City Council — 2017-05-08

City Council Special Meeting

This meeting starts at 40:00 in a recording that covers several meetings.

Attendance

Robert A. Boisselle present · Ward 4 Alderman; Donald L. Conn Jr. present · President, Alderman at Large; Scott M. Forbes present · Ward 7 Alderman; Gail Infurna present · Ward 5 Alderman; Jennifer L. Lemmerman present · Ward 2 Alderman; Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis present · Alderman at Large; Monica C. Medeiros present · Alderman at Large; Peter D. Mortimer present · Ward 6 Alderman; John N. Tramontozzi present · Ward 1 Alderman; Francis X. Wright Jr. present · Ward 3 Alderman; Michael P. Zwirko present · Alderman at Large

Agenda

Minutes

CITY OF MELROSE BOARD OF ALDERMEN BULLETIN● MAY 8, 2017 Aldermanic Chamber, Melrose City Hall Special Meeting 7:30 PM 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176

ORDER-2017-139 Opening Statement Special Meeting of the Board of Aldermen to be held on Monday, May 8, 2017 at 7:30 P.M. in the Aldermanic Chamber, City Hall, Melrose, MA Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Robert A. Boisselle Ward 4 Alderman Present Scott M. Forbes Ward 7 Alderman Present Gail M. Infurna Ward 5 Alderman Present Jennifer L. Lemmerman Ward 2 Alderman Present Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis Alderman at Large Present Monica C. Medeiros Alderman at Large Present Peter D. Mortimer Ward 6 Alderman Present John N. Tramontozzi Ward 1 Alderman Present Francis X. Wright Jr. Ward 3 Alderman Present Michael P. Zwirko Alderman at Large Present Donald L. Conn Jr. President, Alderman at Large Present

ORDER-2017-140 Operating Budgets (City, School, Regional School) City of Melrose Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 in the amount of $77,397,009.19 (Seventy-Seven Million, Three Hundred Ninety-Seven Thousand, Nine Dollars and Nineteen Cents) Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-141 Enterprise Fund FY18 Mt Hood Enterprise Fund Budget in the amount of $1,564,505.59 (One Million, Five Hundred Sixty Four Thousand, Five Hundred and Five Dollars and Fifty Nine Cents). Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-142 Enterprise Fund City of Melrose Page 1 6/1/2017 4:17 PM Minutes Board of Aldermen May 8, 2017 Water Enterprise Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 in the amount of Five Million, Two Hundred and Four Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Three Dollars and Thirty Four Cents ($5,204,163.34). Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-143 Enterprise Fund Sewer Enterprise Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 in the amount of Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, Six Hundred and Two Dollars and Eighty Two Cents ($7,894,602.82). Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-144 Enterprise Fund FY18 Ambulance Enterprise Fund Budget in the amount $887,544.99 (Eight Hundred Eighty Seven Thousand, Five Hundred Forty Four Dollars and Ninety Nine Cents). Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-145 Enterprise Fund An Appropriation from Ambulance-Retained Earnings in the amount of $141,984.32 to the Ambulance Reserve, Retained Earnings account and Ambulance Equipment. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-146 Amending Revised Ordinances Amending Melrose Revised Ordinances, Chapter 228, Article II, Section 228-15 (Water Rates Established), as set forth herein. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-147 Amending Revised Ordinances Amending Melrose Revised Ordinances, Chapter 228, Article IV, Section 228-30 (Sewer Rates Established) as set forth herein. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-148 Amending Revised Ordinances Amending Melrose Revised Ordinances, Chapter 228-14 Water meters by adding a new subsection C as set forth herein. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-149 Appropriation City of Melrose Page 2 6/1/2017 4:17 PM Minutes Board of Aldermen May 8, 2017 An Appropriation from Free Cash in the amount of $234,872.54 to various Public Works Accounts as set forth within. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-150 Appropriation Appropriation of $220,000 From: City Wide Meter Replacement Water Enterprise (Fund 6155) - $110,000 and City Wide Meter Replacement Sewer Enterprise (Fund 6045) - $110,000 To: City Wide Water Pipeline Improvements (Fund 61352) - $110,000 and City Wide I/I Program (Fund 6095) - $110,000 as set forth herein Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-151 Appropriation An Appropriation from account 6100-319000 (Water Retained Earnings) in the amount of $331,386 to account 6100-33001 (Water Reserve of Retained Earnings). Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-152 Appropriation An Appropriation from account 6000-319000 (Sewer Retained Earnings) in the amount of $383,034 to account 6000-330001 (Sewer Reserve of Retained Earnings) in the amount of $383,034 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-153 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of the Beebe Estate Revolving Account # 2750 for FY2018 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-154 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization and Increase of the Council on Aging Donation Revolving Account # 2811 for FY2018 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-155 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of Health Department Revolving Fund #2659 for FY18 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-156 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization City of Melrose Page 3 6/1/2017 4:17 PM Minutes Board of Aldermen May 8, 2017 Reauthorization of Inspection Services Revolving Account #2658 for FY2018 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-157 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of Park Revolving Account #2669. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-158 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of Police Department False Alarm Revolving Fund # 2665 for FY18 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-159 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of Recreation Revolving Fund #2652 for FY18. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-160 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of Revolving Fund #2657 Waste Collection & Recycling for FY18. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-161 Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of the Melrose Veterans Events Revolving Fund #2607 for FY 2018. Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2017-162 Bond Authorizing a Bond in the amount of One Million, Six Hundred and Ten Thousand Dollars ($l,610,000) under the Water Enterprise System through both MWRA LWSAP and local bond for FY2018 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee City of Melrose Page 4 6/1/2017 4:17 PM

Transcript

▶ 40:29 alderman mortimer here here alderman Tramontozzi here here alderman white here here alderman Zwirko here here president khan here here 11 present we have a quorum could everybody please Please rise and again join me in saluting the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. President, I make a motion to open the floor for public participation. Alderman Mortimer moves that we commence public participation. Second. Second. Motion is seconded by Alderman Lemmerman. On the motion, all those in favor? anyone opposed motion passes this is the portion of our meeting where any member

▶ 41:15 of the general public may come forward and speak on any matter that is on our agenda for this evening long time no see so that what that was a more general meeting responding to the mayor's statements I do want to reiterate in this setting in part this issue about the alderman being able to frame a decision around accurate information and you know the people who give you this budget they're smart people and so given that they're smart people I can't believe that they don't know how to use the munis accounting system and how to apply the care and thought to figuring out what the expenses are going to be for the next two months i think the budget that's presented here tonight is has a date on it is may 4th that would be so i would expect that to be the may 4th year-to-date

▶ 42:21 charges are on there so if this if the mayor's office the people that do this can't project out accurately fairly accurately the actual what we expect fy17 funds to be then i can't believe they are doing it because they're not able to it appears they must be doing it because they don't want to and i don't think that they're lazy people either so i think that it's not that they just don't want to because they don't want to do the work it feels that there's a political motive to doing that and i want to be clear this isn't the first year this i've been here for year after year after year raising this issue that that projected amount is not an amount that you can use and in fact in other years the auditor has sat here at this table and

▶ 43:09 said oh yeah pay no attention to that that's a meaningless thing doesn't mean anything well if it doesn't mean anything why put it in there the problem with the budget as it's presented to you is that it doesn't give you the information that you need to look at the historical figures about what the actual expenditures were year by year and to figure out what this year's projected expenses are likely to be in order to then extrapolate from the historical data what would be an appropriate thing for next year what i notice quite frequently is is that there's never a fiscal year besides the last one that's shown right now in this budget you're showing the fy16 actual fiscal year as it's presented to you you don't see fy15 there

▶ 44:00 which might be a relevant column and you don't see any percent increases off of one and the other to know what your um you know historical increases might be based on inflation um there's a lot of columns around fy17 but they really don't relate to you i would much rather see one one spreadsheet One report showing the FY17 data and how it projects out to come out to the projected FY17. And then I would love to see, and this is how I do budgeting in my work, and then I take that as accurate as possible presentation of FY17 data in this case and to see that juxtaposed against FY14, FY15, FY16, this best guess at FY17, and then if fy18 doesn't flow naturally from those that there are notes in the budget as to

▶ 44:49 what the exceptions or differences are on the historical as to why the fy18 doesn't flow naturally from them you know you all have conversations with the mayor you all have conversations with the city auditor who works for the mayor maybe you know the answers to this but i've never heard anybody here say it out loud in public and it feels to me a little bit disingenuous to be putting out all kinds of information that purports to be giving you some valid resource when it's really, in my view, a useless resource. I don't think anybody here knows why FY18 is what it is to base it on what the projected FY17 might be or the year to date FY 17 you don't need in this particular document I do want to

▶ 45:56 support what mr. Lula said earlier that it's also a little bit suspect that the city with all the resources it has and all the munis accounting system it has chooses to put out a scan of the units budget that the citizens can't take into Excel import columns to be able to do work on themselves even if it wasn't in Excel or do anything with that's valuable and and and frankly it's not just the citizens you can't either unless unless the city auditor is giving you or the mayor has given you a different budget than what they give that you've put on your website for the public to access you can't do these things either you know it's sad that there is real good work that could be done to evaluate and analyze all the funds that are listed in that budget and

▶ 46:55 how they've been applied to try to parse out some of the issues with them and do better at figuring them out as long as the city prevents you from having access to the data in a way that either you or if you don't even feel competent to do that or that's not your skill set let somebody else do it's hindering the process and again as I spoke about earlier I would hope that this year that we can find a way to to frame a better process that will help the city meet some of those goals the mayor said because revenue is always going to be tight you know there's not going to be any white knight from the state or federal government giving us anything we need to figure out things differently we need to and and you know frankly

▶ 47:45 the mayor doesn't want he expressed that oh we've done all the cutting we can do well you say all the cutting we can do but you know we see every year that there are excess amounts budgeted for certain items that then show up in free cash and then the free cash is there for oh well the mayor overspent this so we want to apply the free cash to that and some of that's legitimate I don't I don't disagree with that but the mayor ends up making policy decisions through his use and end requests for free cash that I believe ought to be in this room with this board to decide in this budget process you don't have a just like you don't really have you know an opportunity here to micromanage the mayor's budget except to say well we're not going to fund this to fund that

▶ 48:42 and you can't do that with the school committee's budget either but one of the things that i notice as in some ways a conflict of interest for the mayor is that the mayor sits here and tells the schools this is how much money you have tells the city well tells you this is how much i want for the city departments and by doing both sides the mayor can basically if he wanted to enlarge city government city side of the government way more and then say to the schools oh well this is all you got left and he can give his favorite department heads all the money in the world and reduce their hours all we want and make it this way and all you can say is well you know it's hard for you i want to be acknowledged it's hard for you to say in any of these line items oh

▶ 49:31 we want to cut it right it's not a popular thing to do you feel like it at some level somebody's to challenge you and say that it's arbitrary what you do but at some level if you don't put a limit on the mayor's assertions the mayor is free to do more and more every year and i'm not saying whether he's right or wrong but he's establishing priorities that at some level i believe ought to be yours and so i would hope as you go through this budget process that you look carefully at the budget items you figure out what could be done differently you figure out you know your task now is really about numbers and and you're you're already behind the eight ball in a sense that you're constrained with what you can do because of the processes played out here year

▶ 50:20 to date what you can do in this budget process as we go over the next few weeks is you can make it clear to the mayor's government of the city that you are going to challenge them on their premises why is this this way well why did you have the contracts this way you know the school contract is a huge thing the the school committee always acts oh we have to pay our contracts because they're they're what we have well they voted for those contracts and it's always I'm very sensitive to how they claim that oh well you know we're limited because our contracts and prices have gone way up well they should have known a year or two or three years ago when they approved the contract what the implications of that was going to be here for the rest of their budget you

▶ 51:05 need to make even the school committee and the schools understand that their job needs to be done they can't just whine and complain that oh well it's out of our hands we can't do anything so we're going to cut some direct services to kids because we've inflated our budget the same as the mayor and anyway thank you for your time I look forward to engaging with you in this process as it goes forward I hope that everybody interprets my comments with the intentions that I have that I want the city to work better I want it to be more dynamic I want to find those solutions that the mayor thinks is the solutions the mayor feels are not in the room I believe they could be in the room today and that we could do something and I appreciate the opportunity you give for

▶ 51:52 the citizens to engage with you here in this meeting I do very much I'm somebody who probably takes more advantage of it than many others but if you and the mayor truly want the citizens involved you do need to open the process up you do need to make the data available in the right formats for us to look at things so the the with the online capabilities here there's no reason why anybody in Melrose shouldn't be able to go and click on any one of those salaries and wages things and see every position not people every position under and what we're funding there is there is a huge capability allowed here and to say that this is the most transparent budget ever when it really is so limited in its transparency obviously we could all make a hundred public records

▶ 52:34 requests and ask the city for this detail in that detail in that detail but isn't it kind of crazy the city doesn't respect and acknowledge that that goal or that usefulness at the beginning to make it public thank you for your time I hope to see that we can have a good accessible public document on the budget and that we can really engage in the details of it. Thank you again. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Motion to close public participation, Mr. President. Second. Alderman Mortimer moves that we close public participation. Motion's been seconded by Alderman Zwirko. On the motion, all those in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Motion passes. Okay, if we could proceed with communications from his honor, the mayor, please.

▶ 53:15 Peter D. Mortimer: Order number 2017-140, City of Melrose operating budget for fiscal year 2018 in the amount of $77,397,009.19. Request for immediate consideration, Mr. President. Alderman Mortimer asks for immediate consideration of order 140, is there an objection? There is not. Motion to suspend the rules, Mr. President. Alderman Mortimer moves to suspend the rules. Second. Motion is seconded by Alderman Forbes. On the motion, all those in favor. Aye. Anyone oppose? Motion passes. Mr. President, I make a motion to schedule the public hearing required by our charter for June 5th, 2017 at 8 PM. Second. Alderman Mortimer moves that we convene a public hearing on the city budget on June 5th, 2017 at 8 PM. The motion is seconded by Alderman Forbes.

▶ 54:14 Is there discussion relative to the motion? All those in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Motion passes. Mr. President, I make a motion that the balance of the order be sent to the Committee on Appropriations. The budget order is sent to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-141, fiscal year 18, Mount Hood Enterprise Fund in the amount of $1,564,505.59. Okay, not for the last time, an order is going to be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-142, water enterprise operating budget for fiscal year 2018 in the amount of $5,204,163.34. That order will also be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-143, Sewer Enterprise Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2018 in the amount of $7,894,602.82.

▶ 55:26 That order will also go to the Committee on Appropriations. Appropriations. Order number 2017-144, Fiscal Year 18 Ambulance Enterprise Fund Budget in the amount of $887,544.99. That order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-145, an appropriation from ambulance retained earnings in the amount of $141,984.32 to the Ambulance Reserve, Retained Earnings Account, and Ambulance Equipment. That order will also go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-146, Amending Melrose Revised Ordinances, Chapter 228, Article 2, Section 228-15, Water Rates Established, as set forth herein. That order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order No. 2017-147, Amending Melrose Revised Ordinances, Chapter 228, Article 4, Section 228-30, Sewer Rates Established, as set forth herein.

▶ 56:37 That order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. order number 2017-148 amending melrose revised ordinances chapter 228-14 water meters by adding a new subsection c as set forth herein that order will be referred to the committee on appropriations order number 2017-149 right make a motion to combine uh orders 10 through 23 for purposes of forwarding all to waive the reading of all orders and for the and for the purposes of forwarding all orders to the committee on appropriations alderman wright moves to combine the remaining orders on the agenda and to waive the reading relative to those orders second motion is seconded by alderman mortimer is there discussion on the motion Alderman Wright.

▶ 57:33 Francis X. Wright Jr.: Just so it's clear, Mr. President, the public understands. All these orders relate to our budget. They'll be sent to appropriations. We will have budget hearings over the next month. Tonight, all we're really doing at this point is reading off the titles of these orders, their numbers, as they relate to the internal IQM system, the titles given to them, and on to appropriations for said hearings yeah I understand that we are also for people who aren't looking at IQM to the reading the orders as well Alderman Medeiros is next in line. Yes, I think we should continue to read the orders. You just heard that many of our agenda items are not accessible to the visually impaired and certainly we can at least these are important orders to set for our budget hearing we're having a special meeting for this purpose and

▶ 58:30 I think we should read them once although it's a little bit tedious for us further discussion relative to the motion okay there's a motion that's been made and duly seconded all those in favor aye anyone opposed chair is also opposed to continue please order number 2017 149 an appropriation from free cash in the amount of two hundred thirty four thousand eight hundred seventy two dollars and fifty four cents to various public works accounts as set forth within that order will go to the committee on appropriations order number twenty seventeen dash one five zero appropriation of two hundred twenty thousand dollars from citywide meter replacement water enterprise fund six one five five one hundred ten thousand dollars in citywide water meter

▶ 59:26 replacement sewer enterprise fund six zero four five hundred ten thousand dollars to citywide water pipeline improvements fund six one three five two and 110,000 to citywide I&I program fund six zero nine five one hundred ten thousand dollars as set forth within here in that order will also be referred the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-151, an appropriation from account 6100-319000, water retained earnings, in the amount of $331,386 to account 6100-33001, water reserve of retained earnings. That order will be considered by the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-152 an appropriation from account 6 0 0 0 dash 3 1 9 0 0 0 sewer retained earnings in the amount of three hundred eighty three thousand and thirty

▶ 1:00:36 four dollars to account six zero zero zero dash three three zero zero zero one sewer reserve of retained earnings in the amount of three hundred eighty three dollars and thirty four cents that order will join its colleagues also in the Appropriations Committee order number 2017 dash 153 reauthorization of the BB estate revolving account number 2750 for fiscal year 2018 that order will be referred to committee on appropriations order number 2017 dash 154 reauthorization and increase of the council on aging donation revolving account number two eight one one for fiscal year 2018 that order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-155 reauthorization of Health Department revolving fund number 2659 for fiscal year 18. That order will go

▶ 1:01:31 to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-156 reauthorization of inspection services revolving account number 2658 for fiscal year 2018. That That order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-157, reauthorization of park revolving account number 2669. Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-158, reauthorization of police department false alarm revolving fund number 2665 for fiscal year 18. That order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-159, reauthorization of recreation revolving fund number 2652 for fiscal year 18. That order will be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-160, reauthorization of revolving fund number 2657, waste collection and recycling for fiscal year 18.

▶ 1:02:33 That order will be sent to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-161, reauthorization of the Melrose Veterans Events Revolving Fund, number 2607, for fiscal year 2018. That order will go to the Committee on Appropriations. Order number 2017-162, authorizing a bond in the amount of $1,610,000 under the water enterprise system through both MWRA, LWSAP, and local bond for fiscal year 2018. That order will also go to the Committee on Appropriations. Before we adjourn, I want to indicate that our meeting is being recorded and will be broadcast on NOLRO's cable television. And for anybody who has an interest, we will be convening our first hearing on individual portions of the city budget this Thursday night.

▶ 1:03:26 We will be continuing for a number of weeks for folks who are interested in coming down. Motion to adjourn, Mr. President. Second. I'll hold my motion. What time Thursday night for the public? 7.30 PM. 7.30. All of our meetings are 7.30 PM on budget issues unless otherwise posted. Thank you. motion stands, Mr. President. Alderman Mortimer makes a motion to adjourn. The motion is seconded by Alderman Zwirko. On the motion, all those in favor? Aye. Anyone opposed? Motion passes. We are adjourned. Thank you, folks.

City Council — 2017-05-08

Attendance

Agenda

Minutes

Transcript

Original documents