Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2025-05-19
Attendance
Cal Finocchiaro ; Mark Garipay ; Ward Hamilton ; Maya Jamaleddine ; Manjula Karamcheti ; Leila Migliorelli ; John Obremski ; Devin Romanul ; Robb Stewart ; Kimberly Vandiver ; Ryan Williams
Agenda
Minutes
CITY OF MELROSE APPROPRIATIONS & OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CALENDAR● MAY 19, 2025 Council Chamber, First Floor, Melrose City Hall Committee Meeting 7:00 PM 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Maya Jamaleddine Vice Chair Present Cal Finocchiaro Present Ward Hamilton Present Manjula Karamcheti Present John Obremski Absent Devin Romanul Present Robb Stewart Absent Kimberly Vandiver Late 7:03 PM Ryan Williams Present Leila Migliorelli President, Ex Oficio Present Mark Garipay Chair Present
(ID # 12678) Operating Budgets (City, School, Regional School) Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget in the amount of $107,575,802. Hold Appropriations & Oversight Committee
(ID # 12675) Revolving Fund/Reauthorization Reauthorization of the City of Melrose Revolving Fund Table for Fiscal 2026. Hold Appropriations & Oversight Committee City of Melrose Page 1 5/28/2025 2:47 PM
Transcript
▶ 0:00 Mark Garipay: It a two mile triple check. Good evening. The time is seven o'clock on Monday, May 19th. This is AM Meet. This is a meeting of the Appropriations and Oversight Committee. I'm Mark Garp, the chair. Also joining me tonight is Vice Chair Jamal Ledine, councilors, uh, Williams Counselor Hamilton, counselor Chetty Counselor Romano Counselor Fanucchi, uh, and President Mili that serves as a notice of a quorum in accordance with the open meeting law. This meeting is being recorded and broadcast live on MMTV. Um, I will motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objections. The, um, public comment portion of the meeting is now open. Uh, this is the portion of the meeting
▶ 0:51 Mark Garipay: where the public may speak to any items on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoint on other matters are also welcome. If there's anyone in the gallery that would like to speak, uh, with regards to anything on, uh, tonight's agenda or anything, uh, please, please come up seeing no one in the gallery. Is there anyone online? Nope. Um, seeing no one online, if there are no objections, I'll motion by unanimous consent to close the public comment portion of the meeting. Public comment is now closed. Okay, we're moving on. Um, we're on to, uh, budget presentations. First up is Department five 11 Health, and we have, uh, Anthony Chu with us today. The floor is yours. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you to the council, um,
▶ 1:48 for the chance to present tonight. Um, our Health and Human Services Department is, um, is continuing a regional partnership that we've had, uh, for the last at least three years with, um, Melrose Wakefield and Stoneham. We continue to be successful in providing services in, in, in the inspection services area, public health nurses, and substance use, prevention and community health. Um, just as a, just as a reminder, uh, myself, the director, our, our senior public health nurse and our senior health inspector positions are shared with the town of Stoneham and the town of Wakefield. Um, we continue to provide regional services, and that's allowed us to, um, be eligible for grants and for other opportunities.
▶ 2:31 Um, we hold the Public health excellence grant currently, which is a six town, uh, grant. With Melrose being the fiscal agent, uh, we've enjoyed, um, the ability to, um, use that money for training, for professional development, for, um, equipment, and being able to maintain our, uh, our staffing, um, and how, and make sure that they meet the minimum standards. Um, we also, this year, were able to accomplish great policy work. So we became only the third board of health in the state to adopt nicotine free generation. This policy marks a significant public health milestone that looks to provide the end game to tobacco in all of its in all of its harms. Um, for those who don't know, the nicotine free generation policy institutes a, um,
▶ 3:23 birth date restriction. So, uh, January 1st, 2004 was the birth date that was selected by the Board of Health. And so anybody born on or after January 1st, 2004 would not be able to purchase tobacco. Um, this policy threads a very fine needle of not affecting those who are able to purchase tobacco products already, um, but also slowly phase out a generation at a time, those, um, that would be able to purchase tobacco. And so this will lead to, um, decreased use over time. And our policy also, uh, hinges upon other cities and towns who adopt this policy to make it effective. Uh, and so far we've had 16 communities adopt this in Massachusetts, um, all of our surrounding communities and now spreading across the state as well.
▶ 4:07 There's also been a state bill filed as well, uh, on this. So, um, policy is one of our, is one of our greatest, uh, areas that we've been working on. We've also been working on public health nursing, um, and expanding our camp, uh, camp regulations and oversight. We have been, we have been, uh, striving to be leaders in this area. We have been following the new Department of Public Health Camp regulations and enforcement requirements. Uh, so this includes preventative health measures, uh, expanded training for staff at summer camps. And we hope that this will continue, um, for all of our camps. I think in the last three years, we've seen, uh, great progress in our camps and their understanding of how important it's
▶ 4:49 to provide safe, uh, accommodations for, for children and our community. So we will continue to do that as well. Our, uh, substance use prevention and community health branch continue to do great work. We have been applying for additional grants, um, including the Health Strategic, uh, prevention Framework. Um, this is in, in partnership with our schools, and this is a regional grant that we're applying for. Um, we applied for $250,000, uh, across, uh, for the next five years. Uh, we, we are waiting to hear back on that grant to see if we'll be able to get that, that specifically targets, uh, substance use prevention and violence prevention as part of our, as part of our mission. Uh, we are currently wrapping up year three
▶ 5:32 of a three year grant for stop school violence. Um, the grant that was achieved three years ago, uh, we've been able to provide lots of training for our school staff, um, and for our, our students when it comes to identifying bullying, um, in all of its different forms and preventing violence at the schools. Um, we've also been able to apply for, um, the gambling mitigation funds from the, um, mass Gaming Commission. And that is, uh, that is money allotted to communities that may be impacted by the expansion of the casino. Uh, we've applied for $120,000, uh, from this, from this gambling mitigation, a lot of it will go towards, um, our mission of harm reduction education, uh, for our schools, uh, for our students, uh,
▶ 6:17 understanding the harms of gambling, and also for our seniors that are affected by, uh, gambling as well. Uh, we are working in partnership with our Council on Aging Department, um, as well and economic development. We are working on different projects that will be able to offset with these, uh, with the gambling mitigation funds. Um, we have seen a reduction in our services due to the budget constraints. Um, this year we are seeing a reduc, a reduction in pest control services, um, as well as prevention and wellness staffing. Um, so this will result in, um, a decrease in services from our department. We are doing our best to cover those areas that we've been able to work on. That includes grant, app, uh, applying for grants,
▶ 6:59 Kimberly Vandiver: community health initiatives, gambling, harm mitigation, and youth programming. Um, so, uh, as, as the city navigates these budget constraints, we also hope to, um, provide kind of sustainable programming and sustainable services as well. Thank you. Um, any questions for Mr. Chu from the council? Council V. Thank you. Um, I have two questions. One is that you mentioned some efficiencies that, um, that you worked on this year, and I don't know if you spoke to, um, say it was a few minutes late, but, uh, what will the time that would've been spent on those tasks be rolled into? Um, the efficiencies? Oh, so for the, for the, uh, for the staff that we're losing. Is that correct? Um, let me take a look.
▶ 7:47 Kimberly Vandiver: Sorry if I, uh, oh, my apologies. I, I think that was for a different budget. Um, my my other question, um, was about incidents in the schools that we've heard about, and you mentioned about bullying. Is there, um, is there any indication that those incidents would've been more numerous or worse if this work hadn't been done? Or is this something that you can, um, include in your focus? Absolutely. So, um, the reason we applied for the stop school violence grant originally was because we were hearing about the kind of evolving landscape of bullying that takes the form of, um, online bullying. Um, kind of the classical in-person kind of, uh, bullying wasn't just the only form that was happening.
▶ 8:28 So, um, three years ago, um, this is post pandemic, so we're seeing a change in, you know, change in the ways that this happens. So when we applied for it, we applied as a region. We actually, uh, agreed that having an additional adjustment counselor focused on bullying and violence was something that would target some of these areas. Um, so each school district has had a fully funded adjustment counselor, uh, new position, um, for the last three years. Um, and they have addressed many of these areas. So they work on both prevention and intervention as well. So when there's a case of, um, bullying or violence happening at the middle or high school level, um, they're able to kind of be part of
▶ 9:04 that care team, um, for all parties as well as working on kind of primary prevention. So working with students, doing education on what is bullying, you know, how to help friends or how to report who to talk to. And then also working with our teachers on professional development. Um, those are things that we identify were areas that would be, um, positive. And I think those effects will be seen even after this grant goes away. We're applying for a second round of this funding for another three years. But, uh, in the event if the kind of, um, unstable kind of federal, um, environment, if this grant is not awarded again, um, I think the positive, um, positives from this grant will carry forward with,
▶ 9:40 Manjula Karamcheti: with the staff that I've been trained. Thank you. Thank You. Councilor McNaught, and then councilor, um, vice chair, uh, Aldi, Thank you so much for being here tonight. Um, appreciate all the efforts coming out of your department. If you don't have the answer to this, it's totally fine. I should have called you before, but I'm just curious, like what percentage of like the budget that you work on would you say comes from the city? And then you've mentioned a lot of grants. Do you have a sense of like, the amount, grant writing takes a lot of time, energy, resources before the funding even comes in? So I'm just curious if you have a ballpark. Sure. So, um, two of the major grants that we work with,
▶ 10:25 the Tobacco Prevention grant, as well as the Public Health Excellence grant, um, those two are completely grant funded. Um, so those are two major parts of our department. Um, they continue to, you know, add value. Um, and then we also have someone in our budget, the public health specialist who work specifically on substance use prevention and community health. Um, that person has been department funded, but they've also we're responsible for the $300,000 grant, um, for the stop school violence and, um, as well as the, uh, the upcoming grants that we're applying for. So, um, a a good portion, I would say. Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate that. 'cause I know how important that type of work can be Absolutely.
▶ 11:01 Maya Jamaleddine: To sustain, uh, the great work your department is doing. So it's appreciated. Thank you. Thank You. Uh, vice chair, Jamal. Thank you, chair. Um, it's, um, actually, it's, um, a very similar question. Um, um, is it your staff that are dedicating hours from their own schedule to write those grants? Uh, is that how you're Yeah, so I would, I would say as a team effort, but, uh, a lot of our grant writing is, is led by our public health specialist who's in our, who's in our budget. Um, she, she goes out and looks for grants that would be appropriate for the mission that we're, that we're, that we're striving towards. Um, not that we would turn down most grants, but, um, we generally look for grants that would fit the mission.
▶ 11:43 Maya Jamaleddine: We don't just kind of apply for everything because, um, I feel like if we apply, you know, for the ones that make sense, um, we have a better chance of getting them in the first place. Um, and because of our partnership with our, our region, um, we have a better chance just in terms of population and our numbers. Right. And, and you know, like, uh, grants are very important right now because of how much we are stretched with, and not only the city, but every municipalities is being stretched, uh, uh, with the new rules, um, and policies. Um, um, if you were, and I don't expect that you have that answer, but if you were gonna, um, uh, give us, um, a number, how long does grants take from, um, your personnel?
▶ 12:27 Yeah, I would say, um, generally we try, we, we will find out about, if we're lucky, we find out about grants two months ahead of time, that's ideal. Um, but we basically dedicate the next, um, you know, two months to writing. We have to talk with our technical assistance providers, um, to kind of figure out what they're looking for in the grant. Um, and it usually requires more than one person because it touches on several different fields. So, um, grant writing is a pretty, is a pretty, um, complex process. I, I used to do it as part of my job, and I'm glad it's not my full-time job anymore. Um, but yeah, it just, uh, as part of, it's kinda an overview, grant writing is very complex and we usually have to go back and forth several times
▶ 13:01 Maya Jamaleddine: to even, uh, make sure if a grant fits. So, Um, I appreciate that. I just, um, um, I wanted to thank you for all the work that your department have been doing. I know how much now it's, uh, um, it's been a challenge to keep up with all, uh, what's going on around and how much, uh, wellbeing and taking care of, um, uh, our health and the community health is important. So thank you for the work that you're doing. Absolutely. Thank you, Councilor. Uh, Ramal. Thank you. Um, thank you so much for the memo and, and all this information. I, I had a couple of, uh, questions that were answered, but I did want you to speak, uh, if you don't mind, to, um, the bifurcated, uh, salary lines, the salary and wages versus the school nurse salaries.
▶ 13:47 And, um, you know, you talked through some of the reductions that were happening in the contractual, uh, bucket of expenses, but I'm wondering if you could walk us through what those shifts are and, and how that affects programming. Sure. So, um, our, I can, I can start with the school nurses, um, budget. 'cause that doesn't change much. Um, so the, the school nurses budget, we have, uh, one school nurse in every, in every school, except for the middle and high school where we have two each. Um, that, that staffing is gonna remain the same, uh, for this upcoming year. Uh, in terms of our salary and wages, you're seeing a slight reduction. Um, and that's because, um, care showers our prevention
▶ 14:19 and wellness specialist, um, that person, um, was partially funded by the budget. Um, we are currently moving that per, we are moving car showers onto the opioid funds. Um, the opioid fund mitigation is funding that was provided to cities and towns that, um, that applied for it. That's to admit to offset the harm caused by the opioid epidemic. Um, so we have programming, um, we have programming in place for that. Um, however, with the, with the movement of, um, her salary to this, to this line item, we're losing some of that community health work that she was doing. So she was specifically focused on kind of age friendly work. Uh, as you can see in some of our descriptions, um, we talked about some of the, uh, dementia friends
▶ 14:54 Mark Garipay: and CPR training, um, things that were worked in collaboration with other departments. And now the focus will be mostly on the opioid funds and the substance use prevention objectives. Um, so we're losing some of that community health work, um, moving forward. Well, thank you very much. I I appreciate that, that granular detail, and thank you for all that you Do. Thank you. Great. Anyone else? Um, I just had two quick questions. You had mentioned the opioid, uh, funding. Yes. Uh, by moving, um, MS. Showers over to the, uh, what, what will we not be able to do with that opioid money that we would've probably have done this year? So we've already budgeted out certain, um, certain activities with the opioid funds.
▶ 15:32 A lot of it'll go towards education. So we're partnering with the schools, um, to talk about opioid education, um, working with our families to discuss that. Um, we also have, uh, we also have talked about potentially using it for, um, so over living home scholarships. Um, other, other cities and towns have considered this idea as a direct service to residents. Um, there's definitely difficulties, you know, from figuring out, you know, how to, how to best distribute those funds. Um, we're also still receiving guidance from the state, as you know, as to how best to use those opioid funds. I think other cities and towns have struggled, um, because there are pretty stringent requirements, um, for that, for that usage.
▶ 16:06 Mark Garipay: So, um, we, we continue to look for ways to, um, to use it effectively. Okay. And one other question. You probably know this is coming. Um, I see 10% reduction in pest control. Yes. Is that gonna affect how we're moving a, moving the geese along the socket field with, um, with all the young kids playing there? And I, um, unfortunately, I think, uh, the goose control was, was the victim of a, of a cut here. Um, I, so I, I think part of it is we've actually, we've actually been working with the parks department. Um, we actually purchased a vehicle. Um, it's, it's a very small vehicle, um, to chase the gears off the field. Um, I will, I will say our, our current, um, contract with USDA hasn't yielded the
▶ 16:50 Mark Garipay: results that we were hoping for. Um, we've, we've had that contract for several years. Um, but it, the, the kind of difference it was making was not, uh, was not significant. So we figured this was a more cost effective way. Yeah. Um, to address the issue. Anything we can do to continue that, because I really think it's a health hazard for the young kids out there picking up a soccer ball, touching their face. It's been going on for years. And I, I talked to you three, four times a year, so yes, I'll continue to call you. Um, council Williams, I'm sorry. I have to know the vehicle. Yes. You, there's a vehicle that you use to chase geese. Yes. It's an RC car. It's, it's an RC car? Yes. Is it like, does it have like a goose on it or?
▶ 17:30 Mark Garipay: No, but it's very fast. Okay, Cool. All right. You could put like a cat, like a, like a plastic cat On it. You could make a bigger goose. All Right. That's it. That's my only question. They Do similar things up at, uh, lake, corner power too. I've been there early in the morning. Yes, they chase 'em off. Um, any other questions by the council? What's the will council? I'm sorry. I was just gonna make a motion to move the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line by Councilor Ro, seconded by Councilor ti on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? That bottom line will be moved. Next up we have department, uh, uh, 2, 6, 5, 9 health revolving account. Mr. Chu. Oh yeah. You can come back another night if you want.
▶ 18:12 But, Um, so the revolving account, uh, remains stable. So we've actually purchased less vaccines. So this is traditionally used to purchase medical, uh, supplies and vaccines. Um, we usually get reimbursed by the insurance, um, for the va for the flu, flu, flu vaccine that we administer. Um, this year we purchased slightly less because we've been seeing the trend of people coming to get their flu shots from us, slightly decrease over the years. Um, that's due to availability at the pharmacies. Also, other pharmacies can, um, offer like gift cards and other incentives to go there. So we've seen a slight decrease. Um, but we've still seen, um, great success with our flu vaccine clinics. Um, across in Melrose.
▶ 18:49 Mark Garipay: Uh, we've actually given out 400 vaccines in this past year. Um, and, and across the district we hold regional flu vaccine clinics and they've been successful as well. Um, so the revolving fund, uh, remain remains stable at this point. So Just one suggestion on the flu clinic. I know in years past they've done it at the Victorian Fair, which has been a very successful and generated quite a bit of revenue too. So I dunno if we, it's all based on volunteers, but yeah, I think it would be a good option too. We'd, We'd love to bring back to the Victorian fair. Um, I think in, in past couple years we've had some struggles gat getting the vaccine in early enough. Um, it might be due to supply chain
▶ 19:25 Maya Jamaleddine: issue, it might just be due to delivery. We're not sure. But, uh, we've had trouble getting it in. But if we can get the vaccine in the order, um, before the Victorian fair, that'd be great. Thanks. Council Williams. Uh, motion To move the bottom line and revolving account 2 6 5 9 Second. Second, Uh, we have a motion to move the bottom line by Councilor Williams, second by Councilor Ro. On discussion. I have Council Jammal, vice Chair. Jamal, I just wanna, so I just a question. The Victorian prayer is eliminated this year, so we won't be able to do that. Okay. Right. We would, uh, next, next year. So for next year, we won't be able to continue doing this. We are gonna have to look for an alternative. I am hoping
▶ 20:10 Mark Garipay: We could. Yeah. We actually also offer a community, uh, flu vaccine clinic, a large one at the Memorial Hall, uh, every, every fall as well. Yes. So, yes. Yeah, I got my vaccine from you last time. Thank you. You Welcome. Um, anyone else on discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? That bottom line will be, uh, moved. Thank you. Thank you. Enjoy your night. Uh, next up we have department five 40 BB estate. And we, I had Mr. Butler, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Mr. Butler's not here. Okay. If you don't mind introducing yourself. I apologize. I should have Not a problem. Introduced myself earlier. Uh, Jessica Crot McKenna. I'm the treasurer of the BB Estate. Okay, Thank you. So that's why I'm
▶ 20:52 here instead of Bill Butler. Okay. Um, so if you want to just tell us a little bit, the budget's not a lot, but if, uh, if you want to just tell us a little bit what you use the money for and Sure. Um, this past year has been a little bit of a rebuilding year for the trustees. We've been down a couple trustees and we've filled those roles. So we're now at a full slate of seven. We've got two new trustees that have joined us this year, one of which is serving as our building manager. We've also finalized the MOU between the trustees and the city. Uh, none of those items, of course, involve the budget per se, but those are kind of the bigger things that we are working on this year. Um, we've also seen, uh, just in general, uh,
▶ 21:34 slow uptick in event interest. Uh, more rentals coming in, a lot of meetings, interestingly, uh, also some more parties that had been kind of on the downswing after the pandemic. And it's finally slowly ticking up, which is really nice to see. Um, in terms of our expenses this year, uh, we've certainly taken care of some of the regular maintenance, including our cleanings, our, our garden. Also dealing with some repairs with regards to our lock sets and doing, uh, painting projects this year. 'cause we've also installed a new protocol with some routine communication with our tenants, and we're addressing some of the painting needs that were identified in some of the office spaces and in some of the common spaces as well as the exterior.
▶ 22:23 Great. Uh, one thing that did happen this year is our utility costs exceeded our budget that was laid out. So we've dipped into some of our maintenance funds to cover the rest of the year for our utility costs. Uh, the gas in particular, as we know they've increased for everybody. And one way to hopefully address that is we are currently getting pricing on a new smart thermostat. 'cause what we have at the estate is a, an older programmable, um, that is not very intuitive and gets, uh, touched and played with by people coming in and wanting a warmer house or space for their party. So we are looking at getting a smart thermostat so that we can adjust it appropriately when needed, when we have weekend rentals and such. Great.
▶ 23:13 Mark Garipay: Great. Um, any questions from the council? What's the will of the committee? I'll make a motion to move to the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of department five 40, um, made by Council of Machete, seconded by council, uh, Ramal. Um, on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That bottom line will be moved. Moved. We just have one more. Um, for bb, the revolving account department, um, 2 7 5 0 BB estate revolving account. Um, did you, um, anyone have any questions or if you have any, anything to say on that or what the balance is on there, if you know by any chance? Uh, I believe the balances, uh, should be as of this past week, about $103,000. And we've identified, we're looking at this coming year,
▶ 24:15 possibly doing a, doing an exterior lighting plan. 'cause the lights that had lit the signs at the entrance at West Foster Street recently, uh, broke. And there's been longstanding concern by the Milano Center and the Council one aging on lighting in general. If anybody's gone there for an event at night, that driveway is extremely dark and we're ta looking at assessing our overall exterior lighting needs and depending upon what they look like may then pursue some of the options. Great. Um, any questions from the council? Uh, motion to move the bottom line on revolving account 2 7 5 0. Second, We have a motion to move the bottom line of department, uh, 2 7 5 oh BB estate revolving account by Councilor Williams.
▶ 25:12 Mark Garipay: Seconded by Council Fanucchi on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That bottom line will be moved. Thank you very much. Appreciate It. Thank you very much, counselors. Next up we have department 2 41 inspection services and we have a building inspector, Mr. Teleco with us. Thank you for being here. Thank you. A floor is yours. One minute Blue screen. Oh, no. Unbelievable. Um, We have a couple minutes if you want to take a minute. We, Yeah, it's one second. I'm sorry. Uh, take a motion for a two minute recess. It's so moved. Second, We have a motion for a two minute recess made by Council Williams, seconded by Council Vandiver on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed the bill? Yeah, I don't know.
▶ 26:52 Alright, we are back. Alright, the floor is yours. Well, thank you for, um, thank you everybody. And, uh, I wanted to thank all of you for the opportunity to discuss my department's role, highlight some of their achievements, and, um, present the proposed budget for this year. Uh, inspection services department consist of myself, one full-time administrative assistant, one part-time administrative assistant, and three part-time inspectors, a building inspector, an electrical inspector, a gas and plumbing inspector. Our mission is to ensure public safety and enhance the quality of life in Melrose by keeping the community informed about and compliant with ever-changing state building and life safety codes, consumer protection laws,
▶ 27:40 health regulations and zoning, land use laws. We communicate this mission daily to the public with professionalism and integrity. Last year, the ISD, the primary completed a significant project that digitized nearly 95% of all our paper files. This initiative eliminated excessive printing and streamlined the administrative task related to FOIA requests, entered departmental inquiries and general questions from attorneys, architects, and homeowners. As a result, we've freed up physical space and now with just a simple email, we can upload and send property information, a task that previously took several days, if not longer. Additionally, I would like to highlight the improvements to our permitting system.
▶ 28:27 Simplicity. Over the past few years, we've collaborated with our permitting provider to grant access to other departments so they can review and authorize building permit applications. We've integrated the Treasurer's office, the Office of Planning and Community Development, the fire department, the engineering department, all into our process at no additional cost. This adjustment helps us collect past due taxes and prevent miscommunication among departments, ensures that permits are thoroughly vetted before approval. Furthermore, it promotes accountability and streamlines the permitting process, ultimately providing better service. Lastly, as many of you know, our department manages between 2,500 to 3000 applications annually,
▶ 29:13 inspects hundreds of building projects and collects over a million dollars in fees. I'm proud to report that we have successfully, we successfully review and process 90% of our applications within two days of receiving them. This achievement is made possible by the dedication of our staff who are committed to providing excellent customer service. This year's budget, I wanted to touch on the reductions at the request of the mayor. I reduced the operating budget as much as possible while minimizing the impact on services. Here are some specific reductions. Office services such as printing, reduced by 18.8% wait to measure supplies and materials reduced by 33.3%. Code books and materials reduced by 30%.
▶ 30:01 Office supplies and materials reduced by 32.2%. Continuing education and seminars for inspectors reduced by 50%. And these reductions totaled 41.9%. While these cuts are sustainable for this year, the absence of these funds next year could jeopardize our inspectors state mandated certifications. It also hinders our ability to provide necessary materials such as gas tags and equipment for weights and measures scales essential for completing their inspections. With, uh, with that said, I'm happy to take any questions you may have, uh, regarding, uh, our budget, Uh, councilor fro and then Council Aldine. Thank you. Um, thank you for being here. Um, I just have a question. First off, I have an observation, um, for myself
▶ 30:53 Cal Finocchiaro: and other residents, um, simplicity is awesome and, uh, people, residents say like how quick the turnaround is with the communication and just the process is just so much easier from, you know, going down to the office and getting an outpatient, which I know you could still do, but it's, it has been really great, so thank you. Um, but the, I just have a question. What is weights and measures? For Weights and measures is, is the department that falls under inspection services. What they do is they regulate, um, anything that has a weight to it, like gasoline stations or supermarkets where they have scanners and scales. They make sure that those are accurate and you're actually getting what you're paying for.
▶ 31:39 Um, the majority of their work is for gas stations. Mm-hmm. Um, but they spend a lot of time at like, uh, the supermarkets too. Mm-hmm. And so you're gonna have a reduction in those? We, we have. We right now, we, we are, you know, we're proposing a reduction in that from the yearly, uh, budget. Um, we can sustain it, but typically what happens with wasted measures is some of the scales and the equipment they use, um, over a, a two year, three, three year period, they become obsolete. And we need to keep up with whatever, you know, um, equipment that they need to just provide those services. Okay. So we're okay for now. Okay. Thank you. Councilor Jammal ine. Thank you. Um, I wanted to echo, uh, councilor RA's,
▶ 32:28 Maya Jamaleddine: um, comments. Uh, we, I, I did receive actually a few calls from constituents, um, um, you know, commenting on, uh, the speed and, um, amazing customer service that you guys provide and your department provide. Um, I know in the past we did have some complaints, uh, for, uh, long wait, uh, before they were granted or they were, um, in a inspected in a way. Uh, so I just thank you for that dedication. Um, my question, uh, you mentioned that there is a 41%, uh, in reduction. Uh, how much would that be in dollar amount? The, uh, the monetary, um, I don't have it right in front of me. I mean, I can give you the line items. I think we provided those line items with the reductions and the, um, uh, what we had projected and what we reduced.
▶ 33:25 Maya Jamaleddine: So, um, some of them right here, like, uh, the 18.8%, um, you know, we reduced it by $175. It was a $400 budget for, uh, yeah, uh, printing services and, um, uh, weights and measures. Um, it was $1,500. We reduced it by 33%, um, by 500 bucks. So, I mean, I can go through these for you if you'd Like. That's fine. I, I'm, I was, I wasn't sure if you have the answer for the total amount, but that's that's totally fine. Um, and, and you said that for next year it would be, uh, extremely challenging because of the requirements and, um, uh, for the state requirements, um, how would you, what exactly that we will be missing in terms of the state requirements? So, Um, building inspectors, any, any inspection services department,
▶ 34:18 like an electrical inspector, plumbing inspector, we all have to, we all have continuing education throughout the year. Mm-hmm. And we get the continuing education through seminars and through education that the state or some other entity offers. We, we pay for those. Mm-hmm. Uh, if we don't have so many credits by the end of the year, we can't renew our licenses. So that's what, um, that's what I'm basically talking about as far as right now, we, we've had enough education to fulfill our CEUs to the state, but moving forward, if next year got it. Between myself, uh, the part-time inspectors, we just don't have enough money for, for all of these, um, seminars that we need, that we need to go to. Okay.
▶ 35:05 Maya Jamaleddine: Do we have any grants or is there a possibility to look for grants? No grants for this. Uh, We typically, you know, our, our department that I've, we've always searched for grants, but it's tough to get grants for, um, the inspection services department. Yeah. And understandable. What, what would, uh, how much would it be if we wanted to meet the same, uh, requirements? Um, and I don't expect that you have the answer, but Approximately, so typically, uh, per per person you Wanna know for, for next year, What, how next year do must think? Next year? We, we, we typically have, um, you know, we're reducing it by 50%. So we, I, I re I think I came to the council maybe two years ago and had that increase
▶ 35:55 Ryan Williams: because we just didn't have enough from, um, by a thousand dollars. So we did increase it to 2,600. I'm reducing it again by a thousand dollars, and it just puts us back into that same position where I'm trying to figure out where to, um, get the, get the money from. Got it. Okay. Thank You. Yep. Councilor Williams. And then Councilor, um, another kudos for turning around the permit system. One of the big things I think a lot of us heard about. Um, so we've had a lot of changes to, not a lot, but we've had some changes to the building code. We've done the stretch code, we've got some changes to zoning. And I wonder if you've experienced any issues with contractors who may not be aware of some
▶ 36:44 of the changes to the building code. Um, any issues that you've had with regard to, you know, doing your inspections and delays and things like that. Do you feel like people are, are kind of getting the message? So we vet these applications beforehand, um, and thank you for, um, the nice, uh, uh, comment. Um, we, we, we thoroughly vet these, we know we, an application is coming in and it's, whether it's for an addition or, um, total renovation, it triggers certain conditions through state requirements through the stretch code. And once we know what they're doing, um, then we can kind of dictate what materials and what we need from them. So, prior to even issuing these permits, they're gonna be aware of what's, um, uh,
▶ 37:33 Ryan Williams: what's needed for them to comply. Do you have, um, a sense of whether there are people who are requesting permits and then just conducting work without having the permit approved? And is this, is this a one time thing? Is there a lot of folks doing this? Is there like a certain percentage, you know, that a city our size, 1%, 2% of, uh, illegal building, that kind of thing? Uh, I'm, I'm, I didn't catch the, the, the, the que people. I'm sorry. My hearing is so bad. Oh, no, No worries. It's, so my question is, you know, are there people circumventing the permitting system, are there people that are building without a permit? Are you getting reports about this, I think, And how Are you handling it? There was an
▶ 38:14 issue prior to simplicity. Yeah. And the, the reasoning behind it was not that there was a lack of someone coming in and wanting to pull a building permit. The lack was the speed at which they got the building permit. So it typically, what would happen is if you have a roofer or a siding or a window, um, contractor coming in, that job doesn't take more than a day to do. So they would schedule them in the weekends or schedule 'em in time, you know, off times and get them done pretty quickly. Um, and then they would be doing that work without any permits through simplicity of, through the software system, we were able to kind of push these things forward so it would be really reckless for them.
▶ 39:01 Devin Romanul: Mm-hmm. Not to apply for the building up building permit. So we ended up capturing a lot more of those contractors that would kind go and try to do the work without a permit. Mm-hmm. When they know that they're going to get a permit fairly quickly, they're just gonna go and apply for the permit. And it's not that much for some of the work that we're, um, you know, that we're charging for. Thank You. You're welcome. Councilor Romanul. Um, thank you very much. And I, uh, I wanna second some of my colleagues' comments on, on the 90% figure is, is really cool. And, um, something that I think would be fun if we were ever to en engage in any sort of dashboarding or data data metrics. That's a good one to have up there so people can see the
▶ 39:48 Devin Romanul: how well we're doing with customer service things. So anyway, just a a side note for, for future data analytics discussions, but I, I did want to ask, I think some folks in the city might be looking at various budget cuts and thinking about the practical implications, how reductions affect them in real life. And while we weights and measures continuing education credits may not be first on the radar screen. I think maybe you could walk us through the practical implication of that. I mean, let's say for instance, we weren't able to renew next year and we don't have certification, and then there's, I assume gas pumps and, and other things that are sort of the undergirding infrastructure of our lives
▶ 40:24 that we don't really think about that could start to disappear in some way, shape, or form. So these requirements are not city requirements, right? The state, they're, they're mandated. There is no way around them. Um, you need awais and measures officer to do this. You need a building inspector to do, um, the inspections. You need an electrical inspector. So the, the choice that the city has are really low when it comes to what they can and can't do with inspection services or some of the components in there. But, um, what wait to measure does, it makes sure that, um, it, it covers the consumer. What it does, it makes sure that you're not getting charged the wrong amount. You're not getting, uh, overcharged for something that, um,
▶ 41:12 and it, it, it kind of, uh, helps with people that are trying to gouge. Um, you know, you'll have like stories in the, in, in the newspapers talking about gas stations, where they're raising their prices just because there's a shortage with, with, with those people. Um, there to kind of mitigate those, those issues, it makes it easier for a consumer to say, alright, the gas price here in Melrose is X amount in Stoneham. I know that because they charge a sales tax on top of it. There's a few cents differential between the two. Um, but it does, it protects the consumer. And, um, ultimately that's what you want to do. You wanna be able to go to a place and know that you're being charged a fair, uh, price.
▶ 41:55 Kimberly Vandiver: And without these, without these services that the city or the state offers, you really don't know what you're getting yourself into. Yeah. Excellent. Thank you very much. I really appreciate that level of detail and the accountability piece and, um, yeah, thank you very much. Councilor Vandiver. Sorry, councilor Williams was the second time, but I don't councilor Vandiver for the first time. Uh, thank you. Uh, so great work with, with the efficiencies. Um, the, the question I had was about, you know, you mentioned in here, um, things that used to take several days to respond to, um, information people were asking for. It can be done really quickly with an email same day. Um, so where is that time being rolled into?
▶ 42:38 Is it, is it now servicing an increased number of requests because it's been unblocked or that time that would've been spent? Where is it now focused? So, um, I believe it was maybe two or maybe a year ago, we, we have paper documentation downstairs. Everything's a file, everything's a folder. And we, um, through the Freedom of Information Act, foer request, we're mandated to, um, send information to whoever requested and we're set at the amount of time that we, we have to, uh, fulfill those requests. Um, it was just taking a lot of time for, and I'm sure that the, the city clerk's office and the other departments that actually handle these requests too was taking a lot longer than typically we would want it,
▶ 43:32 and they weren't getting all the information that they, they needed. So when I talk about reducing, um, the amount of time, we ended up doing a project where we took all our physical folders and got them scanned. Um, now we have your home. Everything that's been associated as far as permits or any kind of documentation that, um, comes from the inspection services department, you're able to access instantly. So it does help, uh, um, it, it helps greatly. Um, and most of the people that come in are usually people that are, are doing project architects, engineers, um, homeowners that wanna know, uh, selling their property. They need to know all these information. And then we, we typically have foyer requests from, um,
▶ 44:18 government agencies or other entities from outside the state that are trying to figure some sort of, um, uh, information out where they, they through construction or, um, uh, through demographics or something like that. So it just makes it easier that we can focus more on the inspection side than these requests. Um, and I think that, um, by digitizing these, it's just, it made it more efficient. Plus we, you know, we used to print a lot of things out. Um, we don't print them out anymore. Uh, we just send out, you know, A PDF and anybody can print it out on their own. So it kind of reduces, uh, costs on our end too. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Is there, um, in general, as far as like, trends in, um, in what's being done, have you,
▶ 45:07 have you observed in the last several years is, is all of this activity, um, and, and people coming in for information, is that kind of holding steady or has it been increasing? It comes in waves. Um, I mean, year by year it's probably all the same. Um, but we've had some fairly large projects in, in the town and, um, once that happens, there's always, um, people requesting all their information. Um, uh, there's a, you know, there's, there's, um, neighbors that are asking for the folders or, um, you know, I would say it's probably steady, but it does go through its periods where winter is a little, uh, slow and then it, it picks up during spring and summer again, and then it kind of go draws down
▶ 45:57 Mark Garipay: during it, it kind of follows the, uh, holiday seasons. Right. Um, but yeah, it's been, it, it's been fairly, fairly steady. Okay. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Thank you Councilor Williams. Uh, motion to move the bottom line on department two, four. One second. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line on department 2 41. Inspection of services by Council Williams, seconded by Councilor Chetty on discussion. If I could just say one thing I appreciate, uh, Mr. Tele Rico, your response. I mean, I've had issues in my ward and your, um, your quick response. Um, I really appreciate it. Thank you. Makes our lives, uh, a little easier. Um, on, on discussion. Anyone else? All in favor? Aye. Opposed?
▶ 46:43 Mark Garipay: This bottom line will get moved. Next up we have 2 6 5 8 inspection services, revolving account and Councilor Williams Motion to move the bottom line and revolving account 2 6 5 8. Come on. Sorry. We have a motion to move the bottom line by Williams of department 2 6 5 8 inspection. Those services revolving account seconded by Const RO on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That bottom line will be moved. Thank you very much. Thank You. Uh, next up we have appropriations id 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 fiscal year 2026 operating budget in the amount of $107,575,802. Councilor Stewart is not here, so I will look for someone else. Motion to hold A second. We have a motion to hold by President Elli seconded by,
▶ 47:38 Mark Garipay: um, councilor TI on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? That motion that, that ID is, uh, held right. Um, next up ordinances 1, 2, 6, 7, 5 reauthorization of the city of Melrose revolving fund table for fiscal 2026. Motion to hold. Second. Motion to hold by, um, president Meili, seconded by Councilor Williams on discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? That ID ordinance is held. Um, I will entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion To adjourn. Second, We have a motion to adjourn by Councilor Williams, seconded by counselor. Uh, vice chair Jamal Ledine on discussion. All in favor? A. Aye. Aye. Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you. Good evening. The time is 7:52 PM Today is Monday, May 19th, 2025.