Finance Committee — 2024-01-22
Attendance
Manjula Karamcheti ; Leila Migliorelli ; Devin Romanul ; Robb Stewart ; Kimberly Vandiver ; Ryan Williams
Agenda
- Call to Order
- Public Comment
- Orders
- ORDER-2024-18 : Calling a Presidential Primary Election Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School gymnasium complex
- ORDER-2024-19 : Authorizing officer detail assignment to the polls for the 2024 elections
- Adjournment
Minutes
CITY OF MELROSE FINANCE COMMITTEE CALENDAR● JANUARY 22, 2024 Council Chamber, First Floor, Melrose City Hall Committee Meeting 7:05 PM 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 The public should take notice that the Melrose City Council may, on certain occasions, have a quorum in attendance due to standing committees of the City Council consisting of both voting and non-voting members. Members attending this duly posted meeting are participating and deliberating only in conjunction with the business of the standing committee. Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Robb Stewart Chair Present Kimberly Vandiver Vice Chair Present Manjula Karamcheti Present Ryan Williams Present Devin Romanul Present Leila Migliorelli President, Ex Oficio Present Non-voting members present include Councilor Finocchiaro, Councilor Garipay, Councilor Hamilton and Councilor Obremski.
ORDER-2024-18 Calling Election Calling a Presidential Primary Election Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School gymnasium complex Ought to Pass City Council
ORDER-2024-19 Election Authorizing officer detail assignment to the polls for the 2024 elections Ought to Pass City Council City of Melrose Page 1 2/8/2024 12:14 PM
Transcript
▶ 2:48 Robb Stewart: Aye. Aye. Opposed? We are adjourned. Good evening. I'm Council Stewart, the chair of the Finance Committee. This is a meeting of the Finance Committee. Um, joining me are Vice Chair vandiver, uh, and voting members, uh, councilors Williams, uh, Romano and President Exofficio, uh, Elli and non-voting members, uh, councilors, Garey Pay, um, let's see, non-voting. Uh, Hamilton, Reky and, uh, Pinocchio. I get everyone. Okay. Uh, this provides the notice of a quorum for the record. And according with the Open Meeting law, this meeting is being recorded and broadcast on MMT v three.org, uh, as well as being live streamed on the website. Uh, you can access this for future viewing on the City of Melrose's, uh, meeting portal.
▶ 3:48 Robb Stewart: Uh, so without, um, objection, I'll motion to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objection, public comment is now open. Is there anybody, uh, within the public that wishes to come speak on the matters? On the agenda this evening? If you could please state your name and address. My name is John McLaren. I reside at 2 23 Essex Street, apartment 35. My As. As we are continuing to a new election cycle, we are still having one central location for voting despite, and I know the, the committee's talked about opening up other ones too. This isn't a condemnation of the other things. I've practiced all three. I've mail in vote, um, vote, early vote, and I've, you actually attended the gymnasium,
▶ 4:45 which I found very organized and very well done. But this is a cop process of giving people choices to vote, which makes it better for our democracy. The more places open, the more places people can vote. Some people just enjoy the voting election day, the tradition of it. So, um, with the next election you're gonna be talking about is March 5th. March. Weather can be anything. So to bring down polls and stuff like that. And I, I know you're not, it can't be done in a day. And some people may argue with the, um, the process of the primaries. It's gonna be a, a vote just to click check the name off, and not really a, well, a big election. But as we go further down with the November election town elections, uh, override elections, we may,
▶ 5:42 the ability for people to have a voice needs to be done a little bit more. And like I said, no complaints about any of the other three options. This isn't a complaint about how this is a complaint. This is a, a comment about the ability of people to have more multiple choices in order to cast their voice. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anybody else that wishes to speak in public comment? Mr. Cliff, is there anybody online? Um, There's few participants, but I don't see any digital hands raised. Okay. Without, uh, objection. I'll motion to close public comment. Public comment is now closed. Uh, we have two orders on the agenda tonight. Uh, Mr. Clerk, could you read the first order Order 2024 dash 18,
▶ 6:34 Robb Stewart: calling a presidential primary election Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the Melrose Veterans Middle Middle School gymnasium complex. So, I, I two requests to the committee. Um, I believe we have someone that can speak. Uh, so I would entertain a motion to suspend Rule 37 A BA. So moved. Second. We have a motion to suspend Rule 37 A made by Council Williams seconded by President under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Okay. We're, we're under suspension of rules. So Madam Clerk, if you wish to come forward Evening. So we have this, uh, order before us. This is for the election that's happening on Tuesday, March 5th. Um, are there any questions by the committee for
▶ 7:42 Madam Clerk, vice Chair, uh, Vanderberg, Um, uh, to the point that was raised, if, um, the city council were to opt to adopt additional polling locations for this election, what would be the deadline to do something like that? So we have about five weeks receiving vote by mail postcards. Now, I'm anticipating ballots in the next couple of weeks to shift to polling locations, you would need the au author, the authorization of the state. This is a state election, but to move polling locations in general, they're state guideline driven. Um, so we would need you, you'd need to put a, uh, some kind of committee together or through the chair, however you would, the finance department would work with state officials.
▶ 8:27 Our legal department, we put on whatever election the city council would put forward in compliance with state law. So that's working with the Secretary of the Commonwealth Election Division. Okay. Thanks. Sure. Anybody else in the committee? Constable Williams. Um, I just wanted to reiterate the question that Councilor Vandiver asked. Do you have a sense of the actual deadline that An order like that would need to be filed before? So I'm anticipating thinking locations, accessibility. Yeah. Um, I would not know what, how long of a deadline the state would need to approve something like that. That's something that would, that that team of people that would have to look into. Okay. I The five weeks is a quick turnaround time
▶ 9:17 Robb Stewart: to do a March 5th Election. Yeah. Understood. In, in whatever multiple locations the committee decides they wanna put forward the council, excuse me. The committee Council. Yeah. Thank you. Sure. Thank you. Uh, as, uh, many of you may have seen, uh, for the chair to address, uh, any opinion or ask any questions we would need to suspend Rule 21 C or we would need to relieve the chair for the vice chair. So at this time, I would entertain a motion to suspend Rule 21 C. Second. Oh, so moved. Sorry. Okay, second. So, uh, we have a motion to sip, suspend Rule 21 C, uh, made by Councilor Roal, uh, seconded by Council Occhio, oh, I'm sorry. Feno, uh, by Fond ofr vice chair fond her my apologies. Under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed?
▶ 10:22 Robb Stewart: Okay. So we are un we are under, um, suspension of Rule 21 C. So, um, I would just like to state for the record that as I've stated before, while you know that I am opposed to a single voting location, I do not want to vote against this because I want to see an election process going forward. Um, for the council and for the public, I have reached out to understand what is necessary to look into having multiple voting locations that is under process right now. It's not simple, as I understand, it's fairly complex. We have to get state legal involved. Um, but that is in the early stages. So it is being considered. Um, I will continue to support this, but still object to the fact we have one location.
▶ 11:10 So President Elli. Thank you. Um, just wanna clarify for the public this particular order to call a presidential primary election. Um, and just if you could clarify, clerk foot is, is not really an option. We have to call a public. I mean, a primary Yeah. State law requires a warrant to be issued for the location to, to notify residents where the location is are and the time on that date. 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM It's not an option. It's also the three elections this year are state elections. The locals have absolutely nothing to do with the state elections in terms of, um, warrants, locations are something that you would look into. But calling the warrants the dates and hours, that's by mass general law. Right.
▶ 11:56 Leila Migliorelli: And if, and just further, if, as you said, and just to put a finer point on it to, um, a council, a council member would have to put down an order to change, um, to change location. But that would have to be done in con consultation with the state. So one could put down an order, it could end up being illegal. You have to kind of go through that due process. And as we know, orders come down in a council meeting, get sent to committee, go back to council. So you're talking at least like six week process to just do that once you're approved to, to. So just be clear for the public, this isn't something that could be changed anyways for March. Um, and, uh, the next one after that would be September. Yeah. Okay.
▶ 12:35 Robb Stewart: The Elections Division will put on whatever locations the city council has put forth in compliance to the state law. Thank you. Sure. Thank you for that clarification. What is the will of the committee? Are there, well, first, are there any further questions? What is the will of the committee Motion? A motion for passage. A motion, yeah. Passage based on file. Sorry. So we have a motion for to recommend for passage made by President Elli. Do we have a second? We'll, second. Second. By Councilor Romanul, under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Okay. This motion will be recommended to the full counsel, Mr. Clerk. Um, do you mind reading the second Order? 2024 dash 19 authorizing officer detail assignment
▶ 13:29 Robb Stewart: to the polls for the 2024 elections. It's open to the committee. Questions from the committee. What is the will of the committee? Is there a motion to recommend from the, I recommend we, uh, pass this. We have a motion to recommend by, uh, vice Chair of handover. Second. Second by President me under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Okay. This is also recommended for the full council, Mr. Crook. That concludes our finance committee discussions. Um, I will entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn by Vice Chair Vandiver. Second. Second by Councilor Romanul. Under discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Thank you. Good evening, everyone.