Public Comment

Transcript (~11 min @ 0:40)

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

▶ 0:28 Mark Garipay: Um, council is, uh, Chetty Counselor Williams, counselor Hamilton, counselor Armo, counselor Reky Council, FANUC Chiro, counselor Stewart Stewart and Councilor Vandiver. This serves as a notice of a quorum for the record in accordance with the open meeting law. This meeting is being recorded and broadcast live on MMTV, uh, going under public comment. I will motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objections, we are open for public comment. This is a portion of the meeting where the public may speak to any item on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoint on other matters are also welcome. If there's anyone in the gallery that would like to speak tonight, please come forward. Uh, sign the sheet, your name, address, um, and we have up to five minutes, uh, for public comment.

▶ 1:22 Speaker 4: Good evening, everyone. Uh, my name is Leslie means I am the proud president of the Melrose Educators Union. I am also an English teacher at the Melrose Middle School, and I'm here tonight to urge you to come to a swift decision about the override proposal that the mayor will be presenting at the end of the agenda this evening until you have all given your stamp of approval. We cannot begin the work of educating our 400 members, a quarter of which live in Melrose about the specifics of the ballot question and how it may impact teaching and learning conditions in our schools. Our members will be out there knocking on doors. They will be out there holding signs, and we need a detailed plan to deliver to them before they head off on their well-deserved summer break, or more likely off to their summer jobs. We are hopeful that you will see the need to quickly vote on a ballot question that will provide the necessary funds to establish fully functioning schools. We had our year end general membership meeting this afternoon after school let out. We were joined by Senator Lewis and State Representative Lipper Garabedian, and they talked to us about some of the shortcomings in the state's funding structure. And while they recognize those shortcomings, it is clear that the fixes to those will not be in the immediate future. This is why it is so critical that we get Melrose on the right path With the right ballot question, I think we can all agree that we do not wanna be back here next year having the exact same conversation. Once again, Thank you.

▶ 3:01 Speaker 3: Thank you, Ms. Beans.

▶ 3:09 Speaker 1: My name is Alex Leo, and I'm an eighth grader here at at Melrose. Every year, eighth graders in Massachusetts must complete a civics action project relating to their community. I'm in a group with fellow classmates, grace Kay and Naima Diaz to look at the override. It's no secret that our schools are struggling, roads are falling apart, and programs are losing funding for getting cut. We know that the city council has already been considering an override to increase taxes to fund the city, which we desperately need. But this will not work unless the people of Melrose choose it. Here in Melrose, parents and students have noticed that there are less teachers and more frequent turnover Next year classes all across Melrose Public schools are getting bigger, despite barely having enough teachers to manage our current numbers. Our very own middle school principal is leaving due to severe budget deficits. We cannot retain teachers like this. Melrose is a residential city full of families and children who need a quality education. But what kind of education will students be getting if they don't have experienced teachers to guide them? Decisions that split our community can be complicated and difficult to understand. Everyone, no matter their vote wants Melrose to thrive. Raising taxes is terrifying for many. Whether it be those who've lived in Melrose for decades, or those who've recently moved and are barely hanging on to the rising cost of living, not raising taxes is terrifying. For others who see the problems caused by our limited budget, an override is necessary to keep our community functioning. When Mayor Titis presented the fiscal year 26th budget, she explained measures that needed to be taken. Some may already be aware, but here's just a couple of programs negatively affected by our budget. The Melrose Public Library will be closed on Sundays. 21 city positions will be cut. The future of city events such as home for the holidays and the Victorian Fair are up in the air because paying our police department overtime might not be financially possible, and in our schools teaching and administrative roles will be cut. We need more teachers and more support, not less. Despite our ability to budget, we cannot function as a city without implementing drastic change. This change can be cutting programs and jobs, or it can be a tax override. Talk to those who are unsure, discuss challenging things. Advocate, we decide Melrose's future.

▶ 5:29 Mark Garipay: Thank you for coming and your engagement. Anyone else, uh, looking to speak?

▶ 5:41 Speaker 3: Good evening, Mr. Bell.

▶ 5:50 Speaker 5: Good evening. All the real question tonight is what do we want Melrose to be? It is a simple question, But it's a non-partisan, multi-generational question. Each and every one of us has to look into ourselves and say, what kind of community do I wanna live in? It's a choice we made when we decided to settle here. It's a choice we have to remake. Every time an existential financial crisis like this comes

▶ 6:24 Speaker 6: up, we're all in it together.

▶ 6:26 Speaker 5: There's nobody else gonna solve the problem for us. There's no higher power, spiritual or temporal that is gonna help us pay our bills, our bills. Um, we're gonna get what we pay for no more and no less. So we're gonna all have to decide. And it doesn't matter whether you're right or left or center. You've gotta decide what we want for services and what we're willing to pay for. We're looking to you on the council to not only support putting this on the ballot,

▶ 7:09 Speaker 5: we're also looking to you. You are our elected overseers of financial matters. We're also looking to you to lead, to take a stand and hopefully a unanimous stand in favor of an override. You know, it's overdue. Everyone who has looked at Melrose Finances in the last 20, 30 years knows that overrides are necessary. We're not in a position to grow our way out of it. We wouldn't want that degree of change of our community.

▶ 7:46 Speaker 5: So it's either cut services or it's grow, Or it's pass and override, and it's that simple. So let's face up to the fact and let's be leaders in making Melrose what we want it to be, which is a good community to raise a family and to grow old at home. And that's the simple question. Thank you.

▶ 8:10 Mark Garipay: Thank you. If you could just, um, make sure you sign in. Um, I am Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it.

▶ 8:21 Speaker 3: Anyone else looking to speak?

▶ 8:30 Speaker 5: Uh, Jim o Locklin, 39 Lincoln Street. I've spoken to the council several times now about the need for the override with a lot of facts and figures, and you might've seen my letter to the editor last week that spelled all that out. So I won't go over all that again. I do ask the council to unanimously support this override request and act on it quickly. Uh, we are eager to get out there and start explaining to the population what's involved in this and more of why. And we need specifics to be able to do that. Uh, the other thing I ask, and I'll just, not to repeat what Bob said, but it is important, and I ask you all to get behind this as well, don't simply just vote to put it on the ballot, but get out. Dare talk to your constituents. Embrace this. And I don't wanna say do the responsible thing, but the city is in dire financial straits and we need leadership at all levels to help push this over the finish line. Thank you.

▶ 9:26 Mark Garipay: Thank you, Mr. Role Locklin. Is there anyone? Line? There

▶ 9:30 Speaker 7: Are none.

▶ 9:31 Speaker 3: Is there anyone?

▶ 9:39 Speaker 8: Hi, Shelby Doyle, Tremont Street. I just wanna add that I also support this override getting a chance to go onto the ballot for people to vote. Um, I'm newer to Melrose. I saw the vote that was last year. Came outta nowhere. Whoa, what is this? This year I feel like I've had so much communication from my child's school. I understand what's at stake, but I've also talked to others in the community. Folks that work with me, coworking on Melrose, other entrepreneurs that don't have kids yet. I talked to older folks at the Y or folks headed down to the diner on, on Friday mornings. And people in Melrose, for the most part do understand that this is a place that if we wanted to be a place where it's good to grow up and good to grow old, we're gonna have to pay for that and be sure that we don't let our infrastructure crumble and that we have good common spaces for everybody to thrive. So, um, I ask that you please, as others have said, not just vote on it, but get out there and support it because what I'm seeing, the conversations I'm having, there's a lot of support for it. So I hope that you'll stick your neck out with us to, um, really lead for what Melrose is and hopefully will be, uh, for all of us into the future. Thanks.

▶ 10:57 Speaker 3: Thank you.

▶ 11:09 Speaker 3: Thank you. Anyone

▶ 11:13 Speaker 3: else looking to speak?

▶ 11:18 Mark Garipay: Okay. Um, if there are no objections, I'll motion by Unanim Before I do that, you should. No one else is online. There are

▶ 11:23 Speaker 7: No, no one's online. Thank

▶ 11:25 Mark Garipay: You. Uh, if there are no objections, I'll motion by unanimous consent to close the public comment portion of our meeting. So you no objections. Public comment is now closed. We are moving on our agenda to department budget presentations. We have the Department of Public works in front of us.