Public Comment

Transcript (~3 min @ 0:40)

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

▶ 0:09 Jen Grigoraitis: All right. Good evening. It is Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 7 p.m. This is a meeting of the Appropriations and Oversight Committee. I am Counselor Grigoraitis, the Chair. Joining me tonight are Vice Chair Migliorelli and Counselors McMaster, Eccles, Garipay, Jamaleddine, Stewart, Karamcheti, Obremski, Williams, and President Cinella, ex officio. This provides notice of the quorum for the record. In accordance with the open meeting law, this meeting is being recorded and broadcast on our local cable access channel MMTV as well as live streamed on the MMTV website and available for future viewing through the City of Melrose's meeting portal at this time I'll motion by unanimous consent to open public comment okay seeing no objection public comment is now open this is the portion of our meeting where any member of the public may speak on any item on our agenda do we have anyone we shouldn't wishing please come forward

▶ 1:11 Speaker 1: Good evening. My name is David Hoff, 46 Warwick Road. I am the chair of the City of Melrose Commission on Disability. I am here tonight in support of the consolidation of the polling locations to the middle school. The issue of voting access is an item that has been discussed on several occasions by our commission, and it is obviously a very critically important issue. um it is absolutely essential that voting locations be fully accessible in compliance with the americans with disabilities act and massachusetts state law as you may be aware significant polling place accessibility issues have been identified by the secretary of state's office with the city's polling locations that were used prior to the pandemic and these um accessibility issues would be difficult to remedy at those at those locations without major capital improvements and investments the middle school is a fully accessible centrally located facility facility that is an ideal polling location for the citizens of melrose it is clear from the experience over the last several elections held at the middle school during the pandemic that it is a highly suitable polling location for the city alternatives that have been suggested including memorial hall have significant accessibility issues and as you may be aware we are about to undertake a full-scale evaluation of accessibility of all the city's buildings and through that we are going to identify probably a long-term plan for improving accessibility but at this time the middle school is really from our perspective the best location the ideal location and in order to provide a fully accessible location for the cities of I'm sorry for the citizens of Melrose to exercise their constitutional right to vote so on behalf of the commission on disability therefore urge the committee to approve the order for consolidation of polling locations

▶ 3:10 Jen Grigoraitis: at the middle school thank you mr hoff for being here tonight and for your service to your community do we have anyone from the webex wishing to speak in public comment there's no one online at this time all right at this time i will motion by unanimous consent to close public common okay seeing no objection public comment is now closed we have one order on our agenda for tonight order 2022-69 permanent consolidation of polling locations to the melrose veterans memorial middle school gymnasium complex for all city of melrose elections item number 9605 and so that we can have a discussion there's no one coming before us tonight so i would entertain