Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2025-11-20
Attendance
Cal Finocchiaro ; Ward Hamilton ; Maya Jamaleddine ; Manjula Karamcheti ; John Obremski ; Devin Romanul
Agenda
- CALL TO ORDER
- Attendees
- PUBLIC COMMENT
- MINUTES APPROVAL
- DEPARTMENT BUDGET PRESENTATIONS
- Department Presenter 543 Veterans 611 Library 541 Council on Aging 211 Police 155 Information Technology 300 Schools 401, 402, 422, 433, 475, 485, 491 Department of Public Works 152, 911, 914, 916, 942 Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement
- APPROPRIATIONS
- Acceptance of vote language for Appropriation of Feasibility Study for MSBA Accelerated Repair projects
- Supplemental Appropriation in the amount of $13,500,000 for the Fiscal Year 2026
- ADJOURNMENT
Minutes
Appropriations & Oversight Committee Thursday, November 20, 2025, 7:00 PM City Council Chamber, 1st Floor 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Maya Jamaleddine Vice Chair Cal Finocchiaro Ward Hamilton Manjula Karamcheti John Obremski Devin Romanul Robb Stewart Kimberly Vandiver Ryan Williams Leila Migliorelli President, Ex Oficio Mark Garipay Chair Meeting was called to order by Chair Garipay at 7:01 PM Councilor Romanul participated remotely via Zoom for the beginning of the meeting, then had to drop off via audio due to technical difficulties and did not participate in roll call votes Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Maya Jamaleddine Vice Chair Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Present Ward Hamilton At-Large Absent Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Absent John Obremski Ward 2 Present Devin Romanul Ward 7 Remote for beginning Robb Stewart Ward 3 Present Kimberly Vandiver Ward 5 Present Ryan Williams At-Large Present Leila Migliorelli President, Ex Officio Present Member Mark Garipay Chair Present II. PUBLIC COMMENT 1 When: Nov 20, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting Note: This is a hybrid meeting. Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/97642035652?pwd=bFQA7vMl92bH907TfCBToYEAmDoYCA.1 Passcode:198488 Webinar ID: 976 4203 5652 Motion to Open public comment made by Councilor Williams at 7:31 pm Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed The meeting experienced technical difficulties with audio issues for Councilor Romanul, who was unable to be heard despite multiple attempts to resolve the problem. The committee took a recess (motion to recess made by Councilor Williams and seconded by Councilor Vandiver, all were in favor and motion passed) to address the audio problems and planned to resume public comments after the technical issues were resolved. Councilor Romanul was no longer able to verbally participate or vote in the meeting. Comments on the floor: -Martha Flores-Evancheck of Grant Street and Billy Blome of Ashland Street presented suggestions for enhancing the children's section at the Melrose Public Library, highlighting the need for interactive learning materials and a welcoming space for young children and caregivers. -Joe Pelrein of 70 Howard Street requested improvements to the Melrose High School gym's school spirit elements and inquired about the use of the DPW summer work program funds. -Lisa Metis Bergeron of 63 Howard Street expressed appreciation for the proposed Howard Street speed tables and raised concerns about the transparency of budget surplus spending. -Tim McSweeney, representing the Ped Bike Committee, thanked the community for supporting the override and highlighted the importance of funding for parklets, DPW staffing, and street trees, while noting the disappointment in the lack of funding for the traffic-calming pilot program. There were no comments via Zoom. Motion to Close public comment made by Chair Garipay at 7:31 pm III. MINUTES APPROVAL RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Devin Romanul, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti A. Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting November 10, 2025 7:20 pm Motion to Approve the minutes made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed IV. DEPARTMENT BUDGET PRESENTATIONS A. Department Presenter 543 Veterans 611 Library 2 541 Council on Aging 211 Police 155 Information Technology 300 Schools 401, 402, 422, 433, 475, 485, 491 Department of Public Works 152, 911, 914, 916, 942 Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement Veterans Department 543: Comments during the meeting-. This money will be used to hold outreach events, for tax write-off programs and flag supplies, serving approximately 680 veterans in Melrose. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $30,000 made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by President Migliorelli All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Library Department 611: Comments during the meeting-The library department will reopen on Sundays and increase programming, and a survey on children's room services is ongoing until December 15th. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $35,315 made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Council on Aging Department 541: Comments during the meeting-The funding will replace prior cuts, bring back socialization, extra program materials and a transportation driver. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti 3 Police Department 211: Comments made during the meeting-This funding will restore/hire 2 police officer positions and cover the associated costs. The process will start in December. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $200,210 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by President Migliorelli All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Information Technology Department 155: Comments made during the meeting-Funds will be used to update classroom Chromebook carts, improve security at Fred Greenfield and Lincoln Elementary Schools, refresh battery backup systems, and upgrade the very old high school public address and projector systems. Tom Smulligan explained the security camera project, which will add 6 cameras at Fred Greenfield and 2 multi-head cameras at Lincoln, all connected to a centralized network accessible by police, administration, and staff. The department decided to maintain the current "bring your own device" policy for students rather than providing devices directly, citing logistical challenges and maintenance costs. The city will continue to support students in need (roughly a few hundred). Chromebooks at elementary schools will be maintained at the same number of units and will get a constant refresh so as not to replace them all at once. Since the city does not have a capital fund, these types of improvement projects were difficult to pay for. The override money will allow for better planning and more flexibility to address these issues in the future and prevent competition between departments over available free cash. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $525,000 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Schools Department 300: Comments made during the meeting-Funds will be used to restore 17 positions, renovate bathrooms, repair sidewalks at schools, invest in curriculum (especially math) and instructional materials, and for contractual obligations. The teaching positions will be spread out district wide and will focus on Tier 1 levels. Since Special Ed was not impacted earlier this year by funding cuts, not much of these new funds will be applied there. The discussion also covered the need for more devices to support MCAS testing to test on the same day and not spread out over a month, and the challenges of mid-year hiring due to a competitive job market. It was asked if they will contact teachers that were laid off and how will the money be used if they cannot fill all 17 positions by June 30. There is no current plan for the mid-year hiring, and they are working through that right now. The reserves could be applied to capital funding projects and whatever is best for the students. The school committee will further discuss the implementation of these funds at their 4 meeting on December 9th. The total amount being invested in the schools is more than the roughly $3M on this bottom line since additional funds are coming from the DPW and IT departments for improvements, as can be seen on the attached chart. The council stressed the need for steady state spending of this money for future years and a good long term plan to assure the public of fiscal responsibility. They replied that they have not had much time to address this, they have a lot of ideas, and are approaching it with a conservative view. They are focused on putting educators in front of students, providing high quality instruction with good curriculum, and providing stability. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $3,818,800 made by Councilor Jamaleddine Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Department of Public Works 401: Comments made during the meeting-Funding will be used for restoration of staff positions and services that were previously cut, including the Summer Work Program and administrative overtime for events at the City Yard. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $136,609 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Department of Public Works 402: Comments made during the meeting-Funding will be used for several capital improvement projects, including bathroom renovations at the high school, school maintenance improvements, and asbestos remediation. The asbestos remediation is ongoing every year with a contractor doing checks and then proper maintenance being performed. The high school bathroom renovation will be a full remodel of all existing and the addition of more bathrooms. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $4,526,850 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Stewart All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Department of Public Works 422: 5 Comments made during the meeting-The traffic-calming plan was discussed with explanation of the speed tables, which will be permanent and have neighborhood input. Regarding flooding mitigation, they are doing the modeling now (using a consultant with hydraulic expertise for roughly $250,000) and will provide feedback for target areas when complete. Regarding the road paving plan, it will cover areas where water main and utility work was done first, with areas from the roadway condition assessment map to follow. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $1,250,564 made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Department of Public Works 433: Comments made during the meeting-Funding will be used to restore the Summer Work Program and to reopen the City Yard to additional dates. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $22,200 made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Stewart All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Department of Public Works 475: Comments made during the meeting-This funding will be used for tree trimming and tree planting, along with parks projects. An on-call contractor has been hired to address the backlog of tree trimming and removals, with a budget of $100,000 allocated for this purpose. Foss Park will be converted back to a basketball court and pickleball lines will be added to Tremont Street. The parks department has had a consistent investment plan for the long term and has been waiting for sufficient funds to address the projects. Funding will be used for some baseball and softball fields and restoration of trash barrel pickups at parks will resume. A request was made to address the geese issue on the fields. Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $1,282,825 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti 6 Department of Public Works 485: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $57,124 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by President Migliorelli All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Department of Public Works 491: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $70,924 made by Councilor Stewart Seconded by President Migliorelli All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement 152: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $20,000 made by Councilor Stewart Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement 911: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $500,000 made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement 914: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $442,455 made by Councilor Williams Seconded by Councilor Stewart All were in favor and motion passed 7 RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement 916: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $41,124 made by Councilor Stewart Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Pension/Retirement 942: Motion to Move the Bottom Line in the amount of $500,000 made by Councilor Stewart Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti V. APPROPRIATIONS
A. (ID # 2025-249): Acceptance of vote language for Appropriation of Feasibility Study for MSBA Accelerated Repair projects Motoin to Recommend to full council made by President Migliorelli Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Full Council AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti 8
B. (ID # 2025-614): Supplemental Appropriation in the amount of $13,500,000 for the Fiscal Year 2026 Motion to Recommend to full council made by President Migliorelli Seconded by Councilor Stewart All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] TO: Full Council AYES: Maya Jamaleddine, Cal Finocchiaro, John Obremski, Robb Stewart, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams, Leila Migliorelli, Mark Garipay NAYS: None ABSENT: Ward Hamilton, Manjula Karamcheti VI. ADJOURNMENT Chair Garipay announced that the A&O meeting on 11/24 will be canceled since the items on this agenda are all completed and another meeting is not necessary. Motion to Adjourn made by Councilor Stewart at 9:26 pm Seconded by Councilor Williams All were in favor and meeting was adjourned 9 Deborah B. Goldberg James A. MacDonald Mary L. Pichetti Chair, State Treasurer Chief Executive Officer Executive Director / Deputy CEO October 29, 2025 The Honorable Jennifer Grigoraitis, Mayor City of Melrose Melrose City Hall Office of the Mayor 562 Main Street, Second Floor Melrose, MA 02176 Re: City of Melrose, Early Childhood Center, Melrose High School Dear Mayor Grigoraitis: I am pleased to report that on October 29, 2025, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (the “MSBA”) voted to invite the City of Melrose (the “District”) into the Calendar Year 2025 Accelerated Repair Program (the “ARP”) to partner with the MSBA in conducting a Schematic Design Study at the Early Childhood Center for a potential partial roof and partial windows/doors replacement project and at the Melrose High School for a potential partial roof replacement project. The invitation for the potential partial roof and partial windows/doors replacement project at the Early Childhood Center is limited to Roof Sections A- D and Window Section A, as described by the District in its Statement of Interest for the Early Childhood Center. The invitation for the potential partial roof replacement project at the Melrose High School is limited to Roof Sections A and B, as described by the District in its Statement of Interest for the Melrose High School. The ARP will focus on the preservation of existing assets by performing energy-efficient and cost-saving upgrades, which will result in direct operational savings for districts. I do want to emphasize that this invitation to partner on a Schematic Design Study is not approval of a project but is strictly an invitation to the District to work with the MSBA to explore potential solutions to the building needs that have been identified. Moving forward in the MSBA’s ARP process requires a partnership with the MSBA, and communities that “get ahead” of the MSBA without MSBA approval will not be eligible for grant funding. To qualify for any funding from the MSBA, local communities must follow the MSBA’s statute, regulations, and policies, including the ARP requirements, as outlined in this letter, which require MSBA partnership and approval at each step of the process. Districts that are invited into the ARP will be required to use Owner’s Project Managers and Designers who are pre-selected and randomly assigned by the MSBA. Districts must also adhere 10 Post Office Square, Suite S400 ● Boston, MA 02109 ● Phone: 617-720-4466 ● www.MassSchoolBuildings.org Page 2 October 29, 2025 City of Melrose Invitation to ARP Board Action Letter to other requirements that are unique to this Program, such as implementing an accelerated project schedule. The District’s commencement date for Early Childhood Center and the Melrose High School is November 3, 2025, and several prerequisites must be completed in accordance with the schedule on page four of this letter. The District must secure funding for the Schematic Design portion of this potential project within 90 calendar days of the commencement date. Submission of the properly certified documentation that the District has secured its funding must be submitted to the MSBA within 120 days of the commencement date. Districts will be expected to complete a Schematic Design Study and receive authorization to execute a Project Funding Agreement by the MSBA Board of Directors no later than 14 months from the District’s commencement date. Future funding for the total project budget will be required within 90 days after the date of the MSBA’s approval to execute a Project Funding Agreement and no later than 16 months from the District’s commencement date. Districts seeking reimbursement under the ARP will be allowed to submit requests for reimbursement monthly, but only if the total value of the invoices submitted equals more than $50,000. During the Schematic Design Study phase, the MSBA will partner with the District and its assigned Owner’s Project Manager and Designer to find the most fiscally responsible, educationally appropriate and sustainable solution to the building needs identified above. If during the Schematic Design Study phase, the District determines that the potential project does not meet the qualifying criteria of the Board’s invitation, the District will be required to remove its Statement of Interest and will not be authorized for a Project Funding Agreement for the project. For the Calendar Year 2025 ARP, the qualifying criteria included roofs of 20 years or more as of Calendar Year 2026 (installed in or before 2006) and window and door systems of 30 years or more as of Calendar Year 2026 (installed in or before 1996). For the Calendar Year 2025 ARP, the qualifying criteria for heat pump conversions included windows of less than 30 years (installed in or after 1997), the school was opened or fully renovated, including replacement of the HVAC system before 2011, and the mechanical heating distribution is not supported by steam distribution piping. As detailed above, once the District has completed the prerequisites in accordance with the schedule on page four of this letter and to the MSBA’s standards, the MSBA will assign an Owner’s Project Manager and Designer using the MSBA’s list of pre-selected and randomly assigned consultants for the ARP. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you the Board’s decision and provide a brief overview of what this means for the City of Melrose. I look forward to continuing to work with you as part of the MSBA’s Accelerated Repair Program. As always, feel free to contact me or my staff at (617) 720-4466 should you have any questions. 10 Post Office Square, Suite S400 ● Boston, MA 02109 ● Phone: 617-720-4466 ● www.MassSchoolBuildings.org Page 3 October 29, 2025 City of Melrose Invitation to ARP Board Action Letter Sincerely, Mary L. Pichetti Executive Director Cc: Legislative Delegation Leila Migliorelli, President, Melrose City Council Dorie Withey, Chair, Melrose School Committee Jen McAndrew, Vice-Chair, Melrose School Committee Cari Berman, Interim Superintendent, Melrose Public Schools File: 10.2 Letters 10 Post Office Square, Suite S400 ● Boston, MA 02109 ● Phone: 617-720-4466 ● www.MassSchoolBuildings.org Page 4 October 29, 2025 City of Melrose Invitation to ARP Board Action Letter Accelerated Repair Program Prerequisite Documents Schedule of Deliverables City of Melrose MSBA Board of Director Meeting – October 29, 2025 Early Childhood Center, Melrose High School Accelerated Repair Program Commences – November 3, 2025 Deliverable Days Due Date and Status February 2, 2026 Initial Compliance Certification 90 Required February 2, 2026 Maintenance and Capital Planning Information 90 Required Local Authorization for Schematic Design February 2, 2026 90 Funds Required Certified Copy of Local Vote Authorization of March 3, 2026 120 Schematic Design Funds Required 10 Post Office Square, Suite S400 ● Boston, MA 02109 ● Phone: 617-720-4466 ● www.MassSchoolBuildings.org CITY OF MELROSE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 JENNIFER GRIGORAITIS Telephone - (781) 979-4440 Mayor To: Melrose City Council From: Mayor Jen Grigoraitis Re: Ballot Question 1A Override: Supplemental Appropriation for the Fiscal Year 2026 CC: Kerri Golden, CFO Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff Shannon Philips, City Solicitor Cari Berman, Interim Superintendent of Schools Ken Kelley, Interim Deputy Superintendent for Finance & Operations Melrose School Committee With the passage of Question 1A on the November 4, 2025 municipal election ballot, voters of the City of Melrose have authorized a permanent increase to the City of Melrose’s tax levy limit by $13.5 million beginning July 1, 2025 (FY26). Language of Question 1A: Shall the City of Melrose be allowed to assess an additional $13,500,000.00 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding: 17 school, 5 public works, and 2 police officer positions (salaries and benefits); city and school employee union contracts and benefits; school technology and curriculum needs; public works, senior center, veterans services, and library programs; and repairs and maintenance to roads, sidewalks, buildings, and parks for which monies from this assessment will be used for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025? Before any of this additional voter-approved taxing authority can be used beginning July 1, 2025, an appropriation by the City Council is required. To effectuate and further the will of the voters, I am submitting this request for supplemental appropriation to the FY2026 City operating budget. Page 1 Supplemental Appropriation for FY 2026: Below is a summary of the requested supplemental appropriation for FY 2026 by department, consistent with the spending purposes as identified to voters in the above question.1 A detailed breakdown of each department’s appropriation for FY2026 is included at the end of this memo. As it relates specifically to the School Department, City Council is being asked to vote only on the total amount of the appropriation for FY26. Under state law, while City Council must establish the total appropriation to the School Department, it does not have the authority to determine how the appropriation is allocated within the School Department budget or to restrict the School Committee’s expenditures of that appropriation. The School Committee will vote and make its decision on the actual allocations of this appropriation amount within the School Department budget at its public meetings in the near future. 2 Please also note that there are multiple appropriations in City department budgets, including IT, Public Works, and Employee Benefits, that will directly benefit the Melrose Public Schools as outlined in the ballot question. These appropriations are under the purview of the City Council. Department Total Appropriation Department of Public Works $7,347,096 School Department $3,818,800 Employee Benefits $1,483,579 Information Technology $525,000 Police Department $200,210 Council on Aging $40,000 Library $35,315 Veterans Services $30,000 Human Resources $20,000 TOTAL $13,500,000 Pending Council approval, this supplemental appropriation will increase the FY 26 City of Melrose budget to $121,075,802.00 Thank you for your consideration and support. 1 By law, any additional funds raised beginning July 1, 2025 must be earmarked for the spending purposes as stated in the question only in the first fiscal year (FY26). See DLS Proposition 2 ½ Ballot Questions Requirements and Procedures, pg. 8 (August 2017). 2 See Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 71, s, 34 Page 2 City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation 1 of 4 Supplemental Appropriation for the Fiscal Year 2026 (401, 402, 422, 433, 475, 485, 491) Department of Public Works - $7,347,096.00 Description Amount Restore 5 positions $284,521.00 • City Engineer (General fund portion) • Facilities Manager (General fund portion) • Facilities Laborer • HMEO • Mechanic Restore DPW Summer Work Program $131,000.00 Restore Overtime Costs for Programs: $63,223.00 • Main Street Flower Baskets • City Yard Saturday Hours • Municipal Park & Weekend Downtown Trash Removal • City Event Support & Parklets • Roadway Line Painting School Building Maintenance & Improvements: $4,345,052.00 • MHS Bathroom Renovations Project • MHS Courtyard Stairs Rebuilding • MVMMS Solar Inverter Repairs • MVMMS Front Stairs & Sidewalk Repairs • MVMMS HVAC Controls Upgrades • Winthrop School Doors & Masonry Repairs • Districtwide Asbestos Remediation Milano Center Outdoor Lighting $40,000.00 Roads & Sidewalks: $1,240,000.00 • Additional Road Paving Projects • Sidewalk Repairs Projects City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation 2 of 4 • Howard Street Speed Tables • Crosswalk Improvements • Road Flooding Mitigation Projects • Engineering Projects & Repairs Parks: $1,243,300.00 • Tree Planting, Trimming, Removals, and Adopt-a-Site • Common & Dutton Park Playground Replacements • Softball & Baseball Fields Improvements • Tennis & Pickleball Courts Repairs • Foss Park Basketball Court Repairs • Citywide Open Space & Playground Maintenance (300) School Department - $3,818,800.00 Description Amount Restore 17 Positions $1,649,000.00 Current Fiscal Year Contractual Obligations $529,000.00 Curriculum Materials $1,469,500.00 Instructional Technology $171,300.00 (911, 914, 916, 942) Employee Benefits - $1,483,579.00 Description Amount Pension $500,000.00 Post Employment Benefits $500,000.00 Health Benefits for 24 Positions Restored $442,455.00 Medicare Employer Tax for restored positions $41,124.00 City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation 3 of 4 (155) Information Technology - $525,000.00 Description Amount School Technology Needs: $525,000.00 • School Security Cameras • MHS Projector Upgrades • Districtwide PA System Upgrades • Back Up Power Modernization • Elementary Classroom Chromebook Replacements (211) Police Department - $200,210.00 Description Amount Restore (2) Police Officers $154,076.00 New Recruit Costs $46,134.00 (541) Council on Aging - $40,000.00 Description Amount Program Support $40,000.00 (611) Library - $35,315.00 Description Amount Restore Sunday Hours $25,315.00 Program Support $10,000.00 City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation 4 of 4 (543) Veterans Services - $30,000.00 Description Amount Outreach, Events, Commemoration Program Support $30,000.00 (152) Human Resources - $20,000.00 Description Amount New Hire Advertising $8,000.00 New Hire Physical Exams $12,000.00 City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation Budget Line Item Department # Description Amount 011522-520500 152 Advertising 8,000.00 011522-543000 152 Physical Exams 12,000.00 Total Department 152 Human Resources 20,000.00 01155772-551097 155 School IT - Equipment and Infrastructure Upgrades 525,000.00 Total Department 155 Information Technology 525,000.00 012111-511000 211 Restore Police Positions (2 Officers) 154,076.00 012112-540007 211 Recruit Startup Costs (Tuition, Uniforms and Equipment) 46,134.00 Total Department 211 Police Department 200,210.00 013001-511000 300 School Department Appropriation 3,818,800.00 Total Department 300 School Appropriation 3,818,800.00 014011-511000 401 Restore DPW Positions (City Engineer & Facilities Manager) 111,704.00 014011-512000 401 Restore DPW Summer Work Program 21,000.00 014011-513000 401 Restore Overtime 3,905.00 Total Department 401 DPW - Admin/Engineering 136,609.00 01402771-511042 402 Restore DPW Position - Laborer 54,349.00 014021-512004 402 Restore DPW Summer Work Program 69,120.00 01402771-513000 402 Restore Overtime 18,329.00 014023-551094 402 City Building Maintenance/Improvements 40,000.00 01402773-551172 402 School Building Maintenance/Improvements 4,345,052.00 Total Department 402 DPW - City and School Facilities 4,526,850.00 1 of 3City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation Budget Line Item Department # Description Amount 014221-512004 422 Restore DPW Summer Work Program 4,800.00 014221-513000 422 Restore DPW OT 5,764.00 014222-526900 422 Traffic Markings 10,000.00 014223-551101 422 Road Paving Projects 600,000.00 014223-551190 422 Sidewalk Repair Projects 250,000.00 014222-551183 422 Traffic Calming (RFRBS & Howard St speed tables) 50,000.00 014223-551165 422 Road Flooding Mitigation 330,000.00 Total Department 422 DPW - Highway 1,250,564.00 014331-512000 433 Restore DPW Summer Work Program 2,500.00 014331-513000 433 Restore DPW OT 19,700.00 Total Department 433 DPW - Sanitation 22,200.00 014751-512000 475 Restore DPW Summer Work Program 24,000.00 014751-513000 475 Restore DPW OT 15,525.00 014752-551182 475 Tree Planting 100,000.00 014752-524006 475 Forestry Hired Equipment -Tree Trimming 100,000.00 014752-537640 475 Adopt- A-Site Support 5,000.00 014753-551168 475 Playground and Park Improvements 536,000.00 014752-527806 475 Playground & Equipment Repairs 20,000.00 014752-535200 475 Landscaping Supplies 5,000.00 014753-551169 475 Pickleball/Foss Park/Tennis Courts Improvements 125,000.00 014752- 551177 475 Baseball/Softball Field Improvements 352,300.00 Total Department 475 DPW - Parks and Forestry 1,282,825.00 014851-511000 485 Restore DPW Position - Mechanic 57,124.00 Total Department 485 DPW - Automotive 57,124.00 2 of 3City of Melrose FY 26 Supplemental Appropriation Budget Line Item Department # Description Amount 014911-511000 491 Restore DPW Position - HMEO 61,344.00 014911-512000 491 Restore DPW Summer Work Program 9,580.00 Total Department 491 DPW - Cemetery 70,924.00 015412-543800 541 Program Support 40,000.00 Total Department 541 Council on Aging 40,000.00 015432-543800 543 Veterans Outreach, Events, and Commemoration Support 30,000.00 Total Department 543 Veterans 30,000.00 016111-511000 611 Restore Sunday Hours 25,315.00 016112-543800 611 Program Support 10,000.00 Total Department 611 Library 35,315.00 019111-511010 911 Pension Obligation - Employee Benefits 500,000.00 Total Department 911 Pension 500,000.00 019142-549201 914 Group Health Providers - Health Insurance (24 Employees) 442,455.00 Total Department 914 Health Insurance 442,455.00 019162-548000 916 Medicare Costs - Employer Portion (1.45%) 41,124.00 Total Department 916 Medicare 41,124.00 019422-561400 942 OPEB Funding - Employee Benefits 500,000.00 Total Department 942 Stabilization Fund 500,000.00 Total Appropriation 13,500,000.00 3 of 3 Supplemental Appropriation for the Fiscal Year 2026 (Override Budget) City of Melrose Prepared November 17, 2025 MHS - Bathrooms Renovation MHS - Courtyard Stairs MVMMS - Solar Inverter Repairs School Building Maintenance & Improvements MVMMS - Front Stairs and Sidewalk Repairs $4,345,052.00 MVMMS - HVAC Control Upgrades Winthrop School - Doors & Masonry Repairs All Schools - Asbestos Remediation Restore 17 Positions $1,649,000.00 Schools $8,688,852.00 Current Fiscal Year Contractual Obligations $529,000.00 Instruction & Learning $3,818,800.00 Curriculum Materials $1,469,500.00 Instructional Technology $171,300 School Security Cameras MHS - Projector Upgrades School Technology Needs $525,000.00 Districtwide - PA System Upgrades Back Up Power Modernization Elementary Schools - Chromebook Replacements City Engineer (General fund portion) Facilities Manager (General fund portion) Restore 5 positions $284,521.00 Facilities Laborer Heavy Machinery/Equipment Operator (Cemetery) Mechanic Restore DPW Summer Work Program $131,000.00 Main Street Flower Baskets City Yard Saturday Hours Department of Public Works Restore Overtime Costs for Programs Municipal Park & Weekend Downtown Trash Removal $1,718,744.00 $63,223.00 City Event Support & Parklets Roadway Line Painting Additional Road Paving Projects Sidewalk Repairs Projects Howard Street Speed Tables Roads & Sidewalks $ 1,240,000.00 Crosswalk Improvements Road Flooding Mitigation Projects Engineering Projects & Repairs Pension $500,000.00 Post Employment Benefits $500,000.00 School / City Employee Benefits & Health Benefits for Restored Positions $442,455.00 Human Resources $1,503,579.00 Medicare Employer Tax for Restored Positions $41,124.00 New Hire Advertising $8,000.00 New Hire Physical Exams $12,000.00 Tree Planting, Trimming, Removals, & Adopt-A-Site Common Park & Dunton Park Playground Replacements Infield Work at Morelli, Common and Conant Fields Softball & Baseball Field Improvements Lights at Monk Field Parks & Fields $1,243,300.00 Scoreboard at Common Field Tennis & Pickleball Court Repairs (Crystal & Tremont Street courts) Foss Park Basketball Court Repairs Citywide Open Space & Playground Maintenance Restore 2 Police Officers $154,076.00 Police Department $200,210.00 New Recruit Costs $46,134.00 Milano Center Outdoor Lighting $40,000.00 Council on Aging $80,000.00 Program Support $40,000.00 Restore Sunday Hours $25,315.00 Library $35,315.00 Program Support $10,000.00 Veterans' Services $30,000.00 Outreach, Events, Commemoration Program Support $30,000.00
Transcript
▶ 0:00 Mark Garipay: (gavel bangs) Jesus Christ. (gavel bangs) Good evening. The time is 7:00, 7:01 on Thursday, November 20th. This is a meeting in the Appropriation Oversight Committee. I'm Mark Garopei, the Chair. Also joining me tonight are Vice Chair Jamaleddine, Council Vandever, Council Funocchiaro, Council Obronski, Councilor Williams, and President Migliorelli. This serves as a notice of a quorum. In accordance with the Open Meeting Law, this meeting will be recorded and broadcast live on MMTV. I will entertain a motio- I'm sorry, uh, virtual we have Councilor Romanul. Sorry about that. I should be, I'm looking right at ya. (laughs) (laughs) Yep. Um, I will entertain a motion to adjourn, uh, not to adjourn.
▶ 0:54 Mark Garipay: (laughs) (laughs) I want to. I want to right now. I will entertain a motion to open the floor for public comment. So moved. Um, we have a motion to move. Second moved. We have a motion to open the floor for public comment by Council Williams, seconded by Council Vandever. Um, on discussion, Madam Clerk, will you call the roll please? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Y- yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Hamilton? Councilor Karamchandy? Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Uh, we could not hear him. Okay. Yes. Mute. You're on mute, I think. I'm mute. Sorry about that, guys. My fault. Still on mute. Still on mute. Yeah, I don't think he's in. He's unmuted, but he's- He's unmuted. I think it's our tech.
▶ 1:39 I'm muted. Should I- Volume, maybe? ... continue? Volume meter. Yep. Can see it. This is the volume on mine, but I'm... No. Where he can see us, but not like s- So the volume is... I'm supposed to be muted. I can hear you, but he can't hear me. He can't hear anybody. So I just- He said, "I can't hear anybody. I can..." Hear him from the computer though. Councilor Romanul, can you hear me? He can't hear us. He said... No. Does that work? There we go. We can hear you, yeah, from the computer speaker, right? But the audience, can the audience hear him? Should- Councilor Romanul, can you speak please? Yes. I can hear you loud and clear, but I don't think you can hear me. Oh, so he hears us, but we can't hear him. It's really soft from those speakers.
▶ 2:42 You still, um... Can you... You just put me up to this, to one of the microphones. It's getting better. Yeah. It's get, going up. Yeah, I think- Test it one more time, Councilor Romanul. I think it's near the microphone. All right. Thank you for your flexibility today. I appreciate it. Say something again (echoes) . All right, I can, I can hear some feedback, but hopefully you can hear me now. That's pretty good. That's good. And for what it's worth, I'm a yes. Okay. You come forward. Come forward. Councilor Stewart. Councilor Vandiver? Here. She has to kill her mic. In the background. On her computer. MMTV is saying to shut the mic off. Councilor Williams? On her computer. Yes. Councilor Miglia- President Migliorelli?
▶ 3:50 Mark Garipay: Yes. Councilor Garipay? Public comment is now open with, with... Just if you can give us one second. I'm gonna take a motion for recess for five minutes until we can figure this out, then we'll come back into public comment. So moved. I apologize- Second. ... for everyone that's here. We have a motion to recess by Councilor Williams, seconded by Council Vandever. Um, Tania, can you take a roll call vote, please? Mm-hmm. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Council Obronski? Yes. Council Romano? Council Stuart? Yes. Council Vandever? Yes. Council Williams? Yes. Council Migliorelli? I mean, President Migliorelli? Uh, yes. Chair Garipay? Yes. Okay, motion passes. We are recessed.
▶ 4:39 Mark Garipay: Are you ready? What's going on? Yes. (gavel bangs) All right, we are back. I'm just gonna test it one more time. Councilor Romanul, can you hear us? I can hear you loud and clear. Can you hear me? No. Okay, so no. Uh, so unfortunately, you're, uh, we're gonna- Say it again, please. Sorry for the hold up. I appreciate your flexibility here, but I can just sit... Um, Councilor Romanul, unfortunately, um, we can't hear you loud enough on this end, so, um, we're not gonna be able to continue as a remote participant. So you're more than welcome to stay, stay on. Um, feel free to, if you have some questions, to email any of the other councilors that they can ask them for you. I think that's the best we can do at this moment.
▶ 5:33 So we are open for public comment. Uh, if someone would like to speak regarding the order tonight, I welcome you. You just did. Oh, you already did that? Mm-hmm. Oh, I didn't hear it. Sorry. Um, please come forward and, uh, give your name and, uh, where you live, and we will hear. If it's okay for the, uh, Council if the two of us constituents, uh, would like to present together, if that's okay? Sure. I have to say sure, I think that's There is a five-minute limit per, uh, per- Yes. ... um, presentation. My name is Martha Flores-Evencheck, and I reside on Granite Street in Melrose. I am a mother to a four-year-old boy and a ton, ten-month-old girl. My name is Billie Blome. I reside on Ashland Street and I have a
▶ 6:49 three-month-old and a two-year-old and a four-year-old. We are here to provide some feedback and suggested space enhancements for the children's section at the Melrose Public Library. We're excited that the community has voted to provide additional program funding and support to the library with the most recent override, and that the mayor has allocated $10,000 for program support as well as $25,315 to restore Sunday library hours. With this renewed funding and focus on improvement, we felt that it was prudent to discuss gaps that we are currently noticing and ways to ensure that the Melrose Public Library is meeting the goals described in their strategic plan of fiscal year 2021 to 2026. We believe that the space can be
▶ 7:39 transformed into an inspiring atmosphere for children between the ages of zero and five, and hope that we can provide some feedback based on our research and our experience. Currently, approximately 7% of the total Melrose population is under the age of five, per the most recent census data. For our library review, we visited and spoke to children's librarians from 14 neighboring libraries including, um, the M- North of Boston Library Exchange, which is our, our Noble Network, Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, and the Minuteman Library Network. During our time at these various libraries, we noted that many of these locations are, have engaging child spaces. They have multiple child-appropriate items for educational
▶ 8:27 play, they have STEM kits, they have other interactive learning materials. Additionally, many of these locations provided literature for children in several different languages. They had donation bins to allow community members to directly support other community members in need, and oftentimes these are children. They also have murals and art installations that help perform, provide a platform for artists and can be enjoyed by all. As we know, children between the ages of zero and five learn best in an environment that supports their learning in regards to play associated with curiosity, problem-solving, creativity, and socialization. It is also the key age range to get children invested and
▶ 9:10 engaged into reading, in reading, which further supports their development and progress as they age. Our library should strive to be the community hub that it was de- designed to be, and we believe that further investment in our early childhood population is crucial. We have provided some of the hard copies of a presentation showing what other neighboring libraries have to offer in comparison to what is currently available at the Melrose Public Library. We would appreciate support from the Melrose Public Library, this Council, and the town to advocate and ensure that the Melrose Public Library develops into a welcoming community space for young children and caregivers alike. We are excited to see that the library is asking for
▶ 9:50 input about this currently, with a survey that was posted on Tuesday, and that some, this override budget could be utilized to support improving, uh, support improved programming. However, if the budget cannot support the current children's space, then consideration should be made to involve the community resources that are already available. Please support our youngest community members. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anyone else looking to speak in the gallery? Please come forward. Hello. (clears throat) Excuse me. Joe Palrine, 70 Howard Street. Ah, I love sitting at this table, seeing you guys. I only have two things I wanna talk about this evening. The first is my passion for Melrose High School
▶ 11:02 and the students. Right now, the middle school gym is lacking in school spirit. I had sent an email to Mr. Kelly and Mr. Fogarty, oh, I don't know, three or four months ago, on an old picture I had found of the scoreboard. And it used to have the big M with the feather catches and then "Go Red Raiders." Well, with the initiative three or four years ago to clean that whole thing up and get rid of the feather catches, all it got was a coat of paint. And there's nothing saying who we are when you walk into the gym. There, it, it should be blazing. You know, Melrose Redhawks, there should be the logo painted across the scoreboard and then in additional places in the gym. Also, when you walk into the middle school gym,
▶ 12:07 over the hall of fame, there used to be a humongous M...... painted on that wall. I- It had to be 10 feet tall. And when that initiative to change over, even though that M didn't have any feather catches or anything, that got painted over also. And then, whoever was leading the charge, either the money was a problem for a can of paint or whatever. So, I see that there's a lot of money now for the school infrastructure to improve things. And so, I'm just asking that we can look into and spruce up the gym- (coughs) ... to let the kids have some spirit. And then my last thing, just curious, that's all, is for the public works. It says, "Restore the DPW summer work program, $131,000." Summer's gone, and it won't be back till next year when
▶ 13:16 we're in fis- the next fiscal budget. So, I'm just curious where this money's going to go and how would it be used. I just, there's not enough kids in Melrose to hire who would actually want to work to spend that money. So, good to see you guys. Happy holidays. Thanks. Thank you, Mr. Pelrhine. Um, anyone else looking to speak? Good evening. Good evening. Lisa Matey Berjeron from 63 Howard Street. Um, I was first and foremost here because I was so excited to see the Howard Street speed tables in the supplemental budget appropriation that's been proposed. I had completely given up hope. And to see that put back in there when, um, my neighbors and I, including Joe Pelrhine and others that are here tonight, have,
▶ 14:17 um, witnessed accident after accident at our corner. Um, just wanted to express my appreciation and hope for support from the city councilors and the mayor in, um, seeing that project get executed. Because when the temporary speed tables were there, it was incredibly helpful. And for the months since then, the crossing guard has been asking me repeatedly every week when she sees me walking the dogs, "Have you heard anything? When will they bring it back?" So, um, please, uh, if you can- Recording in progress. ... support that, it would be much needed by the community. Um, then my second thing that I wanted to speak to was that I was a very big and vocal supporter of the override effort. And, um,
▶ 15:07 when I saw the supplemental budget in the packet for the, um, meeting tonight, I was taken aback. Because although I probably should have expected that when the amount for the override was passed at the highest level, and it was also predicated on inflation increasing our needs over the next five years. And that was intentional, so we wouldn't have to go back to the community next year when inflation ex- exceeds 2.5%. However, what that has, um, resulted in is that there is a surplus this year. And it's not a surplus in the real sense that we can't find things that are necessary to spend that money on, but I think that the public needs to understand where that money, why that money is there, which I, I'm guessing
▶ 16:00 is somewhat in part attributable to the fact that it, we've already are halfway through the, the fiscal year. Um, and how that list came to pass in terms of deferred maintenance items, things that are one-time items that will save us money in the long term. Um, but it's, there, there's values that are attributable to each one of those things that different people in the community may want to see. M's in the gym. Other people in the community want, may want to see professional development for the teachers. I'm not trying to debate any s- particular one of those items, but if I was taken aback as someone who was very supportive of the override, I think many other people too may feel like they need that information to come along with the
▶ 16:49 process. And I think people probably also would like a little bit more input on how those items are, um, voted on. And I realize, I'm not sure the process tonight in terms of how all those things are going to be decided, but, um, just some feedback to the city councilors. If I had this reaction, I think there's others who will have that reaction too. And I would much rather it be discussed beforehand than after the fact, you know, in the bars later, or, or we, you know, a year from now. "Well, we had all that money, w- you know, why did we need to do this?" So, please take that into your consideration this evening and in the weeks to come. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else in the gallery? Mr. McSween?
▶ 17:41 Hi, everyone. I, too, enjoy this table. Um, Sid McSweeney. I'm here speaking on behalf of the Ped Bike Committee. A few comments, um, from us, obviously on the, um, appropriation tonight. The first, is from the committee, you know, thank you-... to everyone who advocated for the override. Um, our committee was heavily in favor. Um, we held events for it, we rallied for it, um, and we recognize that not only did the override result from the tremendous work of the campaign, but also from, you know, Mayor Grigoritis and her staff who have really been on, like, a two-year process to make this all as transparent as possible. But also to the Council, um, I think it was a huge deal that the Council presented such a united
▶ 18:26 front on communicating to the city w- why this was needed. There are oftentimes many different opinions expressed around this table, as there should be, but when the community really needed it- needed it, you all, in our view, came together and made clear, unanimously, uh, why the community needs this. And we owe you a debt of gratitude for that. Um, our committee just wanted to highlight some of the items that we're really pleased to see funding restored for (clears throat) . The first is the parklet program. Um, we feel a certain type of way about the parklets, because, um, our committee, back in 2020, in coordination with a local architect named Emily Lambert, designed the parklets, and also, through
▶ 19:09 volunteer hours, built it, uh, the- the first one. Um, we have such a wonderful downtown, um, but especially five years ago, six years ago, it was really lacking in public seating. And the parklet program, combined with the city's great work on Central Terrace, um, really gives us a nice base and a s- a nice foundation to start from. So, real- really pleased to see the parklets, um, returning downtown and we hope those can be made permanent going forwards. Um, we are also really pleased to see the Howard Street, um, traffic calming program being made permanent. Again, we would trace this back to 2020 COVID years, when our committee worked with the Planning Department and then Mayor Broder to apply for a Shared Streets and Spaces
▶ 19:55 Grant. The city was really supportive of this idea of traffic calming, of neighborhood pilots that could get people out of their homes during COVID times and make their streets feel safer. I think that we've seen this program be really successful, um, and we're so thrilled to see one of these pilots, um, you know, come to fruition and- and be made permanent, so we're- we're over the moon about that. Um, DPW staffing restoration is a big one for us. We put that in all of our override support materials. We know that, uh, the city needs resources to help protect the walkability of Melrose. We need engineers, we need DPW staff, um, uh, we're- we're really heavily in favor of bolstering the levels of the
▶ 20:43 Public Works Department, um, through the budget, and we're pleased to see that the mayor, um, is committed to that as well. And finally, trees. Uh, you know, we see a line item for an appropriation for trees. It's a really, really, really underrated component of a walkable city, is the amount of shade we have, um, and can offer our community, in addition to the obvious beautification benefits, um, we've been lacking in, uh, consistent funding for street trees forever, essentially, um, and we hope this is the start of a permanent line item in the budget. Um, one area where I'd say we're disappointed to see no mention of it, although maybe, um, it's gonna come back is the actual funding for the traffic calming
▶ 21:28 pilot program, which, in our perspective, has been extremely popular with residents. Um, demand very much outpaces supply, um, that program did not appear this year. We understand it was eliminated because of the budget shortages, um, and so we would advocate for it to be restored in the future due to its popularity, and due to the fact that it's now paying dividends. Um, as the other speakers mentioned, the Howard Street, uh, Project directly arose from that traffic calming pilot program. So we know that this can be valuable for the city. Um, especially since so many of you understand that, uh, unsafe driver behavior is, like, the number one thing that gets complained about, I've heard it said around
▶ 22:15 this table, possibly the number one public safety issue in the city that people really feel, um, in their- in their day-to-day. Um, we all know, we've heard it a million times before, that, um, the city's budget reflects its priorities, and again, the committee is really thankful, um, to the voters and to all the campaigners, um, and to all the city staff and the councilors who helped to restore some of, you know, what makes Melrose really special into the budget. Um, and we know that part of the reason the override succeeded is because of the effort all of you have done in making (sniffs) the city's finances really transparent. Um, anyone can come to any of the meetings and see where every last dollar goes, um, so let's- let's
▶ 23:01 not forget that as we move forward. This wasn't just about priorities but it was about how you all have handled the last two years in really making sure the community understands how those dollars impact them. So, you know, going forward, let's not just count the number of trees we plant every year, let's measure the amount of shade we produce. Let's not just count the number of our RFBs we throw on the streets, let's count the number of safer crossings we enable. Let's not just count the road miles we pave, let's measure the, uh, trips we enable and make safer. Um, thank you all for your efforts, uh, and we can't wait to work alongside you all, uh, to continue to protect what makes this city special.
▶ 23:46 Mark Garipay: Thank you. Anyone else looking to speak in the gallery? I see no one in the gallery, is there anyone online looking to speak? There's no one online. Okay. Um, all right, we're changing ... Since Mr., uh, since Councilor Romanul not, um...... not participating. We can do, voice, voice votes. So, at this time, um, by unanimous consent, I will, close the public portion, uh, part of the meeting. Seeing no objections, public, comment is closed. Moving on, we have minutes approval. Um, I will entertain a motion to approve the Appropriation and Oversight Committee minute, uh, meeting minutes from November 10th, 2025 at 7:20 without reading. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion to approve by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor
▶ 24:47 Mark Garipay: Williams. On discussion, all in favor? Aye. Opposed? Those minutes are approved. Okay, we're gonna be moving on to budget presentations. Um, we're gonna go over each department, and you have the list in front of you. Uh, I'm gonna invite the mayor. I think the mayor wants to say a few words first. Um, so we'll invite, uh, the mayor up to speak, and then we'll move into the budget, budget presentations. Thank you, Chair Garipay and councilors. Um- Like the timing? Hm? Like the timing? (laughs) You can t-... I'll be quick, I promise. (laughs) Um, I, you know, listening to some of the folks in public comment, I just wanna reflect on what a difference two years can make. I know we have been together on what has been a very challenging journey since the
▶ 25:34 Jen Grigoraitis: start of all of our terms, and it is really exciting to be at this moment to see our ability to make some investments in our shared community after what has been two very challenging budget cycles. Um, what you have before you tonight is a supplemental budget in response to voters overwhelmingly approving the override that was on the ballot on November 4th to add $13.5 million to the tax levy. Um, before we talk a little bit more very high level about what you'll hear in more detail from department heads, I do want to first thank the residents of Melrose for entrusting us with their tax dollars. I want to thank this council for being a partner in that process, as well as the school committee. And I want to thank the City Hall staff and school leadership
▶ 26:13 Jen Grigoraitis: who you see here tonight who have worked for the past two years having things reduced, taken away, having to tell residents, "We can't do that. We don't have the money for that." And then, in the six business days in between the election and when we put this order down before you, worked really hard to bring things back. So, it is a team effort, and I want to thank their hard work that often happens behind the scenes. Um, the question that was approved by voters, I just want to read it so we all have that frame, is that, "Shall the City of Melrose be allowed to assess an additional 13.5 million in property taxes for the purposes of funding 17 school, five public works, and two police officer
▶ 26:50 Jen Grigoraitis: positions, salary and benefits, city and school employee union contracts and benefits, school technology and curriculum needs, public works senior center, veteran's services and library programs, and repairs and maintenance to roads, sidewalks, buildings, and parks for which monies from this assessment will be used for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025." That language is important because what we are doing now is to comply with state law. Money can only be appropriated to those items outlined in the question. So, there are many priorities of many of you, of me, of many residents. What is before us is in response to the question that was placed on the ballot that you all approved back in the spring.
▶ 27:30 Jen Grigoraitis: The question was informed by the work of the Finance Task Force, with myself and city councilors, and Ms. Golden representing the city side, and Mr. Kelly, then-Superintendent Diletti, and school committee members representing the school side. So there are 17 school positions because that is what we were asked to include in the question. There are five public works because that is what I wanted to see included in the question on the city side. So that is the frame for this supplemental budget, is what is in response to what was listed in the question. There are... The capital projects that are listed have all been previously identified through public processes, most notic- Recording in progress.
▶ 28:03 Jen Grigoraitis: ... most noti- most notably the Capital Improvement Plan, which was last produced in 2022. Um, I want to highlight that the high school bathroom renovation has been a project that has been ready to go but lacking a funding source for at least the past three years. It is the only remaining project in our top 10 most needed capital projects that we have not yet been able to fund. Um, you also see projects like the Howard Street speed tables, which we've previously applied for and been unsuccessful in obtaining grant funding for, and lighting at the Milano Center, which was actually funded through a state earmark, which was then reduced in a previous state budget cut. So, we are really focused on bringing back what
▶ 28:39 Jen Grigoraitis: was taken away within the confines of the question. Also, just to frame the role of the City Council, which I know you all know, this is part one of this process, which is to move money back into department lines. Under state law, the school department will hear a presentation from the superintendent at a later date to then determine how money moved into the bottom line of the school committee. School budget will be appropriated within that line. So, you know, we've got to move through things in order. That's where we are. Um, this, the timeline is being driven by setting our tax rate on December 1st because we need to know what is the total budget in order for us to produce tax bills. Um, so I know you will then
▶ 29:19 Mark Garipay: hear from department heads who can answer more specific questions, but I just wanted to provide that high-level overview and again just say what a pleasure it is to be here tonight and how grateful I am to this community for helping us move things forward. Thank you. Thank you. That's it? Yeah. Good? Do you need anything? All right. (laughs) All right, moving on. We're gonna hit, uh- First up is Department 543, Veterans. And we have Director of Veteran Services, Tami Shovelton with us. I think this is your first time in front of us for a budget presentation. It is. Hello everyone. Welcome. Thank you. And I'll hand it over to you. Okay. So my department is asking for $30,000 to be put back into the budget for outreach, events, and
▶ 30:08 commemoration program support. Any... Councilor Williams. Can you, can you be just a little more specific? Um, absolutely. So for outreach, (microphone static) there are several things that we want to do. Uh, one of the first things we really need, re- really need to do with the budget override, um, the Veterans Department itself has its own tax write-off program. And I want to make sure that I can get veterans together at different, um, events between January and March so that they can understand, um, what the tax override program for veterans is and how they can, um, participate in it. Because I know a lot of our veterans are older and they are worried and, but, but they're not quite old enough for the Council on Aging-
▶ 30:51 Hmm. ... Tax Write-Off program, and so I know it's going to be really important to them that they have the availability to, um, participate in the tax write-off as well. So we'll be doing some outreach with that. I also want to have some coffee chats on Saturdays where people who are working during the day that are veterans can come to as well, because I think it's very important, um, that we hear from as many veterans as possible within Melrose to really find out what they're lacking and what they're needing and how we can best support and help them. And so we'll need to have some different events in order to be able to do that. Um, we'll need to publish them and, and market them and things like that.
▶ 31:26 Um, so that (microphone static) , in terms of events, every year we do, um, our big events are Veterans Day and Memorial Day, um, so we'll need funding to help with that. Um, part of what we do also, um, is provide flags for all, for the whole municipality. So right now, we don't have any backup flags, so if a flag is tattered, we have to order it, then we have to wait for it to come, and then it can take a couple of weeks, and nobody wants that. So I'm hoping to be able to buy enough flags that we will have a supply on hand so that when there is a problem, we can just very easily grab a flag and put it up and not have to wait because nobody likes when the flags look terrible. So those are just some of the things.
▶ 32:08 Ryan Williams: Um, and obviously, Memorial Day is in fis- this fiscal year. It is. Right. Um, so I assume that there will be a lot of costs encumbered by that. Are you carrying any sort of (clicks tongue) costs that, like contracts or expenses that you have been holding and that this is going to go towards, things that are more retroactive, or is it all forward-looking for the rest of, of the fiscal year? I th- I think the only thing we've probably been holding is, is the purchasing of, of flags- I see. ... which can be very expensive. Okay. Um, but, so I think most of it is just forward moving. These are Like, we haven't done any outreach, and so I think, you know, we put a pause on that, so that would be one thing.
▶ 32:44 Maya Jamaleddine: And these are the big flags. These are, right, so the- Yeah. ... flags can be, um, anywhere from like the three by five flags up to, like, the six by eight flags. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you, Councilor Williams. Councilor Jamaleddine? Thank you. Um, thank you for, um, joining us tonight. Um, we are excited that the Veterans, uh, Department, eh, ha- is included in the supplemental budget. I am excited. Um, where are you going to hold those events? So my hope is to hold those events at Memorial Hall, um, po- potentially at the Milano Center. Um, I don't believe we have any, any spaces here in ci- City Hall that would be big enough, so my- ideally, I'd like to be able to hold them either in Memorial
▶ 33:27 Maya Jamaleddine: Hall or at the Milano Center. Yes, and, um, how many do we have? Like approximate number of these, of the, um, veterans that we're serving? We serve approximately 680 veterans in the city of Melrose. Okay. And, um, is, are these events and, uh, like the budget that you're requesting right now, supplemental budget, is going to be, um, inclusive in moving forward? Or is this something just specific for this year? No. Moving forward, the idea would be to continually have, um, coffee chats at minimum of once a month and meeting with the veterans as much as we can. Anytime anything new comes out of City Hall or the state or the federal government that we need to update, um, veterans or veteran-adjacent veterans'
▶ 34:15 spouses, Gold Star, um, spouses about so that they know, we want to be able to have an event so we can bring them together so we can get everything situated. Um, one of the big things we have with a, a slightly older group of veterans is they have a very hard time, like, accessing, um, their benefits online, getting the paperwork that they need, and so I really would like to have a class where I can bring them together and help them to sign up and put their passwords down so that they can easily access the things that they need. Because, um, if they need something for tax purposes or for, even for just for a discount, they, they often have a hard time. So I want to have, you know, do things that is gonna benefit, benefit the whole
▶ 34:57 Mark Garipay: community. Awesome. Thank you. (clicks tongue) Thank you for being here. I just wanted to say, I'm excited to see this line item as well, and part of me would like it to be a little bit more (laughs) so you could do more for the veterans. Um, but I just want to make a motion to approve or recommend or... Motion to move, move the bottom line. Move the bottom line. (laughs) Second. So we have a motion to move the bottom line of d- department 543, Veterans O- I'm sorry, Veterans Service, Veterans, um, in the amount of $30,000 made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by President Migliorelli. On discussion, all in favor? I. Opposed? That bottom line will be moved. Thank you very much. Thank you. Have a good night.
▶ 35:44 You too. Next up, we have Department 611, Library. We have, uh, Director Gardner with us. Welcome. Thank you. Good to see you. So we have, um, the two items on the library budget. One is funding to reopen on Sundays, which we were not able to do this year. We traditionally reopen on Sundays right after Labor Day. Um-And the other, as has been mentioned, is for programming for the library. Thank you very much. Um... 53-50. What's the will of the... Councilor Williams? Sorry. About how many people would you say the library serves on a annual basis? Oh. (laughs) Um... I know it's a tough question. It could be, if you have a sense of like a daily foot traffic, that would be- The sa- so, um, I believe
▶ 36:52 Ryan Williams: it's anywhere between 600 to 1,200 a day, d- depending on the day. Okay. Um, I, I wish that there was more money in here for you. I understand that we have a lot of different things that we're trying to accomplish, um, as, in particular because you serve so many people. And I would love to see some of the changes that have been mentioned. I, I, my little ones went to the original library kids room, so I know how essential it is. Um, um, do you feel in the year ahead, apart from opening on Sunday, do you feel, uh, uh, are you going to be thinking about how to, how to grow the library services? Absolutely. Um, it's also been mentioned, we have a survey out right now that is targeted to the children's
▶ 37:43 room. Um, we, uh, we have that online on the website. The rec department was kind enough to send an email blast out for us on that. So we're getting a lot of good feedback from that, and that's a big focus for us now. But we also want to expand and really be hearing back from all areas of the population. Um, we could do more senior outreach. Um, so we will be, I think, part of the benefit of this funding is that we will be able to do it to implement programs that we're interested in and might not otherwise have been able to. And then we'll know, is that successful? Is that something that we really wanna push to move forward with continuing in the future? And you'll have the... Sorry. You'll have the results of that survey
▶ 38:36 Maya Jamaleddine: sort of in time to plan the budget for the next fiscal year? Yes. So this survey that we're doing right now goes through December 15th. Got it. Okay. All right. Okay. Thank you. Councilor Giamalde? Thank you. Thank you. It's so good to see you again. Um, uh, I know that it, there is, um, the Sunday hours, is it for the whole, all the departments or is it portion based on, um, who would, uh, you know, like who do we serve the most or who is, uh, coming during Sundays? It's all of our public departments, so that would be children's, teen, the main adult desk and reference. Awesome. And in terms of, um, and full hours or is it just, um- So Sundays, we, um, we are open 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Mm-hmm.
▶ 39:30 Maya Jamaleddine: Would love it f- to be more, but that's, that's what we have. Yes. And, um, it's, it's always better than nothing, right? Yes, absolutely. And, uh, for the program support, um, do we, do you have any thoughts on, is it going to be focused in one department or is it still in process or in planning? It's somewhat in process. Again, because we are doing the, um, the children's room survey right now, so we're gonna have so much great input on that. I think a lot of it will be focused in that department. Um, and then maybe using a few, we have more technology than we used to in the large meeting room downstairs. Mm-hmm. So this might be an opportunity to help explore that more as well. Yes. Thank you. I know the elevator wasn't
▶ 40:21 Maya Jamaleddine: working. Um, is it, is it restored now? Elevator is restored. It is up and running. Yes. That's awesome. That was thankfully just a glitch. Perfect, thank you. I just want to take this as an opportunity to thank, um, uh, our constituents who took the time and did the, uh, presentation and working on collaborating with you and I. I appreciate your leadership and collaboration. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you. All right. Councilor Vandiver? Thank you. And briefly, I'd also like to, um, say I, I absolutely agree through the chair with Councilor Williams. This is a department that serves a lot of people and could probably use more funding even. Um, but I'm, I'm glad to see that this is in here.
▶ 41:00 Kimberly Vandiver: I'm glad that you're doing the survey, that you're getting community input. Um, I appreciate we spoke over the summer about a couple of kind of non-monetary changes and seeing a couple of those in action already in the children's area, that's, that's really awesome and, um, I'm looking forward to continuing to see it develop and flourish and, and be, be a wonderful space. Um, so, um, with that, I would like to make a motion to move to the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of department... Where am I here? 61- 61-1. There's- Um, in the amount of 35,315 made by Councilor Vandevord, seconded by Councilor Williams on discussion. All in favor? I. Opposed? That bottom line will be moved.
▶ 41:44 Next up is 541, Council on Aging. We have Ms. Lauren Grimmick, Chief of Staff, with us. Welcome. (laughs) Sounds good. Um, thank you, councilors. I'm here for Erica Brown, who's on her honeymoon, so I'm here tonight. Um, so the Council on Aging, the supplemental budget ad- adds back $40,000 in programming support, which was cut from the fiscal '26 budget at the budget hearing last time. Um, the mayor also had mentioned, which Ms. Poreis Ellis will talk about under DPW capital projects, another $40,000 for Milano Center lighting. So I just want to make that, um, clear, these two investments coming. Thank you. Happy to answer any questions. Any questions? (laughs) It's gonna be all night, isn't it?
▶ 42:32 No. (laughs) I- it just- Councilor Williams- It's, it- Yeah, I'm sorry, I just- ...100,000 dollars. I just... I know, I know, but I just, I'd like, I wanna know a little bit more about the, what is program support mean? Yeah. Program- Yeah, and so I, um, I think when you think of the Milano Center, you can think of it in sort of two ways. There's daily users that come in for a cup of coffee, they need to print some materials, they wanna read a book, and some of those amenities were taken away with that programming support. So it's to add back those basic amenities that we probably take for granted, but we know that those folks are socializing. It's also then adding programming that Erica and her staff just didn't
▶ 43:05 plan for. Um, many of you know that they are reaching for age-friendly and dementia-friendly, um, res- uh, des- designations, and so adding some of that programming in, um, and just being able to do more and elevate some of the things that they, they have, so... Is it primarily staff time? Like to pay for staff, or is it- It's not... No, it's primarily for program- programming materials, bringing people back in, um, we have a transportation driver that does, does a lot of the, you know, counts a lot towards the programming, um, so yeah. Coffee- Yeah. ... popcorn. Coffee. All right, thank you. Yeah. All right. Councilor Finocchiaro. Just make a motion to move the bottom line. Second. I'm sorry? Who's second?
▶ 43:48 Mark Garipay: S- second. Second. Uh, we have a motion to move the bottom line of Department 541, Council on an Aging, made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Vandiver. On discussion, all in favor? I- Opposed? That bottom line is moved. Moving on to 211, Police Department, and we have Chief Valio with us. Welcome, Chief. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, you're welcome. So there's a, there's a lot of people to thank. I, I just wanted to, for the record, I actually want to thank, um, the men and women that work for me. Um, you know, when you, you cut personnel, and I'm the chief, and I have to go back to them to say we're, you know, reducing our staff, when quite frankly, I've been advocating for more,
▶ 44:33 um, so I'm very pleased that we're able to restore what we had, which, uh, you know, might not be enough, especially with the developments and the increased population that we're gonna be having in the next four or five years. So I just want to thank, you know, the men and women. They, they didn't put their heads down, they didn't come into my office and complain, uh, complain to the city. They did their job, um, as they always did and always will. So I kind of want to just recognize them for not, really not giving me a hard time, really, basically- Mm-hmm. ... is what I'm saying, but uh- (laughs) ... it just shows the culture of, uh, you know, what we have and what, what, what we're trying to do at, at 56 West Foster that they did their job.
▶ 45:11 There were a lot of, um, denials- (clears throat) ... of time off. There were a lot of forced overtimes and, um, and they did their job. And you may not think that two officers is a lot, but for a size of our department, it is. And we only run three offices, you know, per shift, so it kind of hits home. Certain people lost, uh, time with their families, but it was a short term, right? We're lucky it's July to November, uh, hopefully. Um, but there was a lot of uncertainty whether or not this was gonna pass. So a lot of people to thank within the city, but I wanted to recognize them. Um, I'm, I'm here for that, to restore the salary positions of two police officers that were, uh, reduced and
▶ 45:52 the costs associated with, uh, the recruit cost to put them through the academy, outfit them, uh, and get them everything that they need to get up and running to the tune of total of $200,210. Thank you. Any questions? Councilor Williams. Do you have a timeline for, um, when you think these folks might be on the streets? Yes. It's actually good timing where we are now in late November. So December 1st, uh, the new list for civil service is certified. I've already talked to HR and Polly, so we have a strategic plan on, uh, as soon as that list is out, we'll be calling for it. All right. Awesome. Hit the ground running. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Anyone else? What's the will of the committee?
▶ 46:33 Mark Garipay: Uh, motion to move the bottom line on 211. Second. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line on Department 211, uh, Police, in the amount of $200,210- (clears throat) ... made by Councilor Williams, seconded by Councilor, uh, President, President Migliorelli on discussion. All in favor? I- I- I- Aye. Opposed? That bottom line is moved. Okay. Thank you, everyone. Have a good night, Chief. Thank you. Thank you. Moving on to Department 155, Information Technology. We have Director of IT, Tom Smallegan. Welcome, Mr. Smallegan. (clears throat) Thank you. Um, so just real quick, a couple of quick things for everybody here. Uh, if my voice starts to go, I'm just fighting a little bug, so that's all it is. Um, also, for those of you that are gonna be stepping
▶ 47:25 away, uh, after these meetings, I just wanted to say thank you very much. It's been nice getting to work with all of you and know you all for the past couple years. As was working with you. (laughs) Um, so that being said, uh, we are looking for some financing to do the following items. Um, update classroom Chromebook carts for the elementary schools, um, improving and adding, uh, some security at the Fred Green Field and Lincoln Elementary School, um, a refresh of the battery backup systems in our network closets across the district, as well as continuing with our school, uh, public address system upgrades that we've been doing for the past year and a half or so, and starting to upgrade the very, uh, old high school projector
▶ 48:08 Maya Jamaleddine: systems. So with that, I'm happy to answer anything you might have. Councilor Jamaleddine? Thank you. Um, so good to see you, um, as well. And, uh, you know, it's, it's really... It's always a concern and a worry for parents, uh, when we feel that there is not a strong security system, um, in school. And seeing this then proposed as part of the supplemental budget, um, uh, really, um-... uh, it means a lot. And I appreciate, uh- (coughs) ... you focusing on this and prioritizing, uh, that. Um, c- can you tell m-... uh, talk more about the, um, uh, security cameras, um, in terms of numbers, if you have that? And- For this project or in general? For this project. Okay. So this project is going to be, um...
▶ 49:07 Some of it's gonna depend on what the final numbers for the, um, projects themselves come back with, because labor's kind of sometimes an unknown. Um, but we're looking at adding, uh, six at the Fred Green field and an additional two at the Lincoln. Um, but both of them at the Lincoln, one is going to be... a multi-head. So it's gonna have four separate cameras in it, so it'll look in a very large area. Um, and another one will be a dual cam, so it'll be a very large coverage area as well. Okay. And are these... where would it be connected to? Is it just for the school or is it... would it be connected- They're all... All the cameras everywhere across the, uh, the city itself, schools and city built municipal buildings, they're all connected on the same network.
▶ 49:49 Maya Jamaleddine: Um, we have access to all of them. The police have access to all of them. Um, superintendent and her staff, they have access to their school buildings. So, all the people that need to see the stuff have access to it. (laughs) Awesome. And, uh, just, um, my last question, um, we, we know that this year due to the budget, um, deficits that, that we're going... that we were going through, um, we ask, um, students to bring sometimes their own, uh, device and stuff. Is that something that we're going to recover? How- Currently, uh, we are not looking to reinstate that whole thing. A lot of it comes down to just the logistics of it and our manpower and ability to constantly fix and repair those devices,
▶ 50:34 and they need to be replaced and refreshed, especially depending if you're doing at elementary levels or just middle or just high school. But those devices need to be refreshed every several years. So, it just ends up being a very large reoccurring cost that we have a hard, ha-hard time greatly justifying the outlay of that. Because it ends up a lot of our budget just goes to that and not the other, like infrastructure improvements and upgrades and additions of new other technology. So, what I'm hearing, for next year, it's going to be the same. We're going to follow the same system- Correct. ... in a way that bring your own device, and, uh, that includes also maintenance and everything. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And we'll still continue to do the same stuff where, um, the families
▶ 51:14 Maya Jamaleddine: like on their free and reduced lunch, that sort of thing. We'll help provide those and get the, the most impacted folks, you know, we'll still support them and make sure they have the tools they need to be able to be competitive with their peers and do all their same activities. Do we know how many, at least, um, you know, approximate... Again, I don't want exact number, um, in t- students that they ask or they rely on the city to get their devices? I don't have that exact number off the top of my head. It's a few hundred, I believe. Um, yeah. Were, uh... are we able... were we able to provide everything- Yes. ... and cover everything? Yes. Yes. Perfect. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Counselor Vandever, then I have Counselor Funaricho.
▶ 51:55 Kimberly Vandiver: Is there anyone else that wants to get in the queue? Counselor Vandever. Thank you, Chair Garipay. Um, I, I wanted to ask a question, um, a, a bit in response to one of the public comments we had about, uh, the appearance of some of the things in this budget that may seem surprising, um, to people. Um, just in the sen- the spirit of transparency, some of these i-items in this list are perhaps deferred maintenance or, uh, like I remember in a previous meeting, I think we talked about the need for PA system upgrades, and I believe, you, you can tell me, um, if I'm wrong, that, you know, the system was hopelessly old and very difficult to repair, get parts for it, et cetera. And so, I was wondering if you could just,
▶ 52:35 Kimberly Vandiver: um, for the community, share a little bit about, um, how long these projects have been pending, why, you know, whether these are going to pay off in, in d- less maintenance later, whether these, um... you know, how, why these got onto this list right now. Sure. So, this has been something that, I mean, we've kind of been looking at for many years. Um, it kind of ebbs and flows with the different, uh, principals and administration. Like, some r-rely on it more than others, you know. Um, so it's been kind of a priority for us, uh, because it has been coming up more and more. We get requests in the summer, "Oh, we got, you know, 10 speakers or this whole wing, y- in this school that's not working." And these
▶ 53:17 systems, they're 50, 60 years old, it's hard to find installers that'll work on them, it's hard to find parts. Um, and when it comes down to it, it almost becomes financially not worth it to just keep slapping some duct tape on it and keep it going. Um, so what we're trying to do is get all the buildings done, starting with the most important ones, bring them all up to a newer standard where there won't be maintenance issues, just like, you know, anything else you buy new and there's fewer issues upfront. Um, they'll be easier to work on because they're digital things, which is what we do. Um, you also get a lot more flexibility and a lot more feature sets that you can do with them. Like in the end, when we're all done, all the buildings will all
▶ 53:58 Cal Finocchiaro: be connected together to central administration, um, to public safety. So, it'll be much easier to communicate across the entire district, which is something that is just completely not possible with the existing systems, even if they were in their prime. Thank you. That's helpful. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, Counselor Funaricho. Thank you so much. Sorry, I just put a cough drop in my mouth (laughs) . Um, all of this is great because obviously security cameras, communication is really important just for every purpose, but just for safety and, and everything. So, but I just wanted to, um, touch on what Counselor Jamaldin asked about the elementary classroom Chromebook replacements. Mm-hmm. So, that doesn't mean that every elementary school is going to get replaced with
▶ 54:41 Chromebooks? Correct. So, right now the elementaries...... pretty much have, um, one cart per classroom for them to use. Mm-hmm. Those all came in with COVID federal money, so now they're six-ish years old. Nothing lasts forever. Um, so what we're hoping to do with this budget, but also moving forward, um, is to just ha- get a constant refresh cycle. So, we're not trying to replace, you know, multiple elementary schools every year or every- (clears throat) ... handful of years where we're scrambling for a large sum of money. So, this way we can do the, (pops lips) a large school and a smaller school right now, get them turned over, get them new devices. We're not changing the number, we're just not adding or subtracting, it's just that
▶ 55:22 Cal Finocchiaro: we're getting new devices. Um, and then we'll have that surplus of those ones we removed that we can use to augment the other buildings if they're short, if their devices break, whatever. Um, and then, you know, next year same thing, we can roll another building, another two buildings, whatever, um, however all the finances work out for it. And so that we have this continuing evolution of fresh things and everyone's on a level playing field. I think that's great. I mean, I, I think especially for the elementary schools. I mean, I have older kids at middle school and high school and they tend to have their own Chromebooks and they're better with charging them and bringing them in and out of the, you know, in their backpacks.
▶ 55:58 Ryan Williams: We don't actually expect that from elementary school. (laughs) Right. So, uh, but it, it's, I'm happy that that's a line item and that these kids are gonna get better Chromebooks to work with. Sure. So, thank you. Mm-hmm. Thank you, Councilor Funaruocio. I have Councilor Williams up next. Thank you. Um, through the Chair, I, Councilor Vandiver and Councilor Funaruocio raised a question in my mind, um, which was this comment about, you know, the, the, the needs of the capital budget versus the needs of the, of salaries of staff, and why are we putting money into these items that, uh, that have appeared here. And I, I wanted to remind folks just for the public's benefit that Melrose doesn't have a capital fund that we leverage.
▶ 56:38 Ryan Williams: And so literally all of the city's maintenance and hard costs and capital costs over the years, basically we just cross our fingers at the end of each year and whatever money we're over on the budget, what we call free cash, you know, the difference between what we thought we would spend and what we actually spent, maybe this is that we had a light year for snow and so we didn't spend as much on salt, we take that money and everybody fights over it to see, you know, can the schools get a Chromebook or does Fred Greene need cameras or does the senior center need a van? And so we've never been able to really plan this. We have a document, but we're not able to plan for it. And so what the override is doing, we're seeing it here, is that we are
▶ 57:17 Ryan Williams: able to think about and plan for these items that are desperately needed outside of waiting and hoping that free cash becomes available. Um, and that is going to allow us to do more, mo- planning for the budget in the future. And one of the things that Mayor Gregoritis did is she actually took some of that free cash and put it into the school budget, um, uh, in a structural way permanently in the past. And, and, and doing the override allows us more flexibility to make things like that happen. So it just gives us more room to do the things we need to do without having to beg, borrow, and steal from each other. Mm-hmm. That's it. Thank you. It's the will of the committee? I motion to move the bottom line on department 155.
▶ 57:57 Mark Garipay: Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of department 155, um, information technology made by Councilor Williams, seconded by Councilor Vandiver. And we are moving the bottom line in the amount of $525,000. Um, a discussion. All in favor? I. Opposed? The bottom line's moved. Thank you, Mr. Smoligan. Thank you. Next up, we have department 300, the schools. We have Interim Superintendent Gary Berman and Mr. Ken Kelly, who needs no introduction. (paper moves) So- Yes, thank you. Um, so I will kick it off. Um, so some of you may have heard some of this if you listened to school committee, but I'm going to highlight some of the key pieces that were discussed there. So first of all, I want to thank all of you, um, as well as all of
▶ 58:58 our voters of Melrose. Um, a lot of appreciation for the willingness to invest in our city and obviously especially our schools and the seat that I'm currently sitting in. So, um, you know, we have as, as, you know, I have my favorite little cheat sheet here. Um, but the schools will be receiving $3.8 million, um, due to this override, which is excellent. And that falls in our instruction, uh, and learning budget. Um, but in addition, you heard that, um, you know, IT is also going to be supporting the schools. And then you'll also hear that DPW and some of the funding that's gonna go towards that will also be, um, supporting the schools. So specifically, a few of the projects, some of them were already mentioned here
▶ 59:40 tonight, we'll have some bathroom renovations at the high school, some front stair and sidewalk repairs at the middle school. Uh, again, a s- a safety issue in some ways, um, adding those security doors hopefully to the Winthrop, um, those school s- security cameras, um, that elementary Chromebook replacement, um, that, um, Mr. Smoligan just talked about, and, and many more projects. This is certainly an exciting time for Melrose, um, as someone who's been here for a long time and has one see- seen one override go through, I mean, this, this is really historic. Um, and there's a lot of been- work that's been done since this override passed. Um, we're gonna continue to plan, um, in the coming months
▶ 1:00:21 for both the second half of FY26 and also obviously FY27. Um, we are really examining the positions that have been, um, cut over the last two years. So, um, as we think about that, positions that directly af- affect student growth and achievement will be prioritized. Um, we are very excited to bring back 17 positions, but we really need to be mindful as we make decisions, um, on what we decide to bring back as the district. Um, in addition, the funding provided to the, um, schools will help as we invest in curriculum. Um, this has been something that's been actually cut dramatically over the last few years, and the override funds will certainly help us with our future investment in, in consistent, um, high quality instructional
▶ 1:01:09 materials.The last two years has really given us an opportunity to examine what is impacting student achievement. So, um, we are only a little over a quarter of the way through the year at this point, um, and we, we know that we have lost many, many positions. So, um, again, we, we really have to think strategically about what we want to bring back. Um, want to make the statement too, FY26, like, we're on our way, right? Like, the, the ship has sailed a little bit in some ways. Um, and some things will remain un- unchanged for the rest of the year. So for example, we do have contracted personnel, specifically Mr. Jason Merrill, um, and Mr. Brian Corrigan, and they will remain in their current roles as the secondary principal and, um, secondary
▶ 1:01:53 deputy principal for the remainder of this school year. And just wanna talk a little bit about the leadership team. Um, we've been doing some preliminary planning, and, um, planning for FY27. Again, that will, will help us figure out the second half of this year. And, um, we're, we're gonna look at student achievement and data, as I've mentioned before, but also fall back on our strategic plan. Where are we going? Where are we headed? What do we need? Um, and I would just say that, end it with, we must determine what changes need to be made so that we can have the biggest impact on student learning, growth, and achievement in order to ensure that every student will be an engaged, challenged, enriched, and self-directed learner upon
▶ 1:02:36 graduation, which is part of our mission statement. So, um, I'm gonna turn it over to Mr. Kelly to do the financial piece and talk a little more (laughs) Sure. Thanks again for having us. Thanks again to the community and to the, the council, school committee, all the hard work for the override. Um, this is, you know, uh, past two years we've been on, in sort of a reduction cycle, and this allows us to, to pause now and shift and look at strengthening our systems. Um, and so a little bit of a reverse of our typical process as well. Typically, you know, we develop a budget with the school committee. They have, um, eight approved categories, spending categories, and then, uh, we bring that to the council for, uh, consideration.
▶ 1:03:12 So this is a little bit of a, a reverse of that typical process. Um, and so, um, if, uh, this is, this request is considered and approved, then we would go back to school committee, work with them to integrate the supplemental funds back into those, uh, eight approved categories, which are available online to take a look at if anyone wants to see that. Um, and with, you know, uh, the potential of this FY26 additional supplemental funds, uh, that would bring us to just under a $52 million budget, um, and that gets us back to where we were about a year ago when we had to cut between three and four million dollars out. Uh, this gets us back to now being where we were and can really start to plan
▶ 1:03:51 strategically, um, with what to do with these, uh, additional resources, which is welcomed. Um, just some of the highlights, uh, you, you can see in your, um, in your packet that we have, um, from the, the override question, we have three major categories we're looking to support. We have staffing and personnel, 17 positions that are, are being brought back in, which is fantastic. Um, and then we have some contractual obligations for FY26. Um, curriculum materials, um, we are always looking to now, uh, build in a continuous cycle of improvement for curriculum, a formal renewal process. Um, we brought in, uh, an English program two years ago, and we're looking to continue that with a math program, comprehensive, either K through eight or K
▶ 1:04:32 through algebra two. Uh, curriculum materials nowadays are, are very robust, comprehensive, and they are expensive. Uh, so, um, that is one of, our second category. And then, um, school IT, you heard Director Smulligan. Uh, we work constantly with his team, um, and our, our ask is more based on MCAS testing, uh, especially at the secondary level. If we were to give that test today, we would be unable, not every student would be able to take it on a device. Uh, the MCAS test, if you're not aware, is online. Um, and so right now, we do not have enough devices for students to take tests today. Um, so this will allow us now to get back to a place where students can test on the same day, not spread testing over a month.
▶ 1:05:12 Um, and as, we are well overdue for an upgrade to our Aspen process. That's our student information system. Uh, it is, uh, overdue for an, uh, an update is an understatement. Uh, so we will now be able to update that and do some things like online registrations for parents, which will make it easier for them. So, um, you have materials in your packet now. I think Superintendent Berman and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you. Um, Mr. Kelly, I appreciate you sending the email out and making yourself available to all the counselors who had any questions prior to this. I appreciate that. Yeah. Uh, Counselor Jamaleddine is up first. Thank you. Um, I'm, I see that, the 17 position, um, which
▶ 1:05:53 Maya Jamaleddine: is, um, I, I'm gonna back, uh, up, um, I'm so pleased to see you because I know every time you come here, we're like, "How are we gonna do this?" And hopefully tonight we have, um, you know, more hope and, uh, and better tools to be able to succeed. Uh, and I appreciate your patience throughout this. Um, 17 positions, is that spread, um, among all the district, or is it in, you know, two schools or some of the schools? Nope, the, we'll be looking at, um, district wide, um, at, at those positions. Yep. And I know it's too early, uh, to, uh, decide. Is there any, uh, plan to include, and hope- hopefully we do, uh, for special education support? For special education, what? Support for s- special education students.
▶ 1:06:47 Maya Jamaleddine: Yeah, so it's interesting because, um, special education is the only area that we actually did not cut, um, in, in our, in all of our cuts. I think we, we did wind up, um, because of the way that the middle school, um-... came about and w- and the reduction of, eh, the team model, um, we did cut one special education teacher, I believe, at the middle school. But that was the only cut. So I think we're actually really looking to restore, um, our, our Tier 1 instruction and, and our Tier 2 instruction. So I'm not saying special educators will not be included in that, I, I definitely don't want to make that blanket statement, but I think we really are looking to figure out ways to, um, increase and strengthen and
▶ 1:07:27 Maya Jamaleddine: bolster our Tier 1 instruction, um, in our classrooms, um, with, with our teachers in front of all students. Right. Um... I'm, I'm, I'm aware of that. My, my concern is, initially, we didn't have a great support for special education and I was wondering if we have a plan, not saying from, uh, due to the cut, but any plan to increase the support for, uh, our students that need most support of us right now, uh, in special education. And I don't, I don't expect an answer right now. It's just a, um, hope, uh, that this would be, eh, considered. Um, and again, I just wanted to, um, emphasize how much I'm pleased to see that the security system has been included. And also, uh, eh, I see down in, in the DPW, the asbestos and all
▶ 1:08:24 Maya Jamaleddine: the maintenance, um, is being considered as part of supporting this school, which is something that I've been strongly ad- advocating for, even during the, uh, very thin, uh, uh, stretch, the, uh, budget, uh, the initial budget. So thank you so much. Thank you. All right. In the queue, uh, next up I have Councilor Migliorelli, then I got Williams, Obremski, Finucchiaro. Is there anyone else? (laughs) And then still, uh, we got everyone. Uh, Ca- President Migliorelli. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you both for being here. I have less of a question, but more of a comment. Um, Ms. Berman, you kind of glazed over something that I found interesting too, which is the, the color-coded chart that's in the, um, the
▶ 1:09:13 Leila Migliorelli: packet. And I just wanted to call that out, because I think some folks might be looking and when they hear us making our votes, they're gonna be assuming certain things. So, while we're taking a vote tonight, um, to put 3.8 million back into the school department's budget, um, it's really more a total of like 8.7 million that's going to support the school. So I just, I want everyone to hear that and understand that. Um, and that has a lot to do with the way that the, the timing of the, the override for this year. You know, if we, if we were able to, let's say, like a year ago, pass an override that started in June, you would have a whole fiscal year to, to, um, to incorporate that fully into your budget and,
▶ 1:09:54 Leila Migliorelli: and start doing that. So, um, this, the timing of this actually provides a little bit of an opportunity in what we're able to make some, like, one-time investments into our schools and also bring back, um, you know, the positions that we, you know, require to bring back, but that we need. Um, and I do appreciate the process that the School Committee's gonna go through. You know, for tonight, the city, as we're, uh, people have been watching can see that we are, you know, moving the bottom line and, um, making sure that the funds that, um, were promised are going to the right spots. That's what we're doing here too. And then your particular process will begin to kind of go through that. And, um, I really wanna just say
▶ 1:10:33 Leila Migliorelli: I value your expertise in going through that process, um, as leaders of the school community, people who are understanding that firsthand and, you know, relying on your expertise and that with the School Committee to kind of go through that process. So, um, I just wanted to appreciate that and, and, and, uh, you know, talk about that too. And then, also besides the 8.6 million or closer to 8.7 million, um, you know, you can also see the city employee benefits, um, includes the schools, that's one- another 1.5 million. So there's a portion of that that's also, you know, going to support, um, employee benefits. So it is really, I think, this chart that was, um, done by the mayor's office really kinda highlights
▶ 1:11:15 Leila Migliorelli: exactly what's going to each category, um, in a way that, you know, our standard kind of accounting, way of accounting things might not be that clear to the general public. So I just, I wanna kind of point that out, 'cause that's something new that we've done, um, that the mayor's office has done this year. Um, and then just to, on the, the, you know, in the 3.8, that current fiscal year contractual obligations, um, that is due to the negotiated teacher contracts. So as part of the contract, if we, the, the override had passed, um, this, this money is due to the, the teachers. So, um, just wanted to kind of point that out too. So no questions, but- Correct. ... uh, thank you very much for, for being here tonight.
▶ 1:11:56 Ryan Williams: And thank you for the, um, process you're gonna go through after this. Thank you. Thank you, President Migliorelli. Uh, Councilor Williams. Thank you. You're welcome. Um, I, I appreciate everything President Migliorelli said because I totally agree, not only with the color-coded chart, which was like groundbreaking for me personally in my own household to talk to my wife about this. (laughs) Um, instead of pulling up a munis spreadsheet and saying, "No, look, if you add it all up together, it makes sense." Um, I wanted to ask Mr. Kelly, so we are halfway through the year. We have a request to restore 17 positions. We are probably not going to restore 17 positions by June 30th. So tell me a little bit about how this money makes,
▶ 1:12:39 reaches that goal, um, in this fiscal year. Sure. So I think that, uh, we are all, all of our, you know, efforts go towards what is best for kids. So, um, 17 positions is, is a fantastic, um, step forward for us. Um, you know, we lost over 40 positions over the past two years, so restoring 17 is a, is a great step in the right direction. Um, and then we just need to look strategically about what is...... um, realistic and doable for the rest of this year. You know, this train is on the tracks, um- Yeah. ... you know, like as the superintendent said, you know, um, we have a, a great leadership team at the, the middle high school now- Yeah. ... and we wouldn't want to interrupt that. Um, and having, you know, students that have developed relationships with their
▶ 1:13:18 Ryan Williams: peers and their teachers right now, to interrupt that, we wanna be really thoughtful and deliberate about how we implement 17 new positions. So- ... that's a lot of work that we have to do. So let me, let me just back up a little bit. Um, you don't want to, and I don't wanna get in the School Committee's business here, right? There's a School Committee meeting on the 9th, is the next one? On December, correct. Yes, December 9th, and folks should definitely attend that and, and I have a lot to say. Um, so we appropriate the money into this year's budget, and then you're spending it prior to June 30th on what? Um, well, we have the approved budget. We have the, the eight categories the School Committee's approved, and then this
▶ 1:13:55 Ryan Williams: money will go towards what, um, has been, um, you know, in the, in the question. And then, as President McLaury was saying, if there i- is, um, reserves that would go towards- (coughs) . ... you know, deferred maintenance capital projects that we have- Yeah, okay. ... an opportunity to do. Okay. And there are probably, uh, would there be sort of, if, you know, if you can't find the right quality of staff that you're looking to hire, you could use some of it for other staff, shorter term staff costs maybe? That wouldn't be my decision to make. That would be- Okay, understood. ... the team's decision to do. Understood. And, and thoughtfully look at what's best for kids. Yeah, for sure. Understood. Thank you. No questions.
▶ 1:14:27 Mm-hmm. No more questions. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Williams. Uh, Councilor Obremski. I just, uh, sort of following up on, uh, Councilor Williams' questions along these lines. Do you and- Oh, Councilor Obremski, I'm sorry, could you speak up please? Sorry. Oh, right. Sorry about that. Um, just following along- Right in there. Lean right in there. (laughs) Just following along the lines of the, uh, s- um, Councilor Williams' questioning. Um, obviously we're, like, almost midway through the year here, and, um, obviously y- you guys must anticipating, anticipate, um, struggle finding candidates at this point. Uh, in that context, w- uh, do you know if there are people who are still available who were once, uh, employed by
▶ 1:15:15 us? And do you have a plan, um, to, uh, h- uh, focus on hiring? Sure, so that- Recording in progress. ... that's a great question. Thank you for asking. And so I think an example of that is we, um, you know, with our additional Chapter 70 money that we received at the, at the end of the budget cycle, um, we decided to put that towards, um, general literacy supports at the elementary level. We've had two postings for two reading specialists. Um, I think we've had four to five applicants. We were in talks with two of those applicants, and they have both passed. So, um, you know, and, and these are, um, you know, with our override passing, I'd say we're a little more competitive now salary wise.
▶ 1:15:55 Cal Finocchiaro: So I think that, um, it's an extremely challenging market- Right. ... as an example to do that. So, um, would we look for opportunities? Yes. Would they be out there? That I can't say. Oh, yeah. All right, thank you. Thank you, Councilor Obremski. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes, thank you, Chair Garipay. Um, some of my questions are already answered, but I, I'm just asking, uh, point of order, can I... Am I asking them about the maintenance improvements or is that for... I'm, I'm sorry, you can't... Am I asking them questions about the school building maintenance and improvements? Um. That, that lineup, or? I don't know that they... I, I think, um- Is that... Director Proakis. You can ask them, but I think Director Proakis...
▶ 1:16:33 Kimberly Vandiver: Ellis will give you more context around those. Mm-hmm. Okay. I'll wait then. That's fine. Thank you. (laughs) Uh, Councilor Vandiver. Thank you. Um, it's good to see you here. I'm glad that we are getting an infusion of money into the schools. Um, you mentioned that if we needed to hold the MCAS today, we couldn't do it. What did we do last time? I'm just curious. So, um, y- the awesome IT team has been able to put together enough devices, but just with the age of the devices and the use of them, their, the wear and tear has reduced our inventory now below to a level where we could actually administer the test to students today. I see. Barely squeaked by last spring. Okay. Yeah. Same. And I can just add, like, at the middle school, for instance, there's, like, a
▶ 1:17:19 Kimberly Vandiver: month long of testing. So, like, so, you know, sixth grade will have, you know, se- the seven days that they get, and then, um, seventh grade will have the seven days, and then eighth... So you're disrupting the middle school schedule for over three weeks, you know, close to a month, as opposed to we could actually test all those children if we had devices in those same seven days, um, which would be nice to do. I see. Um, continue. That, that's, yeah, that's- (laughs) . ... that's helpful to have that context then about how that comes together and that you could even make the disruption last across the whole school. Um, yeah, and my other question, and I think, um, it sounds like we'll hear more on December 9th, but it's just
▶ 1:18:00 Kimberly Vandiver: around... You know, I did watch the School Committee meeting and, you know, a little bit of discussion there as well about mid-year hiring and how difficult that can be. And, um, so I, you know, I'm just... I'm, I'm interested in, you know, if these 17 positions get used as supplemental to existing classrooms, if classrooms get split in two. You know, how, how you navigate that transition with students, especially, um, if you're not sure at this point if you're going to be able class, right? How, how, to, to cha- you know, add a section, how you would do a schedule update for the high school mid-year when you have, you know, interplay with everyone's schedules. I'm sure, I'm sure you're already thinking about all these things, but I'm, I'm
▶ 1:18:37 Robb Stewart: very curious to know more as that comes through School Committee or if there's anything else you can say about that now. I think just that those are the conversations we're having internally too. Thank you. Thanks. Councilor, uh, Stewart. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you both for being here this evening, it's helpful. So I think it's a bit of a fait accompli though you're going to enthusiastically get support for, for this. Um, and it's great that we're having 17, but I, I look forward and, and... I, you know, you had mentioned, Mr. Kelly, that, you know, we're down 40, right? And so when, when I look at these numbers, and I know we're bound to what we said in, in the voting thing, right, that we had to hire 17.
▶ 1:19:22 Robb Stewart: Uh, would have been better to hire more, but you know, we're, it's at where it's at. Um, I'm, I'm thinking about forecast, right? In, in terms of the next to... And, and you mentioned this, Ms. Berman, right? Um, what does 27 look like and what does 28 look like and how do we shift that capitalized component that, uh, Ms. ProExelis is gonna do this year into more of a consistent staffing model going forward that avoids having to get, put us into a, situation? Because I think we want to establish steady state- Mm-hmm. ... right? And I'm sure you're thinking about this, but this, can you share your thoughts on what that looks like? To give comfort that this investment that we're making going forward, this 13.5 million
▶ 1:20:12 Robb Stewart: that we're gonna be doing here on forward, right, is going to be something that, uh, is, we're gonna see the long-term benefit. And the reason why I ask this is, uh, there's a c- there's a couple of us that lived through the last cycle of the tail end of the override where it didn't go so well. And I think we need to secure the confidence, uh, in the public that you have a good strong plan, not for this year, but for successive years. So if you could share a couple thoughts on that, that'd be great. Uh, I will just say that we, we have a lot of ideas right now. I think, um, you know, I think there's been like eight working days since we actually got the, the fact that this was passed, right?
▶ 1:21:00 So there's been a lot of work that's going on (laughs) . Um, nevermind the fact that we have, you know, work to do every day and then this is like added to it. So, you know, you're at like 2:00 in the morning thinking about what am I doing with 17 positions. Uh, that's just how my brain works. Um, I was here for that last override, right? I, I saw it, I saw it go really well and then not go well. Um, and, and here we are again and we had to ask the voters again, um, you know, for this. We have made a huge investment in our schools. I think, um, from a financial standpoint, I will say that Mr. Kelly and I are, are, are, um, pretty conservative when it comes to a lot of the (laughs) pieces. I mean, he has been doing, um, this work and has done such a
▶ 1:21:41 tremendous job, he and his team, um, over the last couple years. So hopefully we have the confidence, but we, for me, we need to put educators in front of students. Um, that is, that is the most important thing to me. Um, I, I said that before, I will continue to say that. Um, our like, I'll just use our central office team. We lost a lot of people in our central office team. That is not look, something that we're looking at this moment in time to restore. Um, we are looking to put educators in front of children. Um, and you know, may there be an administrator, of course there may be somewhere. But you know, it's around, um, ensuring that our students are getting really high quality instruction with, um, people who want to
▶ 1:22:24 be here, who are highly qualified, with good curriculum in a safe space. So those, those are our goals and those align pretty well with our strategic plan and that's where we're gonna focus on where we have to go. So we have work to do- I appreciate your comments. ... and there's big decisions to make. Yeah. I appreciate your comments and- So, Yeah, no, uh, you used the word stability. I think, and I think that's a great word to use is we wanna, you know, keep building in stability. And I, one of the things I appreciate about Superintendent Berman is she's extremely thoughtful and methodical about what she does. Um, she listens to people, she's a decision maker and I think that, um, you know, looking at our data, what do our kids need?
▶ 1:23:02 Tier one, tier two, tier three instruction. Um, and, and then utilize this, uh, this opportunity to, to best benefit kids and, and get them where they want to go. So I think, um, stability and, and using the data that we have to make decisions that are gonna, um, you know, um, lead to great outcomes for the kids. Great. Thank you. I appreciate that and look forward, as a private citizen (laughs) - (laughs) . ... to, uh, seeing, seeing what that longer term plan is gonna look like. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be looking with you. (laughs) We'll be doing it together. Maybe on the other side of the table. (laughs) Um, so is there any, anyone else? What's the, uh, will of the committee? Councilor Jamaleddine?
▶ 1:23:47 Mark Garipay: I'll make a motion to move to bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of department 300. Mm-hmm. Um, school appropriation in the amount of $3,818,800 made by Councilor Jamaleddine, Vice Chair Jamaleddine and, uh, Councilor Vandiver. Second by Councilor Vandiver. Um, on discussion, if I could just say one thing. I've said this many times, um, I've been on the getting off, Mr. Kelly, this will be the last time you'll be in front of us. You came in at a tumultuous time, probably five, four or five years ago. Uh, four years ago. Yep. And this school department owes you a lot of credit for stabilizing the financial, uh, and, and I appreciate your availability always. (applause) Uh, but, um,
▶ 1:24:43 Mark Garipay: no, as a councilor, you've always made yourself available, so I feel obligated to... Not obligated. I appreciate it. And I, and I feel, uh, I just wanted to say on that and recognize you. I really appreciate that. Recording in progress. So thank you very, very much appreciate those kind words. I always appreciate the, the, the, the council, uh, um, welcoming and listening and I appreciate the, the great teamwork. It's, I'm just one of a huge team of people, so, a, a very small team of people, I should say. (laughs) Big work. Does, does huge work. So- You won't have to take my call anymore. Very much appreciate the kind words. Thank you. Yeah. I appreciate it. Um, so all in favor? I. Opposed? That bottom line will, uh, get,
▶ 1:25:22 Mark Garipay: um, we'll move forward. Thank you. Thank you. Have a good night. Thank you. All right, uh, next up we have Department of Public Works. We have multiple departments. We're gonna start off with Department 401. Sit tight, everyone. This might be, uh, a little long. (laughs) All right, we got Department 401, the DPW, admin, and engineering. Uh, we're just gonna go in order- Yes. ... um, Ms. Proasowich. Yes, that works for me. Um, if you're okay with that. Yep. Um, so we got 401, Depart... uh, DPW, admin, engineering, and I will turn it over to you. Sure. Thank you. Um, thank you all, and thanks to the voters of Melrose for supporting the override. Um, and thanks for the, to the employees of DPW.
▶ 1:26:11 We've been stretched very thin over the last, uh, year or so. We were down five employees, and then down another couple of employees who left since the budget was passed, so we're, uh, very excited to be able to re-post the positions that we have lost, um, and those that we just haven't filled in the last several months, and get back to our full complement of staff, and, and, uh, not feel so stressed all the time within our department. Um, so we appreciate the voters and all of you supporting, um, the override. Um, my plan is to mainly highlight the items that are something other than restoring budget that we took out just a few months ago. I was here for the budget hearings and spent a lot of time talking about all the things that we're reducing.
▶ 1:27:04 Essentially, all of those things have been put back in. So, in particular, in the, um, admin and engineering budget, 401, everything that you see there is just restoration of staff and services that were previously removed. So, unless anybody has specific questions about the exact items, um, I plan to just highlight as we get to the ones that are really the capital additions. We're gonna move each department. We're gonna go 401, 402. So- Yeah. Any ques- um, Council Vander, Council Williams. Thank you. Um, I know, uh, so regarding the DPW summer work program, which was brought up in public comment, this, um, this budget is actually split across several parts of DPW and, uh, depending on the, the components, but
▶ 1:27:44 I wonder if you could address that question. Yes. Sure. Um, so the, uh, what we've used with the budget that you see before you tonight is we've restored the full line items for things like the summer work program, so that flowing into fiscal '27 they will show as, as how they're required to be to, um, fully staff our typically, typical program. But that does mean that the month of June, most of our summer helpers start late May, early June, so, um, we will spend some component of, of it in the month of June, but we're not gonna spend it all, and then that would just go back into free cash. Thank you. Uh, and if you could also speak to restore overtime. Uh, it can seem funny, I think, to plan to have overtime,
▶ 1:28:30 but what are some of the types of things that have to be done during overtime? So, um, the admin overtime in particular is the, um, uh, events at the city yard, so we cut back on those, assuming that if the override didn't pass, we would have in fiscal '26, uh, in 2026 calendar year, we would have grouped events together so we wouldn't have had, you know, Rigid Plastic Day and Hazardous Waste Day. And even though it would have been a very busy day at the yard, we were gonna try to group events so we cut the over- overtime, um, consistent with that. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you. Council Williams. Thanks. Um, is... Hello. Hi. Congratulations. Um, we're very excited to be able to provide funding
▶ 1:29:13 Ryan Williams: to Public Works. Many of the things that make this city beautiful are through Public Works- Yeah. ... and so I think is a big part of the, of the reason that, um, I'm very excited about this override, is 'cause you guys get, um, some support too. Um, do you think that $111,000, is that enough for a city engineer and a facilities manager? So, those are the general fund portions- I see. ... of those two positions. They're both partially funded through Water and Sewer. Got it. Okay. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Um, what's the will of the committee? Uh, motion to move the bottom line on 401. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of 401, DPW, admin, engineering, in the amount of $136,609 made by
▶ 1:29:57 Council Williams, second by Council Funagaro. Uh, on discussion, all in favor? I. Opposed? 401 is now been moved. Uh, moving on to 402, DPW, city and school facilities. Okay. Thank you. Um, so similar to the last one, the, um, positions, summer work program, and overtime are just restoration of services. So I'm really gonna highlight just the items in the last two lines. Um, we have the Milano driveway lighting that, uh, Lauren had mentioned when she presented regarding the Milano. That's just the driveway as it goes from, uh, Foster Street into the Milano Center. There's no lighting, and I actually happened to be at a night meeting there recently, and it is very, very dark. Um, that item had been on the capital plan, and actually it's worth
▶ 1:30:48 mentioning. So, uh, I think a, a comment came up during public comment asking where the capital projects come from. Mm. So, these projects, I think almost all of them, if not all, come from the capital improvement plan process that I've been involved in multiple times over the 10 years that I've been here, and where the city, for much of this time, didn't have money. Mm-hmm. We built a list of projects, and then we had no process by which to fund them. So, um...We identified what we felt were the highest priorities and, um, (book closes) the auditor's office and the mayor's office went through all those priorities and then picked which ones, uh, should be funded where with the money that we have for this fiscal year.
▶ 1:31:36 So, um, school maintenance projects, there's a list on that colored sheet that a couple of you have mentioned. Um, the 4.345 million that's shown under School Building and Maintenance Improvements consists of the high school bathroom renovation. That's a $3.1 million project that we have actually ready to bid. It's already been designed. It's just been sitting on the shelf waiting for us to have funds to do it. Um, so that's the bulk of the money. And then we have the courtyard stairs between the middle and high school. Um, repairs to the solar, uh, production system on top of the middle school. Front stairs at the middle school, which is a major, um, safety problem and accessibility problem, um, because they become
▶ 1:32:19 Cal Finocchiaro: uneven due to settling. Mm-hmm. Um, HVAC controls upgrades. That's an energy efficiency project where we'll actually get some money from National Grid as an incentive, um, to do even more. And then the Winthrop School door project and, uh, asbestos remediation, just continuing our annual program. So, that's what the School Building Maintenance Improvements line consists of all of those. Thank you. Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes, thank you. I just have, uh, two questions, um, about the MHS bathroom renovation and what that actually entails- (coughs) ... and then I'd like to know a little bit more about the asbestos remediation. Is that going into every school and remediating all of the asbestos? Are we chipping away at it?
▶ 1:33:01 The asbestos is the easy one, that's chipping away. Okay. (laughs) Um, and we have a contractor who comes out and does an inspection at every school, every year, and then recommends what the next projects are that we should undertake. Okay. And then we just take from that list with the money we have. Um, the high school bathroom project is a full renovation of every bathroom in the high school, in addition to adding some bathrooms near the high school cafeteria, which has been, um, something that Principal Merrill has been talking about for years, that that's probably the highest need area for kids to be going to the bathroom and there aren't bathrooms right off of the cafeteria. Um, accessibility
▶ 1:33:37 upgrades, uh, just upgrades to the fixtures, upgrades to the plumbing coming into the bathrooms. It's a two-phased project. It would most likely be done over two summers, so this coming summer- summer and the following summer. Um, and there, the project happens in basically stacks of bathrooms so that we can upgrade the plumbing to, say, three floors worth of bathrooms, um, all in one fell swoop, and then move to the next area doing half of them one summer and half another. Okay, so it's like a complete gut, plumbing, everything. Everything. Do you know how many bathrooms we have in the high school right now? Hmm. Not to put you on the spot, but... Yeah. Um, I mean, just trying to picture quickly off of the plans,
▶ 1:34:18 Cal Finocchiaro: I'd say it's 20-something. Yeah, it's a lot. So, it's a significant project and I know that this has been on the list for the past- Yes. ... six For the whole time- Yeah. ... I've been here. Yeah. Yeah. 10 Years? Mayor Brody used to say that they were the same bathrooms he used when he was in high school. (laughs) Mm-hmm. So, it's been on the list for a long time. Same here. Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. The same bathroom since '72 or '74. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, just because I know that is, like you said, a $3 million project and I'm, I'm sure, you know, our residents are kind of wondering, but that's something that has been on the docket for a while and you finally have the money to do it and- Yes.
▶ 1:34:50 Mark Garipay: Um, so, all right, thank you. Okay. Okay, anyone else? It's the will of the committee on, uh, Department 402. Uh, motion to move the bottom line for 402. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of 402, City and School Facilities. Made by Councilor Williams, seconded by Councilor Stewart. I'm sorry, we're gonna move the amount of $4,526,850 on discussion, all in favor? I. I. Opposed? That bottom line is now moved. Moving on to 422, uh, DPW Highway. Okay. Um, so again, the top lines are just restoration of services that we previously cut, summer work overtime, and traffic markings. Um, the overtime there was associated partially with traffic markings. Um, we are adding in 600,000 toward our Capital
▶ 1:35:57 Road Program, uh, our Annual Road Program of paving, 250,000 of sidewalk repairs. Um, the Howard Street speed tables that we've discussed, uh, that have come up a couple times tonight. And then flood mitigation. Um, our drainage budget sits within the highway budget and we're, uh, this money will be used to do a modeling effort of the whole drainage system in the city. Um, upgrades to our data where we, that are required to input into the model, um, from our geographic information system. And then, um, a- a small flood mitigation, uh, effort to hopefully clean out some, uh, some drainage channels. Councilor Williams and then Councilor Finocchiaro. Uh, thank you very much. Um, I wanted to ask, first of all, it's
▶ 1:36:46 Ryan Williams: fantastic to see a $600,000 road paving. I mean, we do the one p- one million, one and a half million bond- (clears throat) ... so that's like a huge improvement compared to the normal amount of money that we have in, uh, in annually for this. And same with sidewalk repairs. I feel like it's, that's a size of a Complete Streets program. It's like about half the size of a big Complete Streets program, so that's gonna make a big difference. On the, um, traffic calming line item, uh, when we're talking about the speed table, is this, uh, speed flat or speed humps, or is it a continuous raised cross, uh, crossing type of... ... large table? Are we talking about a big raised area, or are we talking about
▶ 1:37:25 sort of strips? So, we're not talking about a raised intersection. Okay. Um, that wouldn't fit within this budget. Right. So, we're talking about a speed table in the location where we piloted. Okay. And then one more speed table or raised crosswalk, depending on where it ends up being, in the portion between the Nelson-Ruggles intersection and Saugus. Yeah. So, we haven't identified the- Okay. ... specific location. Um, we plan to have a neighborhood meeting at some point over the winter, try to nail that down, and then, um, proceed with the construction next year. And I know from the cost, but to say it out loud, these are permanent installations. Correct. Yes. Wonderful. Thank you. Um, and a huge thank you to putting
▶ 1:38:03 Ryan Williams: some thought and money into flooding mitigation. I know that was sort of, um, a former city engineer's, one of her things that she was, was really trying to push for. And, um, and I'm glad to see it here. Do you have any particular, um, target areas in mind when you're doing some of the data collection and modeling? Like, uh, is there a particular place for problem you're trying to solve? So, um, not one particular place, not even two or three- Okay. ... particular places. We have a long list that's in our hazard mitigation plan that we're actually updating again right now. Um, so the modeling effort will really allow us to see, what are the bottlenecks that are creating those problems in all different little
▶ 1:38:41 pockets through- throughout the city? And then some of the drainage, um, channel, um, cleanout that we hope to do, one of the target areas that we know about is in the Bellevue Golf Course. We've been working with the golf course for a long time on that. Um, we own the channel. We, well, we have- Nice. ... an easement of that channel and, um, so we're hoping to be able to clean that out. We've been working on some permitting and things. Is the modeling, um, a contract? Or is it staff time to do measurements and... It would be a consultant. Yeah. Okay. All right. Yeah. These are pretty detailed, um, uh, hydraulic models that- Yeah. ... require experts in that area. Do you have any sense for the size of that contract?
▶ 1:39:26 Cal Finocchiaro: Um, I think, of this money, probably two, 200,000- Yeah. ... to 250,000. Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it. Okay. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yep. Thank you so much. I just wanted to, um, see if you could talk a little bit more about the road paving projects. Sure. I mean, it's kind of what every councilor hears from their constituents about roads. Um, I know it's not a huge budget, but is there, are there streets that you're kind of thinking of, or...? So, next year's road program, um ... So normally, we have the 530,000 or so in Chapter 90. Sometimes we get extra Chapter 90, and then we have the portion of, it's usually a three-year road bond, so it's about 500,000 per year, um, that we would be doing, uh, with the road
▶ 1:40:06 bond money. So, then this would be on top of that. The road program for the next year is built from typically the paving that we need to do on the streets where we've done water main, the paving that we need to do on streets where National Grid has done gas, where we've, we have a arrangement worked out with them where rather than having them pave half roads, they do whole roads of the same, of equivalent square footage. And then we do the other whole roads so that we don't end up with half roads paved. So, there's quite a bit of, um, I don't want to say backlog, but we have a long list of streets that we already know have to be part of next year's program. And then with any extra money, we would be looking to our,
▶ 1:40:46 um, roadway condition assessment map and all of those poor and poorest-rated streets and looking for streets that don't have any necessary utility work that we can just pave. Mm-hmm. So, that, that's kind of the criteria. To add things in without it being programmed in in this multi-year program that we usually do, um, we really need to pick from the, um, the streets that are in poor and poorest condition that don't have utility needs. And that's that color-coded map that you- Yeah. That you can find online. And then as far as, like, working with National Grid, would residents know ahead of time that their street's going to be repaved? Or is that something that just comes up and you find out as National Grid works-
▶ 1:41:23 So, the ones that we already know are on the docket for next year are the Ashland-Richardson-Renwick neighborhood, where National Grid has already worked, um, West Emerson along the area in front of the library. Um, those are really the ones that are on our list from National Grid's list. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, Councilor Stewart. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Furguson. Uh, so is any of this additional funding going to, um, be a benefit of some of the discussions we've had around Ravine Road? So, Ravine Road is, uh, currently part of what we're planning for the, um, Traffic Calming Toolkit. And so, that's outside of this. That would be using the pilot materials that we got from the Shared Streets Program
▶ 1:42:08 Robb Stewart: grant a couple years ago and deploying those on Ravine Road and taking internal traffic counts using the police department's equipment. So, that's not something- Okay. ... specifically budgeted (...) Okay. But that's still- But it is in the plan for next year. All right. All right, keep your priority. (laughs) (laughs) Um, and if you're looking for flood areas, you know, the Cutter-Sanford areas, um, I've got a lot, uh, got a lot of energetic feedback on that certain location from some of the, the neighbors that live around there. So that, that's an area that you can look into. Okay. If, if you're looking for flooding- All right. Thank you. ... mitigation. Thank you. Okay. What's the, um, will of the
▶ 1:42:44 Mark Garipay: committee? Make a motion to move a bottom line of, uh, DPW 422. Is that right? Mm-hmm. Second. Mm-hmm. Yep. We have a motion to move the bottom line of 422 DPW Highway in the amount of $1,250,564 made by Councilor Fu- Finocchiaro, seconded by Co- uh, Vice Chair Jamaleddine on discussion. My only thing, um, would be to, um, to tell any of the city councilors and the ones sitting in the audience, now's your time to advocate for your roads. (laughs) (laughs) Between now and, and next budget time. (laughs) (laughs) (laughs) So, um, all in favor? I- I. I. I. Closed. That will be, uh, recommended. Thank you. All right. That motion passed. I'm sorry. (laughs) I'm losing it. (laughs) Uh, next up we have Department 433 DPW
▶ 1:43:38 Sanitation. Ms. Proakas Ellis. Thank you. This one's very straightforward. It's the restoration of the summer work program and it's the restoration of overtime, which is Saturdays at the yard and Sunday pickups for the municipal barrels. Assuming there's no questions. Yep. So, actually I just had a question. So let's go back to that. Oh, let's go to 433. Go back to the regular, uh, every other Saturdays. Is that what the schedule was before? Set- before it was every Saturday. Okay. And then we went to every other Saturday with the budget cuts. So we'll, it's already gone back to every Saturday. Thank you. And we've even added a Saturday. We've added December 6th. Oh. Okay, great. Thank you. (laughs) Um, make a motion to (laughs) move
▶ 1:44:20 Mark Garipay: the bottom line of- Second. ... DPW 433. Second. So- Yeah, second that. We have a motion to move, uh, 433 Se- Sanitation in the amount of 22,200 made by Council Funakiaro, seconded by Council Stuart on discussion. Do, do you, do you have- No. Oh, okay. On discussion, um- (Thuds) ... no discussion. All in favor? I. Opposed? Department 433 Sanitation has been moved. On to 475 DPW Parks and Forestry. And we are joined by Parks Superintendent, Mr. Kerr. Thank you. Thank you. So- Thanks for waiting. Yeah. (laughs) No problem. (laughs) Should have called me. I would've told you to come later. You should text him. Um, so again, restoration of summer work, overtime, uh, a couple other things that were taken out of the budget were the support for the Adopt a Site
▶ 1:45:24 program for $5,000, some landscaping supplies. And then on the DPW side of things, we have tree planting for 100,000, um, which exceeds, I know Council Garapé will be thrilled to hear, exceeds the replanting of what we remove amount, which was 67,000 that I've advocated for year over year and actually results in more planting than what we're taking out, which would be fantastic. Um, and then the 100,000 that's shown for tree trimming is to catch up on our trims and removals. Um, I do have some numbers. We have 289 trim work orders right now and 124 removal work orders. And the money that you all approved a little while ago to put into the contractor allowed us to take down some of our really challenging ones, but the numbers are
▶ 1:46:14 still really high. So we're hoping that 100,000 can really make a dent in that while we try to backfill our employees. Um, and then the other programs are Parks Department. Yep. So the Parks Department, similar as Council Williams was saying earlier, like majority of what we do is capital improvement and earmark based. Um, we have, until the Adopt a Site was added back, we had one line item for playground equipment, which is roughly $6,400 a year. And then we have our, um, permit budget, permit fund, which is revolving, which brings in between 15 and 20,000 a year. So we're operating a lot off that. So majority of the stuff we do is, like I said, capital improvement and earmark. So majority of the stuff on this list is that.
▶ 1:46:56 Um, going down the list, playground and park improvements. Um, the common park, majority of the floor there is what they call PIP or pour in place rubber. So it's essentially like a rubber floor across the whole way. Um, when that was done, I believe it was 2015 when that park was redone, um, it wasn't thick enough. So it's supposed to be between like three and a half to six inches thick. I think it was between like one and a half and two. So with that being the most utilized park in the city, um, especially for the younger ages, um, it just wears down. Like tire tread, it just continues to wear. If you go over there right now, there's a lot of holes. Um, the cost for that alone is a lot. It's in the hundreds of thousands of dollars just to do the floor alone.
▶ 1:47:43 And then the older kid structure, the one closer to the, um, swings, that one was painted a few years ago, but same deal. It's just wear and tear to the most used park, which is good 'cause the other alternative for park placements is vandalism, which we haven't seen a lot of, knock on wood, in the last few years. Um, and then Dutton Park is on Franklin Street, um, kind of right past the- across from the Franklin. It's pretty hidden. Honestly, I didn't know it was there until I got this role. But, um, another one, it's, it's a smaller one. Um, it's definitely in need of upgrade. I'm not sure when that was installed, but it was a long time ago. Um, playground equipment and repairs. Again, that's kind of improvement to the $6,400 a year.
▶ 1:48:26 That adds up quick. If it's stuff that DPW can do, like a swing being replaced or slide being replaced, it's a couple hundred dollars to a thousand. But if it's a company that has to come out and do the work for us, um, prevailing wage, the labor costs do get up there. So the 6,400 is kind of on the low end, so that'd be improvement to that. Um, pickleball, Foss, and tennis courts. Um, so the Park Commission voted in March that the Foss Park tennis courts would no longer have nets up there. I'm sure there's been residents and pickleball players here at Park Commission meetings in the past three or four years. Um, so the plan is, based off the Park Commission's vote, is to turn that back to a basketball court.
▶ 1:49:08 Um, and then we're gonna do lines at Tremont Street for pickleball. So it'll be double lined for tennis and pickleball. So the rec department ran a test program this past fall. Um, it worked out well. There's no complaints, no noise complaints from residents, um, anything like that. And then the Crystal Street tennis court is another one that's becoming a safety concern, um, just from years of use. Lots of cracks, weeds growing through it that are tripping hazards, slips, um, everything along those lines.Um, and the baseball/softball field improvements, that is basically from New England weather. Lot of rain in the spring, um, so adding materials to those infields just changes the grade. So right now with the common store, the
▶ 1:49:53 common store side softball field, Conant Park, and Morelli, they're all kind of like a tiered system right now, where like the grass is here, then there's like an eight to 10-inch drop till the dirt. And then from adding dirt more, it kind of raises that up. So it's, it would be a complete strip of the infields there and renovation to get them up to more of a safety, less of a safety risk there. Um, and it'll help with when it rains. Like Morelli, Conant, Horace Mann, a lot of those fields when it rains, they're offline for up to like three or four days just 'cause of the grade. Best way to prevent that is having a healthy grade to the field, so um, yeah. Councilor Finocchiaro then Council Jamality.
▶ 1:50:38 Thank you. Um, do you have like, uh, current bids for like the baseball fields? Is that something you're- We're currently working on a scope of work, um, without a funding source. Um, we're just waiting to make sure we have that before we put it out to bid. But we have the scope of work. We have kind of estimates, uh, but no formal things right now. And that's what, uh, three, is it three baseball fields or four? Four, one, two... Two baseball and a softball. Okay. Oh, sorry. I missed the lights at Lewis Monk as well that was under there. Oh, lights at Lewis Monk? Yes. Okay. I mean, I'm happy to see the softball field there too (laughs) . It's, it's dire need so thank you. All set? Mm-hmm. Okay. Uh, Council Jamality?
▶ 1:51:23 Maya Jamaleddine: (laughs) Sorry. (laughs) Minimal questions. Thank you. Um, I'm, it's actually just one question about, you listed few parks that on your list, uh, for maintenance. Is Warren Park on, uh, that list? I don't know if I missed that. Uh, there is, um, there has been some concern raised by constituents, uh, about, um, uh, accessibility for wheelchair, accessibility and, uh- Sure. ... going inside the park. I'm not sure if you, you have that on- So I think Warren Street was redone in like the last three years. That's, um, an ADA accessible park, has a lot of structures for wheelchairs and lack of mobility. Right. The, um, uh, we can talk offline. So I, I wasn't sure. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I'll, I'll share some of the, uh, one of the concerns
▶ 1:52:12 Maya Jamaleddine: that constituents have been, uh, raising about it and, um, and I know, uh, Councilor, um, Karam Chedy, who is in her ward also, um, shares that. Um, do, do we have anything that is not going to be restored and not included in this budget in terms of, um, the parks specifically and, uh, you know, like, uh, the services that we're providing in terms of the DPW for trash removal and covering the cost of the tree removal as well? I'm sorry, what was the last one? Covering? Do we have anything that is not, we weren't able to, uh, include in this supplemental budget from the services that we've been providing in terms of the park and...? No, all of the services like mowing- Have been- ... and maintenance and summer program and all that have been restored.
▶ 1:53:11 Okay. So we don't... Moving forward, we feel that we're back on the same track at least? Correct. But it, from a capital perspective, I mean, this is definitely not the complete list of needs and desires of the parks and playgrounds in the city. Um, you know, there, there was a longer list, again, from the CIP the last time we did it. Um, Joan Bell probably had 15 projects on there, and this is a portion of them. Mm-hmm. And whatever Rob Awesome. Yeah. And this is kind of based off of, again, like safety concerns for some of them and then like accessibility, um, in terms of kind of weather, um, like with rain, fields being offline for, for weeks, um, in need of that. And then obviously with the grade, the safety concern
▶ 1:53:59 Maya Jamaleddine: like were for a lot of like the youth athletes at those fields, when there's a drop this, uh, this high, like 18 inches off a field, like backpedaling or running in a direction could lead to some serious injuries. Okay. Um, thank you. I, I know that there is a lot, uh, of work, uh, to do, and I do appreciate that, you know, like itemizing the top priority to address. And hopefully we'll be able to continue that progress in terms of, uh, supporting our, um, you know, DPW at least, because you guys take the, the big chunk of our budget probably (laughs) . Yeah, and I think along those lines, it's important to point out that, you know, we're not just in parks, but everywhere within our budget,
▶ 1:54:48 Mark Garipay: we're picking off the highest priorities. But obviously, that doesn't mean that we just invest this year and then we're good. And we, you know, we have... I, I, um, think last time we did the CIP, the DPW submitted 99 projects. Mm-hmm. So, um, you know, there's always work to be done and there has to be continued investment so that we're not, you know, looking off the, off a ledge (laughs) um, in the future too. Yep. Thank you. I think I would encourage any councilors, um, or new councilors to, to take a look at the CIP. It is on the website, and it's, um, it's a pretty detailed document. Um, Council Williams, then we got Vandiver, Stewart, and Finu- uh, Finucchiaro right now for the second time.
▶ 1:55:34 Ryan Williams: (laughs) Thank you. You're welcome. And for anybody who heard that, CIP is Capital Improvement Plan.So, um- Thanks for that. Yeah. You never know. I like abbreviations. You never know. Um, I want to circle back to the chair on something Councilor Jamaleddine said, 'cause it's, I, it, I think she raised a really good point, which is, um, the question of, are we able to restore trash barrels, pickups? Was that in the... 'cause we just approved the sanitation budget and there's DPW overtime in that budget. Is that in that budget? So, the, um, yes. In that, in the sanitation one that we just discussed before, that was the Saturdays at the yard and the Sunday pickups. Right. Just to be clear, the removal of trash barrels at the parks
▶ 1:56:18 did not have a financial component aside from the Sunday pickups. Right. Which also apply to downtown. Right. So, they're not necessarily hand-in-hand. We haven't decided if we're putting all the barrels back. We might put them all back and then evaluate how our pilot program went- Got it. ... and then make decisions for next fiscal year. But the, the Sunday pickup allows us to not go, especially on a long weekend, when we go three-day weekend in especially downtown- Yeah. ... with no pickup, the barrels are overflowing, the trash is on the ground. So one way or another, regardless of anything to do with parks, the Sunday pickup is very helpful for the community. Thanks, I appreciate it. Sorry to go back in time like that.
▶ 1:56:57 Ryan Williams: It's okay. Um, for the matter that's before us, 475, um, I, I try not to be too overly complimentary, but I'm s- thank you for the work that you've done. I thanked you a long time. We've known each other for a long time. But thank you, because you're sort of new to this, you've jumped into it, and this list, like, one of the things that always sort of stuck for me was that I felt like we just weren't doing enough for our playgrounds for younger kids, and we had a lot of tot lots, and, and, and playgrounds that were sort of like 40, 50 years old in some places, and it was always, for some reason, it was always the ones that my kids were at, right? (laughs) Like, you know, it was Hoover, and then
▶ 1:57:33 Ryan Williams: it was Lincoln, and it was the Foss Park, and all of these playgrounds in the last five years have seen dramatic changes and they're so nice. So, seeing that stuff in here and hearing you talk about these parks, I just, it's, you know, it's been transformational and the most recent one at Lincoln is well-loved. The kids love it. Um, so I appreciate that. And I appreciate the Boss Park work to go back to the basketball court that, and put pickleball at Tremont Street, which was actually an original proposal many, many years ago. But that's okay. We got there and I think it's the right idea. Um, on the trees, the hired equipment for tree trimming, am I correct in understanding that we are still not
▶ 1:58:19 Ryan Williams: the group of folks who are doing tree trimming when it is close to electric wires? Correct. That's National Grid's contractor. Right. Yeah, so I know a number of constituents I've talked to, um, have had trees that are tangled up in the wires and that can take much longer because we have to wait to coordinate with their services. Yeah, although they've been pretty well caught up lately. Oh, good. Okay. Yeah. There, there is one, there is one. (laughs) I'll tell you about it later. Um, okay. And then the, so for the tree trimming, this is, um, is this a capital expense? Like, are we buying a, a chipper or a truck or a cherry picker or? No. We are hiring our on-call contractor to help us continue to get caught up-
▶ 1:58:59 Kimberly Vandiver: Nice. ... with our trims and removals. Nice. That's, that's fantastic. That's like everyday stuff that people are gonna see on their streets, so thank you. Thank you, both. I have nothing else. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Williams. Uh, Councilor Vandiver? Thank you. Uh, so I, I'd like to echo that the Lincoln playground has come out really nicely. I know there were some challenges when that was, y- with things that were found as that was being installed, and, um, like good creative outcomes, uh, as far as how that ended up built up around the edges. It's really nice. Um, I, uh, as far as the tree trimming, I know I had also asked about this previously, um, I believe y- so you mentioned about 400
▶ 1:59:38 between the trims and the removals, that there's this backlog and, um, I believe we have, uh, two people within DPW who are a team and do that trimming, is that right? Well, so our forestry foreman position has been vacant, um, since June, I think it was, when he left. Um, and then one of our other employees who has historically done a lot of the tree work has been over at the cemetery filling in for that vacancy because we couldn't fill that one, but the, the work at the cemetery has to get done when we have burials, so he's spent a lot of time over there. So, right now, it's our parks and forestry foreman who, you know, division foreman, who typically wouldn't be daily out doing tree work, but
▶ 2:00:20 he's been one of the people who is qualified to do it. Um, he's our arborist as well. And then one other, um, machine operator, that's all we've had to focus on trees. And even then, you know, when we're doing fall cleanups and stuff, they're helping with fall cleanups. Okay. And so this money that's in the supplemental budget, did I hear correctly, um, to the, the previous question that... Are, are we hiring people or equipment or both with it? We're hiring, uh, Pathfinder Tree, who is our on-call contractor. They have a, a competitively bid contract with the city to be our on-call, um, tree contractor, and their contract includes, uh, storm response, removals, trims, so we can have them do any of those things.
▶ 2:01:01 Kimberly Vandiver: There's costs for all of them, but, um, that 100,000, the intent is to have them do removals and trims. Again, we'll pick the hardest ones and we'll just give them a list and let them go. Okay. Got it. So, so it says hired equipment, but it's hired equipment that comes with people to run it. Correct. Okay. Got it. And, um, and so with that, um, contract and the backlog of 400, which I believe... I mean, yeah, depend, you know, depends if people are moving around at the cemetery or whatnot, but I, I understood that was previously about a one to two-year backlog. Um- Yeah, 18 How much of a dent can we make in that with the 100,000? How quickly can we get caught up s- on that? So, I'm not sure that we can get caught up.
▶ 2:01:43 I was happy to see when I pulled these numbers, we were all caught up on assessments, which is part of the reason why we have so many trims and removals- (laughs) ... because historically, we've been behind on assessments. Now, we've done all the assessments and everything's just sitting in trims and removals. Um, it's really hard to say. I mean, on a good day, maybe they can do, I don't know, eight trims. But if it's a, if it's a really difficult tree and they have a crane and they're, you know, trying to move from place to place, maybe they only can do two in a day. Um, so it just all depends on the complexity of, of what we give them. But typically, we'll give them the ones that either need the larger equipment that
▶ 2:02:22 Kimberly Vandiver: we don't have or are just the, the ones that are too complex for us to do. Okay, great. Thank you. And apologies for spending so much time on this. I think, I think tree trims are, they're a safety issue in a lot of cases and they're a, a, um, a livability issue for a lot of residents who see them, so, so I, I'm really glad to see this here and thank you for the detail. Thank you. Council Stewarts? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Quickly, Kona Park playground looks great. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Council Stuart. Uh, next up, Council Funchiara. Thank you so much, Chair Garipay. I just want to make a vote to put trash barrels back at the common. (laughs) I'm just jo- I'm just joking. Um, but I also want to say, um, if you could give some context on
▶ 2:03:08 Cal Finocchiaro: how long a lot of these projects have been sitting just so residents can understand. Like, this, like, you know, this playground equipment and you said that you have a list of 99. Like, is this five years that you've been waiting to put these... Um, I mean, the high school bathrooms, I've heard them talked about since I started 10 years ago. Um... But I'm, I'm talking about more so like the parks and the playground repairs and riv- improvements in Foss Park and the tennis improvements. Is that a... Well, Foss Park- I know that's a separate decision. Foss Park is... Council Funchiara, can you... I'm sorry, can you just repeat that? I missed it. What my question was? Yeah. Some context on how long these items have been sitting sort
▶ 2:03:44 of... We haven't been repairing the playgrounds for five years. It's been six years. Like... So, I would say, we've had, we've had consistent investment in the playgrounds. Um, prior to Rob, Joan always had a list and every year, free cash was requested and things got done. So, that's how Volunteer Park on Warren Street, um, and Foss Park, when it did, when the playground got renovated and when it was converted to pickleball, those were all, um, free cash projects. So, there has been consistent investment, but, um, you know, playg- playgrounds are something that have to be replaced on a more frequent cycle than, say, buildings, so, or roofs. Um, so I feel like there's been just constant, a constant list and constant investment.
▶ 2:04:30 Okay. Um, the Foss Park one, we just converted that to pickleball five years ago. Mm-hmm. So, um, I'm not sure if some of the others, if you have a sense how long? Yeah. I mean, some of it's kind of like requested routine maintenance, like the Crystal Street tennis courts. Like, it's probably three or four times a year where it's like I get the same request from tennis players. Um, there's weeds growing, they're getting long and we have to send someone over. But the fixes we can do are like Band-Aids, like it needs serious work. Like, if it's like a one-inch gap and we put some type of concrete or fill in there, it's, it's just gonna crack, keep coming up. Um- Okay. So, these are the things that have been sitting for a while-
▶ 2:05:09 Mark Garipay: Yeah. ... and we are finally going to be able to fix them properly or... Correct. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um, what's the, uh, will of the committee? Motion to move the bottom line, second. I'm sorry. Please. Okay, apologize. Uh, motion to move the bottom line in 475. Second. We have a motion to move the DPW Parks and Forestry Department 475 made by... in the amount of $1,282,825 made by Councilor Williams, seconded by Council Funchiara. One discussion, I get two questions. Um, geese. What are we going to do about geese? Are we going to put some money in there? I- Oh, my God. We actually have a goose patrol officer. A health issue on the fields. Goose patrol officer. Oh, that's right. We did, we, we-
▶ 2:05:55 Mark Garipay: Right here. Mr. Pellerine. Mr. Pellerine. I would like to report that when I had the race car, we were making great progress. Now, I have a drone, but it's too light. And so, you know, I've, I've almost lost it in the pond- Okay. ... twice with the wind. We're going to get you more, we're going to get you more help. I need, I need another race car. All right. Reinforced. I, I've been saying it for four years, I think it's absolutely disgusting that the kids are playing on these soccer fields and we cannot figure out how to get rid of the geese. So, I would encourage, I'm coming off, but I would encourage you to seriously do something finally on Get you a dog and a, and a new job. He doesn't like geese.
▶ 2:06:39 Mark Garipay: Okay. And then, my only other question is, have we thought about like, um... we talk about softball field, uh, you know, Messengers Field, it seems like it's an underutilized field. I know it floods occasionally, but- That's kind of the main concern with it. It seems like it's gone way, way... with the condition of it is really bad. Yeah, it's been like that, is, since I was a kid. I remember like, there's a few rainstorms where that whole thing was underwater, like parking lot high. Um, with it being just at the bottom of the hill, it, it floods a lot. Um, a lot of the rocks carry down. There's kind of like a little path of rocks going down that those will carry out onto the grass. We did a lot of work, DPW did a lot of work to it this summer.
▶ 2:07:17 Mark Garipay: Um, it was, it was tough to do in the spring 'cause we were backed up a lot- Yeah. ... with high school games and all that. I don't need, I just wanted to throw that out there. I just think it's an underutilized park. I don't need... Council Williams, did you have something? Just to say, if you got free time coming up, maybe you could be part of the geese patrol. Okay. Okay. That's it. Thank you. And I voted for it overhead, so I'm going to go for the money. (laughs) Um, uh, under discussion, uh, all in favor? I. Opposed?All right. We have Department 475, Parks and Forestry- (clears throat) ... has been moved. Next up, we have DPW Automotive. Ms. Spelway can you tell us? Oh- Yes. Thank you. Thanks, Sheila. Thank you, Rob. Thanks for sticking around.
▶ 2:07:55 Appreciate all you do. Um, this one's easy. It is just the restoration of the mechanic position. And when we took it out of the budget last year, we took out the junior mechanic. Um, that was the value that we took out. Um, even though it was the mechanic that was vacant, we had a fear that if the junior mechanic- (clears throat) ... left, then we would be in a position where we'd only be able to hire a junior mechanic. So we budgeted to take out that amount so that we could fill the mechanic if a junior mechanic left. But, so that's the, the value of this. But we have a mechanic position vacant. Does that make sense? Mm-hmm. Councilor Williams. So motion to move the bottom line on 485. Second.
▶ 2:08:34 Mark Garipay: We have a motion to move the bottom line of 485, DPW Automotive, in the amount of $57,124, made by Councilor Williams, seconded by President Migliorelli. On discussion, all in favor? Aye. Opposed? That bottom line is now moved. Moving on, we got my favorite, 491, DPW Cemetery. Last but not least, um, the, again, simple budget request just to backfill the, uh, vacant position in the cemetery and to restore the summer work program. Mr. Chair- Councilor Stewart. ... I'll make a motion to move this to the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move 491 to the bottom line tr- 491, Cemetery, uh, made by cou- in the amount of 70,924 and, um, in the amount of 70,924, made by Councilor Stewart, seconded by
▶ 2:09:26 Mark Garipay: President Migliorelli. On discussion? Just one thing. What does HMO stand for? Heavy Machine Equipment Operator. Oh, okay, great. Thank you. Um, on discussion, all in favor? I. I. I. Opposed? That is, that bottom line is moved and we have- Thank you. No, no more? We're good, right? Yeah, that's it for me. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for all your help. Thank you. We have one more, uh, depa- well, we have multiple departments, but we have one more presentation- (laughs) . ... uh, made by, uh, CFO Carrie Golden. And this is gonna be human resource benefits and pensions. We're starting off with 152. Is it all combined into 150? No, it's a bunch, it's like- Yeah, I got it. I got it. I'm sorry. 152 Is the
▶ 2:10:17 first one, uh, first one up, uh, Human Resource. Yes. So I am here to present all the boring stuff that (laughs) we're, we're here to pay. So this should go quick. Yes. Yeah. All right. (laughs) Uh. So I'm here- Saved the best for last. I'm here for the HR Director, um, on the 152 budget, uh, to restore both the advertising and physical exam line items. Now that we, uh, will have some vacancies, um, when, you know, we have, um, two police officers, there's psychological exams, physical exams, same with DPW. So this is just to restore for, um, both the physicals and recruitment of these positions. Councilor Stewart. Mr. Chair, I'll make a motion to move this to the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of Department 152, Human Resources, in the
▶ 2:11:07 Ryan Williams: amount of $20,000- Second. ... made by Councilor Stewart. Seconded by, seconded by Vice Chair, uh, Jamaladin. On discussion? Uh, just one question, I'm sorry. The, this is just to clarify, this is the city's portion of the police benef- or the onboarding that we've already approved. Yes. Yeah, right. Yes. 'Cause we did approve. It sounds very similar what you're saying, but I, for the public's benefit and maybe my own, it's two separate pots of money that combine together to fu- fully fund the need. Yes. Yep. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else on discussion? All in favor? Aye. Opposed? 152 is now moved. Next up, we have 911, which is pension obligations. Yes. So, um, in our most recent bond rating, and
▶ 2:11:54 we actually got our bond rating back today and it was affirmed at double A+, so that's huge. But, um, the bond rating has identified, um, the long-term liabilities for the city in both pension and OPEB. Um, so this is just a, you know, a drop in the bucket, $500,000. But, you know, the hope is to watch that money grow, um, and keep it in line with next year's appropriation 'cause you can never reduce that line item. So this is in line with what we have in queue for FY27. Councilor Williams. I'd say thank you for thinking of this. 'Cause it's something that has, like, been actually giving me heartburn. (laughs) And, um, I'm really glad to see us putting some money into this. It's, can be tempting to ignore this problem 'cause it seems like a future
▶ 2:12:42 Mark Garipay: problem, but it's very soon going to become a now problem. Mm-hmm. Yes. So, thank you. Okay. Thank you. Would you like to make a motion? Make a motion to- Would you like to motion? ... bottom line (laughs) 911. Second. Uh, motion to move the bottom line of 911- Second. ... pension in the amount of 500,000 made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Vice Chair Jamaleddine. On discussion, all in favor? I. I. Opposed? That is moved. Next up, 914. We have health insurance. In the course of the budget tonight, all the different departments you've approved 24, uh, new positions, 17 on the school and seven on the city. Uh, we carry both the city and school benefits. Uh, so this is just reflective of an average benefit cost for those
▶ 2:13:27 Mark Garipay: employees. Counselor- Motion to move the bottom line on 914. Is that where we are? Second? Yeah. Motion to move the bottom line, 914 health insurance in the amount of $442,455, made by Councilor Williams, seconded by Councilor Stewart. On discussion-All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? Bottom line is moved. Next up, we have 916, uh, total department... Uh, what am I, total? 916, Medicare. Hmm. All you. This is just a calculation. It's 1.45% we pay on earnings, um, so this is reflective of all of the salary and wages that were added to the budget tonight, as well as overtime costs. Councilor Stewart? Mr. Chair, I'll make a motion to move this to the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move nine f- nine six- teen
▶ 2:14:24 Mark Garipay: Medicare, uh, in the amount of $41,124 made by Councilor Stewart, seconded by Councilor Williams. Any discussion? Councilor Finocchiaro? Sorry, I just want to get... This is the Medicare cost, uh, the percentage for the new people coming on? So the 24 positions? Yes, yes. As well as the overtime restoration. Yep. Perfect. Thank you. Uh, anyone else? Uh, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That bottom line is moved. Next up we have 942, Sta- uh, Stabilization Fund. Um... Yes, so again, um, the long-term liabilities, both pension OPEB. Our OPEB liability is $156 million. Uh, towards that we have $1.6 million in a trust fund, so this is just to try to make some, um, contributions to this to be recognized in our bond rating.
▶ 2:15:15 Mark Garipay: Any questions? Councilor Stewart? Mr. Chair, I'll make a motion to move this to the bottom line. Second. We have a motion to move the bottom line of 942, st- uh, is it OPEB Stabilization Fund or... Yes. (laughs) Do I have to say OPEB or just Stabilization? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm saying 942. 942 Stabilization Fund, uh, in the amount of $500,000 made by Councilor Stewart, seconded by Councilor... was it Williams? I don't know. I don't think so. Williams? Sure. You are now. Yes. Uh, any discussion? Excuse All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed? That bottom line is moved. Um, I believe we covered everything. Are you keeping track? Good. All right. Uh, we are moving on to appropriations. We got ID 2025-249, the acceptance
▶ 2:16:00 of vote language for appropriation of Feasibility Study for MSBA Accelerated Repair Projects, um, and we have, uh, Ms. Golden, CFO, to speak on that. Yes. So, this is just a vote to accept the language that is attached to the order. In, um, or, on the April 28th, 2025 City Council meeting, we passed the actual appropriation. Since then, uh, we were accepted into the Accelerated Repair program by MSBA. I think we got notified at the beginning of November. Um, and with that, there's a very specific language that needs to be voted, so this is just to accept the language for these projects. Motion to recommend. Second. Do we have a second here? I, I... No, I had a question. Okay. We have, um, a motion to recommend by Councilor
▶ 2:16:55 Migliorelli, seconded by Councilor Vandiver. On discussion, I have Councilor Stewart. So, just to clarify, no language, no money. Right? Right. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. (laughs) Um, so, uh, we have the motion. Uh, discussion? Do we need to do a... Why don't we do a roll call vote? We haven't done one. (laughs) Okay. I'm sure everyone's awake. Sorry. It's a good measure, really. Thanks for taking the trouble. (laughs) All right. Oh. We've done one. Vice Chair Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Williams? Yes. President Migliorelli? Yes. Chair Garipay? Yes. Okay. Next up, uh, that will be recommended, uh, to the
▶ 2:17:46 Mark Garipay: full council. Next up- (coughs) ... we have ID 2025-614, supplemental appropriation in the amount of 13,000,500 for the fiscal year 2026. Motion to recommend. Second. Just doing a little counting here (laughs) . Um, we have a motion to recommend by, uh, Councilor, uh, President Migliorelli, seconded by Councilor, uh, Stewart. On discussion, roll call please? Vice Chair Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Williams? Yes. President Migliorelli? Yes. Chair Garipay? Yes. That, because it requires a two-third majority vote, uh, will pass and be recommended, uh, for passage on our special meeting on Monday. Quick note, I put on us, uh, an
▶ 2:18:47 Mark Garipay: appropriation meeting for 6:30 on Monday just in case we had some, some, um, issues tonight that we could still try to get this done. That is not gonna happen. That'll be canceled. Um, for the public, um, Councilor Romanul, Romano has been on the, uh, camera, uh, all night. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, he wasn't able to, uh, participate verbally, but, uh, I just want to acknowledge that he's been with us all night, so thank you. (laughs) And with that, I think we're all set. I'll entertain a motion. Mr. Chair, I make a motion to adjourn. Second. We have a motion to adjourn by, by Councilor Stewart, seconded by Councilor Williams. On discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Adjourned. Good job, everyone.