City Council — 2020-11-16

City Council Regular Meeting

This meeting starts at 1:18:55 in a recording that covers several meetings.

Attendance

Christopher Cinella remote · At-Large; Jack Eccles remote · At-Large; Mark Garipay remote · Ward 4; Jen Grigoraitis remote · President, ex oficio; Maya Jamaleddine remote · At-Large; Shawn M. MacMaster remote · Ward 5; Jeff McNaught remote · Ward 2; Leila Migliorelli remote · At-Large; Robb Stewart remote · Ward 3; Cory Thomas remote · Ward 7; John N. Tramontozzi remote · Ward 1

Agenda

Minutes

CITY OF MELROSE CITY COUNCIL BULLETIN● NOVEMBER 16, 2020 Web-based remote meeting Regular Meeting 7:45 PM , Melrose, MA 02176 Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Jen Grigoraitis President, ex oficio Remote John N. Tramontozzi Ward 1 Remote Jeff McNaught Ward 2 Remote Robb Stewart Ward 3 Remote Mark Garipay Ward 4 Remote Shawn M. MacMaster Ward 5 Remote Cory Thomas Ward 7 Remote Jack Eccles At-Large Remote Christopher Cinella At-Large Remote Leila Migliorelli At-Large Remote Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Remote

ORDER-2021-36 Classification of Property Request to set a Public Hearing on Classification of Property for December 7, 2020 at 8:00 P.M. and subsequently determine the Classification of Property Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2021-37 Appointment Appointment of Polina Latta as Human Resources Director, effective February 1, 2021 Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2021-38 Appointment Reappointment of Michael Iudice, 201 Melrose Street, to the Liquor License Commission for a six-year term; said term to expire on the first Monday in June 2026. Assigned to Committee Protection and License Committee

ORDER-2021-41 Agreement Authorization for the Mayor of Melrose to execute a Power Purchase Agreement for Rooftop Solar Installation at Memorial Hall Assigned to Committee Appropriations Committee

ORDER-2021-39 Resolution City of Melrose Page 1 12/2/2020 3:53 PM Minutes City Council November 16, 2020 Request for State Action to Restore Proposed MBTA Service Cuts Impacting Public Transit Serving the City of Melrose Placed on File

ORDER-2021-40 Resolution A Resolution in Support of the 5th Annual Melrose Random Acts of Kindness Day on Friday, November 20, 2020 Placed on File

ORDER-2021-32 Grant Acceptance of FY21 Massachusetts Urban Agriculture Grant in the amount of $5827.00 for the expansion of the Melrose Community Gardens Adopted

ORDER-2021-28 Request An Order Relative to the CARES Act Funding for the City of Melrose Placed on File

ORDER-2021-25 Request Requesting the City Solicitor appear before the City Council to discuss whether the City has the legal and regulatory authority to establish and recognize Indigenous People’s Day in the City of Melrose. Placed on File

ORDER-2021-34 Amending Revised Ordinances An Order to Amend Section 152-12 of the Code of the City of Melrose for the purposes of waiving Common Victualler fees for Calendar 2021 Adopted

ORDER-2021-35 Donation Request acceptance of donation from Winthrop School PTO in the amount of $22,438.90 for playground equipment. Adopted City of Melrose Page 2 12/2/2020 3:53 PM

Transcript

▶ 1:19:16 transcript or other comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the city of melrose website and on mmtv3.org madam clerk can you please call Call the roll counselor. Yeah, counselor. Your counselor, your counselor to. Yeah, Councilor McMaster here comes up not. Yeah, counselor. Yeah. Counselor Stewart here counselor Thomas. Here, yeah, president Grigoraitis. Yeah, 11 here. 11 here, so we have a quorum at this time. I'll entertain a motion to open public comment. Most open public comment 2nd, we have a motion to open public comment made by counselor spirit. Seconded by council. I'm I'm please call the roll. Yes, yes. Yes, yes. McMaster yes, not. Yes, yes, Stuart.

▶ 1:20:41 Jen Grigoraitis: Yes, Thomas. Yes. Yes, yes. Yes, yes. Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't hear anything. Okay. 11 yes so public comment is open just for those of us those that are watching i know we had folks who were with us in the appropriations meeting under the state open meeting law we needed to begin the public comment portion of the city council meeting so that is the public comment period that's now opened which is to speak to any item on the agenda for the full council and if you wish to speak you can raise your digital hand and we can pull you forward is there anyone wishing to speak madam president the um the challenge i'm having is i think there's some people who are left over from the appropriations committee who still have their hand raised okay yeah i see what

▶ 1:21:45 you're talking about um i believe uh mr mcsweeney did not speak in public comment prior nor did miss karen ketty i believe it's only those two okay so i will start with mr mcsweeney he's the the first one I've seen, so I'm unmuting you now, Mr. McSweeney, I think. Oh, actually, you know what, Ms. Foote, I think you're still the host. Ms. Foote will unmute you now, Mr. McSweeney. Thank you. Appreciate it. Hi, Finn McSweeney, 160 West Wyoming Avenue. I just wanted to really briefly speak on 20-21-39, which was the resolution requesting state action on the service cuts. I just wanted to 1st, express my appreciation to the council for so directly stating what public transportation means to Melrose as everyone observed this message really came through loud and clear in the master plan.

▶ 1:22:45 And so it is fundamental to the identity of the city that we have a strong network of public transportation. Melrose wouldn't exist as a distinct municipality from Malden and Stoneham. were it not for the train stations so i think it's great when we speak forcefully um i also want to remind the council that these cuts whether they happen or not are likely to happen um really quickly you know what while you all are sitting in the seats you're sitting in and should one or all of them come to pass um i would recommend that our morning period be really short and that the council instead would turn around and start to pressure the mayor and the city on what we can do to improve rates of walking and biking to the remaining transit

▶ 1:23:48 that we do have. You know, under all circumstances, right, we're going to retain two commuter rail stops we're gonna retain the 132 bus at least and we're gonna retain our proximity to Oak Grove station this is two by two two mile by two mile city and we're gonna remain an accessible community I heard from one resident who right now takes the 131 bus to Oak Grove saying oh geez I guess now I have to drive to Wellington and I think that we really as a community need to set some type of measurable goal where we say we're gonna get people who are accustomed to the 131 who are accustomed to the 136 safely to our remaining transportation options the city this year received shared streets and spaces

▶ 1:24:45 grant there is another funding round going on right now and I would really love to see the council agitate with the city towards uh figuring out what we can do to really quickly promote walking really quickly promote cycling to the remaining transit stations especially to oak grove the city is planning on repaving main street next year we need to get people on bikes onto main street and we need to let them do it safely if that means eliminating parking street parking along the route guess what it's in the master plan that transportation is important to us so let's let's make sure that we're we're using our streets and our sidewalks to fulfill that vision we have um for ourselves as a city and again i i would really love to see

▶ 1:25:40 you all making those efforts and and and doing that um activism with the city because it's going It's going to happen really, really quickly, and you'll be in position to try to push the city's hand to make sure we set goals and achieve them for maintaining transit access for the community. So, thanks, everybody. Appreciate it. Thank you, Mr. McSweeney. Next, Ms. Karamkheti, I'll unmute you. There you go. The floor is yours. Ms. Karamkheti? No. I'll move on. I think that's the only other person we had. Yes, I believe so. Okay. Okay. One quick second. I believe Mr. Luke is raising his hand again. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, I thought. We'll just check. Yeah. President, I believe Mrs. Karamachetti does want to speak.

▶ 1:27:39 Okay, and she's having technical difficulty. Let me unmute you again, hold on. Let's see, I've unmuted you again. That's kind of petty. Do we want to go to Mr. and we can keep trying to work on this county? Sure. Uh, Mr, you are unmuted. Hi, can you hear me? Yes. Yes. Okay. Well, uh, and I are here as a team, um. Representing the Melrose racial justice coalition. Um, so I can read that. The statement that she was going to read in, um. It's in relation to, um, in relation to hiring. Practices, which is on the agenda for tonight as well. Correct? Okay, I'll just read in. My name is Alistair Mook. I'm at 63 Noel Road, and I'm here representing the Melrose Racial Justice Community Coalition and our group steering committee.

▶ 1:29:05 We're commenting as a group in regards to Order 2021-37. Our coalition has determined that one of our major goals is to focus on the representation of people of color at the city, school, and community levels. This includes but is not limited to representation in personnel, programs, and policies. Our coalition was disappointed in the recruitment of applicants, the hiring process, and the lack of transparency around the recent opening of the Director of Human Resources position. This was a critical opportunity to consider two weeks to change and to look at our city's practices around job postings and outreach in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. To be clear, our concerns are not with the hiring of Ms. Lotta herself, but with the

▶ 1:29:49 process by which the City recruits candidates for new positions. In light of our concerns, and given the fact that this issue has already more or less been settled, there are two questions we would like to leave the Council with and the City with. What is the plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion work in regards to recruitment, retention and ultimately representation and human resources in the other city departments going forward and how will diversity equity inclusion principles and practices be embedded into all future hiring moving forward in a way that insurance ensures openness transparency and opportunity thank you very much thank you do we have anyone else thank you motion We have a motion to close public comment made by Councilor Sinella, seconded by Councilor Garipay. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

▶ 1:30:57 Jen Grigoraitis: Councilor Sinella? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor DeMoledine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor Stewart. Yes. Counselor Thomas. Yes. Counselor. Yes. President Grigoraitis. Yes. 11, yes, 11. yes. So public comments is close. At this time, I know we need to return to our appropriations meeting. We do also have some outside participants who are on hand for items on the council agenda that I'd like. to move through before we return to appropriation so i'll entertain a motion to take order 2021-40 out of order second so we have a i'm going to make the motion i'll motion that we take order 2021-40 out of order second we have a motion to take order 2020-40 out of order made by councillor sanella seconded by

▶ 1:32:14 councillor mcnaught is there any discussion adam clark can you please call the roll councillor snella yes councillor eccles yes councillor Garipay yes councillor demolition yes councillor mcmaster yes councillor mcnaught yes councillor Migliorelli yes councillor stewart yes councillor thomas yes counselor tramitosi yes president Grigoraitis yes 11 yes 11 yes the motion carries so this order is now before us at counselor echo i would like to move for immediate consideration so we have a motion made by counselor eccles for immediate consideration of this order are there any objections hey seeing none this order is now before us i'll entertain a motion to suspend the rule so that we can hear from some Member of the community pushing to suspend the rules

▶ 1:33:19 Jen Grigoraitis: so we have a motion to suspend the rules made by councillor sanella seconded by councillor thomas madam clerk can you please call the role councillor snella yes councillor eccles yes councillor garibray yes councillor demoladine yes councillor mcmaster yes councillor mcnaught yes councillor Migliorelli yes councillor stewart yes councillor thomas yes councillor Tramontozzi yes president Grigoraitis yes 11 yes 11 yes the motion carries so the rules are now suspended and i believe we have marybeth darwin and stephanie nelson joining us this evening and while we're pulling them in queue councillor eccles did you want to read the order that's currently before us absolutely thank you madam president um a resolution in support of the fifth

▶ 1:34:23 Jack Eccles: annual melrose random acts of kindness day on friday february or friday november 20th 2020 offered by council president jen Grigoraitis and counselor at large jack eckles whereas melrose random acts of kindness day was created by a dedicated group of melrose residents who are engaged in our various ptos and civic engagement organizations as well as local businesses committed to living up to our community's motto one community open to all whereas the purpose of the melrose random acts of kindness day is to celebrate kindness with random acts of kindness performed by individuals businesses schools and organizations throughout our community and beyond whereas the melrose random acts of kindness day started in 2015

▶ 1:35:06 Jack Eccles: as a social media campaign to encourage random kindness on this day has grown bigger each year it is held annually on November 20th to recognize this date as a date which that should be filled with kindness whereas practicing random acts of kindness help improve someone's day and remind others that love is the most powerful force in the universe in a world where kindness seems to dwindle it is important to remind ourselves and others that people care and we're like together and therefore be it resolved that we the Melrose City Council have approved this resolution to support the fifth annual melrose random acts of kindness day on friday november 20th 2020 and further pledge to practice random acts of kindness and spread goodwill toward others

▶ 1:35:54 thank you counselor eckles and i believe i see ms darwin on the line all right beth can you hear us i can i've also unmuted stephanie nelson but i can't make her a panelist i'm not okay all right uh marybeth and stephanie the floor is yours if there's anything you'd like to share with the council and the community regarding kindness day uh we're really excited to to celebrate our fifth annual random acts of kindness day on friday we have businesses throughout the community who are engaged including different um city organizations all of the schools and many, many citizens. We have our first Rolico from Follow Your Art is in the middle of a big mural on the side of the YMCA that we invite everyone to stop by and see

▶ 1:36:50 us at. This year, because of the difficulties of COVID-19, we have a little twist on Random Acts of Kindness Day, where we have 10 specific items that we would like everyone in Melrose to try to perform. They're called the Great 2020 Kindness Challenge. We'll have them on a big poster board at the YMCA mural on the 20th. And we've also pushed them out through social media. So we hope that everyone will go ahead and try to try to do the 10, the 10 pieces of the kindness challenge. Thank you, Ms. Darin. Ms. Nelson, is there anything that you wish to add? Thank you so much for having us. I just wanted to add that one of our focuses this year is connecting with the seniors in Elrose. we've had a wonderful response from our elementary schools the middle school and the high schools

▶ 1:37:56 where students are creating cards uplifting messages saying thinking of you have a great day drawing pictures we're going to then send them to the hospital and senior facilities across the city we've had a number of florists donate flowers I feel like our seniors are feeling extremely isolated these days because of COVID-19. They are not socializing with their neighbors in the community. So we're really trying to reach them. We've totally shifted our focus, you know, instead of, you know, last year, Julie Nolan gave hugs on Main Street, you know, we can't do that because of COVID-19. But we really have tried to shift our focus and acknowledge some individuals that are doing some really special stuff.

▶ 1:38:47 Jen Grigoraitis: We have a high school student that's making a mural, rendition of the mural at high school. The same thing with El Mouk agreed to make a rendition for the middle school. And we're just, this year more than ever, I think kindness is so important. And I think we could all use it. And we're really excited to celebrate the day on Friday. Thank you. And I couldn't agree more that kindness is critical right now. And I think especially as case numbers, unfortunately, are on an upswing, the kindest thing we can do for our seniors is to wear masks and practice social distancing. So I'm really happy to hear that we're ensuring that they're feeling the love from our community in a safe way. Is there anyone else on the council wishing to speak tonight for

▶ 1:39:37 Jen Grigoraitis: this order? Seeing no one, thank you, Ms. Darwin. Thank you, Ms. Nelson. We wish you the best of luck with kindness day and we look forward to participating and I will entertain a motion to place this order on file. Motion to place on file. Second. So we have a motion to place on file made by Councillor Sonnella, seconded by Councillor Eccles. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll? Councillor Sonnella? Yes. Councillor Eccles? Yes. Councillor Garipay? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine. Yes. Councilor McMaster. Yes. Councilor McNaught. Yes. Councilor Migliorelli. Yes. Councilor Stewart. Yes. Councilor Thomas. Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi. Yes. President Grigoraitis. Yes. 11 yes. 11 yes, so the motion passes.

▶ 1:40:42 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you again to our kindness warriors for being here tonight. And you just want to remind everyone of kindness day this coming Friday and at this time, I will entertain a motion to take order 2021 dash 39 out of order. We should take what are 2021 dash 39 out of order. So, we have a motion to take order 2021 dash 39 out of order made by counselor. Seconded by counselor. Madam clerk, can you please call the role? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor DeMoledine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Thomas? Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi? Yes. Grigoraitis yes 11 yes 11 yes so the motion is now before us this is this

▶ 1:41:52 Jen Grigoraitis: motion is off this order is offered by the entire City Council's or someone who would make a recommendation for immediate consideration motion for immediate consideration we have a motion for immediate consideration other end by Are there any objection seeing none this order is now before us and I believe we have Senator Lewis and state representative and joining us and while they're coming into the queue. I will read the order into the record. This is a request for state action to restore proposed service cuts, impacting public transit, serving the city of Melrose offered by the Melrose city council. Whereas the MBTA has proposed temporary service cuts due to COVID-19 related budgetary constraints, including the elimination of the 131 and 136 bus routes, the closure of Cedar Park commuter rail station, and the elimination of weekend and weekday evening commuter rail service, all of which serve the residents of Melrose.

▶ 1:42:56 Jen Grigoraitis: Whereas all municipalities within the MBTA service area are charged an annual assessment for these services and there is no indication in the proposed plan for Melrose's $631,477 assessment to be reduced in proportion to the proposed service cuts. whereas Melrose residents and the customers and employees of our small business community rely on access to public transit and such cuts will have a devastating impact on our local economy whereas Melrose is a housing choice community and as such in alignment with Governor Baker's housing choice legislation has committed to the development of smart growth transit oriented development to assist in alleviating our regional housing crisis whereas Melrose has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 which is only

▶ 1:43:39 Jen Grigoraitis: achievable with increased community reliance on sustained and accessible public transportation as an alternative to car trips therefore be it resolved that we the city council of melrose respectfully urge the massachusetts bay transit authority and its governing boards to maintain existing commuter rail and bus service within the city of melrose be it further resolved that upon its passage a copy of this resolution shall be forwarded to the mbta's two governing bodies the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board and the Fiscal and Management Control Board, to His Excellency the Governor, Charles D. Baker, and to the Great and General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that on this 16th day of November in the year 2020, a copy of

▶ 1:44:21 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: this resolution be spread upon the permanent record of the City of Melrose. That was a lot, sorry. So at this time, I believe we have Representative Lippert-Garrett Bedian with us. Thank you for being here, and the floor is yours to speak to the impact of these proposed cuts on our community great i believe the senator is here as well um so he may just be it took me a minute to figure out the um video setting for this but um it's nice to see you all i hope everyone's well um and i enjoy getting to spend time with you but i wish it were for um a topic other than this one so i want to start out by just thanking you for your partnership on this issue um the senator and i both became aware of these proposals at the beginning of last week when the mbta provided a

▶ 1:45:10 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: briefing for legislators uh in relation to a significant budget shortfall that it faces due to the pandemic um of greater than half a billion dollars and so um as i think most Member of our community now know and as you all obviously do um there are proposals now on the table specific proposals related to service reductions and eliminations across the mbta system which serves nearly 80 communities in the boston area including melrose some system-wide proposals include a reduction in hours so for example the commuter rail would no longer run on the weekends all trains would stop after midnight similarly buses i believe would stop after midnight And then there would be longer times between, for example, the Orange Line cars.

▶ 1:46:01 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: So we'd see sort of everyone would bear that equally across the MBTA. But then the MBTA also has proposed specific elimination of six commuter rail stations and 25 bus routes. And remarkably, three of these are all in Melrose. So we have the Cedar Park commuter rail station that would be proposed to be closed, as well as our 31 excuse me our 131 and our 136 bus routes the 136 also serves wakefield and reading to our north um so these were of course a great concern to all of us and so i'm i'm really glad that you all are showing such uh concerted and coordinated leadership in terms of uh contacting the mbta to voice your concerns in opposition to this proposal uh you probably i believe i shared with you last

▶ 1:46:50 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: week and i um and i know both the senator and i have shared publicly a letter that we wrote together and sent to the general manager last friday i believe similarly identifying our concerns with this proposal um i mean essentially roughly 10 percent of the closures of buses and commuter rail stations are in melrose despite the fact that we are just one of about 80 communities being served by the system um so you know we've also done a lot of work directly with city hall uh mayor broder uh the um city planner gaffey we've been on a call together talking about um opportunities to voice our concerns i've also been in touch with melrose wakefield hospital and they put together a letter that they also sent to the mbta at the end of last week

▶ 1:47:39 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: I'm noting the impact that this would have on serving their patient population as well as their workforce, which also rely on bus and commuter rail for commuting. I've been in touch with our largest nursing home employers. You will not be surprised that many of those workforces as well use the buses coming north from the cities where the men and women who work in our nursing home facilities may live they rely on the buses to get to work um so i believe at least a couple of the nursing homes are also putting together letters um of course as well the mbta will be doing um virtual meetings so they'll have um and they've done it both by the system-wide as well as divided every community into different regions and so melrose falls in region nine there will be a

▶ 1:48:26 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: specific virtual meeting um on our region i believe it's the first monday in december on that evening i signed up to speak at that uh i would expect others um you know could as well um and we're going to continue to push out information to the community the web pages i'm sure you all are aware is mbta.com forging dash ahead and there is a there is a place there where anyone can send in a comment about these proposals and also sign up to attend these virtual meetings so i'll pause there um and see if the senator has anything he'd like to add um and then of course we can continue we can answer any questions you might have or hear from you about additional thoughts about our strategy for for addressing this um proposal thank you representative

▶ 1:49:17 and i believe we do have senator lewis but we're having some tech issues and we aren't able to bring him in as a panelist senator lewis can you hear us by audio madam president we can hear you There we go. Excellent. That'll work just fine. So good evening to you, Madam President, city councilors and residents of Melrose. And thank you to my colleague, Representative Lippa Garabedian. I wish I was with you tonight to speak about Kindness Day, but unfortunately, no such luck. We are with you to discuss our strategy for opposing these ill-conceived uh, MBTA service reductions and, uh, cuts. Um, I don't think I need to say much, uh, to you all about how critical public transit services are to, uh, the city of Melrose, as well as to the entire

▶ 1:50:15 greater Boston region. I think we all understand how many people depend on public transit for their livelihoods and also for our local economic development strategy and housing development as well. It is true that due to the pandemic, ridership levels are significantly down on commuter rail, subways, and buses, and that has resulted in a loss of fare revenue to the MBTA. Um, that said, you know, if the MBTA were proposing to, you know, dial back frequency of service, you know, on the commuter rail buses and subways, you know, we would not be happy about that. But I think that would be more understandable to most local official legislators and Member of the public. But that is not what the MBTA is proposing.

▶ 1:51:18 Instead, they're proposing a much more draconian set of cuts. And furthermore, I think we could certainly make the argument that this is premature, what they are rolling out. It is much more draconian because, as you know, when Rep. Garabedian went over, this proposal includes the actual elimination of service, like many bus routes, including the 131 and 136 in Melrose. It includes actually closing commuter rail stations, including Cedar Park. It includes shelving a number of important capital projects that are going on around the whole system. Exactly the wrong time to be shutting down capital projects. We should be investing in capital projects right now to stimulate our recovery. And also that cutbacks in service are very significant.

▶ 1:52:09 The reason it's premature is because we are right in the middle of finishing work on the FY21 state budget right now. The House of Representatives debated the budget last week. The State Senate is beginning its debate tomorrow morning. So we are in the midst of looking at these issues and looking for solutions. We also will be then rolling right into the fiscal year 22 state budget process. Because remember, none of the shortfalls that the MBTA is talking about affect them in the current fiscal year. They haven't received enough Federal CARES Act dollars to meet their budget gap in fiscal year 21. This is all about fiscal year 22 and beyond. So we will still have time in the fiscal year 22 state budget process, which begins very soon.

▶ 1:53:00 And furthermore, as we all know, we are soon going to have a new president in Washington. President-elect Biden is as committed to public transit as probably anybody out there. As you know, he's ridden the Amtrak most days of his life. So it is certainly we are very hopeful that there will be another federal coronavirus relief package next year. and that that's very likely to include funding for states and cities and also for public transit agencies. So we, again, think that the MBTA should wait. I want to thank the city council excellent resolution, and I also want to thank Mayor Broder for the letter that he also already sent to the MBTA. As you've seen, Representative Lippert-Garabedian and I also have drafted

▶ 1:53:51 a letter expressing very forcefully our opposition to these cuts and their impact on the city of Melrose and its residents and businesses. That has been sent to the general manager of the MBTA and also copied to the transportation secretary, Secretary Pollack. We also have the public meeting coming up December 1st, which would be great for as many of us as possible to testify. Representative Lipik Arabidi and I are also rallying local opposition as much as possible. So we want to encourage residents of Melrose and local organizations and businesses to also provide their feedback directly to the MBTA, either in writing through the website or through one of the public meetings to, again, express opposition.

▶ 1:54:40 We want to make sure that the MBTA is hearing as much feedback and opposition to these cuts as possible. The representative and I are also working with our legislative colleagues who represent other communities also that would be harmed by these cuts. We're working with the legislature's MBTA caucus, and we're also working with statewide transportation advocates like the MAPC and Transportation for Mass, trying to rally and build as much of a coalition to oppose these cuts as possible. And then the last thing I'll mention is that I have filed an amendment, which will be considered during the Senate budget debate this week, which would do two things. It would first increase the annual transfer from the Commonwealth's

▶ 1:55:31 transportation fund, known as the CTF, to the MBTA. Ordinarily, we transfer approximately $130 million, which subsidizes the MBTA's operations. That's in addition to the one penny on the sales tax that they receive from every purchase that generates sales tax in Massachusetts. So to increase that $130 million to $435 million, which would provide them with additional funding to help address their budget gap. And then the second part of the amendment would basically put significant guardrails around what the MBTA could do. For example, it would not allow any commuter rail stations to be closed. It would not allow any service to be entirely eliminated. So no bus routes could be eliminated. And it would also prevent them from making unreasonable cutbacks

▶ 1:56:23 in service frequency. So we're going to, that's one of my top priorities in the budget debate this week. And I'm very hopeful, you know, certainly there's support from colleagues as well in the Senate. And we're hopeful that we will be able to make some good progress with that as well. In closing, this isn't a hopeless fight. I want folks to know that, you know, nothing is set in stone. The MBTA has put this out there, but they are definitely, you know, going to listen to feedback. And that can absolutely make a difference in what the final plan looks like. And I can tell you, for example, several years ago, they floated a proposal to make some changes to the commuter rail schedules. Some of you may remember this, it would have affected the

▶ 1:57:12 Jen Grigoraitis: Haverhill line and the Lowell line, nothing nearly as severe or draconian as what they're proposing now. But we rallied opposition to that. And we got that mostly canceled. They made some very modest changes, but mostly canceled it. So again, this is not hopeless. We can push back. We can make our case persuasively and look forward to continuing to do that together with you and the residents of Melrose. Thank you, Senator Lewis. Thank you both for being here tonight and help to underscore the ways in which our community can engage and express their concern about these cuts um are there any Member of the council wishing to ask a question no um i just wanted to clarify my understanding is that the decisions will be made by december 7th and then the cuts

▶ 1:58:05 Kate Lipper-Garabedian: could go into effect as early as january of 2021 is that your understanding as well i think that's right in terms of the december vote and i i recall that from the presentation and perhaps there are some details that remain outstanding on this that the uh the actual implementation of these reductions and elimination are sort of staggered over time i believe some may not even come up fully online until the spring for example which sort of underscores the point um that the senator was making about the timing of this being problematic um because in addition we've gotten some really promising news both today and last week in terms of the vaccine um prognosis and so there is some hope that we will start um to be able to combat the virus that way as well

▶ 1:58:56 Jen Grigoraitis: such that people may be able to start feeling more confident um you know returning to a more normal schedule come spring just as some of these buses and um and then the cedar park stop might no longer be available to them. Thank you. Sure. Anyone else wishing to ask a question? No? All right. Thank you both, Senator Lewis and Rappaport Garabedian, for being here this evening and for your leadership on this issue. We appreciate knowing that you're advocating for Melrose at the State House and making sure that hopefully the MBTA rethinks its decision. We really appreciate you taking the time tonight to be here and speak with the public about how they can engage around this issue. So thank you both, and we wish you a

▶ 1:59:46 Jen Grigoraitis: wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you. You're very welcome. Thank you. You as well. My pleasure. Thank you. Good night. Good night. At this time, I'll entertain a motion to place on file. Motion to place on file. Second. So we have a motion to place on file made by I, Councilor Migliorelli, I did not see who made this, who seconded, was it Councilor McNaught? We'll go with that. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll? Councilor Sinella? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor Dimaladeen? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Councillor Migliorelli? Yes. Councillor Stewart? Yes. Councillor Thomas? Yes. Councillor Tramontozzi? Yes. President Grigoraitis? Yes.

▶ 2:00:47 11 yes. 11 yes, and the motion carries. At this time, I'll entertain a motion to recess so we can return to the Appropriations Committee. Motion to recess. Second. We have a motion to recess by Councillor Sinella, seconded by Councillor Stewart. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll? Council, excuse me? Counselor. Yes. Counselor Eccles yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor McMaster yes. Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor Stewart. Yes. Counselor Thomas. Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi? Yes. President Grigoraitis? Yes. Eleven yes. Eleven yes. So, the Councilor is dismissed. Back to you, Councilor Tramontozzi. Thank you, Madam President. We are now back in session appropriations. Madam Clerk, do we have City Solicitor Van Campen?

▶ 2:04:29 Okay, I just did second, so we have a motion for a 3 minute recess by Councilor McNaught seconded by Councilor Stewart. Madam clerk. Can you please follow the role? Sorry, we're switching hosts left and right here. It's confusing. Okay. Councilor. Yes, Councilor Eccles. Yes. Councilor. Councilor Dimaladine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Thomas? Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi? Yes. President Grigoraitis? Yes. 11 yes. 11 yes. We'll be recessed until 9.04 PM. Okay. It's 9.04 PM and we are back. We are at item 4, communications from his honor, the mayor, and other city officials. Madam Clerk of Committees, what do we have?

▶ 2:06:02 Order 2021-36, request to set a public hearing on classification of property for December 7, 2020, at 8 p.m., and subsequently determine the classification of property. This order will be sent to the Appropriations Committee. order 2021-37 appointment of paulina lata as human resources director effective february 1st 2021 this order will be sent to the appropriations committee order 2021-38 reappointment of mike udis 201 melrose street to the liquor license commission for a six-year term said term to expire on the first monday in june 2026 this order will be sent to the protection and license committee order 2021-41 authorization for the mayor of melrose to execute a power purchase agreement

▶ 2:06:52 Jen Grigoraitis: for rooftop solar installation at memorial hall this order will be sent to the appropriate committee okay and i believe we've we took care of all the new business out of order do we have any orders from the committee. Madam President, I would like to pull order 2021-25 requesting the city solicitor appear before us before the city council discuss whether the city has legal and regulatory authority to establish and recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in the city of Melrose. We have a motion to pull order 2021-25 out of committee. Is there a second? Okay, so we have an order by Councilor Sinella seconded by Councilor McNaught to pull 2021-25 out of committee. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

▶ 2:07:45 Councilor Sinella? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. counselor thomas yes counselor truman tozy yes president Grigoraitis yes 11 yes 11 yes so the order is before us yep madam president i'd like to uh move to place on file okay so we have a motion to place on file by counselor seconded by counselor mcnaught for any discussion madam clerk can you please call the role Councilor Snilov? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Thomas? Yes. Councilor Scaramantosi?

▶ 2:09:03 Yes, present. Yes. 11, yes, 11. yes. And the motion. I'm sorry. Sorry, Councilor Thomas, Councilor Cameron says he had his hand up last time. Thank you Madam president at this time. I'd like to move to. I removed from the legal and legislative committee, or a number 2021 dash 34 in order to men's section 152 dash 12 of the code of the city of marrows for the purpose of waving common victual and fees for calendar. Yeah, 2021 is moving out of committee. So, we have a. Seconded by to remove or 2021, that's 34. Commuting there's a lot of feedback. Um, counselor. Yes, counselor. Yes. Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McNaught? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart?

▶ 2:10:27 Yes. Councilor Thomas? Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi? Yes. President Grigoraitis? Yes. 11 yes. 11 yes. The motion carries. Councilor Tramontozzi? A motion for passage. Second. So, we have a motion for passage of order 2021 dash 34 made by counselor. Seconded by counselor. For any discussion, it's seeing none. Madam clerk, can you please call the roll? Counselor. Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor McMaster. Yes, so, I'm not yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor Stewart. Yes, Chancellor Thomas. Yes. Counselors. Yes. President Grigoraitis yes 11. yes. I love the gas and the most. Counselor last finale. Thank you. Madam president. I like to order 2021 dash 35 from the public works committee. This is a request to acceptance of donation in the school in the amount of 22,000.

▶ 2:11:47 438 dollars and 90 cents for playground equipment. Do we have a 2nd 2nd. We have a motion made by Councilor Thomas, seconded by Councilor McNaught to remove order 2021 dash 35 from committee. Madam clerk, can you please call the role? Councilor? Yes. Councilor Eccles? Yes. Councilor Garipay? Yes. Councilor DeMoladine? Councilor McMaster? Yes. Councilor McConnacht? Yes. Councilor Migliorelli? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Thomas? Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi? Yes. President Grigoraitis? 11 yes. Okay, so the order is now before us. They can make a motion for passion recommendation for past. Motion seconds, we have a motion for a passage that comes with Thomas seconded by password. Is there any discussion?

▶ 2:12:54 Shawn M. MacMaster: Being non, Madam clerk, please call the roll. Counselor. Yes. Counselor. Yes, counselor. Yes. Counselor. Yes, so McMaster yes. Yes, yes. Yes, counselor Stewart. Yes, counselor Thomas. Yes. Counselor Tramon, yes. Yes. President Grigoraitis. Yes, and the motion carries. I believe that's everything we had from committee. Are there any reports under rule 53? Okay at this time I will entertain to adjourn. My apologies, just a point of information. I'm just wondering what the status of 2 orders are that we've heard at appropriations on November 12th. There was order 2020 dash excuse me 2021 dash 32 and appropriation of 21 Massachusetts, urban agricultural grant, and the amount of 500. I'm sorry, 5,827 dollars for the expansion of the Miller's community gardens that my recollection is there was a recommendation that that be sent to the full console with a favorable.

▶ 2:14:24 Shawn M. MacMaster: Um, it was a favorable recommendation also order number 2021 dash 28 in order, relative to the cares act funding for the city of Melrose. My recollection of that is there was a motion to recommend that that be placed on file. And I believe there should be on the calendar if I'm not mistaken then president. Yes, thank you. No, they shouldn't be on the calendar. Were they that was Thursday night so I can't put this on the calendar because I post the agenda before the committee meeting. And so we pulled from committee. Okay, so they would need to be pulled from committee tonight. Just that they should be heard tonight. Madam president. Thank you. Okay, so I, um, I wrote down 1 is 2021 dash 28, which is affairs act. I did not catch the number. I apologize for the other.

▶ 2:15:27 Order if you have it off the top of your head, one moment, please. Madam president. I just clicked out of it. Mistakingly. Thank you. Madam president, I think it was 2021 dash 32. That's 32. Okay. Thank you. Council. Counselor, would you be willing to pull those up from committee? A motion to pull 2021 dash 28 up from committee. 2nd, we have a motion to pull order 2021 dash 28 up from committee made by counselor. Seconded by council. Madam clerk, can you please call the roll counselor? Yes. Counselor, yes, counselor. Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor McMaster. Yes. Councilor McNaught. Yes. Councilor Migliorelli. Yes. Councilor Stewart. Yes. Councilor Thomas. Yes. Councilor Tramontozzi. Yes. President Grigoraitis.

▶ 2:16:40 Shawn M. MacMaster: Yes. 11 yes. Yes, and Madam president, just for the record and thank you to consulate for stepping in there. The next order is order 2021 dash 28 in order relative to the cares act funding for the city of Melrose sponsored by consulate. Thank you so, I believe we just pulled up 2021 dash 32. okay. All right. All right, do we want to disclose that one before we pull up? Sorry, there's a lot of feedback. 21-28. So, 32, just to be clear, is the Massachusetts Urban Agricultural Grant. 28 is the CARES Act funding. Just so the record is clear. So, we currently have the Massachusetts Agricultural Grant 2021-32 pulled up from the committee. yes i move for passage acceptance of the grant second we have a motion for passage made by

▶ 2:17:49 Jen Grigoraitis: councillor sanella seconded by councillor migliorelli for passage of 2021-32 is there any discussion madam clerk can you please call the roll councillor snella yes councillor eccles Yes. Counselor. Counselor. Yes. Counselor McMaster. Yes. Counselor. Counselor. Counselor Stewart. Yes. Counselor Thomas. Yes. Counselor. Yes. President Grigoraitis. Yes. 11. Yes. 11. Yes. And the motion carries. Uh, Councilor Sinella, uh. Yep, I would like to make a motion to pull 2021, um, dash 28. Out of committee, so do we have a 2nd 2nd. We have a motion by Councilor Sinella seconded by. Counselor Stewart to pull order 2021 dash 28, which was a. Well, order relevant to the cares act out of committee. Madam clerk, can you please call the roll counselor? Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor Gare page. Yeah. Counselor. Yes.

▶ 2:19:16 Yes, so I'm not. Yes, that's where to make it early. Yes. Counselor Stewart. Yes. Counselor Thomas. Yes. Council, yes. President yes. 11, yes, 11. yes. So the order is before us. Motion to place on file 2nd. So, we have a motion to place on file made by council now, seconded by council and make the relative for order 2021 dash 28. For any discussion, Adam clerk, can you please call the role. Councilor yes, counselor. Yes, yes, yes. Yes, Councilor McMaster. Yes, I'm not. Yes. Counselor. Yes. Counselor Stewart. Yes, that's a Thomas. Yes. Counselor, yes, present Grigoraitis. Yes, 11, yes, 11. Yes. And then. Thank you for touching that. I believe we can now entertain. motion to adjourn motion to adjourn made by councillor sanella seconded by councillor

▶ 2:20:36 stewart madam clerk can you please call the roll councillor sanella yes councillor eccles yes councillor Garipay yes councillor tamaladin yes councillor mcmaster yes councillor mcnaught yes councillor migliorelli yes councillor stewart counselor stewart yeah yes yes yes okay that's great counselor thomas yes counselor tramitosi yes president Grigoraitis yes 11 yes 11 yes we are returned thank you everyone and happy

City Council — 2020-11-16

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