Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2018-02-12
Attendance
Manisha Bewtra ; Robert A. Boisselle ; Scott M. Forbes ; Jennifer L. Lemmerman ; Kate Lipper-Garabedian ; Monica C. Medeiros ; Peter D. Mortimer ; John N. Tramontozzi ; Francis X. Wright Jr. ; Michael P. Zwirko
Agenda
Minutes
CITY OF MELROSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CALENDAR● FEBRUARY 12, 2018 Aldermanic Chamber, Melrose City Hall Committee Meeting 7:45 PM 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 The public should take notice that the Melrose Board of Aldermen may, on certain occasions, have a quorum in attendance due to standing committees of the Board of Aldermen consisting of both voting and non-voting members. Members attending this duly posted meeting are participating and deliberating only in conjunction with the business of the standing committee. Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Jennifer L. Lemmerman Chair Present Scott M. Forbes Vice Chair Absent Manisha Bewtra Alderman at Large Present Robert A. Boisselle Ward 4 Alderman Present Kate Lipper-Garabedian 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 Absent Michael P. Zwirko President/ Ex-officio Member Present
ORDER-2018-132 Appropriation An Appropriation from the Mt. Hood Retained Earnings Account (620000- 319000) in the amount of $37,941.15 to the Salary and Wages account, (620000- 511000). Recommend Passage Board of Aldermen City of Melrose Page 1 Updated 2/13/2018 11:58 AM
Transcript
▶ 10:40 board for final action motion to adjourn the p l committee mr chairman motion to adjourn the protection of license second by alderman mortimer second and by alderman Boisselle on the motion all in favor aye aye opposed we are adjourned and stay tuned for uh appropriations coming up next yeah Yeah, should we? Good evening. It is 7.46 on February 12th, 2018, and we will commence the Appropriations Committee. We are here this evening with members of the committee. I am the chair, Alderman Lemmerman. We are here, joined this evening by Alderman at Large, Alderman Bewtra, Ward 4 Alderman, Alderman Boisselle, Alderman at Large, Alderman Lipper-Garabedian, Alderman at-large, Alderman Medeiros, Ward 6, Alderman Mortimer,
▶ 13:47 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: Ward 1, Alderman Tramontozzi, and President, ex-officio member, Alderman Zorco, President Zorco. This meeting's being recorded and is available on MMTV as well as on the City of Melrose website. Motion to open the floor for public participation, Madam Chairman. Second. We have a motion to open the floor for public participation by Alderman Mortimer, seconded by Alderman Boycelle. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? We are now commencing public participation. This is the portion of the meeting that any member of the public can come forward to speak on any item before us. Motion to close public participation, Madam Chairman. Second. We have a motion to close public participation by Alderman Mortimer,
▶ 14:26 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: seconded by Alderman Boisselle. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Public participation is now closed. The Appropriations Committee has one item on our agenda this evening, Order Number 2018-132, and appropriation from the Mount Hood Retained Earnings Account 620000-319000 in the amount of $37,941.15 to the Salary and Wages Account 620000-51100. Motion to suspend the rules that we may hear from the relative city officials, the relevant city officials. Second. We have a motion to suspend the rule by Alderman Mortimer, seconded by Alderman Tramontozzi. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? We are now under suspension of rules and we are joined this evening by Joan Bell and Bill Gardner to speak on this item.
▶ 15:23 Would you like to start with just a little bit of information about this order? Yes, if we may. We're looking to transfer from the free cash account $37,914.15 to the salary line item in the Mount Hood budget. It came about because there was a change in the employment practices that we had. Our administrative assistant, Mrs. Brickley, was working for the Public Works Department as well as for the Mount Hood Enterprise Fund at the same time. We were splitting the salary two-thirds, one-third is the way it went. Because of the needs of Mount Hood, we needed her back basically, and we took her back and we absorbed the salary. When we budgeted last year for the salary line item, it was based on the two-third, one-third split with the public works department.
▶ 16:13 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: Since it's changed, we're before you to rectify that some end of the year clean up work to see if we can just transfer that money and cover the salary line item. There's money there anyway, but it's the appropriate way to do it. So we've been told by the auditor. Motion to recommend for passage, Madam Chair. Second. motion to recommend for passage by alderman mortimer seconded by alderman Boisselle on discussion i just want to also mention before we get to the discussion um that we did receive an email today from patrick del russo's office letting us know that there is currently 123 328 dollars in the mount hood free cash retained earnings account if this is approved this evening we would have 85
▶ 16:59 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: thousand three hundred and eighty six dollars and fifty five cents as a balance in addition the mount hood reserve fund is currently at 421 473. i've confirmed with the uh corporate committees that that is uh added in iqm2 and just needs to be regenerated so that will be available for the public as well and i think also it's important to know that mount hood money generates its own revenue so what money's made at mount hood stays amount to it so we're self-sufficient thank you thank you thank you uh so have the do like has something changed to make her more needed or is that just we honestly um we've always been trying to drag drag her back all the time it it was a tussle um we're fortunate and the individual we're talking about is very talented and she
▶ 17:48 was very talented down in public works and doing some school department work we always wanted her back and we've always been back and forth with mr. Shannon about who was gonna get mrs. Brickley services we prevailed this year I think the easiest way to explain it to is that the job Cindy's job description is the executive administrator to the PAC Commission the PAC Commission oversees Mount Hood in parks I as the park superintendent get paid 50 50 50 percent out of parks 50 percent out of the Mount Hood budget my job responsibilities include a list of things in the Park Department as well as you know all parks and playgrounds open space I do all the permitting from for the city of Melrose fields plus pine
▶ 18:33 banks the liaison all the adoption sites community and all that fun stuff with that comes some administration so what was happening was Cindy once I don't know how many years you want to go back with me but the Park Department used to be all under the park commission and then he used to be park mount hood and recreation the park budget came out and turned into a DPW budget so with that I think some of the responsibilities that Cindy was doing on the park side she was working down there doing it it gets a little crazy because her job doesn't change with me you know my job responsibilities don't change so that's That's when we started playing games where during, you know, Mount Hood's busy season should be with me three days a week down there, two days a week, and vice versa.
▶ 19:23 It just became cumbersome, and it wasn't working. We, you know, Mount Hood has a lot of revenue coming in, and there's a lot of other things going on year-round. So it just made sense to bring her back. And I think also, I mean, in fairness, Joan, I know, and John Chenna talk on a regular basis. I've talked to John quite a bit of time. it's been really a cooperative effort to try to fill the needs of both the the Park Department under the Public Works umbrella as well as us and that's where we are now when she's back with us and we're paying the salary that's the request thank you that that's that's helpful and you know understand how history yeah and in how are things looking where we stand today this is
▶ 20:08 coming out of retained earnings obviously it's it's a healthy book a healthy budget and healthy retainage yeah we were down a little bit on gross revenues last year on the golf end of it I think about 70,000 if I remember but we are so weather-driven it's unbelievable I mean when we have good weather July and August seven days a week you're gonna be maxed out at that golf course and it's great you get one week of rain and it's it's a setback I mean last month last March is where we is where we lost it last March we had a lot of rain and we caught up some we just didn't catch up fully and you said you're having a lot of activity even on the offseason at the clubhouse and yeah yeah I'll tell you Alderman Medeiros we just coming from our meeting there's
▶ 21:00 been a slight change in golf management we just put the contract though recently we got better percentages on this time around slightly but it was you know every nickel helps but there's been a change in golf management internally and there seems to be a bigger focus on the the clubhouse rentals and at least that's what they're professing and frankly I'm seeing some of the results they've booked almost through July right now on a regular basis where is Tom frail who's the principal of golf management has always said we're 12 miles from the city of Boston and I have a view that people would kill for why aren't we doing better and I think the focus is has been up there and I think that's you know other than the golf sells itself but I think that's another
▶ 21:48 pocket of revenue that hopefully that we'll all be able to share it maybe a little more stable in a way because it's not so dependent on the weather and we've had some discussions about maybe doing if we can fit it in financially doing some uh renovations to the facility there's been some proposals we've had uh some consultants come in and tell us what we can do and what we can't do and if we can afford it i think it it would be nice to focus in on the facility itself because i think there is a an opportunity there for much much better things for sure very good thank you thank you both and thanks mrs This is Brickley, and thank you. Thank you, Alderman Mortimer. Thank you very much, Chairman Lemmerman.
▶ 22:34 Peter D. Mortimer: In the vein of weather dependency, it seems like we're having, knock on wood, a relatively snow-free second half of the winter. We got hit pretty hard in the first half of the winter. And if that continues, the long range forecast says we are supposed to- May have jinxed the speeder. I hope not. Well, that's why I knocked on the table. What is the predicted opening day for the golf course? I remember there was a few winters ago, I don't think you closed at all, I think you stayed open all winter. We shoot for April 1st, if we can get open sooner, we do. And we close at Thanksgiving, if we can stay open longer, we do, so that's kind of. Yeah, just from observation, empirically, it seemed you didn't close at all that winter, was that correct?
▶ 23:21 Peter D. Mortimer: When we closed, we closed in January, like we passed the calendar year. Right. It was so nice that we continued into January, but we did eventually close in January. And then I think you opened a few weeks- That was an early, well it was an early opening. March or something? Yeah. Yeah, so if things go well, speaking of weather driven, you can get an early jump on things. And then even if we do get a rainy week in July, you'll have- Yeah, it won't hurt so much. The nuts stored for summer, as it would seem. flipside February vacation the school vacations coming up in the Recreation Department plans meeting tonight mr. Oliveri like me that in the last nine years of Winterfest we've had two years we could have ice skating on the pond
▶ 24:08 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: right that's the way the weather's gone yeah that's all I have madam chair thank very much thank you any other comments or questions from the committee okay we have a a motion to recommend for passage that's been made and seconded all in favor aye aye any opposed okay this will be recommended for passage at the next full board meeting thank you very much for coming down thank you if you have nothing further madam chair i don't know if you want to mention anything about the uh applications for the ward five before i make a motion for adjournment absolutely we are uh still accepting applications from members of the public for to fill the vacancy in the ward 5 alderman Site um we are accepting them until what date the 22nd 22nd and people
▶ 24:56 Peter D. Mortimer: can forward those to amy camosa president's worko um up until that date and we uh look forward to reading from those interested point point of information if i if i may with your permission madam chair do we have um any applications and uh if so how many heretofore not have come in yet so no applications have come in for the ward five it just it's good for the uh public to hear that that was that was uh what i believed to be true but i just wanted to confirm it and uh put that out there to the public uh that no applications have come in yet yes and the clock is interested please reach out the clock is ticking there you go thank you alderman mortimer and you have made a motion to i will make the motion to adjourn now thank you second by auburn boys all in favor