 4 partially funded by DPW in other departments 2 PM custodians funded from Education Stations budget Positions eliminated in FY26 have been restored FY27 employee count matches FY25 budget Staff in DPW Operating Budgets Division # of Full Time Employees Administration/Engineering 3 fully funded (1 PT); 14 partially funded Facilities 16 custodians, 5 tradespeople Highway 5 employees (+1 in FY27) Snow Removal 0 employees (all overtime) Sanitation 2 employees Parks & Forestry 8 employees (-1 in FY27) Fleet 2 employees (-1 in FY27) Cemetery 4 employees (+1 in FY27) Water 9 fully funded; 14 partially funded Sewer 3 fully funded; 14 partially funded 57 fully funded in one DPW division TOTAL 14 spread between DPW divisions 4 shared with other departments DPW Organization Elena Proakis Ellis, P.E., DPW Director James Troup, Matt Spinale, Jay Coy, Acting Scott Enos, Asst. Director Operations Manager City Engineer Facilities Manager Admin & Finance On the Move… New Employees Hired: Operations Manager, Matt Spinale Parks Equipment Operator, Jade Butler Junior Project Engineer, Fagan Doyle Promotions: Facilities Manager, Scott Enos Forestry Working Foreman, Shaun Foss Parks Working Foreman, Marcos Echevarria Retirements and Vacancies Retirement (upcoming): Resident Project Representative, Lynda Garron Municipal Custodian, Dan Guevin Vacancies with no offers pending: City Engineer (posted since override) Mechanic/Welder (posted since override) Parks Heavy Equipment Operator Four other vacancies have pending offersSome Operational Accomplishments in FY26 Through early-May: 3,496 work orders resolved 908 Facilities 2,588 Operations 525 potholes filled Handled 42” of snow 1,235 purchase ordersSome Operational Accomplishments in FY26 Collected 4,634 tons of trash (Casella) Collected 1,649 tons of recycling (Casella) Collected yard waste curbside (City forces) Recycled 230 mattresses Began distribution of new stickers for use of the City Yard Began curbside composting preferred vendor program with Garbage to Garden Some Capital Accomplishments in FY26 Completed construction of Franklin Roof E, MHS Skylights, MVMMS & Lincoln Heat Pump Chillers Renovated Franklin School All Purpose Room (asbestos removal, floors, ceiling, lighting, paint) MVMMS and MHS LED lighting upgrade projects Added handicap pushbutton door openers at Hoover, Horace Mann, and Winthrop Schools Some Capital Accomplishments in FY26 Paved Sewall Woods Road, Maple Road, Melrose Street (LFP to Main), Porter Street (Rowe to Harding) Added sidewalks on Swains Pond Avenue Replaced water mains on Crystal Street, Hurd Street, and Circuit Street Oversaw replacement of Ell Pond Drain beneath property at 687-691 Main Street FY27 DPW Budget Requests Total General Fund DPW Budget: $11,702,429 Water Enterprise Budget: $6,702,788 (Increase of 4.1% from FY26) Sewer Enterprise Budget: $8,461,623 (Increase of 1.2% from FY26) Solid Waste Enterprise Budget: $3,639,322 (Increase of 3.1% from FY25) Grand Total All DPW FY27 Budgets: $30,506,162 Tonight’s DPW Council Agenda Items Order ID # Description Value
2026-1208 FY27 General Fund DPW Budget $11,702,429
Transcript
▶ 2:01:01 Speaker 2: Yes.
▶ 2:01:02 Speaker 3: Chair Vandiver? Yes. All in favor, motion passes.
▶ 2:01:05 Kimberly Vandiver: Okay. And our topic tonight is a public hearing for the operating budget. We have before us ID number 2026-1208, an appropriation in the amount of $126,652,797 to fund the fiscal year 2027 general fund operating
▶ 2:01:23 Speaker 6: budgetDo we have anyone to present on
▶ 2:01:25 Kimberly Vandiver: the topic? I'm actually not sure. Does anyone have additional comment to offer? I'm not sure. Okay. So, I believe we will need a vote to place it on file. Is that accurate?
▶ 2:01:40 Speaker 6: Make a motion to hold.
▶ 2:01:43 Speaker 3: Hold?
▶ 2:01:44 Kimberly Vandiver: Great. Okay. As we did let's- Okay. We'll take a motion to hold made by Councilor Finocchiaro.
▶ 2:01:50 Speaker 6: And
▶ 2:01:51 Kimberly Vandiver: is there a second? Second. Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine.
▶ 2:01:53 Bradley Freeman: Can I- Sure. Yeah ... point of mis-- ask for a brief recess?
▶ 2:01:58 Speaker 4: Absolutely.
▶ 2:01:59 Speaker 6: Motion for a brief recess. Okay.
▶ 2:02:00 Kimberly Vandiver: Second. Okay, we have a motion for recess, Councilor Freeman, seconded by Councilor Williams. Can we have a vote, please?
▶ 2:02:10 Speaker 3: Councilor Chen.
▶ 2:02:11 Speaker 2: Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro.
▶ 2:02:12 Speaker 3: Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine.
▶ 2:02:16 Maya Jamaleddine: Point of... We have already a motion on floor, so we need to withdraw that initial motion in order to have another motion.
▶ 2:02:24 Ryan Williams: As a point of order, I believe Councilor Vandiver once pioneered the idea that some orders are prioritized over other orders, and that a motion to recess is-
▶ 2:02:35 Kimberly Vandiver: I think that is accurate. A motion to recess can move forward while something's on the table.
▶ 2:02:39 Ryan Williams: But we will have to withdraw the motion after we recess. That's fine. Yeah.
▶ 2:02:45 Kimberly Vandiver: Okay. Okay, I think we can move forward with the motion to recess.
▶ 2:02:48 Speaker 3: Councilor Jamaleddine. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Councilor Abramsky.
▶ 2:02:54 Speaker 2: Yes. Councilor Park. Yes. Councilor Williams. Yes. President Freeman. Yes. Councilor Romanul.
▶ 2:03:00 Speaker 3: Yes. Chair Vandiver. Yes. All in favor.
▶ 2:03:03 Speaker 4: All right, we're on a recess.
▶ 2:03:05 Speaker 2: Because then the actual stuff is on the other-
▶ 2:03:07 Speaker 6: Exactly. Yeah. That's what I wanted. Just wanted to make sure we were not.
▶ 2:03:10 Speaker 2: Yeah, makes sense.
▶ 2:03:11 Speaker 3: Record all
▶ 2:03:13 Speaker 4: my voice.
▶ 2:03:18 Kimberly Vandiver: All right, let's come back from our recess. So, just as a point of clarification for the council and anyone watching, this public hearing on the budget, while it does have one agenda item, it is an agenda item for the public to comment on. It's not something that the council needs to take action on. So, if we could withdraw the motion relative to this ID.