Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2022-11-07

Appropriations and Oversight Committee Meeting

This meeting starts at 0:01 in a recording that covers several meetings.

Attendance

Christopher Cinella present · President, ex oficio; Jack Eccles present; Mark Garipay present; Jen Grigoraitis present · Chair; Maya Jamaleddine present; Manjula Karamcheti absent; Shawn M. MacMaster present; Leila Migliorelli present · Vice Chair; John Obremski absent; Robb Stewart present; Ryan Williams present

Agenda

Minutes

CITY OF MELROSE APPROPRIATIONS & OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CALENDAR● NOVEMBER 7, 2022 Council Chamber, First Floor, Melrose City Hall Committee Meeting 7:02 PM 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Jen Grigoraitis Chair Present Leila Migliorelli Vice Chair Present Shawn M. MacMaster Present Jack Eccles Present Mark Garipay Present Maya Jamaleddine Present Robb Stewart Present Manjula Karamcheti Absent John Obremski Absent Ryan Williams Present Christopher Cinella President, ex oficio Present

ORDER-2023-27 Bond Authorization of a Bond in the amount of $1,460,177.00 to pay for costs of replacing the roof at the Horace Mann Elementary School, Fund #3392 Ought to Pass City Council

ORDER-2023-28 Bond Authorization of a Bond in the amount of $2,306,449 to pay for costs of replacing the roof at the Herbert Clark Hoover Elementary School, Fund #3391 Ought to Pass City Council

ORDER-2023-29 Appropriation An Appropriation in the amount of $167,310 (One Hundred Sixty- Seven thousand, three hundred and ten dollars) to fund the HRS compensation study. The requested appropriation is from the following accounts $159,784 from the Contract Stabilization fund (84042-590000), $3,763 from Sewer, Reserve for Retained Earnings (84152-590000) and $3,763 from Water, Reserve for Retained Earnings (84162-590000) to various salary and wage lines as set forth herein. Held in Committee

ORDER-2023-30 Appropriation City of Melrose Page 1 11/15/2022 1:45 PM Minutes Appropriations & Oversight Committee November 7, 2022 An Appropriation in the amount of $72,170 (Seventy-Two thousand, One Hundred Seventy Dollars) to fund Fiscal 2023 of the Local-272 Clerical Union Contract. The requested appropriation is from the following accounts $63,378 from the Contract Stabilization fund (84042-590000), $4,396 from Sewer, Reserve for Retained Earnings (84152-590000) and $4,396 from Water, Reserve for Retained Earnings (84162-590000) to various salary and wage lines as set forth herein. Ought to Pass City Council

ORDER-2023-31 Appropriation An Appropriation in the amount of $68,816 (Sixty Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred Sixteen dollars) to fund Fiscal 2023 of the Local- 272 Laborers Union Contract. The requested appropriation is from the following accounts $50,522 from the Contract Stabilization fund (84042-590000), $8,080 from Sewer, Reserve for Retained Earnings (84152-590000) and $10,214 from Water, Reserve for Retained Earnings. Ought to Pass City Council

GRANT-2023-1 Grant Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP School Violence Program Grant Ought to Pass City Council City of Melrose Page 2 11/15/2022 1:45 PM

Transcript

▶ 0:01 Jen Grigoraitis: Good evening. Today is Monday, November 7th 2022. The time is 7:02 pm and this is a meeting of the Appropriations and oversight committee. I am counselor grigoritis the chair and joining me tonight are Vice chair Migliorelli and counselors McMaster Echols garapay jamala, Deen Stuart Williams and president sonella ex-officio. Please note that this serves. As a notice of the Quorum for the record tonight's meeting in accordance with the open meeting law will be captured by our friends at mmtv, and we'll be available for viewing on their website at a later date. At this time without objection. I will open up public comment. This is the portion of our meeting where any member of the public can speak

▶ 0:45 to any item on tonight's agenda and we'll start with anyone for public comment Who's here with us tonight. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Matt Hartman. I live on Allen Place and I'm here to speak a little bit about a couple of the orders in front of you regarding some of the use of the contract and salary adjustment fund or stabilization fund rather. I actually really appreciate that. This process has started for increasing some of the salaries of City Hall. I think we all know that they're underpaid and certainly underappreciated for the work that they do but I also really urge a thorough examination of these orders and in particular the funding sources of these salary increases our budget most especially our

▶ 1:31 school budget is really in trouble. What we've learned recently is that essentially our increased costs for special education and transportation have outpaced our ability to create Revenue to pay for them for the past two years. We are out of federal school resources and our teachers are looking for a settled contract that doesn't seem to have a whole lot of room in it right now. They deserve more. We need to settle that contract as soon as possible and start rebuilding the trust our Educators have clearly lost in Melrose. Without that trust. We will continue to see talented people leave and continue to hear about how we can't find people to fill job openings. But our crushing special education costs the schools

▶ 2:15 are out of money. tonight's requests and the documents included show that we have 1.2 million dollars available in a contract stabilization fund. And have never used them to pay for teachers. We have other stabilization funds on the docket that are not on the docket tonight. Stabilization funds are for times of Crisis. And when we know things are likely to fluctuate the truth is that both of those conditions apply right now with the teacher contract in flux and a special education crisis. We need to look at these funds and start planning to stabilize our school budget. The first step being to find the resources to settle the contract with our educators. It might be easy to say that maybe we should explore all the cuts we

▶ 2:57 can before we can explore other options. but we should not be balancing our budget by cutting services, especially mid-year when we know families rely on those services to get through every week of school and When we already have the lowest spending, we're the lowest spending City in nearly every category. It isn't sustainable and it isn't good for anybody in Melrose. It is important to have this discussion at the council and in this committee. Council voted not only on the schools as a line item but a set of services that would be provided. A promise that could be relied on. I hope we can all start finding a way together to look toward our needs for fy23 and fy24. It's time to start finding those Solutions and putting

▶ 3:41 some of those into place. I hope tonight's discussion. On these funds and these orders can start that that path. Thank you for the time. Thank you. Is there anyone else wishing to speak in person tonight? Is there anyone online Easter Clerk? Thank you if you can do that now. first of these is from Mr. Pellerine good morning. All what a beautiful day. I'm not sure if I can attend tonight on these orders 2023-29 funding for HRS compensation study. I thought that's that this study was completed already. Why is a total of 7,534 Coming Out of Water and Sewer retained earnings to pay for this? 2023-30 funding for the clerical Union contractual this time Water and Sewer retained earnings is being tapped for

▶ 4:39 8,792. Why wouldn't this line be covered entirely by the contract stabilization account? 2023-31 funding for the Libra leavers Union contract this time the water and sewer retained earning is being tapped for 18,294 dollars again. Why is it why isn't this contract sleepilization account covering all of this? Total 34,620 is a lot of money. How did the city come to these percentage totals for each of these items it would seem to me that when the budget was approved each of these line line were accounted for and funded and how many how many how much more money needs to be allocated? With all water bills through the ceiling. How is that there is 34,620 and these retained earning accounts. Are we

▶ 5:33 being charged much for water and sewer? What are retained earning accounts? Thanks for all you do for the city of Melrose Joe. The second is from Eugenia Gibbons. years teamed members of the Melrose City Council I was hoping to attend this evening's Appropriations Committee meeting. But work obligations prevent me from doing so. And so I'm sharing with the full committee concerns about tonight's agenda items that I have already expressed to my ward counselor Ryan Williams. Of particular concern are requested approvals for salary and study and pay raises for certain City personnel funded from a contract stabilization account. Even if this is a standard practice or pre-functuary in nature, it is a perplexing why such a request would

▶ 6:20 be made at a time when the district has yet to resolve contract negotiations with teachers Paris. and the fy23 school budget Department budget is being reconstructed and questions remain about the extent to which the city will need to modify its anticipated contribution to make the current and potentially FY 2024 budget hole. Given the school budget is a significant portion of the city budget. It stands to reason that the city budget including a 1 million plus Reserve sitting in the contract stability. You should stabilization fund is also need of thorough review. without question staff deserves raises and any suggestions to any suggestion to hold this question until further review is not commentary on

▶ 7:04 the merits of well-deserved Saturday increases for essential City personnel. rather it is a request that such allocations are accurately accounted for in the budget alongside and not in the not at the expense of Other City District obligations like teachers student resources or other unforeseen expenditures. Short-sighted measure Maneuvers like this contribute to the structural issues that have been in sharp focus in recent weeks. Assuming these items are taken up this evening. It would be prudent for the requests to be held in committee until the city and the district are able to provide Clarity and further insight into the status of the fy23 budget and a timeline for when the contract with teachers will be resolved.

▶ 7:46 Jen Grigoraitis: actions that will also help restore public Trust I strongly urge you to consider this and hold these items until resolution has been met on a track on a contract and the budget. Thank you for your service and for your time and consideration sincerella, sincerely Eugenia Gibbons or seven residents. Thank you. And at this time I will motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. Seeing no objection public comment is now closed. We have five orders and one Grant before us tonight and just for some housekeeping in advance. We do have to gavel into health education and Welfare at 8:15 this evening. So first up we have ordered 2023-27 authorization of a bond in the amount of 1 million 460,177 to

▶ 8:33 Jen Grigoraitis: pay for costs of replacing the roof at the Horace Mann Elementary School fun number 3392 offered by mayor Broder and I believe we have Do these gaffy and some guests here? So while you're getting set up I'll entertain a motion to suspend the rules so we can hear from the administration so move. Second so we have emotions to spend the rules made by President sinellas seconded by counselor Eckles all in favor any opposed. All right, the rules are now suspended. Good evening, and if you can all just quickly introduce yourselves. Good evening. My name is Denise Gaffney. I'm the director of planning and Community Development and I will introduce on my immediate right John. Limo who is the owners project

▶ 9:14 Denise Gaffey: manager for this CM the roof replacement projects at the Hoover in Horace Mann schools and Matt Zurich who is our project engineer with Ty and bond John is with for text. If I didn't mention that so in the room tonight, we have Patrick De La Russo the cities CFO and Catherine Amada our city treasure and just pointing them out in case we have questions later about the bond mechanism or anything around that. So thank you for letting us present this evening. I'm actually going to speak about the first two orders and kind of combine my comments about them because they are related 27 is the funding authorization for Horace Mann through the accelerated repair program and 28 is the funding authorization for the Hoover roof replacement project. So

▶ 10:08 Denise Gaffey: in just in terms of a little bit of brief history, I think most of you are familiar with these projects by now. We were first here. I was first here back in May of 2020 when we indicated interest in applying to the Massachusetts school building authority through a statement of Interest process for funding through the accelerated repair program, which is a program. That we have worked with in the past. We're very familiar with it. And it's a program that the msba has created in order to fund systems type of work specifically related to roofs windows or hva systems in school buildings that can extend the longevity of a school building that is otherwise in good repair but needs attention for specific systems. We did use this program

▶ 11:06 Denise Gaffey: several years back at the Hoover School for the replacement of the windows and the the door entry there. So that was a very successful program. So we we were aware of the the deteriorated condition of the roofs at the Hoover School and the Horace Mann schools, and we thought this was be a great mechanism to get about, you know, about 49% almost 50% on the dollar in grant funding from the state to replace the roofs. So we came to this board Back in May 2021. We got your support to submit the statement of interest to the mspa. We heard from the msba later in 2021 that they were inviting us to to the next stage in the process. It's a multi-stage process with the mspa through this program. So the next stage involved preparing

▶ 12:01 Denise Gaffey: a feasibility study or schematic design level plans for the roof Replacements at the two schools. So we were back here in February of this year to ask for the funding to to do the to do that level of design the feasibility study and the schematic design for the two projects. And so once after we were after we submitted the we received the funding for the for the design work msba assigned us the project team. So that brought us in contact with John and with Matt and then they began to do the work over the past several months to to investigate the conditions of the roofs and also develop the the design and Engineering plans. Those schematic design level plans were submitted to mspa. And for their August meeting this most recent

▶ 12:59 Denise Gaffey: August and we found out soon after that. They were inviting us into the process. So that's kind of some of the history of how we're getting to where we are today. The accelerated repair program is a very competitive program. They don't award to all of the projects that submit by any means and you have to meet certain thresholds in order to to receive funding so we're pleased that Were invited to get to this point in our next stage. Our next hurdle here is to get the funding authorization for the full cost of these two projects. So the funding language that's in front of you is language that is dictated by the mspa. This is very similar language essentially the same language we have used in the past when we've

▶ 13:46 Denise Gaffey: worked with the msba, but they do require that the city authorized the full amount of the funding for the project and they indicate in the language that there is we will get a percent reimbursement based on the percent that they assign to to us as a as a municipality. And right now that percentage is 49.31 percent. So that's the percent reimbursement of eligible costs that we will receive from the msba on our projects if we are a successful in getting the funding authorization from the council. Through this process. So we're really excited to get to this point. We are kind of ready to bid the project and get a roofing contractor under contract for both of these buildings. We would like to line up contractor by

▶ 14:39 Denise Gaffey: the end of this year so that we can take advantage of quiet time in their schedule and their starting to put some projects on the books for the summer. We want to do this work during the summer to minimize the disruption to the schools. So by bidding it this December we think we will have the best opportunity to line up get competitive pricing hopefully and line up contractors for the summer and also take advantage of any early any items that might have some lead times that we want to that need to get, you know purchased earlier. In this process so so it in some the the deficiencies and the roofs in both of these buildings are very well documented. These projects are both they both rank very highly on the the city's

▶ 15:30 Denise Gaffey: Capital Improvement plan. the new roofs will improve the comfort in the building and they will be Often will optimize Energy Efficiency, they'll be they'll be designed around the stretch energy code. We will also have an opportunity through the completion of these roof projects to install solar panels. We've had that investigated through this schematic design process and the roofs that both of the buildings can support solar panels. So Martha Grover's already begun work to reach out with providers to to lay the groundwork for project purchasing agreement for both of these projects. Should this go forward so we are hopeful to have your support and here to answer any questions that you might have.

▶ 16:19 Denise Gaffey: Thank you. Are there any questions from counselors counselor Williams? Thank you. When was the roof at Hoover last replaced? That's it. That is great question. We it's hard to find that documentation. Exactly. So sometime after 1964. Yeah. I mean we have we felt very confident that we met the 29 years threshold that have to be at least 29 years old in order to To meet the criteria for this program. We did find some evidence. There's also some the difference different roofs because there's so many different levels of roofing on these buildings. Some of them were done in different times. So it was hard to find a really like a simple answer to that question, but we know they're at least 30 35 years old.

▶ 17:09 Ryan Williams: And we know from the deteriorated condition that they're very old and the leaks that are that are that are you know that are well documented where the leaks? Does the age of the roof account for some of the additional cost for Hoover versus Horace manner? Is it all about square footage? It's about square footage. That's right. It's largely square footage. Yeah. Okay. Wonderful. Yeah the solar obviously a pricey up front, you know. proposition but with some power purchase agreements you can Have that reduced really steeply and a lot of full sun at Hoover son all day long, so that would be very cool. Great to see this moving forward. Thank you. I'm no questions. Counselor gemaldine. Thank you. Thank you

▶ 17:57 Maya Jamaleddine: for being with us tonight. So the total of the bond would be about three million 766 for both schools right for both schools, and it's 5% that The lament also for for both, right? so my question I guess is so I so the project would be worked on at the same time for both schools. Yes, and and are we expecting that will be done at the same time or yes. We are plan is to have these completed in the summer of 2023 and very embarrassment is if we get that they will reimburse us as we go. Okay. This project works. We submit invoices like on a monthly basis and then they reimburse So, can you explain to me how that works? So we are gonna pay. Toward like so you're authorizing the full amount because that's just they they require.

▶ 19:10 They they require that the mspa doesn't want you to get in a situation where let's use 50% as the number. If you three million, you're only going to really end up paying 1.5. They don't want you to Play that you play your cash flow because what happens if a payment doesn't come back in time from them and you only borrowed a million and a half so they want you to authorize the full three million, okay? knowing that however, at the end of the job you will get reimbursement back totaling that but they want you to have the full authorization so that whatever cash requirements the city may have you have the ability to pay those bills you could end up paying, you know, let's say the mspa was slow on the process of repayment.

▶ 19:56 You still have to pay the contractor got all those bills, but they will come back to you. But by the end of the project, we're gonna have the money back. Yeah, the mspa will pay you up to 95% of your Grant. And then they hold the final five percent. Okay. So in this case if we're using three million You know in the grant is 1.5 million, you know, the last 75,000 they will hold until all the clothes out paperwork is submitted all the commissioning paperwork, you know change orders are all been calculated all of that and then they will send you that final check once it's probably six to eight months after the job is completed. The audit is done with the city's accounting department, you know guys eyes are dotted

▶ 20:43 teaser crossed then they send the final payment. Perfect. And what is the risk or what are the risks to lose the reimbursement? So what is it that you we're gonna have to be very cautious about to avoid losing if there is any risk. Well, there's there's no risk that they're not going to reimburse us at this point, but there is as long as we get the funding authorization, okay? The only risk is that if by some chance? Costs are way out of whack. With this with the estimate that's here, but the you know, the firm that Matt's company uses they've done this before we've done a bunch of these. These are conservative numbers in here our hope is that on bid day. Yeah, we come in under I mean and that's

▶ 21:32 the that's what you always planned because coming back to a room like this is not it's not comfortable or it's you just can't do it. It just it ruins the timing of everything. So we hope that you know, the experience the shared experience the mspa reviews that it's within the pricing that they've seen on other projects that's part of their saying yes, if they saw a problem with the prices they would also raise their hand and say time out. We've got 10 others of these in here right now at significantly different numbers. So we have baked some of that risk into this. That's really the as far as projects go. These are They've done a bunch of these. Okay, we've done almost we've done over three dozen ourselves as a firm, you know

▶ 22:16 combined and it's that's where the word accelerated comes from because they they are easier in the skin in the you know the realm of You know, what mspa does. Perfect. Thank you. We're looking forward to you know, I know this is way over to project for both schools. So thank you so much for working on that. Vice chairmengliarelli Thank you madam chair and thank you for being here tonight. This my questions are maybe more for Patrick but is the interest rate or Catherine is interest rate locked. Do we have a lock on the interest rate or is it is it a chance that it would go up? Can we just move to the microphone? Because otherwise, you're caught me. Your response isn't being captured for anyone watching remotely.

▶ 23:04 Thank you. The interest rate that shown in the schedule is an estimate of what we would get when we go to market I checked with Hilltop today. And they still think it's a very conservative estimate based on what they've seen in the market. There hasn't been much issuance of double A plus 30 years lately the last one they saw that was comparable. Was right before the last fed move late October and it was I think they came in at four four and a half for 25 year. Okay, so they think that they've played in some room That's a good estimate. What would be the point in time? So if let's say we authorize the bond would it then be you would be Getting that all finalized now. So like what's the what's the period of time between now and when

▶ 24:02 you would have the rate locked in? Oh, well we would have to do all of the offering documents usually takes about four or five weeks. To get all the offering documents they go out to bid, okay. and the best bid takes the position. Okay, so you're figuring that you're feeling pretty confident that this this rate I spoke with them today and they were confident that this was still a conservative estimate that um when we're reimbursed For the grant money. Where does that money go in the city budget? Was out I may add one of the points here. Typically, can you just repeat yourself so that the entirety of the response is getting captured for the yeah recording. Thank you. Good evening. Typically what happens is that to build

▶ 24:57 on what Catherine was saying they give us an estimate. So we have something to to work with the 5.5% What happens is as equal to the project itself and as we use other funding sources to even lower the amount that we want to bond when you go to market when you're ready to go to Mark which means you're ready to Bonded permanently at that point. The interest rate will be Basically acid change when they go out to bid, they'll put it out to bid to different institutions. You generally get about Five or six billions to produce is actually good. And then that's when it gets locked in but the weight until the project really is completed. So what you doing in the interim you get you're taking that money and you're

▶ 25:41 authorizing it 2.3 million, whatever the case may be and then yes, she is not going to be that it'll be less than that. And typically what we do is if is additional funds that remain at the end of the project will can actually reduce the bonding authorization itself on record. So that would shows that we didn't bond the full 2.3 only say one million, for example, only what you actually Bond their eyes the end of the day, but we need the structure now because mspa requires that format. Okay, that's helpful. I guess my question is more when we the reimbursement the money from the the school building authority. So the grant when that comes into the city, so we're paying up front all the costs and then we get reimbursed as we go along minus that five percent

▶ 26:28 Leila Migliorelli: that comes in at the end when they pay us back where which city account does that go to you go to the project fund itself the project if I'm okay so offset, obviously, that's what we want to maintain the revenue being any other offsets to that Revenue. So we have it basically locked in one account. Okay. So yeah. Okay. So the capital project account. That's what it says. Okay. And then just generally so this just for people at home the this 5% debt limit attachment. So this is a sort of like analysis of where we're at if we're incorporating bonding this for the total amount for both of these projects. This is what it will look like in the impact on our debt service. Yeah, great question. We use the 5.5% victims

▶ 27:16 unless terrific. It's less of a cost to the city, but we always belong to the full top number so you can actually see what the worst case scenario could be if I find and so that's all reflected in this chart whole thing everything that's been authorized and everything. That's it's actually in the model is in that job, okay? also get thank you. I think this question for Denise more around the schedule of this of this project. The invention that you want to put the project out forbid the end of December. Can you we actually went out of the year? I should say we haven't put out sooner than that. Yeah, we're we're pretty much ready the plans are ready to go. So travel ready. We're waiting for the yeah, I guess it

▶ 28:07 Denise Gaffey: is shovel ready. We're waiting for the funding authorization. Okay, and then what's the timetable after that? So after it goes out good. It's about a form of four week process to bid the project. We place the notice in the central register. It gets picked up by bitters. That we have a it's a two-bid process where we have sub contractors to just bid first and then those numbers come in and then the GC bids come in. So we're hoping by mid December. We will have the bid numbers in place and then we'll do our due diligence in terms of checking references and things of that nature and making sure they can provide us with all the certifications that we require for this project and you know, if that all comes through by the end of the year, we could have a contract

▶ 28:54 Denise Gaffey: in place. What is the Missouri contingency in this potential? Yes proposal? Yes, we have we're carrying 5% contingency construction contingency for both. Do you see any? Potential obstacles with getting contractors to bid on a project like this. I know with the library we had to put it on a couple times. So do you foresee that any issues with any any contractors? Well, we can get this project. I just want to clarify we didn't put the library out a couple of times but we we did only get two bidders for the library. So we're hoping to get more we're hoping because we're bidding it at a time when they're not very busy and they haven't quite filled their schedule yet for the summer. I mean you guys might be able to speak better to that then I can.

▶ 29:44 Yeah, I mean, I think this is the right time of year to be by bidding roof projects. You know, we had when we first started on the project. We were a little concerned because insulation as an example roof insulation was a bear to get that's gotten better as the project design has gone along and now like to say timing is back to normal, but we figured bidding now awarding sometime in December gives the contractor six months to acquire the insulation that they'll need so that come June. 23rd, you know around that date when the kids are out the door the roof starts coming off and we already have you know materials procured for that rubber roofing was hard to get to but that's come back as well. So right now

▶ 30:33 in in Denise had the and the opportunity to speak to one of the roofers who's also a you know, who bids Municipal work and they said they're seeing similar things and that was really great for us to hear someone who's working for the city right now said yeah things now's a good time. It doesn't mean it can't change. But all we can do is you know, what we what we know right now. So you feel comfortable. With this estimate that raw materials are kind of level one off and one of them. Yeah. In fact, it's a great question. We you know the city authorized math to keep going on the project after the schematic design was submitted. We had a subsequent estimate done and the price has come down a little bit on both projects with

▶ 31:16 regards to the roofing itself. We also saw some savings on the course man, because there was some structural things that we ended up not having to do that. We had estimated would need to be done at first so between the two projects there's some savings Beyond these numbers already which makes us think okay great if the estimators are taking the number down a little bit And we always know that that number the number of the estimators give us. Is the number that on bid day? Seven people bid the job. The estimate is the number right in the middle. We never want to plan and budget a project on the low because you'll get burned. You never want to plant it on the high because no project will ever get approved by a you know, by committee such

▶ 31:59 Mark Garipay: as yourself. So it kind of go right for that middle number. And so we feel pretty good based on those those points that we're in a good place good time right now. for these numbers and you may have said this and I may have missed it, but When they start doing the project ripping the roof officer. That we think that there's no structural issues underneath there. I mean we were kind of ran into that at Memorial Hall. I think when we kind of got into it a little bit more on that speak to what they looked at in the design. Yeah, they both of these roofs have metal decking underneath and we we believe at this point. They're all in good condition. There is some contingency in here for some metal decking repairs if needed. I think

▶ 32:42 it's about five percent of the roof if needed can be repaired. But at this point we believe that it's in decent shape. Just to be just to clarify that includes that's we have contingency outside of the construction cost and we have money built within unit prices. Basically, we're going to tell the bidders to carry x amount of square foot of metal deck replacement and if in the end they find none that's a credit back to the city at the end of the project if they do find it, you know, it's up to that amount and if they find more we already have the price locked in on bid day, so we know what that's gonna cost us. Start to finish you think of this can get done over the summer without. Before school starts. Yes all both of these projects. We're building

▶ 33:28 them seperately. They're not being bit as one project that being bit is two separate doesn't mean one bitter might not be successful and when them both but that's that's up to a bidder but the requirements and the front end will be, you know start when the kids get out and we we have to nail down the specific date, but usually when staff comes back you want it done by and I think both are but it's that's a reasonable for both of these projects. Can the buildings be occupied over the summer while this construction is going on. Do we use that at all for camps or any some school or well that pose? I don't think we do use either one of those schools for the summer. Those are all my questions need to

▶ 34:11 Jack Eccles: be done. I support the order. Just wanted to make sure that the timeline you can try to keep to that. I think it's important. So next up we have counselor Eccles and then counselor Stewart and then if no one else councilor Williams for the second time, so, I'm sorry. Thank you manager. I've two quick questions for Mr. Della Russo if you wouldn't mind coming back. Hey just as a follow up to something that came up when in a vice chair. Miggly early's questions. You mentioned that sometimes you use other funding sources to decrease the amount that we attempt to get in. The bond is that since you're theoretically going to be doing that four or five weeks from next Monday. Have you thought about that at all for this and if so, where would

▶ 35:01 that come from? Right now I don't have anything more to build on that. But if you look at the library, for example, when you authorize the full amount and if you had additional funds from offer some other onion sauce that reduced the amount you're gonna Bond it's exactly it's kind of thing. We would look for here. And again, if should this get approved this evening, we'll look and see what we if there's any opportunity to just that that's a great question. It's always good to look. Yeah, I think it would be valuable sometimes for the council to understand what the Delta is based on. You know, what we've authorized and then what you actually put out absolutely and then just that that 5% limit.

▶ 35:47 That looks like it's two and a half and then a little bit as it increases throughout the years that just your projected new growth. There as it the well we do is we take the operating budget itself. We do 5% of the non-exempt debt. So anything that's exempt the Middle School. It has a separate funding source, so it doesn't play the same. It's not in the same finding Arena as this debt is here this evening. And then we take 5% of the operating budget for the year to that's our cap. If you want to say find a nickel on every dollar is the cap that will set aside for debt every year as the maximum. When we set the program out in front of you if you look on the thigh right hand column the two shots.

▶ 36:32 The first page will show you how close we are after the finance and based upon the projected debt, which is again, every single thing that we have of the entire city is in there everything that's been put out to bond everything that's projected. This is also in here both groups are in there. Um, and we and that's where it falls and we increase the budget every year exactly right here in the bottom to see a couple of footnotes want to see the extent of the growth of the budget 3% and based on that 5% That's what we land and the decades address that each and every year as the budget change is so does the model but that never should exceed 5% in any given year period thank you those around the questions. Thank you

▶ 37:19 Robb Stewart: counselor Stewart. Thank you madam chair. Thank you all for being here this evening Mr. Delar Russo just a couple questions on your chart the column that says net debt. I just want to understand that so that is your forecast of you said. the committed Capital expenditures plus the anticipated funding required for the two schools. Groups, is that correct? That's if you look at fy22. All right again, I'm on chat one. You see the number 2855-696. Yep. That's the net. Of the city outside of exempta. So if you go look at the city's debt model, you'll see this number exactly comes directly off the model with 30 year model directly from that model. That's the amount of net debt that we have an fy22.

▶ 38:19 Robb Stewart: Forward for the year fiscal year and that includes anything that's related to this project here this evening, which probably not going to show until 23 or later in 24 candidly by the time we get bonded to look at you you binding schedule which is also included. It'll give the exact. We'll give you a good estimate of when we anticipate going to actually Bond the project itself both of them and the schedules are right in there as they always offer for the city council right in the packet. If you don't have the schedule, just let me know but they should all be in there. And again the 5% limit would be if you did 5% of the operating budget and I'm not concerned about the five percent. I'm concerned about what that number means. That's what it means. And so what?

▶ 39:06 Robb Stewart: I just want to be real clear. So that is Committed Capital expenditures plus the forecast if this goes through yes, okay. And again, it does not include any Enterprise funds they they satisfy their own debt. This is strictly the city's general fund debt period okay, and so and you know schools need roofs, we got to get roofs done. I get that and it's great that you put this the one The one cause it just that I would like to see and I know that we have approved and ordered to fund a better forecast is I'd like to see a forecast a real forecast. So this is a forecast of one event. but when we look at The capital Improvement plan, right and we look at all the group B's right. There's 43 million dollars in group b

▶ 40:01 Robb Stewart: over several dozen anticipated and that I assume we have we want to start thinking about what that looks like over the next several years, right? And that's going to hit our debt if we're going to capitalize that right. That would make a truer picture of a forecast. Versus just this one item that's thrown in there. I mean that's what always happens is you give one and eight inches up a little bit, but we don't have the true forecast as we're planting out for the next 10 years. So it's just this is more feedback, but that would be much more helpful in terms of understanding what that true debt model is so then when something unanticipated happens We have an idea of what we can do what flexibility that

▶ 40:52 we have in that model. Right now we're just we're throwing a little bit on a little bit on but we don't have that full picture. You know what I mean? Yeah, I would ask you to look at the shot number two. on the back All right. Variance that's the amount of Debt Service you could take on right year. So we never put ourselves to the wall that would be improper and not prudent. We always try to have room. So it's like exactly as you say, it's a great question counselor. If something should happen in the interim, I want to the city council to have the capacity to go out and get a note to take care of it. That's why you want that capacity here on the far right but get service. I appreciate that. But when I look at some of the things

▶ 41:46 Robb Stewart: that have been talked about question. Oh, yeah, like the BB School. Like the L Pond Park, you know beauty school's 14 million in the plan L upon Park. It's 10 million in the plan. If we do that in the next couple years that will hit the schedule that will impact this forecast. That would be nice to see. On what the plan is? So that's just my feedback, you know roofs are important in school. So no question, I will support that but this is more feedback on what would help us to make more informed decisions when it's not as critical because if we're going to be weighing. Several items right when it is brought to us just by itself. You know, we either vote for it. We don't vote for. Well. What are you know, what

▶ 42:32 Jen Grigoraitis: are we talking about? What are the priorities? So that's where I'm asking for your help. In terms of being able to show us what that plan is. And through the chair absolutely the same exact page. That's why I'm just as excited as you are to put this model in place and get it going. Absolutely, right? Great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm just before we get to the next round of questions. I just wanted to ask a brief follow-up question for Mr. Della Russo. So in the chart that you provided which for those are robust viewing how long viewing audiences One D the 5% debt limit. It says it is the current policy of the city of Melrose that non-exempt at budget equate to approximately 5% of the operating budget. So I do think words

▶ 43:14 Jen Grigoraitis: matter when we describe something as a policy does that mean that that is something that is documented proactively reviewed on some sort of regular schedule by you the mayor and you know agree to that we actually are going to stay within five percent or is that just the practice that we follow the institutional practice? Since I was here earlier and when I came back in 2004, that's been the practice. Okay, so it's an Institutional exhaust. Absolutely. Thank you Council Williams. I would like to motion to recommend to the full Council for Passage. So weak have a motion to recommend made by councilor Williams in a second by President sonella on discussion counselor garapay. I just had one other one

▶ 43:59 of the question for Patrick just on the debt. I'm sorry the system. Does this include the updated book Numbers? Gets an excellent question what we've done just to so everyone realizes the extent of that that obligation the net debt also takes into account the anticipated boat costs for Capital because even though it's not a Debt Service that we undertaken this evening. Like you are these two funds separately. It is a dead obligation of this city. And therefore I did include it and it's included in here so that we talk about net debt. I am including that obligation to the Volk is part of that. These are the most recent update. I think that just came out. I think their project just want okay. Yeah. Thank you

▶ 44:52 Shawn M. MacMaster: gonna see at least right now. So it's gonna be close to over half a million dollars the next two or three years. Right now it's like 78,000. So it's going to go up significantly. Thank you Council McMaster. Thank you. Madam. Chair Mr. Delarosa. Are there any other anticipated borrowing requests coming down the pipeline over the next year? I'm just looking at the variance of 1.7 million dollars, and I'm just wondering if it's putting ourselves in a precarious position. Through the chair. I don't have anything right now that I would say is pending as is these are and oftentimes it's a great question and actually to countless too. It's issue too oftentimes when we have an opportunity to get a grant.

▶ 45:38 That could lead us into the roof. We would do that and timing isn't always on our side. We have certain amount of time to act. So that's why this is probably surface the one it did and it says urgently as it did but right now other than what's in the model itself, you know, obviously the public safety buildings were to be funded as a debt exclusion. They would not be part of this program. It'd be outside of this just like the middle school words. Thank you. So we have a motion before it's made by comes. The Williams seconded by councilor Eccles. I stand corrected to recommend for passage Mr. Clerk. Can you please call the roll? Vice chairman clearly. Yes calstral McMaster. Yes. Counselor Eccles, yes.

▶ 46:29 Jen Grigoraitis: Counselor garpy. Yes counselor. Jamaladin. Yes counselor Stewart. Yes Council Williams. Yes, president. Sonella. Yes and chair greatest. Yes. That's nine. Yes nine. Yes, so that will be recommended to the full Council for Passage. Sorry manager between the vote on both. Yes, we do. Yeah, that's next. Thank you Vice chair. So next we have order 2023-28 authorization of a bond in the amount of two million 306,449 dollars to pay for costs of replacing the roof at the Herbert clerk Hoover Elementary School fun number 3391 offered by mayor Broder. We are still under the suspension of the rules. I know you've talked broadly about this project already. Are there any questions from the council as it relates to the Hoover?

▶ 47:20 Jen Grigoraitis: The councilor Williams not just motion to recommend this to the full Council as well second. So we have a motion to recommend made by counselor Williams seconded by President. Cinella any discussion Seeing none Mr. Clerk. Can you please call the roll? Vice chair big wheelie. Yes Council McMaster. Yes counselor Eccles. Yes Council grapy. Yes counselor. Jamal Dean. Yes counselor Stewart. Yes councilor Williams. Yes president. Snella yes and share your greatest. Yeah, that's nine. Yes nine. Yes, so that carries, and we'll be recommended to the full Council for passage. Thank you all for being here this evening. Thank you very much. So next we have order 2023-29 and appropriation in the amount of 167,310 to

▶ 48:06 Jen Grigoraitis: fund the HRS compensation study. The requested appropriation is from the following accounts $159,000 784 from the contract stabilization fund number 84042-590,000 3,763 from sewer reserve for retained earnings account number 84152-590,000 and 3,763 from water reserved for retained earnings. Account number 84162-590,000 to various salary in wage lines a set forth here in and this is offered by mayor Broder and I believe we have there's Lotsa and misfleischman here if you can introduce yourself. Thank you for being here. Good morning, Matt and good evening Madam chair and members of the kitty committee and Margot Fleischmann here on behalf of mayo Broder along with polyatta and our consultant

▶ 49:03 team from HRS who Polly will introduce in just a moment. We're here to explain to you the results of the compensation and classification study that was done over the course of the past year and again to make that funding request to fund the study results. So with that I'll turn it over to poly and I'm going to move over to advance the slides. Thank you. Good evening. Everyone good to see you. So I will introduce here. We have our Consultants that conducted the study over the past year. We have Sandy stretching ski with HRS Human Resource Services. Sandy's has 35 plus years of Consulting experience. She has worked with hundreds of municipalities in Massachusetts in New Hampshire worked on over thousand projects and

▶ 49:54 she's well known expert in compensation classification. She's written books ebooks and she's member of the international sitting Council management association in she does continues to do training and teaching National webinars on HR and recruitment retention performance appraisals. Then we have bus strap chain Ski Bus has served as the CEO of a large municipality. He also has over 40 years of experience working with local government. He has long history institutional knowledge. He's been the town manager of Andover for 25 years and serves as the president of mass Municipal Association and mass Municipal Management Association. Tony Therese is not here today. But he's also a member of the Consulting team. Tony has over 40

▶ 50:46 years experience in Municipal Finance. He has been a Director of Finance for Andover for 32 years. And last but not least is Barbara wooden she is she has served the assistant. Human resource officer for the entire Commonwealth and she has extensive experience in human resources and compensation management. So why we here today? Why do we need the company class study. I came to you about a year and a half ago requesting that you funds the hiring of Consulting team to conduct the study. It's best practices standardized based practice from municipalities to maintain and update their classification compensation system in a sexually recommended it is done every three to five years. We're here today because the last time such study was

▶ 51:44 conducted was over 30 years ago. And as we know 30 years ago lots have has happened. We have you know departments new positions emerging technology new expectations from employees. We have changing labor market the great transition and we're also experiencing changes in the economy over the past year and two, so that's why we're here because our existing plan is Obsolete and it hasn't been updated in a long time at this point. It doesn't serve it doesn't serve the city of Melrose the In the study the report that was presented by HRS at one point in the report there describing the city of Melrose as Progressive and forward-thinking Community with complex and creative organization. And we want to

▶ 52:42 maintain that image for the sake of being able to retain our institutional knowledge in attract and recruit diverse talented Workforce. So that's why we need the study. There was a year and a half ago. There's even more of a needs today and I'm hoping that you will help approve the funding so that we can implement the proposed compensation classification system tonight. So essentially we need to invest in the city of Melrose payroll compensation classification infrastructure. Just like we invest in our schools in our buildings in our streets. The non-union investing in this infrastructures investing in our Workforce. So our non-union employees. They don't have an established process like the union employees who get

▶ 53:39 every three years the opportunity to negotiate better terms and updated salaries. So it's our responsibility as an employer. Oh, okay is an employer to update and maintain our compensation system? I'm sure you have seen all the openings. We've had over the past few years. A lot of Municipal Employees over the the state are transitioning their retiring and the pipeline is not full. Unfortunately. There's some very specialized positions that require very unique skillset that are unique to municipal government department has their difficult to recruit and retain and with all the changing landscape. We need to continue to be able to compete with other municipalities. in the labor market So ensure that the goal of the

▶ 54:43 compensation classification study was to develop support maintain fair and Equitable classification compensation system to update the job descriptions for All City of Melrose non union positions and the positions were evaluated using common set of criteria of systematic and in systematic and objective Manner and as a result, we the consultant proposed a plan that supports pay equity in hierarchy and it's based on skill and job requirements. So just to briefly go over the timeline about year and a half ago the city council voted to authorize appropriation to hire Hrs. In HRS began work reviewed analyzed positions conducted external market analysis. And met with our department heads interviewed every single employee that

▶ 55:46 participated in the study and presented the draft compensation classification plan. First two department heads to get feedback and then to all employees as well. After the draft was presented HRS also trained City my department trained me and the Workforce Development committed to administer the plane and to be able to evaluate use the Tuesday provided to us to evaluate in classify positions going forward. So this is something we can use for the long run because it's really well. It's a tested and balance formalized methodology that they're using. Over the summer we gave opportunity for employees who felt like their positions might have been misclassified to come forward and appeal. We created an

▶ 56:44 appeal process and gave opportunity for them to present their appeal the Workforce Development Committee met in again using the training that HRS provided to us the very valuable training use the objective system to assess their classification. The classification of their positions and I just want to stress. This is all about positions. It's not about the individual employee in the position. That's the company class study. So the appeal process is completed plan was finalized and here we are today. So I would like to actually bring Sandy and Buzz to present what they saw in our current system that's lacking and what they're proposing how to meet the current future needs within your system. Okay. Thank you.

▶ 57:52 Hello, good evening. Thank you for inviting us. I'm Sandy. And this is Buzz. And we're from Human Resources Services. Thank you president of the council council members and chair for having us here this evening. I I first would like to say before I get into some of our findings that we we felt the team that the council had very good insight and foresight to appropriate the money to do such a study and it was very needed and because of all of you we feel that this the city has something now that they can go forward with and it's more than just compensation. It's actually a whole system and a tool, you know that they can use so The system that you had right now is is rather a static and it's not

▶ 58:58 updated regularly and it had a number of tears and a variety of schedules and a hundred plus grades. So there were a lot of inequity issues with it. And this happens. Sometimes it doesn't mean that anything was mismanaged. It just means over years things get disjointed if you will, so it was a very very long time ago that you updated that you did a study. So it needed to be updated. They were inconsistencies throughout with regard to the percentages the movement from minimum to maximum the percentages in the ranges. And a lot of the positions were not on the salary schedule. They were only in positions were only receiving a cola increase. So there were a lot of issues the updated Compensation Plan first

▶ 59:58 and foremost is in compliance with the mass Massachusetts employment Pay Act, which was enacted in 2018. so that really needed for that reason, especially you needed to have all of this updated and the this reflects now not only the meatball law but also the marketplace the internal job values ensuring that employees paid comparably for comparable work and Also, we are recommending a salary schedule with with you know, there are. I think about 23 grades but only 16 of them are being used and there's two percent between each step. So we've we standardized everything and we we have a system where we look at the external market and we all which helps us to set the parameters of your pay structure.

▶ 1:01:02 And then we also have a system where we look at the internal equity in sharing that this comparable work equity in the system. So it allows for the compensation plan to to be used equitably by all departments. So we don't have people pulling numbers out of hats and and there is a balance and so going on to the next slide. Some of the other some of the pay decisions were made in a vacuum. So this provides more fair and Equitable approach to pay in decisions and it reduces any subjectivity that that you would have also by having an outside consultant. We don't know anybody here. We didn't we don't know the politics. We don't we're not related to anybody without we come in as a third party to do an independent

▶ 1:02:03 study. And that's what a lot of cities in towns have us do and and that's really in keeping with best practices. You always want to have a third party to do the benchmarking of compensation. So I mentioned the meepa and the various tears the various tears that you had made an inheritedly inequitable based on the new law. And also there was a formal flsa review of all the jobs to ensure compliance with exempt and non-exempt and we have an occupational assessor system that we use to actually classify all the flsa analysis and ensures the proper classification of exempt and non-exempt and and like I like to say is you know, the city was not doing anything wrong. It just was another check to make sure because if you

▶ 1:03:06 don't do the job analysis, and if you don't review jobs over a long period of time sometimes things will change. So all the job descriptions were updated as well. And they will formalized and one of the nice things we did with the job descriptions is we all so ensured that it had the flsa compliance. It also had language has language in there now for Equity inclusion diversity which is which was sort of lacking in your your job descriptions and and really should be a part of your recruitment effort. Anyway, which we sure there are so there are risk, if the plan is not implemented. It's it's the current plan is not it's not compliant. It's not it's even not fair is a very mild way of saying it but it puts you at risk for inequitable

▶ 1:04:05 pay based on equal equal work in the value of the jobs. It puts you at some legal exposure and it will be hard to recruit at your current. wages given what the market is right now, just just to give you an idea Sherm came out with a statistic that average increases have gone up about 4.2 percent, you know overall, however Inflation is going to have 8.7% or something like that. So so it's it's really really hard to retain employees. It's hard to you know, people are always looking for a higher pay and there are a lot of jobs and a lot of opportunities for people in the market. So so you have that going on too. So we have on the one hand the compliance issue. Then you also have your strategic compensation planning for keeping

▶ 1:05:05 and retaining hiring retaining your employees and providing a fair fear and Equitable wages. And we also support a hybrid performance-based appraisal system that could tie into it to you know to ensure future raises are tied to to Performance and this could also improve morale. So I just wanted to you know, and by saying that this was a very very comprehensive study and a lot of effort went in not only from our consultant team but also by the employees and the department heads and the officials and and human resources and and it was it's sort of everybody had input into it and it involved a thorough job analysis interviews with employees. Selecting those comparable organizations that we Benchmark against and collecting all the

▶ 1:06:13 data. We also added some benefits information that we surveyed and we went through the rating of all the jobs. The rating system is part of our tool that we use for these studies and we rate on 14 different factors such as supervision complexity accountability in a variety of other ones education experience physical requirements of the job work environment and so forth is 14 of them and all the jobs are rated on those and that together with that's the internal analysis that compare in also with the external Market we can come up with our total comp and class system. So it is more than just an updated pay plan. You're really getting a whole system with it. So, I don't know Buzz if you wanted to add anything. I just

▶ 1:07:15 want to just emphasize that as a survey was done. I forget how many municipalities were looked at 10 10. All right, I wasn't sure if it's 10 or 12 and data was pulled out from all of those municipalities that have similar or comparable positions. So we did look out into the entire universe of comparable municipalities for you folks to see what the salary ranges were. For again the comparable employees and at the same time Sandy said I just want to reiterate there were individual love interviews done the employees filled out a form so that we could gather information about them and about their position their experience their education the licenses required the supervision that they provided and then

▶ 1:08:09 the supervision that was required to be provided to them. So we had a really good look at your non-union personnel. From which then to base the survey on and to collect the data. For the report and including the updated job descriptions. I can't tell you how important it is to have updated job descriptions for you in your own business. As you may know, you know, things change all the time the environment changes continuously with employees with the labor market with the workforce. So it's imperative to have updated job descriptions and part of the tool that we're leaving. The municipality with is the ability to have the job descriptions updated annually, you know by Paulina and her staff going forward.

▶ 1:09:10 other side sure that all the knowledgeability and skills were looked at the education training experience the market data and the job duties so You know now going forward you have to you know, just maintain it and I guess a I don't know if you have anything else dad at this juncture. And we'll take questions now or at the end we have just a few more slides. Yeah, so the final result of the compensation study is adjustment to 58 positions. Not every adjustment exceeds the existing Department budget. And the reason for that is that they send the described we have certain positions placed on a plan that varies the percent increase between steps there from one point 25 3.5% Then sleeping part. It's a

▶ 1:10:17 position is within the range and they were scheduled to receive 3.5% increase this fiscal year. the adjustment from the new adjustment is lower than the 3.5% that they were scheduled to increase this fiscal year. So therefore that was absorbed by the budget. So in other words for certain positions, if you refer to the large Excel spreadsheet that we had shared with you, you will see negative percent adjustment that that means that for this position the salary growth may have been slowed down for this year in order to catch up. And then some salaries are paid through other sources through regionalized and grim-funded including virgin wise and grandfounded positions are put and some other sources. So

▶ 1:11:16 not everything is absorbed for this funding order. So Patrick you want to bring that before we start we have to gavelin to health education and Welfare. So we're going to need to take a short recess so that we can stay in compliance with open meeting laws. So motionary recess. Yeah, we got so we have emotion to recess made by counselor Eccles seconded by counselor Stewart all in favor. Hey, we're recessed. Okay. Yeah, just few minutes. Okay. Okay. It is 8:14 on Monday, November 7th, the meeting of the health education welfare committee. I am counselor Eccles the chair joining this evening are voting members councilor McMaster Stewart Williams and president sonella exophicio and non-voting members counselors.

▶ 1:14:15 of why we were before you this evening for this request as you've heard the study was quite comprehensive. There was a long time period between the draft study and the final implementation being ready going through all the stages of training and appeals but now we are ready to implement the plan the compensation plan and as Polly just explained they were a number of positions that were adjusted and the net increase that is required in order to fund those adjustments where people may have been reclassified into a slightly different grade on the new pay scale is 167,310, which the administration is asking. To be transferred from the contractual obligations and salary and wages stabilization fund

▶ 1:15:03 which was established in 2006 to provide just this sort of adjustment when you had either a contract being negotiated and concluded or a change in the salary and wage structure. Back in May last May and I know that Patrick was going to speak to this point the city council did approve a free cash appropriation of 460,000 to fund that Fund in part specifically for non-union salary adjustments. And the reason that we are before you now is because we're just at that point where we have to start looking head to fiscal year 24 and the department heads and the CFO need to know what their saddle or salary line items are going to be in order to be able to appropriately budget for the next fiscal year.

▶ 1:15:56 Jen Grigoraitis: So with that I will hopefully Patrick will come back to be able to answer your questions. We do have quite a few questions. So could we counseling McMaster at this time Madam chair and make a motion for five minute recess. Second so we have a motion for five minute recess made by counselor McMaster seconded by councilor Garipay all in favor. Okay. We are recess for five minutes. Hopefully we can find the CFA. We are back. I left the last light up we have Mr. Delarosa with us. So just for the purposes of Q&A I have. In order counselor Jamal Dean president. Zanella councilor McMaster councilor Garipay encounts their Echoes so far in Q followed by councilor Stewart Vice chairmingly, really and counselor Williams. So

▶ 1:16:52 Maya Jamaleddine: counselor. Jamali. Thank you madam chair and thank you for everyone for being with us tonight. Plantation I appreciate your thorough work and and I actually appreciate your leadership and advocating for your for your staff. However, I found it very hard for me to even discuss it ask questions or vote on it and we still don't have and we still don't have a contract for our educators. It's really it really attracted me in one of those slides when you listed the risk that we are taking if we don't implement. This plan and I wonder if we can discuss the risks that we as a community are taking if we don't solve this issue and the crisis that we're facing. Our kids are already suffering. from shortage of teachers

▶ 1:17:53 Maya Jamaleddine: and we are heading to strike. This is I mean I can also add that we have Educators with no contract and that and those also deserve much more. and from what they are getting paid right now and some of those are really volunteering over their time. They're serving our next generation and our children and I mean, I understand all what I keep hearing in this presentation is we are looking for equity for diversity. for inclusion I feel that this is one of the reasons where we can get to this goal Equity inclusion and diversity. but this is not the only thing that we need to achieve to have those kind of employees and stuff in our city hall. I feel that we can do something in in between until we are able to vote for this

▶ 1:19:08 Maya Jamaleddine: order. and and as a city councilor, and as a parent that my children go to school. I feel I I need to put this on hold until we have a contract for our Educators and our educators are being paid. Our schools are being staffed and our children are being supported the way that it should be. So thank you again, and I hope that we can discuss it after we have a contract with our for our Educators. Thank you. Thank you. Counselor jimaldean president sonella. Thank you madam chair. Thank you all for being here and thank you for all your hard work the council. Jamality. Hit the hit the nail on the head. I don't I don't think anyone's going to disagree that employees deserve raises certainly with everything

▶ 1:20:03 Christopher Cinella: going on in the economy right now and but I think we've heard in public comments tonight. You know, the funding source is questionable. I know we're going to be budgeting this in. I don't know why we're not budging it in later and You know, the timing of the of the order right now with everything going on is puts us on the council kind of in a tough spot where we're damned if we do we're damned if we don't. But question I do have is there is an employee on this on this list that reports to the president. And so I just this is the first that I'm seeing it and just wondering is that the protocol? I guess through HR. How does that work? I first I'm seeing an employee. in the on the list for raises

▶ 1:20:56 Should is that something that the president would be approving or? Oh I I see what you're saying. So. Are you referring to the Excel spreadsheet with it with a bad? Yes amounts. So this was so what that Excel spreadsheet demonstrates is what was budgeted for the beginning of the fiscal year and then the adjustment of the proposed compensation in classification plan. I'm not sure. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to understood your question. I mean, I don't want to name the employee but it shouldn't be part of the process to have the supervisor of the employee. approving or disapproving Oh, you're referring to the specific employed. It's yes, so we included all of the positions that were reviewed. We didn't because that's what was requested of

▶ 1:21:55 Shawn M. MacMaster: us. That's why all of the positions are on these Excel spreadsheet that we shared with the council. We didn't want to exclude any of the positions. So that's what that represents. I don't know if Patrick you want to know it's yeah. Thank you Council McMaster. Thank you madam chair. So just as a follow-up to what president sonella had said, I guess my question and my concern is the timing why why now? Why why tonight? Why not closer to the time that you're preparing for next year's operating budget and try to find a place for it within the operating budget Yeah, great question again. Why why now? Why not later? We begin the fy24 process in January the letters go out to the department heads. They have to provide us

▶ 1:22:52 Shawn M. MacMaster: with the selling and wage obligations plus other expenses probably two or two weeks after that. We commence the 24 budget in January. So the question will become what figures to the department has used. This is not accepted by the board. We just continue with the protocol if it is, we adjust the based on this information. That's that's the reason period Alternatively why not do an interdepartmental budget? Why not transfer this amount from one account into the HR account? I'm not sure what account we would take it from. Welcome, if we look at the trends with free cash over the last few years last and I know last year was higher about five million. Is that right? The year prior maybe 3.5 million we're going

▶ 1:23:41 Shawn M. MacMaster: to have money at the end of the year anticipating that we have money that we will very likely be putting back into stabilization accounts as we tend to do every year as well as allocating money once free cash to certified for other one-time projects. why not just look at Trends over the past few years where we're likely because we do we are conservative with how we budget to find the money that is being requested tonight specifically as it relates to the contract stabilization. So why not just look for somewhere else where it's very likely to be found to try to predict that and take it from there as opposed to out of the contract stabilization account and then retained earnings as well. If you look great question, if you look at

▶ 1:24:32 these a memo, I put out on a May 10th. Yep. 2022 and it's proposing the free cash appropriation. It'd be 22.68% of our free cash that was certifying if you look at number two on the second page of the contract stabilization fund. I will read this if I may for the chair. Well, we've established a contract stabilization fund 8404. With the balance of just over 838,000 dollars request before you wish to add as some of 460,000 to this Fund in order to ensure that the city can fund negotiated Collective bargain agreements one settled we see these two this evening. and non-union compensation obligations this includes any retroactive payments. To the respective contracts in non-union salary adjustments.

▶ 1:25:30 And then we go on to say that today going into defy 2023 the police superior's and the patrolman are out of contract as of June 30 to 2021. And in addition the clerical labels Union which before this evening, we've got a contract commencing on June 2022 and the key is the target balance for the fund is 1.3 million dollars. So the excellent question by the council. We not anticipate free cash being certified probably until I would suggest the end of December maybe January based on what we know today that may change and maybe sooner or it could be later. On the doir, does that process and we candidly? Wait, wait when they can actually get to our certification the issue becomes one of what do we do with the Free Cash 1

▶ 1:26:27 citiz certified tree out point. The policy has been 20 to 25% of the free cash we seek to put into stabilization funds now, if you look at year by year, the amount that we put in is not consistent year by year other than the regular stabilization fund typically because the need may not be there that particular year if we know we're going to have a lot of contracts that come up to settlement. You probably see a larger ask because we want to make sure we have such funds to cover that. Um, so the long and short of answer is that we don't we don't do the transfer is between the Departments for this type of a protocol. We specifically have designed this just to address any retroactive. and any current the obvious best result

▶ 1:27:21 would be if you could pay current year. We're covering our Revenue that's always the best outcome. However, we don't always have that luxury particularly when you have a couple of contracts that about over at least a year. We have to pay the Retro this fund started in 2006. Just depends some perspective to it. It's worked for 16 years the way we've established it. And why was that established? Because when I came back in 2004 we had obligations. Several hundred thousand dollars, but multiple unions you had no funding source for that. So you had to subject your regular operating budget to address that and it wasn't always, you know, Jenny to a positive outcome. So we set this up specifically so that

▶ 1:28:08 doesn't happen. But again to your point the that would be the same protocol. We would take this year. We would try candidly. to use these funds so we can show that the purpose for which they were established has been adhered to In addition to that the Which does Place significant role the rating agencies take pride that we have these seven different funds set up for these purposes and I want to be consistent year after year after year that have been practically the settlement for those police fire. Whoever else that this is where the nature of the funds will come from. I'm not you know stealing competed to pay Paul. That's why this is set up. So this candidly the city council and the public can see what these costs

▶ 1:28:55 Shawn M. MacMaster: black and white any additional fanfare. So it's worked positively I am I will never support rating of fund because any Union appears to have difficulty or in trying to settle with timely that's not the nature of this fund. That's not the purpose of this fund. So I would argue that if we deviate. based on any other Factor other than What is before the city council for settlements and different projects? We're going to corrupt the purpose of the fund and I don't want to do that. Thank you. And I don't dispute it all the the appropriateness of the contract stabilization fund. It's very clear. This body appropriated 460,000. For you know this purpose on May 12th, and specifically says in there non-unity salary adjustments. The question is more

▶ 1:29:51 Shawn M. MacMaster: the why why the stabilization fund at this point even though we can do it again? I think it's an appropriate. It's an appropriate. Fund in order to approve this but it makes me wonder whether or not if we're taking from a stabilization fund if it's this is really going to be sustainable considering that their salaries over time. So why not look for somewhere within the current operating budget in anticipation of finding a way to fit it into the fiscal year 24 the other the other factor that comes into play is the fund right now has approximately 1.3 million dollars. And by Design in many ways based on past history past experience about 250,000 of that is so what we call uncompensated absences.

▶ 1:30:47 We're simply means that if an employee leaves and we're entitled to you know, a payout for certain time that has been put in a payment that we have a source to go to. Particularly The Oddities have asked that we contributed at least $25,000 each year to that effort. So we don't again same situation. We have a resource to go that some of these in the $25,000 commitment which is not uncommon in all candidly in some sick of circumstances. We have an Avenue of which to pay it during the year at any time during the year. So we will also need that flexibility. So these fun if these three requests were approved this evening you'd have just over a million dollars left in that fund you still have police patrolling police

▶ 1:31:32 superiors that about at least one year for retro plus it would be anything that would be quiet for 23 that we could not find to your point within the existing resources of the 23 budget. So and then now we are going to commence again with Biden with the fire department. That's going to sound I believe in December. So what were I said and on my Horizon I see what's before me what's coming and I have to then say what do we need? What do we need to in order to? settle in good faith That we can pay this obligation to this Union once we agreed to the terms if we don't have that Avenue available to us then. Puts us in a terrible predicament. Thank you, Mr. Delarison. Thank you. Thank you counselor garapay.

▶ 1:32:28 Mark Garipay: Thank you. Thank you all for being here. Just quick question. We we approved 30,000 roughly $30,000 for the classification and compensation study the new system a couple years ago, right or is about 18 months ago. Yeah, yes. And that's we approved a new system that system can be implemented whether we whether we use this free cash or not. Like that system can be implemented in fy24 whether there's funding or not. You just got to add it into your budget. There's nothing holding. This council is not holding up that system this new system being implemented. We don't have to vote on that, right? What the compensation system in the classification systems are tied together correct? So for us to implement

▶ 1:33:21 Mark Garipay: the classification system, we have to implement the compensation system. Therefore they will have to be adjustments made into the budgets. But are you asking if we should you proposing wait until fiscally or 24 to implemented if we if yes, it can be implemented in 24 and I'm not saying that this I struggle with the timing of this and I believe everyone should get paid a wage. But my question is on the compensation study. We are not voting on the compensation whether to approve it. That's that's already been voted by the thirty thousand dollars. We appropriate for this study. So in FY 24, you can still move forward with with the adjustments in your budget right We can certainly move forward. I think we have again going

▶ 1:34:15 back to the risks is that now? We know what we up against we know that our current system as we have it today is not consistent. It's not in compliance with me, but And knowingly We are continuing with this system until fiscal year 24. I think back to the slide that Sandy spoke to there's risks that we are knowingly right now continuing continuing to take and and in addition to that. I think it's going to hurt the morale of the employee who have been anticipating and asking when when this study will be implemented. It's going if you can clarify on the sheet. Yes. We have the current. structure and we have the 75th percentile the market study which Which is what our goal was based on your memo, right the 75

▶ 1:35:19 Mark Garipay: percentile. Yes, I just A little confused. I see some that. some of the new ranges that were coming up with. Or above the 75th percentile. Or at the 70 or they're at the 75th what our current is it's at the 75th, and we got increases in there for those steps, but then we have some that are slightly below with with kind of no increases. I'm trying to figure out how what how that came about. Um if you want to yeah. so when we discuss the 75th percent of Market, we're talking about the whole structure of the comp plan. So when we get all the data in we Dice and slice the data a lot of different ways. We look at the average the median the 50th percentile the 75th the 90th and we say, okay what what trending

▶ 1:36:33 line do we want to use for constructing the whole Compensation Plan? So it was determined, you know through the policy decisions of the city to use the 75th percent of Market to be an employer of choice, you know in in the region And the wages, you know, and that's what we use now. That's just one part of so that's what we used to do the whole structure the market day that helps to set the parameters of the salary schedule the rating system, which is content is tied into our job analysis going back to the paq that we use analyzes the actual positions and sometimes we have to well many times we make the ratings and the adjustments the jobs may be slightly different. They could be organized differently here. And you

▶ 1:37:30 know, for example, I actually brought with me some examples. So if you could just bear with me one minute. So for example, the city clerk is also responsible for licensing, you know, which is maybe an unusual finding you wouldn't find that in another Community. The assistant auditor here is the number two person, you know in the in the finance the veterans director is a regional position, you know, and In the deputy engineer is is does a lot of engineer because you have primarily an in-house engineering operations. So we you have to study the positions to make sure that we're comparing Apple staple. So they may get more ratings. They may supervise large departments that another another Community maybe not

▶ 1:38:31 because everybody's organized a little differently. So the market data is Benchmark data to help the structure and then the rating a position can move up one or down one, you know, if there are a better fit within the organization and also for pay Equity. We also want to take into consideration things like compression. So you don't want to be a situation where the employees right up against what the supervisor is making. So we took into consideration compression compression can be a very serious problem and that was another issue you had With your other compensation plan is that you know, so in order to bring somebody in on in the range you had to pay them at the same rate of somebody who's been here for 10 years

▶ 1:39:25 and that's not Equitable that's considered compression. You didn't have any room to slot a new employee on the scale and they're doing droves and droves of hiring and there's no place and no room and no logic to place them on the plan another example of compression. Like I said is where the employee is virtually making almost the same as a supervisor. So there's a lot of pieces to this. So I just wanted to explain that does not mean the 75 doesn't mean that every single employee their actual wages going to be 75th. We just use that as a guide to develop the structure. So anyway, hope that answers the question. Should I sit here? It does. I'm just you know as You brought up the city clerk The Proposal.

▶ 1:40:14 for fy23 is more than what the current range is and what the 75th percentile but there's no increase in salary where there are some that are. Within that 75th percentile and there's considerable rate raises. Well just it's the it's all the math came up, you know. Depending on if they were being paid. in accordance already or if the sum were fallen way behind but there's a couple of You know and we tried very hard not to Red Circle positions as much, you know, we tried very very hard not to do that and we we didn't want to cut anybody's pay. So those those things were all so taken into consideration, but they were a whole there was a it was a lot of analysis and So I hope that you can add to

▶ 1:41:13 to this 20th Street question about Holly. Can you use the microphone so that it gets captured for video? Thank you. I can add just a little bit to this answer. So as Sandy said the 75th percentile simply gives us the parameters of where we want our ranges to be that's not the end result because then we add to this layer the internal evaluation system of where the value of the different positions are within our classification. So that that determines the separate grades that we have outlined on the plan. some positions within the grade could be the Lower steps some positions could be at the higher steps. So to your point there's a range and the way the approach we are using to transition carrying current

▶ 1:42:09 employees to the new classific to the new compensation system if they're within the correct range. In order to transition into the compensation system. We simply move them to the step that's closest to where they are now. But ride above it. So not to reduce their salary because we have to somehow transition into the new system. So you may see someone as the example you gave who is within the right range, but they may have a slight increase and that's because we had to move them to the step closest on the new plan, but right above it. So not to reduce their compensation. I love that clarifies a little bit more. you that that's I mean a good to see the steps. I mean we get we don't have the limited would have been good to see the whole the whole

▶ 1:43:10 Mark Garipay: Report with all the steps and the percentages would be able to understand a little bit better the 200 and what what do we have? The order in front of us? Is this retroactive back to physical the beginning of the fiscal year or is this that from the time if it gets approved? July 1st so of this fiscal year I agree with the some of my other consoles here. I mean this in my opinion of the timing is is not it's not the best. I agree that everyone needs to be a wage. I support the I support the compensation plan. I would encourage the administration to implement this in fy24 in funded in the budget. You know, it's I think if if it was if we had an idea that we were going to do this because the study's been out there and maybe it should

▶ 1:44:15 Robb Stewart: have been in the fy23 budget or something should have been in the fy23 budget for these. That's all my questions, right? Thank you counselor Stewart. Thank you minister. Thank you all for being here tonight. There's a lot of first I I just want to compliment you and commend you on the work that you did to put this together. I think there's several people in this room that can appreciate a conversation structure. That is well thought out and clear and easy to use and I think it it who's your team to be able to make good effective logical decisions that are fair and that's kind of what it's all about when when you're trying to do your job. So and thank you for the assistance from the From the team that helped you that being

▶ 1:45:12 Robb Stewart: said the timing is awkward. There's as you know, a number of events that are beyond your control. That are impacting us as a council you're hearing a lot of this feedback. I've gotten calls from several of my constituents. That are their number one concern is what's going on with the school and it is very difficult in the perception for someone that needs to represent that constituency. It's very difficult to support either one at this point because you know, if we if we say no to you. Then we're saying no to the administration. That's not what we want to do. I think that is a clear cut that we really want to support this. We got a great team. Across the administration that a lot of us call

▶ 1:46:11 Robb Stewart: all the time. And if we say yes, it sheds I think a different light on the school situation. So from that standpoint, I feel like we're caught in the middle a little bit here. So that that's just some feedback. I did have a couple of questions. How soon would this be implemented? Would it be an implemented right away? And you say it's retroactive to last July 1 so they get like a lump sum and then they're there they would of 2020 pretty. Okay. Okay and one, so when and when would this actually hit? implemented before the first of the year before the first year and a question about the the funding this might be for Mr. Della Russo. So the funding for the pay increases is that completely separate from the school contract negotiation

▶ 1:47:08 Robb Stewart: process. or could the results of that negotiation hypothetically draw from this funding source, excellent question the counselor this Fun resource does not restrict school department. From accessing this contract stabilization function. It's never never prayed for them. The argument in the position is that but then the school budget itself. They have a line called or lines contractual obligations resident in the 23 budget which has approximately 1.1 million dollars if I understand it, right if I'm wrong. I say it to be corrected, but that's resident within the budget which is different than what we do. And other than what we on our side of the table, we put in for example for the safe for the fire for this because they

▶ 1:48:04 have already settled. We put in their actual steps and levels that we know that that are attributable to them. And once we settle the contract It Whatever the colon may be and your other adjustments then so we would go to this fund and say if we can't fund it internally within the existing fire budget, for example, we would seek funds from here. To pay to pay the total or part of it. But the position is that we do we do account for steps within our own budget. We don't put the obviously for a lot of for multiple reasons. It's more prudent in my opinion to take that approach then allocate a certain fix some in, you know, perspective budget with one might think that we have, you know, we can take the whole amount that's been allocated. That's not

▶ 1:48:59 In my opinion the best way to bargain I think you got to do it. It's a two-way street. And I think both parties have to feel good that by the end of the day that the negotiating good faith and that they no one gets everything. They don't think anyone should be it also with them and then we funded accordingly but this is worked historically. Well, and again the difference is that within their budget. They allocate funds for contractual obligations and outside the table. We outside of steps. We use the contract stabilization fund to find out police fire lab a clerical as they come do because as you can see many of these take multiple years to settle and as they're going through this process back

▶ 1:49:48 to the original question, you know, why 1.3 million because you have to take into account the only the Retro aspect Council the compounding Is a significant compounding Factor once you exceed the current year and that's sometimes in fact oftentimes is overlooked. You can be paying a compound basis. So this fund has got to be able to sustain those types of obligations when they come do. And again, we don't we encourage contracts. To my perspective my opinion to be settled this time as possible to avoid large retroactive costs which then increases compounding impact. So I always encourage the contracts to the best we can to settle as timely as possible and matter who they are because I think it candidly everyone

▶ 1:50:39 Robb Stewart: benefits from that. Yeah. Appreciate that that's that's interesting information. My question really was more focused on. Yeah, whether it's policy or law and it sounds like it's policy. Yes. It's a okay. All right, great. And the other question I had was and it kind of layers on to it Council McMaster was asking if if this gets implemented January 1 you go and your retroactive and then they have the pay increase then we come up through the budgeting cycle. Where's that 167k coming from? that additional 167k no different than any Collective buying agreement the two the two also that are on this evening will impact this fiscal year just like the other two unions that the non-union will be incorporated

▶ 1:51:28 Robb Stewart: those adjustments in the fy24 budget period but I think my question is a little more fundamental than that if we're going to have an additional 167,000 on to that operating budget and we know everything that is going up. That's gonna have to draw from somewhere, right? Absolutely. so that I just want to make sure that I understand the 10067 is the adjustment. So going forward. We're not going to have that same amount carried over every year. It's not a carryover, but you're going to give them raises and you're not going to stick the races away. Right? Right. It's true so it won't be so there will be an additional 167,000. Dollars because that is the incremental that brings them up to par of what their

▶ 1:52:19 Leila Migliorelli: salary needs to be as I understand it and correctly. Okay, so that's that's 167,000 that's going to be an impact elsewhere in the operating budget that needs to be figured out. You know, no different than the union contractor. Okay. Well the same. Okay, it'll be budget based and we do the budget we'll take into account any adjustments for any Union that will agreed upon for the next fiscal year. Same thing here. Okay. Thank you all appreciate it. Thank you Vice chairman clearly. Thank you madam chair. Thank you. I just echo my fellow fellow counselor and their remarks about this study. I agree that we should be paying all of our employees a fair wage, but also agree that the timing of this is problematic with the

▶ 1:53:10 Leila Migliorelli: teacher Union contracts not being finalized that process I know is not a public process. And so no one here is aware of what the Delta is between what the union is negotiating for and what we're willing to give them just quickly just on Mr. Della Russo, you mentioned that the school has a line item within their operating budget to negotiate teacher contracts. Whereas the city handles all of those contract negotiations in stabilization accounts why the difference in your mind, you know, do you not have the ability to say to the school budget? This should be and we should be creating a stableization. count for for teacher contracts candidly that's has never been part of the process. The school department is always addressed the issue

▶ 1:54:04 Leila Migliorelli: for sale in the wages. That way we make a structural change in that way. That would be a significant change from past practice. Right. So I guess from what we're hearing from constituents is that the schools in the city are sort and they are linked that sort of were there's a dividing line in your mind between how the the school budget is handled and it's not handled in a way that you think gives flexibility like the city side does by negotiating having that ability to cover contracts and you know deltas and amounts that you're expecting to fund an account through a fund salaries and increases through a stabilization account versus in an operating budget. So you're saying that there's that's

▶ 1:54:53 these problematic or just different or just not something you would advise. It's a great question the fundamental differences that due to the education format 1993. That the school committee has the authority on the bottom line. Not me not anyone technically in this room other than the other than approving the amount of the budget and other items that may come up during the year. They have the authority as a school committee to make that decision where to use that money for how much they're going to apply. I don't That's a legal structural difference between us might between the DPW Department the police department the fire. We're not structured that way. so in fact candidly unlike our budgets which when you went when they vote about the

▶ 1:55:44 city council, they have really ingrained and the by Department. You know, what you voted by salary by other expenses by capital. And we don't we need to go to you to change any of those components. That's not the case there. They have tremendous flexibility, which is great to adjust their expenditures during the year as they go along. We don't have that here. We have to go to school committee. We have to go to the city council. So they're fundamental differences in the way that they're structured but having said that I obviously support anything that helps the effort here. I'm on the same page. So so okay. So there's two separate processes ways of doing it legally, but it is true that the school committee could make a

▶ 1:56:34 request. To the council or through the administration. to use the contract stabilization account to help close the teacher contract. Yeah, the school committee can make the quest to this to the mayor's office. They always signal see why they couldn't okay, the obligate the obligation doesn't change the what would change is the funding of that obligation short-term and long term what we again you we have to recycle back. Are we in a position where that's the best practice to do that? Or are we just plug in a hole which is going to be there to counselors Williams point the fy24 what has happened? So the sensitivity is how that is addressed is crucial. Not that it. Doesn't shouldn't be addressed and we shouldn't participate the position

▶ 1:57:26 Leila Migliorelli: is that in what way into what extent because the nature of what we do is when our side is significantly different in what they do on the inside. So it does pose some significant questions in financial challenges, no doubt about it. No doubt about it. It's a great question. Thank you. I think like others have said before, you know in yes in May of this year. We did approve, you know funding the stabilization account for purposes that include non-union salary obligations, but I think the we can't ignore the that were operating in a different reality now given some of the things that are out of you know, you know polyure control and with the school budget side so both not only the teacher contract but the situation with the budget for shortfall which

▶ 1:58:19 Leila Migliorelli: is just I think we're as a the body that oversees, you know, fiscal responsibility for the city and maintaining that it just puts us in an awkward position. I feel like you know, I agree with what my fellow colleagues said with the timing I think we're sort of getting it seems slightly haphazard to be receiving this order that order without having full answers on the whole picture of the Cities finances. And while I see like this timeline is, you know, this is a completion of the study and now we're asking for the money and now we're looking for it to to go retroactively to to July one. It just seems that I you know, I agree that we should be looking maybe at fy24 of that that process starts in January corporating

▶ 1:59:07 Leila Migliorelli: into the budget then makes sense. I know that that's a risk but as we're all saying there's other risks right now at play and we're not talking about them all at the same time and We're in an awkward position where we get to vote Yes or no. We don't have say over priorities. We need to have I think a little bit more Direction and priorities presented to us from the administration in terms of what's important. Here. Are we trying to close teacher contracts? Are we trying to close police and fire contracts? Are we trying to make sure that we're fully, you know, funding our our hardworking City staff. We're not part of unions and making sure that they're being paid equitably all of those things. I

▶ 1:59:45 Leila Migliorelli: think we all want but we need a little bit more guidance in terms of priority and timing so that we're not sacrificing supporting something for something else without understanding the full picture of it. So I think Yeah, I let other counselors ask questions, but I'm I'm inclined to hold this until we have more of a picture of the city's finances and particularly the teacher contract moving forward. Thank you. Thank you councilor Williams. So to the folks from HRS, I want to say thank you for coming and for presenting this study. It was very well done. It really is great to see the city prioritizing equity and pay and meeting your statutory obligations as all of us work very closely with lots of City staff.

▶ 2:00:38 Ryan Williams: All of the time of all different levels. We are, you know, we know that that the city staff is underfunded. and as you the contractors as the folks from HRS said they are completely separate from City politics but no longer because now you see the moment that we're in which is that we have just recently gone through a moment of somewhat of a crisis with our school budget, but even before the school budget issue was surfaced. We have been In Perpetual crisis with our teachers salaries. So it's no reflection on HRS. It's no reflection on the HR department whatsoever. It's just this particular moment Melrose politics and and I think people really wanting to see some movement on a couple of these Equity issues for teachers that have

▶ 2:01:30 Ryan Williams: been that have been lagging for a really long time and I like all the rest of my colleagues. I want to say yes to everything especially raises and Equity raises because they know a lot of the study is about equity and gender Equity. I know that that's baked into to the to the equity Pay Act. So, you know, I I want very badly to say yes to all of that. I want people to come to Melrose to do their best work. I want Melrose to be a community that is like, you know 75th percent or above. The reality of Melrose is that we are in the 16th percent of taxes. We are not even in the top half or even in the middle half of Massachusetts communities in terms of our property taxes and our teachers are in

▶ 2:02:16 Ryan Williams: the 10th percent in terms of what we pay. We're the lowest paid School District in Eastern, Massachusetts. We're almost the lowest paid School District in the entire State and so with all of these things hovering over us as everybody else has said I want to see a more complete picture of this full budget, you know, because I'm a little nervous about what the teachers contract is going to require to close it. I know we have really great staff at the school who are really kind. I know they're not going to ask for a what they should get which is like a 95% raise. They're gonna ask for something modest, you know, and they'll get it and it won't be fair. But it will be something that they can accept

▶ 2:03:02 Ryan Williams: I hope and and keep working for another year because I'm my kids certainly depend on it. And so this this moment for me feels a little bit different, you know in 2019 with the override. I heard a lot about kind of a nightmare scenario of like we're gonna lose our city engineer. We're gonna lose people from the engineering team. We're going to lose, you know, critical services from the school and that really swayed my vote on that issue somebody who was really thin margins on my on my taxes. And today as I work with staff, I see that our engineering team is more stable has more staff and I like that because I work with a lot of those folks all the time, but the schools feel to me like they're in the same place, you know? Yeah, absolutely.

▶ 2:03:44 Ryan Williams: And and so with all that work that's left to be done. I I want to support all of this, but I have I have to I would also support a vote to hold it and that's not to be cruel or vindictive. It's because I just don't know what's going to happen. When we finish all these contract negotiations, especially for police, but also fires, you know to coming up in the schools. So with a little bit of soapbox out of the way, I want to ask you some practical questions counselor garepeoluted this, but I just wanted to confirm the system. The the tiered system that we have in place this request is to fund those salary increases but we have the report in hand that HRS has provided so we now have the ability to classify employees

▶ 2:04:32 Ryan Williams: more appropriately based on the positions that we have and what their actual work is. So even though we can't fund those positions without either a new budget or without a transfer from some other account. We have the theory of it. Give the practice of it does that apply to all employees in the city or just those non-union positions that were studied? Joe the nononian positions that were studied does HRS study Union positions for pay equity. They do okay. So in theory, could we appropriate at some point another 30,000 to do a pay Equity study and the teachers union? If we had 30 if I had a thirty thousand dollar check and I gave it to you you could do it. You could do it. Yeah. We like to see the work that we've done already together

▶ 2:05:28 Ryan Williams: politics. So we just that's our that's our job. Yeah, I totally get it. I totally get appreciate your candor. Appreciate your response. Okay, some of these orders have transfers from the water return to earnings. Is that because their water employees water department? Yeah. Absolutely. I just want to I wanted to put a put a pin in that because sometimes people they look at the water transfers like there's something going on there, but I know from my work on the Water and Sewer committee that often it's just paying for a place to do that work. And and also just finally the the meepa Massachusetts Equal Pay Act. It does have there is a risk to not implementing right because we could you could be brought

▶ 2:06:14 Ryan Williams: it could be not sued but there can be like some kind of action against the city. There is an allowance for something called an affirmative defense. If somebody says you aren't paying me enough you can say well the city has made a reasonable effort to fix the problem. We are to consultant we implemented the study and then the city council put it on. and that would be the city's defense so that risk while present I feel a little bit better about that knowing that there is, you know, a lot of great work being done to To move us in the right direction on these issues and you know wish it were a different moment or maybe the beginning of the fy24 budget cycle when we could see all of this in front

▶ 2:06:53 Maya Jamaleddine: of us and feel. Secure about it, but that's not where we are right now. So. Thank you councilor Williams counselor jimaldine for the second time. Thank you Mr. So if correct me if I'm wrong, I just heard you saying that you know, if the school can that this money that we're using if we both on it to pass can be used for the school and for our teachers. Through the chair the contract stabilization fund which I outlined it earlier does not prohibit. Any Department, I'm having from using the funds period and that would come to the mayor's office. But there's no there's no one saying you can't do that. Absolutely and you mentioned that the mayor's office if they come before us and they say can we use it for our

▶ 2:07:48 Maya Jamaleddine: Educators we get to quote on it and then it would go to you know to that Educators or to the teachers. If in fact that scenario played out that will be the scenario, okay? So I would urge the mayor. to do so So we can resolve this and pass this crisis. I I also wanted to clarify so first let me just finish I do urge. Our mayor and our Administration to come before us with the solution and resources that can fund our school and find a solution for our Educators to be well paid. And the second part of my statement. I just want to say I just want to explain myself, but about the Dai when I mentioned that was mentioned in this presentation. I really find it frustrating for me and pressuring to use this term to push this order. I urge

▶ 2:08:50 Maya Jamaleddine: the administration to find other or additional ways to make our city more Equitable diverse and inclusive for instance to my knowledge and correct me if I'm wrong. We currently don't have I'm is it that FMLA or paid maternity leave? For our staffml. I think you mean pfml. Yes family medical leave. So we don't have that now for our employees. So this is one of the reasons that also make our city more welcoming for minorities and for and and to be more diverse. So there is different ways that we can work on before. We go to this. Phase as well. I just want to mention about the use of the eye in this presentation. Thank you. So it may be helpful as I appreciate Council year. Your comment and what we always have to

▶ 2:09:58 Paul Brodeur: reckon with as a community. visibility to pay and We are about to. Tell that story once again because it frames everything that we do and Patrick is cautious by nature. And the reason why there is but what I hope is an obvious concern about using non-traditional funds like contract stabilization for teachers is that it absolutely impacts our ability or not negotiations with every other collective bargaining unit and our non-union employees. And as much as we would like to know. Exactly at every time exactly what that exposure is going to be we can't because it's the subject of negotiations that don't always occur at the same time the two fire units. I mean, it's two police unit two police happen to

▶ 2:10:56 Paul Brodeur: be on the same cycle. Yeah different from the teachers and different from the firefighters. And as you might imagine quite reasonably they all pay attention to what each other gets that kind of makes a lot of sense particularly in terms of the in terms of the coal was so that that becomes the job we there we could take quite frankly all the money from contracts stabilization and immediately move it over to Contract obligations or was that the right phrasing shop? Oh, yeah, exactly contractual obligations, and we would be all set for a while with the teachers probably enough money in there if you take it all to make it home, maybe not for the whole assuming a three-year contract. Maybe not for the whole three years.

▶ 2:11:44 Paul Brodeur: But then we're finding the money for the retros that we know we have to pay. for police and fire Somewhere else. So it is not wish it was believe me as simple as saying. All right, that's the source move it over. But that to a certain degree kicks the can down the road my goal as someone who has been a union member. Was you know co-author of the pfml legislation? Is to make things better for all employees as best we can. And that is particularly challenging when some folks. Don't have the benefit of collective bargaining. and I think someone mentioned that's something that we have to keep in mind as well. We want to treat all our employees that way and give them the fairest deal that we can afford. I think we

▶ 2:12:40 Paul Brodeur: are sincerely. You know and legally in good faith. That is what we have to pursue and I don't speak for The Spook school committee here tonight, but I know that is what Their intention is and what they have pursued there's obviously can be very very reasonable and strong. disagreement about What does ability to pay mean what is fair in terms of other context, but we are ultimately stuck with. That ability to pay we'll be talking about this in the context of the deficit or the the what is now a structural deficit in my opinion in the school budget about how we're going to attack. That is a city. Because it needs to happen. We're not going to wholesale cut services. But it all costs money and it's going to

▶ 2:13:35 Paul Brodeur: be our Collective job school committee the administration and the city council. To figure out how to do that and I'll tell it's it's not going to be easy. I don't think any of you are are surprised by that. I think it's doable. But it's going to take you know, every everything we think about is going to is going to have to go into the mix. But at the end of the day, we do have to figure out this really hard mystery of how to pay all our employees. fair market a fair markets hardly so we can retain and also figure out we have an operated in a 8% inflation environment probably in the last 20 years, right? So it used to be you could say 2% It's a very reasonable salary because the difference between inflation.

▶ 2:14:28 Paul Brodeur: and the salary is negligible so you don't feel like You're keeping up. You know when the But when you're sitting at home trying to trying to do your budget and someone says I'm getting you a 5% right? That's negative 3. But the most we can take in is two and a half plus some new growth plus whatever the state gives us. These are the times where it gets really hard. I wish it wasn't but that's what we're at. And if it may just telling me his point in those this type of structural deficit which exists now. Will not there's no overnight solution period it's going to take multiple years because you have two oceans happening. Now, you have the depletion of reserves on the school side for my opinion that occurred just to close 22.

▶ 2:15:20 And also you have the deficit itself that we had to fill with one time money. Yet both of those things. Didn't go away. Overnight we closed the year you own those. So now you have an effort here to rebuild your Reserves. To levels that are reasonable and sustainable because they don't have them right now and you also have to go with the deficit the same time. that takes years it took me probably three years as a minimum. Take something like that on and to bring it to fruition. It takes a plan like the mayor indicated. and as long as we can reason through the fact that there's no overnight solution outside and resin is in from my it must be one for an override as was done before to close their structural deficit we have

▶ 2:16:15 to do that collectively without that that's not going to be easy. It's not going to happen in one year. It's not going to happen in 24. It's not going to happen in 25. I'll be lucky if it happens in 26. It's going to be a multi-year effort and it's a mere said and once we can develop that type of a strategy to dress it fantastic, but let's not fool ourselves. This is a real real issue and it's something that thank God my friend we can manage through together literally together. Um, and I don't see any other way we can do that unless we're all in the same page because it won't work. Any other way. It just won't school has been the same page whipping the same page and obviously the city council.

▶ 2:17:05 Jack Eccles: And the school committee candidly. So it's a big it's a big haul it's a big ask it's got to get done. and it will Any other questions answered modeling? No, I would motion to hold. So we have a motion to hold made by counselor. Jamala Dean. We have a second by councilor Eccles. Is there any discussion Counsel Echols, I had some quick questions. In that a lot we're already asked but I think that one thing I want just some clarity around is so it's retroactive to July 1st, but does it also fund the increase throughout the remainder of the fiscal year or we planning on picking it up whenever we pass it? Oh, yeah. So theoretically it's not impacting anyone's take home. If we pass it now or June 15th everyone if

▶ 2:17:57 Jack Eccles: the Retro is going to just be more and that one time payout. Yes, yes in his further. Are there Regional positions included in this what's bundled here? You know, we is Melrose absorbing. The whole increase for those Regional positions as opposed to we usually split the salaries up. among The salaries great question absolutely, right the salaries a distributed by a percentage by community. So an increase here would be shared by the other communities in proportion to what their percentages to the overall program. So right select boards elsewhere are going to be asked to or maybe town meeting or however, it works in a town would be asked to increase to fund that other right great point because who the children we typically do.

▶ 2:18:45 We we advise them to collectively to work on what the budget would be for the next year so they can April for town meeting. They could take that number to tell me. And if we ever spent out of contract stabilization for non-union employees. Have we ever spent up this phenon Union? Have to go look at the last 10-year history. You see if there's been any distribution. I know typically it's Union and we do try as I mentioned earlier, we've been pretty successful at it trying to address any issues to non-union through into departmental transfers, which would go through this city council because again, the best Revenue application is currently with current revenue and that's the best way to to always look at it currently at

▶ 2:19:37 Jack Eccles: current expense period that's the best way to do it. And then this is not including any cost of living. This is just bringing everyone kind of in line with where we think they should be and then the steps and cost of living. Come up in 2024. Yes. so 2024 would look like what's Pretend This doesn't go through and so we take this 167,000. That needs to be spent to bring everyone to where they're they belong then in 2024 people get a step and all 70 get a cola. Is that what like the 2024? No, what would have to do is that we have to shuffle the deck at the point. We're going to commence of July 2024. We have to take a step back. We can calibrate make it determination through the mayor's office. What type

▶ 2:20:29 of cola will be applied for 24 if any And then go back and one by one make check each person what applies to them what it look like for 24 what step would they be on are they trained if somebody not change some may be redlined they may just be where they're at period that's also happens, but we have to recalibrate the entire package. So you wouldn't see an instance where you would need to bring someone down from where this 167 would bring them up to? I can't imagine that we would but I again we have to look at everybody's salary because as we said earlier different in different positions are different steps and there's there's different percent between steps. So we have to look closer to see if there were

▶ 2:21:20 if they had 3.5% increase and then they were supposed to get only 2% according to the new plan. So we really have to it's hard to answer. We have to look at every position. And then how are you going to determine the cost of living increase? Every year and who's responsible for that? Ultimately me. Based on the recommendation, you know based on budget analysis. What what's affordable and fair? And then last question, this was only looking at salary compensation, right? No paid time off. No any other benefit? For the market against the market rather actually HRS did an analysis of our benefits in our PTO and that's comparable with the market. Anyone else on discussion counselor Williams. I just

▶ 2:22:14 Ryan Williams: wanted to Circle back because we've all set a lot that Mr. Delaroso said that we should all be on the same page and I agree. We should be on the same page. I think that page is the fiscal 24 operating budget. That's the page. I would like to see us on for this and yeah, yeah, and I know you all are working on it, you know, there's there's nothing that I'm quick counselor. There's nothing that precludes a certain putting from putting this into the fy24 budget. It's definitely a nice to have and I feel for the folks who? You know whose names are on this list because it can't come soon enough for a lot of people I'd be interested to know if you think there's an alternate source of funding. for this

▶ 2:22:57 Ryan Williams: I know the contract stabilization fund is literally designed for it. I know it's designed for it. You know given the looming question of all these different contracts that are outstanding. I'm just curious. Is there another source of funding that could be considered for something like this outside if we cash at this point, I would not offer anything else up. So other than so you're saying other than free cash. I would yeah put cash once it gets certified. Obviously. He's an opportunity but that again can happen to a public December January. Right? Right. Okay, that's it for me. No questions. Thank you all very much. Just before I call for the vote. I wanted to just quickly say I had asked many of my questions in advance email

▶ 2:23:39 Jen Grigoraitis: but I think what you may or Broder and Mr. Della research just said about kind of the challenges that are before us as precisely why I'm supportive holding this I think until we understand not just the teacher contract but also the anticipated shortfall in the fy24 school budget, which I know was referenced at the October 18th school committee meeting. It feels really Irresponsible for us to be adding to the bottom line of the budget without first figuring out how we get to make our current system whole so I believe in increasing compensation for staff. They are a critical resource. They're also recurring resource and to me that's something that belongs in a budget and that's what we should be looking to do going forward. I also just want

▶ 2:24:21 Jen Grigoraitis: to highlight. I've been concerned about the back and forth about mipa which has been a loss since 2018 that the city of Melrose has needed to be in compliance with I looked back at the minutes from the February 8th 2021 meeting where we initially discussed this study and the then city solicitor assured me that we were in compliance. So it would be helpful to get some clarity because I feel like depending on who's been talking tonight. It's it's been a little unclear. So to have some further follow-up and that would be appreciated. So unless there's any other discussion I will call for the role. Mr. Clark Vice chairman Leila. Yes. Counselor McMaster. Yes counselor Eccles. Yes counselor garpy. Yes counselor. Jamaladin.

▶ 2:25:07 Jen Grigoraitis: Yes counselor Stewart. Yes Council Williams. Yes president. Sonella. Yes. And sugar greatest. Yes, that's 9. Yes 9. Yes, so that order is held and it can be held in committee for 45 days. Thank you all for being here tonight. Thank you very much for all your time. Thank you. Next we have order 2023-30 inappropriation in the amount of 72,170 dollars so fun fiscal 2023 of the local 272 clerical Union contract. The requested appropriation is from the following accounts 63,378 dollars from the contract stabilization fund account 84042-590,000 4,396 from sewer reserve for retained earnings account. Number eight four one five two dash five nine zero zero zero zero and 4,396 from water reserve for retained earnings account number

▶ 2:26:09 Jen Grigoraitis: 84162-590,000 to various salary in wage lines as set forth here in offered by mayor Broder. We are still under the suspension suspension of our rules. If you I believe we have our city solicitor with us as well as Mr. Delaware, so Good evening counselors. Thank you. Through the chair. I'm happy to start and give a summary it had of the collective bargaining agreements that are before council tonight funding and I can let Mr. Delaware so address the funding mechanism where the finances are planning to come from According to the auditor's office. So these two orders so I'm referring to 2023 30 and 2023 31 through the chair. These are before you tonight as a result of two success or collective bargaining agreements being fully

▶ 2:26:55 ratified by two different unions within the city one the laborers union, which is I believe currently it's 50. It's generally 50 to 55 labor employees within the city of Melrose that work for us and the clerical Union 33 city employees. Currently these successor Collective Barney agreements cover the time period between June 27th 22 and June 29th 25 These agreements were executed. Like I said by the unions after that ratification votes taken by their full union membership in the city through mayor Broder the end of September 2022 subject only to funding of the economic items by the city council, which is why we're here before you tonight the major economic items agreed upon in these contracts. I did submit as a memo to council before

▶ 2:27:41 tonight's meeting. I'll briefly highlight those for you now the clerical Union cost of living adjustments fiscal year 23 2% fiscal year 24 one seven five one point seven five percent fiscal year 25, 1.75% the second and third years of the contract for clerical. We agreed to add one new Step that will be added to the salary schedule which will be 2% higher than the previous step in previous steps on their salary scale. It's sort of range between two and maybe six percent. So we've agreed any new Step will be at 2% if we add it and that is an effort to retain senior staff. Honestly a lot of them. At the end of their scale for salary purposes and also to provide for salary growth in our current employees that we

▶ 2:28:25 value effective fiscal 23. All Elementary School nurses will also be moved up to a group 14, which is the same as the other Middle School and High School nurses historically they were in a lower group and making less so that is obviously in an effort to maintain internal equity and retain those hard to fill positions of the school nurses. the laborers union cost of living adjustments fiscal year 23 actually all three fiscal years 1.75% for coolers the difference here. We added one new step. One new step is added on salary schedule 2% higher than the previous step for each year. So we've added one new step to the end of the salary schedule for each year of their contract and aside from the economic items.

▶ 2:29:11 I can give you a brief overview just of some of the other agreed to terms of the agreement between the parties which again was negotiated in good faith over a series of collective barbecue bargaining sessions ranging from about March of this year to August or September. The clerical Union during negotiations. We did analyze and upgrade correct the job classification schedule for their Union various titles. We clarified language in various sections of the contract that was long overdue to be clarified and corrected for current practice. We changed sections relative to extra time over time Colin pay clearly defined hours of work finally for School nurses at the various schools. We added a clothing allowance for School nurses. So we added the Juneteenth as

▶ 2:29:54 a holiday for both unions actually and we amended schedules and tuition reimbursement section to include reimbursement for bargaining and employees for costs associated with obtaining and maintaining mandated licenses as part of their job labor is just a few of the extra items agreed upon. We added a winter operations over time shift differential for work that's done before or after the regularly scheduled shift specifically for snow or ice operations, which is historically difficult to get people to come in for so that was an important item we agreed. Going to set time period we updated a list of state mandated licenses for which a stipend would be received and updated various language around minimum callback hours of work

▶ 2:30:35 Shawn M. MacMaster: overtime. And we also added Juneteenth as a holiday. So with that I'm happy to answer any questions Council might have on those two contracts. Thank you. Any questions from the council? Council McMaster Madam chair, no question. But thank you Miss Phillips, but considering that both contracts have been ratified after the collecting collective bargaining process. I make a motion to conjoin order 2023 30 which is a clerical Union contract with order twenty twenty three Thirty one, which is a laborers union contract second. So we have emotion to conjoin orders 2023-30 and orders in order 2023-31 made by councilor McMaster seconded by counselor Eccles all in favor any opposed. Okay. Those orders are now conjoined. Thank

▶ 2:31:18 Jen Grigoraitis: you. Councilor McMaster and Madam chair unless there are any questions that would make a motion to recommend at this time as conjoined. Second so we have emotion to recommend the conjoined orders 2023-30 in order 2023-31 made by counselor McMaster seconded by counselor Stewart. Is there any discussion Seeing none Mr. Clerk. Can you please call the roll? Vice chairman mcderly. Yes. Counselor McMaster. Yes counselor Eccles. Yes, counsel. Gerepe. Yes counselor Dean. Yes counselor Stewart. Yes Council Williams. Yes. President Stella. Yes and chair Grace. Yes, that's nine. Yes, and yes. So both of those orders will be recommended to the full Council. Thank you both. Thank you very much everyone. Thank you all my

▶ 2:32:09 Jen Grigoraitis: free time. Last but certainly not least the prize for those patient department head. We have grant 2023-1 department of justice Bureau of Justice assistance. Stop School violence program Grant we have health director Choi here tonight. Okay, honestly, thank you the city council for having me tonight very excited to announce that we were selected one of nine Awards by the doj for the Stop School violence prevention Grant. This is a million dollar Grant that's been awarded over three years. We wrote this grant in conjunction with the school district in town of Stoneham and town of Wakefield. We were able to cure this grant through our Public Health Specialists. Emily Hatchell who did a great job putting getting all the school administration together

▶ 2:32:55 during a busy time. So this grant million dollars over three years allows us to fund three adjustment counselors one for each school district for three years fully funded and we also have fun left over to work on projects such as de-escalation training. We also have school school adjustment and other professional development opportunities for teachers and staff that work with students. We also have plenty of opportunities to work with policy makers on kind of Bridging the Gap of what we're teaching students and staff and helping to get the messaging into the community. There's no matching requirement for this grant. So the city is able to kind of further our substance use prevention efforts as well as work on work on

▶ 2:33:41 Jen Grigoraitis: projects around gun violence prevention education. Thank you. Any questions from the council counselor Eccles. I'd make a motion recommend second. So we have a motion to recommend made by counselor Eccles seconded by presidents and I'll just on discussion. So the three adjustment counselors would they'll be City they'll be school Personnel paid for through this grant. So we're working on those details right now. I think contractually makes sense for the subcontract to the schools School personnel. And is this I'm assuming this school department is aware of this. Correct? Yes. Thank you. Any Council McMaster? Thank you. Madam. Chair does the grant require any type of matching funds from the city? No matching funds. Thank you.

▶ 2:34:24 Shawn M. MacMaster: Mr. Clark, can you please call the world? Vice chair. Miggly early. Yes counselor McMaster. Yes counselor Echols. Yes Council. Gerepe Yes Yes concert Jamal Dean. Yes counselor Stewart. Yes counselor Williams. Yes, president Salary. Yes and Jerry Gregorius. Yes, that's nine. Yes, and yes, so that will be recommended to the full Council for approval. Thank you for being here tonight. And that concludes Appropriations and oversight agenda for this evening. I will actually hire Mr. Councilor McMaster. Did you want to just standing of a personal privilege just to remind my colleagues and the public that Friday is Veterans Day and at 10 am we'll be having our annual Veterans Day event and activities here in Melrose. It will begin at the

▶ 2:35:12 Jen Grigoraitis: Vietnam reflection area, which is at the Knoll lacros from the middle school. Again, that's at 10 am we'll be moving from there over to the Vietnam memorial on Main Street, and we will conclude at the owner role. So hopefully I'll see some of you there and hoping that the public can come out to support our veterans. Thank you. Thank you for the reminder and I just want to remind everyone that tomorrow is election day polls are open from 7:00 am to 8pm. Our voting location is the middle school. And so hopefully everyone can take advantage of that and thank you in advance to our Board of registrars and city clerk staff for all that. They do just deliver our elections and with that cancer. Madam chair. I'll make a motion to return second. We

Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2022-11-07

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