City Council — 2026-03-16

City Council Meeting 3/16/26

Attendance

Jason Chen present · At-Large; Cal Finocchiaro present · Ward 6; Bradley Freeman present · President; Maya Jamaleddine present · At-Large; Manjula Karamcheti present · Ward 1; Elizabeth Kowal present · At-Large; John Obremski present · Ward 2; Christopher Park present · Ward 3; Devin Romanul present · Ward 7; Kimberly Vandiver present · Ward 5; Ryan Williams absent · At-Large

Agenda

CALL TO ORDER (0:00)
Attendees (0:30)
MINUTES APPROVAL (1:16)
City Council Regular Meeting March 2, 2026 7:45 PM (1:24)
PUBLIC COMMENT (1:58)
COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE HONORABLE MAYOR & OTHER CITY OFFICIALS (3:38)
NEW BUSINESS (3:46)
Filings by the Honorable Mayor
Appropriations (3:52)
An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $20,020 to the Elections Department (#162) for upgrades to Poll Pads and Printer. (3:56)
An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) i n the amount of $50,000 to the Melrose Cultural Council (#2543) for the purposes of grant funding for arts and cultural events and programs in Melrose. (4:03)
An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $25,000 to the Mayor's Office (#121) to support Chamber and City events. (4:18)
Orders (4:31)
Acceptance of donations totaling $500,000 from the Friends of the Melrose Public Library and the Trustees of the Melrose Public Library. (4:35)
An order to define the Veteran Volunteer Tax Work Off Program established by the Melrose Board of Alderman in 2012, including a description of the program, eligibility requirements and necessary application documents. (4:48)
Ordinances (5:02)
That the City of Melrose accept the paragraph of Section 12 of M.G.L. chapter 138 that any common victualler, who also holds a license to sell wine and malt beverages may, upon written approval by the Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission, also be allowed to sell liqueurs and cordials. (5:07)
Requesting an increase to the exemption amount of the Veterans Tax Work Off Program abatement from $1,000 per year to $1,500 per year, as authorized by Chapter 59, Section 5K of the Massachusetts General Laws. (5:30)
Petitions (5:48)
NO# 31257578 National Grid to install a JO Pole on 357 Porter Street close to Orchard Lane and Porter St (5:52)
Licenses (7:30)
Annual renewal of Gasoline and Fuel Storage for 2026 (7:33)
Annual Renewal of Junk Dealer and Second Hand Dealer (7:43)
Ordinances (7:52)
Amend the language of the Mobile Food Vendor Article III of Chapter 127 of City of Melrose Ordinance remove the requirement of public hearing prior to license issuance. (7:56)
PUBLIC HEARING-ORDINANCE (15:26)
Amending Chapter A, Article II, Section 210 of the Administrative Code of the City of Melrose to expand the authority of the Historical Commission to include regulatory authority as necessary for demolition review. (15:32)
PUBLIC HEARING-PROTECTION & LICENSE (20:28)
Set a Public Hearing to discuss the Motor Vehicle Class I and II license for Cesar Cars Auto Sales Corp d/b/a Melrose Auto Gallery (20:40)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS (8:10)
Appointments/Reappointments (8:20)
Reappointment of Robert Tullis, 8 Thurston Road, to the Historic District Commission (HDC), for a three-year term, said term to expire on the last day of February 2029. (8:26)
Reappointment of George Bibilos, 264 Grove Street, Melrose to the Melrose Historical Commission, for a term of three years, said term to expire the last day of February 2029. (8:35)
Reappointment of Darren Brown, 43 School Street, Melrose to the Historical Commission for a term of three years, said term to expire on the last February 2029. (8:39)
Reappointment of Joseph Hunt, 132 Mount Vernon Avenue, to the Melrose Historical Commission for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2029. (8:43)
Reappointment of William Butler, 102 Crescent Road, to the Beebe Estate Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term set to expire on the last day of February 2029. (8:47)
Reappointment of Jessica Rowcroft McKenna, 5 Marmion Road, Melrose to the Beebe Estate Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire on the last day of February 2029. (8:51)
Reappointment of Bryan Thorp, 77 Wentworth Road, to a five-year term as a Regular Member on the Zoning Board of Appeals; said term to expire the last day of February 2031. (8:55)
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES (10:01)
EXPIRIES (10:13)
RULE 36 REPORTS (10:18)
Councilor Christopher Park has an update from the Capital Improvement Plan Committee (10:24)
ADJOURNMENT (1:42:26)

Minutes

City Council Regular Meeting Monday, March 16, 2026, 7:45 PM City Council Chamber, 1st Floor 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Jason Chen Cal Finocchiaro Maya Jamaleddine Manjula Karamcheti Elizabeth Kowal John Obremski Christopher Park Devin Romanul Kimberly Vandiver Ryan Williams Brad Freeman, President Pledge of Allegiance Meeting was called to order by President Freeman at 7:47 PM. Councilors Jamaladeddine and Romanul were in remote attendance Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Jason Chen At-Large Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Present Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Present-Remote Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Present Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present John Obremski Ward 2 Present Christopher Park Ward 3 Present Devin Romanul Ward 7 Present-Remote Kimberly Vandiver Ward 5 Present Ryan Williams At-Large Absent William Bradley Feeman President Present 1 II. MINUTES APPROVAL A. City Council Regular Meeting March 2, 2026 7:45 PM Motion to Approve the minutes without reading made by Councilor Karamcheti Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: Mar 16, 2026 07:45 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: City Council Meeting, Public Hearings Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/94180533432?pwd=jHuJM8eEWa6srw5WvMI8veUguxcdVa.1 Passcode:532241 Webinar ID: 941 8053 3432 Motion to Open public comment made by Councilor Finocchiaro at 7:49 PM Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver There were no comments on the floor or via Zoom. Motion to Close public comment made by Councilor Finocchiaro at 7:50 PM Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver IV. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE HONORABLE MAYOR & OTHER CITY OFFICIALS V. NEW BUSINESS A. Filings by the Honorable Mayor 2 i. Appropriations

1. (ID # 2026-612): An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $20,020 to the Elections Department (#162) for upgrades to Poll Pads and Printer. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Appropriations & Oversight

2. (ID # 2026-614): An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $50,000 to the Melrose Cultural Council (#2543) for the purposes of grant funding for arts and cultural events and programs in Melrose. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Appropriations & Oversight

3. (ID # 2026-615): An Appropriation from Free Cash (account 01-324001) in the amount of $25,000 to the Mayor's Office (#121) to support Chamber and City events. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Appropriations & Oversight ii. Orders

1. (ID # 2026-618): Acceptance of donations totaling $500,000 from the Friends of the Melrose Public Library and the Trustees of the Melrose Public Library. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Appropriations & Oversight

2. (ID # 2026-616): An order to define the Veteran Volunteer Tax Work Off Program established by the Melrose Board of Alderman in 2012, including a description of the program, eligibility requirements and necessary application documents. Motion to Refer to Appropriations & Oversight Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Appropriations & Oversight iii. Ordinances 3

1. (ID # 2026-611): That the City of Melrose accept the paragraph of Section 12 of M.G.L. chapter 138 that any common victualler, who also holds a license to sell wine and malt beverages may, upon written approval by the Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission, also be allowed to sell liqueurs and cordials. Motion to Refer to Legal & Legislative Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Legal & Legislative

2. (ID # 2026-617): Requesting an increase to the exemption amount of the Veterans Tax Work Off Program abatement from $1,000 per year to $1,500 per year, as authorized by Chapter 59, Section 5K of the Massachusetts General Laws. Motion to Refer to Legal & Legislative Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Legal & Legislative B. Petitions

i. (ID # 2026-628): NO# 31257578 National Grid to install a JO Pole on 357 Porter Street close to Orchard Lane and Porter St Motion for Immediate Consideration made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams Motion to Set Public Hearing on Monday, April 6, at 8:00 PM made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams 4 C. Licenses

i. (ID # 2026-629): Annual renewal of Gasoline and Fuel Storage for 2026 Motion to Refer to Protection & License Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Protection & License

ii. (ID # 2026-630): Annual Renewal of Junk Dealer and Second Hand Dealer Motion to Refer to Protection & License Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Protection & License D. Ordinances

i. (ID # 2026-632): Amend the language of the Mobile Food Vendor Article III of Chapter 127 of City of Melrose Ordinance remove the requirement of public hearing prior to license issuance. Motion to Refer to Legal & Legislative Committee made by President Freeman RESULT: ASSIGN TO COMMITTEE TO: Legal & Legislative VI. PUBLIC HEARING-ORDINANCE

A. (ID # 2026-10): Amending Chapter A, Article II, Section 210 of the Administrative Code of the City of Melrose to expand the authority of the Historical Commission to include regulatory authority as necessary for demolition review. Motion to Open public hearing made by Councilor Finocchiaro at 8:02 PM Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams There were no comments on the floor or via Zoom Motion to Close public hearing made by Councilor Karamcheti at 8:06 PM Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] 5 AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams Motion to Recommend made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams Comments and Discussion: The council discussed and approved an order from the Mayor to expand the Historical Commission's authority to serve as a regulatory body for demolition reviews, as required by the recently passed Demolition Review Ordinance. City Solicitor Phillips explained that the proposed changes would allow the Commission to conduct demolition reviews per city ordinance while limiting their regulatory authority to this specific function. Motion for recess until 8:15 PM made by Councilor Karmcheti Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams VII. PUBLIC HEARING-PROTECTION & LICENSE

A. (ID # 2026-175): Set a Public Hearing to discuss the Motor Vehicle Class I and II license for Cesar Cars Auto Sales Corp d/b/a Melrose Auto Gallery Motion to Open public hearing made by Councilor Finocchiaro at 8:15 PM Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] 6 AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams Comments on discussion: -John Hucksam represented Mr. Serrano, presenting a revised site plan approved by the building commissioner that addresses concerns about vehicle count, parking, and noise to minimize the impact to the neighbors and surrounding community. Prior to this public hearing and in preparation for it, a positive meeting was held with Mr. Hucksam, Mr. Serrano, Councilor Kowal and Al Talarico, the building inspector, to discuss the property and to review this revised site plan to address the number of vehicles on the property and to prevent the parking of vehicles on the sidewalk. Mr. Hucksam explained that Mr. Serrano is committed to being compliant with the hours of operation and that he will take action to minimize noise by keeping the garage door closed during vehicle repair work. He has established a second location outside of Melrose which will reduce the amount of traffic at the Melrose site. -Councilor Romanul expressed support for small businesses in general but raised concerns about past issues regarding hours of operation, number of cars, and noise. Mr. Hucksam assured the Council that the revised site plan would address these concerns and that the contractor was ready to implement the changes as soon as possible. -Councilor Finocchiaro asked about the timeframe to install the barriers and enforcing the new site plan. The contractor will start now since the snow is gone and hopefully have it complete in the next few weeks. -Councilor Jamaleddine wants a clean and explicit timeline to make the physical changes before she can approve. They committed to having it complete by April 1. She asked if the neighbors approached him directly with their concerns, and not they have not. City representatives have informed him of the concerns and have had site visits. -Councilor Finocchiaro asked if Mr Talarico's office will follow up with inspection of the site plan changes. He said the new plan works, it's doable, a lot of time has been focused on this issue. In good faith he wants to give him a chance to follow the rules and monitor with oversight. -Councilor Park asked what are the complaints and it's mostly that too many cars are on the lot and parked on the curb, work is being done on Sundays, detailing is being done in the shop. Mr. Talarico never saw this personally but they were reported. The hours of operation are now posted. -Councilor Chen said it's clear that it's contentious with the neighborhood and many chances were given to fix it. What is the plan if violations happen in the future? The council can request another hearing and Mr. Talarico could document it. -Councilor Vandiver appreciates all the effort on eveyone's part to make this work with significant steps being outlined. Comments from public comment: -John Findlay commented that this current business is a repair shop with too many vehicles and a high noise level and this is not the agreement for the neighborhood. He played a recording of loud noises coming from the shop at 6:30-7:15 PM that evening which is in violation of the policy. He explained that the worst part of the problem to the neighbors is loud noises, even during business hours, and that it's been pushed aside throughout the discussions of altered site plans and solutions. Nothing was discussed about the noise complaints. -A female neighbor commented that she recently moved to the area in September and also hears constant loud noises coming from the business during normal and after business hours. She witnessed an employee plowing snow into the middle of Lebanon Street after a recent snow 7 storm. She is not convinced that he will change his ways and comply. -David Griffin of Linwood Avenue has concerns about the additional traffic from this business to an already busy area and about the gas station in the vicinity. -Councilor Kowal asked how often Mr. Serrano is on the property since he has another location. He will be in Melrose everyday. She is disheartened that a violation already occurred regarding the noise and hours of operation since their meeting. He said he will try to comply. -Councilor Finocchiaro asked about the requirements of the class II license and it is a requirement to repair those specific vehicles. -Councilor Vandiver commented on the Melrose noise ordinance, how it applies to the business and how to make them comply. They are committing to limit the noise on the property by keeping the door closed and adhere to the hours and days of operation. -Councilor Chen asked if there is a class of license that doesn't allow repairing of heavy engines. Mr. Talarico is not familiar with the license details, he is focused more on the plan. Noise ordinances are followed up with the health and police department. -Councilor Jamaleddine asked if they can hold off on the license renewal until the new plan is implemented. Mr. Talarico said this is not under his purview. Motion to Close public hearing made by Councilor Karamcheti at 9:14 PM Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams Discussion among councilors: -Councilor Kowal has issues with this now, she did not coming into the meeting. A lot of chances have been given with a lot of discussion over the years. We heard tonight about recent noise violations and she has concerns that it's not being taken seriously. We need to do a probationary period for a certain number of months. -Councilor Jamaleddine agrees and made a motion to postpone a vote until the plan is implemented by the owner on April 1. Councilor Kowal seconds it. Discussion was had about if this can be a motion or if this is already set up as a probationary license. The existing license expired in 2025. -Councilor Karamcheti is not ready to vote on postponing. She wants to see more discussion. Can the owner still show good faith moving forward now that it's very clear about the issues of parking and noise, without confusion. Is there a way to support the residents and business fairly. -Councilor Finocchiaro said a lot of work has been put into this so we need to give that a chance to be put into action. -Councilor Vandiver also wants more discussion. -Councilor Jamaleddine withdrew her motion and Councilor Kowal withdrew her second. More discussion occurred. -Councilor Vandiver asked if the Health Department can get involved to discuss the noise complaints. -Councilor Finocchiaro likes the idea of involving the Health Department but has concerns about delaying this since the license is already expired. -Councilor Park needs more time and more information and has serious reservations about providing a license to this business. The business recently disregarded the new agreement, and he asked 8 Councilor Romanul about the type of complaints coming from the residents. He is concerned that the noise has not been addressed. -Councilor Romanul appreciates all the comments, feedback and suggestions. This particular renewal was delayed due to the new year and the recent snow storm. He has received pretty consistent complaints regarding the noise and parking violations. Based on these prior complaints and what he heard tonight, he would vote no on the underlying measure for the license. He would be opposed to granting a license. Motion to Postpone vote until April 6 made by Councilor Jamaleddine Seconded by Councilor Kowal -Councilor Karmacheti wants it made clear about the expectations of all parties involved before the next vote. -Councilor Vandiver suggested installing a noise monitor at the property. -Councilor Finocchiaro asked if noise ordinance compliance can be added to the site plan. Motion passed RESULT: PASSED AYES: Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Kim Vandiver NAYS: Jason Chen, Devin Romanul ABSENT: Ryan Williams, John Obremski VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Appointments/Reappointments Motion to Conjoin ID's 2026-397, 2026-309, 2026-379, 2026-444, 2026-310, 2026-311, 2026-396 made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams Motion to Approve the 7 Conjoined Reappointees made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams 9

i. (ID # 2026-397): Reappointment of Robert Tullis, 8 Thurston Road, to the Historic District Commission (HDC), for a three-year term, said term to expire on the last day of February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams

ii. (ID # 2026-309): Reappointment of George Bibilos, 264 Grove Street, Melrose to the Melrose Historical Commission, for a term of three years, said term to expire the last day of February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams

iii. (ID # 2026-379): Reappointment of Darren Brown, 43 School Street, Melrose to the Historical Commission for a term of three years, said term to expire on the last February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams

iv. (ID # 2026-444): Reappointment of Joseph Hunt, 132 Mount Vernon Avenue, to the Melrose Historical Commission for a three-year term set to expire on the last day of February 2029. 10 Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams

v. (ID # 2026-310): Reappointment of William Butler, 102 Crescent Road, to the Beebe Estate Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term set to expire on the last day of February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams

vi. (ID # 2026-311): Reappointment of Jessica Rowcroft McKenna, 5 Marmion Road, Melrose to the Beebe Estate Board of Trustees for a three-year term, said term to expire on the last day of February 2029. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams

vii. (ID # 2026-396): Reappointment of Bryan Thorp, 77 Wentworth Road, to a five-year term as a Regular Member on the Zoning Board of Appeals; said term to expire the last day of February 2031. Motion to Approve made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] 11 AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams IX. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES X. EXPIRIES XI. RULE 36 REPORTS A. Councilor Christopher Park has an update from the Capital Improvement Plan Committee Councilor Park provided an update on Capital Improvement Projects in the city. No discussion occurred and there were no motions or votes. XII. ADJOURNMENT Motion to Adjourn made by Councilor Finocchiaro at 9:37 PM Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and meeting was adjourned RESULT: PASSED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: Ryan Williams, John Obremski 12 Quote Melrose MA - Poll Pad Upgrade Company Address 8A Industrial Way Created Date 2/12/2026 Unit 100 Expiration Date 5/13/2026 Salem, NH 03079 US Quote Number 00002906 Contact Information Prepared By Brenda L'Italien Customer Name Melrose Title Director of Poll Pad Sales and Support Contact Name Tanji Cifuni Phone (978) 651-2511 Title City Clerk Email bcm@lhsassociates.com Email tcifuni@cityofmelrose.org Address Information Bill To Name Melrose Bill To 562 Main Street Melrose, MA 02176 Product Sales Total Product Product Description Quantity Code Price Price PP-01 I360 Sled I360 Sled $50.00 28.00 $1,400.00 Poll Pad Application & Software Installation Poll Pad Application & Software Installation PP-12 $100.00 28.00 $2,800.00 Fee Fee PP-07 Poll Pad Carry Case (920 Receipt) Poll Pad Carry Case (920 Receipt) $200.00 28.00 $5,600.00 PP-08 Poll Pad Tablet (Wi-Fi) Upgrade or Replacement (Wi-Fi) $340.00 28.00 $9,520.00 E99-99 Shipping/Handling/Delivery Charge Shipping and Handling $150.00 1.00 $150.00 Subtotal $19,470.00 Total Price $19,470.00 Upgrade 001-028 All prices quoted are subject to change without prior notice. Pricing may be adjusted to reflect changes in market conditions, vendor costs, or other factors beyond our control. Signature By signing below, you are acknowledging that the above pricing is accurate and within budget, and that you are ready to move forward with the official purchase and contract initiation: Customer Signature: _____________________________ Printed Name & Title: __________________________________________ Date: ____________________ Anticipated First Use Date: ____________________ City Auditor City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone - (781) 979-4107 Free Cash Orders for Fiscal Year 2026 “Free cash” is a term used to describe any remaining, unrestricted funds from the previous fiscal years. After it is “certified” by the state, free cash use requires a recommendation from the Mayor and an appropriation from the City Council. For more information on free cash, you can review this fact sheet published by the Department of Revenue – Division of Local Services. Appropriation Appropriation Balance of Council Order ID # Request Department Description Approved Free Cash $ 5,558,450 Poll Pad Laptops & 2026-612 $20,020.00 Clerk/Elections Printers $ 5,538,430.00 Cultural Council 2026-614 $50,000.00 Mayor Funding $ 5,488,430.00 Chamber & City 2026-615 $25,000.00 Mayor Events Support $ 5,463,430.00 *The first three appropriation requests listed will appear on the 3/16/26 City Council Agenda. As requests are submitted by the administration and approved by the City Council, the table above will be updated accordingly and shared with subsequent orders. … … … . 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: Requesting Free Cash Appropriation for the Melrose Cultural Council CC: Kerri Golden, CFO; Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff Date: March 9, 2026 I respectfully request the City Council approve an appropriation of free cash in the amount of $50,000 to the Melrose Cultural Council (MCC) for the purposes of grant funding for arts and cultural events and programs in Melrose. The MCC is a local cultural council under the state’s program. This will supplement the annual Local Cultural Council Allocation grant of $16,800 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, accepted by the City Council earlier this calendar year. The need for arts and culture funding in Melrose is growing. Last year, the MCC received 44 applications requesting $80,650 in funding; they were able to approve 31 applications for a total of $39,546 (5 partially funded, 26 fully funded). This funding was derived from three sources: $20,000 from City of Melrose (free cash appropriation); $16,800 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (annual allocation from the state); and $2,746 from MCC fundraising efforts. Data from the MCC’s July-August 2025 Community Survey, completed by 240 people, informed them that the community is looking to engage in free outdoor events, public art, and events that encourage community building, social connections and dialogue. Additionally, the MCC’s survey found that 70% of those surveyed that attended an arts or cultural event in Melrose also ate in a local restaurant either before or after the performance, while over 50% visited a local merchant and over 40% stopped to have a drink. The City is grateful for the MCC’s work in providing programming that also helps our local economy grow. The City’s investment in the Melrose Cultural Council ensures that these public funds can be granted equitably, transparently and consistently to great local grant applicants. Ultimately, this allocation of $50,000 enables the MCC to provide more grants at a higher amount for local arts and culture initiatives. Thank you for your consideration and your support. History of Funding the Arts in Melrose: This appropriation follows the prior two fiscal years’ free cash requests of $20,000 each. In June 2024 my administration requested, and the City Council unanimously approved, a $20,000 appropriation in free cash funds to support the Melrose Messina Fund for the Arts (MMFA), a City of Melrose-funded account administered by mayoral appointees, for Fiscal Year 2025. Later that summer, the volunteer administrators of the MMFA unanimously approved a plan to integrate MMFA funds and operations into the larger Melrose Cultural Council (MCC). The integration of the Messina Fund into the Melrose Cultural Council reduced administrative burdens on local grant recipients by creating the opportunity for applicants to seek funding from one source. Further, the merger improved and streamlined the MCC’s and MMFA’s common mission of grantmaking for community arts and culture endeavors in the City of Melrose. The City’s allocation for arts and cultural programming now falls solely under the Melrose Cultural Council City Auditor City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone - (781) 979-4107 Free Cash Orders for Fiscal Year 2026 “Free cash” is a term used to describe any remaining, unrestricted funds from the previous fiscal years. After it is “certified” by the state, free cash use requires a recommendation from the Mayor and an appropriation from the City Council. For more information on free cash, you can review this fact sheet published by the Department of Revenue – Division of Local Services. Appropriation Appropriation Balance of Council Order ID # Request Department Description Approved Free Cash $ 5,558,450 Poll Pad Laptops & 2026-612 $20,020.00 Clerk/Elections Printers $ 5,538,430.00 Cultural Council 2026-614 $50,000.00 Mayor Funding $ 5,488,430.00 Chamber & City 2026-615 $25,000.00 Mayor Events Support $ 5,463,430.00 *The first three appropriation requests listed will appear on the 3/16/26 City Council Agenda. As requests are submitted by the administration and approved by the City Council, the table above will be updated accordingly and shared with subsequent orders. 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: Requesting Free Cash Appropriation for City Support of Chamber of Commerce Events CC: Kerri Golden, CFO; Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff Date: March 11, 2026 For nearly forty years, the City of Melrose has supported the Melrose Chamber of Commerce community events – Summer Stroll, Victorian Fair and Home for the Holidays – by providing staff overtime from the Department of Public Works, Police Department and Fire Department. These staff costs were historically covered using funding in the department’s annual operating budget (overtime line items). In Fiscal Year 2026, due to city budget constraints and reductions to departments’ overtime, my administration committed a one-time allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the costs of staffing these three community events. My administration is committed to supporting the Melrose Chamber of Commerce during the City’s Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027) and in a way that does not keep the financial burden of doing so in the annual operating budget. To that end, I respectfully request the City Council’s approval of a free cash appropriation of $25,000 to cover City staff overtime that ensures these events, which are beloved community traditions which support our local business and arts and culture sectors, can take place. The Melrose Chamber of Commerce will continue to plan and execute these three community events during Fiscal Year 2027. The City of Melrose will be named as an event partner in event related marketing, publicity and communications and provide staffing as deemed necessary by the City through its Department of Public Works, the Melrose Police Department and the Melrose Fire Department. Thank you for your consideration. City Auditor City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone - (781) 979-4107 Free Cash Orders for Fiscal Year 2026 “Free cash” is a term used to describe any remaining, unrestricted funds from the previous fiscal years. After it is “certified” by the state, free cash use requires a recommendation from the Mayor and an appropriation from the City Council. For more information on free cash, you can review this fact sheet published by the Department of Revenue – Division of Local Services. Appropriation Appropriation Balance of Council Order ID # Request Department Description Approved Free Cash $ 5,558,450 Poll Pad Laptops & 2026-612 $20,020.00 Clerk/Elections Printers $ 5,538,430.00 Cultural Council 2026-614 $50,000.00 Mayor Funding $ 5,488,430.00 Chamber & City 2026-615 $25,000.00 Mayor Events Support $ 5,463,430.00 *The first three appropriation requests listed will appear on the 3/16/26 City Council Agenda. As requests are submitted by the administration and approved by the City Council, the table above will be updated accordingly and shared with subsequent orders. CITY OF MELROSE OFFICE OF VETERANS SERVICES Melrose City Hall 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 To: City Council CC: Mayor Jen Grigoraitis; Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff From: Veterans Services Department Date: March 10, 2026 Re: Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program On November 1, 2012, the Melrose Board of Alderman passed Order 2013-54 to accept MGL Chapter 59, Section 5N1, which allows municipalities to establish a Veterans Volunteer Work Tax Abatement Program that provides a veteran with a reduction of property tax obligation in exchange for volunteer services. (See attached order printout.) Following acceptance of the statute, Order 2013-177 went before the Board of Alderman for consideration, to define the program with a description of the program, application time frames, eligibility requirements and necessary application documents. At the time, Order 2013-177 was placed on file, it was not passed by a vote of the then Board of Alderman. (See attached order printout.) My administration is proposing that a defined program be approved by the City Council, and codified in City ordinance as the senior citizen property tax work-off abatement program is in Section 6.1 of the City code, to ensure continuity of the program as well as set parameters for the future operations of the program. The attached application materials define the program and eligibility. Thank you for your consideration. 1 https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIX/Chapter59/Section5n CITY OF MELROSE In City Council November 1, 2012 AN ORDER

ORDER-2013-54 Acceptance of MGL Chapter 59, Section 5N, as amended by Chapter 108, Section 8A of the Acts of 2012 allowing for the establishment of a Veterans Volunteer Work Tax Abatement Program; and further accept the provisions in the last paragraph of Statute. BE IT ORDERED See attached communication from Alderman Wright. HH HISTORY: 10/15/12 City Council ASSIGNED TO COMMITTEE 10/18/12 Appropriations and Oversight OUGHT TO PASS RESULT: PASSED [10 TO 0] MOVER: Francis X. Wright Jr., Ward 3 Alderman SECONDER: Robert A. Boisselle, Ward 4 Alderman AYES: Bird, Boisselle, Conn Jr., Forbes Jr, McAteer-Margolis, Medeiros, Mortimer, Seaboyer, Wright Jr., Tramontozzi ABSENT: Gail Infurna Updated: 10/29/2012 10:56 AM by Maribeth Harrington Page 1 CITY OF MELROSE In City Council June 3, 2013 AN ORDER

ORDER-2013-177 Presentation of the Veterans Volunteer Tax Work Off Program BE IT ORDERED The purpose of this procedure is to define the Veteran Volunteer Tax Work Off Program (VVTWOP) established by the Melrose Board of Alderman in 2012. Included in this procedure is a description of the program, application time frames, eligibility requirements and necessary application documents. All questions should be directed to Melrose Veteran Services. HH HISTORY: 05/20/13 City Council ASSIGNED TO COMMITTEE 05/23/13 Appropriations and Oversight RECOMMEND PLACE ON FILE RESULT: PLACED ON FILE [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis, Alderman at Large SECONDER: Robert A. Boisselle, Ward 4 Alderman AYES: Bird, Boisselle, Conn Jr., Infurna, McAteer-Margolis, Medeiros, Mortimer, Seaboyer, Tramontozzi, Wright Jr., Forbes Jr Updated: 5/14/2013 4:47 PM by Ryan McLane Page 1 City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program Melrose Veterans Department Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program Application Materials Thank you for your interest in the City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program. Please review the attached documents and complete all required paperwork. All questions should be directed to the Melrose Director of Veteran Services. Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program The City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program (VPTWOP) is managed by the Veterans Department. VPTWOP is subject to federal income tax reporting as well as Medicare tax per the Internal Revenue Service but is exempt from Massachusetts State income tax. The City of Melrose will pay the full amount of the Medicare tax so that the total amount of credit the participants receive will remain the same. To comply with IRS regulations, the City is required to issue a W-2 at the end of the year. As a participant in the VPTWOP program the IRS considers you an employee of the city and thereby requires your participation in the OBRA retirement plan. The OBRA retirement plan will retain 7.5% of your gross property tax credit, to be disbursed to you later. As an employee of the City of Melrose, applicants are expected to comply with all city policies including the Standards of Conduct, the Employee Manual, and supervisor instructions. Participants in this program may not have any other paid position with the City of Melrose. Description Eligible veterans who provide volunteer services for the City of Melrose are entitled to up to $1500 off their property tax bill in any given tax year in accordance with M.G.L. Ch. 59, Sec.5N. Veterans who are placed in the program shall receive the credit as abatement against their real property taxes. The program is administered by the City of Melrose Veterans Department and veterans will be placed in assignments based on department need, preference and matched skills. Timeframe and Process Applications for the VPTWOP are available from the City of Melrose Veterans Department beginning May 1, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. • Applications can be found on the Veterans Department Webpage or at the Veterans Departments office (562 Main Street) • Applications pulled from this lottery are not automatically granted placement in the program as placements are also determined based on an applicant’s ability to meet a department’s needs • City departments have final approval of all placements. • If an applicant declines an offered placement, the application will be moved to the bottom of a waitlist, if needed. Eligibility Melrose residents who meet the definition of a veteran as defined by M.G.L. Chapter 178 Section 48 and 56 as amended by the Acts of 2024 are eligible for the program. Proof of veteran status must be included in the application (DD214, Honorable Discharge). Please Note: All participants must pass a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check. City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program Requirements • Must be homeowner or current spouse • Must own and occupy the property for which abatement is being sought • Only one abatement per household Qualification Process • Applicants are required to reapply each year • Applicants are required to enroll in OBRA retirement plan • Applicants are required to possess the appropriate skills required for the available position • Applicants and Department Head need to both agree that it is an appropriate match • Applicants are responsible for turning in their completed and approved time sheet by the specified deadline. Types of Jobs Assignments may vary and can include both administrative and community-based responsibilities. Some positions require computer skills for typing and data entry; applicants are encouraged to list any software programs with which they are proficient in the application. Strong interpersonal and customer service skills are also essential, as volunteers may interact with the public both in person and by phone. Other assignments may involve more physical or outdoor tasks, as well as basic administrative duties such as filing or shredding documents. Some positions may require lifting items weighing up to 30 pounds. Positions vary year to year based on departmental needs. Placements are determined by matching an applicant’s skills and prior experience with the current needs of the department. City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program Application Documents and Forms Applicants are required to turn in the following documents: Incomplete applications will not be considered. 1) Veteran Status Proof (DD214 or Federal Document) a. Honorable Discharge 2.) City of Melrose Application 3.) City of Melrose CORI Acknowledgement Form 4.) Driver’s License or Government Issued Photo ID 5.) Completed W-4 6.) Resume (optional) 7.) Proof of Ownership of Home 8.) Proof of Residency in Home in Which Abatement is Requested Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Tel. No: ______________________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________ Email: ________________________________________________________________________ Emergency Contact: _____________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ________________________________________________________________ City of Melrose Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program Please describe any past job experience or skills that may be helpful in securing a position: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any physical or mental restrictions that should be considered in selecting your work? If yes, please explain: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ If I qualify for the VPTWOP – Veteran, I acknowledge by signing below that I have read, understand, and agree to follow all program guidelines. I confirm that I have submitted all required documentation and understand that I may earn up to $1,500, which will be credited to my property tax bill. Signature______________________________________________Date____________________ FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Disposition of Application New Applicant_____ Repeat Applicant_____ CORI Submitted on: ___________ CORI Approved on: ____________ Placement location _______________________________________________________ Placement letter, time sheet and dress/fragrance policy provided on: _____________ Is applicant a previous employee of the City of Melrose? ____________ Bencor Form Requested on: ________________ Bencor Form Received back: _______________ Bencor form faxed to Bencor on: ________________________ APPLICATION RECEIVED: DATE_________________ TIME____________________ Please be sure to provide your email address, as all program correspondence will be sent to applicants via email. City of Melrose Veteran Property Tax Work Program Job Description Department: Veterans Services Supervisor: Tamara Shovelton Classification: Volunteer/VPTWOP Purpose: To fill a department’s needs with a qualified applicant who is available to work an assigned volunteer shift ⬧To maintain regular, on-going friendly contacts with the client. A. Responsibilities: Listed below are various areas of support within the Veterans Department that may be encompassed by a Veteran Property Tax Work-Off individual. Veterans Food Pantry Support • Assist with lifting, carrying, organizing, and distributing food items • Assist with pantry setup and breakdown • Deliver groceries or food packages to veterans who are unable to leave their homes, using a personal vehicle only, when assigned and approved • Interact with veterans and family members in a respectful and professional manner Memorial Day Activities • Assist with flag placement at veterans’ graves, including walking on uneven terrain and inserting flags into the ground • Assist with event preparation, including envelope stuffing, material organization, and program preparation • Assist with stage setup, seating arrangements, food service areas, and logistical support • Assist with Memorial Day food drives, including receiving, organizing, and distributing donated items Veterans Day Activities • Assist with event preparation, ceremonies, food drives, and logistical support • Assist with setup and breakdown of event materials and equipment Food Drives and Outreach Events • Stand for extended periods to receive donated items • Assist with sorting, organizing, and transporting donations • Provide logistical and general support during public-facing events Thanksgiving and Holiday Support • Assist with preparation of meals for veterans attending in person • Assist with preparation of to-go meals for distribution • Deliver meals to veterans when assigned and approved Office and Administrative Support • Assist with filing, organizing, and shredding documents • Support outreach initiatives and event preparation • Handle records and materials that may contain confidential or sensitive information All assignments are subject to supervision. The City retains sole discretion to assign, modify, or discontinue duties based on operational needs, safety considerations, or participant performance. Qualifications: o Must be an eligible veteran or dependent approved for participation in the Property Tax Work-Off Program o Ability to follow instructions and comply with supervisory direction o Demonstrated reliability, punctuality, and appropriate conduct o Ability to work independently and collaboratively as required o Ability to interact professionally with City staff, volunteers, and the public o Ability to interact professionally and respectfully with members of the public, including veterans, family members, City staff, and volunteers o Ability to perform basic computer-related tasks when assigned, such as data entry, filing, scanning, or use of standard office equipment Dress Code: o Participants must dress appropriately for assigned duties o For outdoor or physical assignments: o Weather-appropriate clothing o Closed-toe shoes or work boots required o For office or administrative assignments: o Clean, neat, and appropriate casual or business-casual attire o Required safety equipment must be worn when directed o Attire must be suitable for public-facing and ceremonial events Additional Requirements: o Participants must comply with all applicable City policies, procedures, and safety protocols o Participants must maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive or personal information o Assignments may require evenings, weekends, or holidays o Participation may be limited, suspended, or terminated due to safety concerns, conduct issues, or failure to meet program requirements o Hours worked will be credited toward property tax relief in accordance with program guidelines Veterans property tax work-off abatement program. A. Individuals who meet the definition of a veteran as defined by M.G.L. Chapter 178 Section 48 and 56 as amended by the Acts of 2024 are eligible for the program. Proof of veteran status must be included in the application (DD214, Honorable Discharge). Individuals must be the homeowner and must own and occupy the residence for which property taxes are paid and for which credit is being sought. Only one tax abatement per property per year shall be allowed. B. City departments are required to identify their specific needs, and the Veterans Department will review each application to match an applicant's interest and skill set with a department's specific needs. Placement in the program cannot be guaranteed and is based on qualifications and availability of relevant work. C. The participants in the program shall perform volunteer work for the City and shall receive a rate that shall not exceed the commonwealth's minimum wage for said service. The maximum abatement which can be earned by any participant in the program is $1,500 during any calendar year. D. Records of hours worked are kept and credited at the Massachusetts minimum wage rate. Upon completion of work by the participants, the Board of Assessors shall apply the credit to the owner's tax bill to abate their property taxes for an amount no greater than $1,500. E. In each calendar year, individuals shall be allowed to participate in this program based on one's specific qualifications to perform the work and the available positions needed to perform said work Citywide. An approved representative shall be allowed to perform the volunteer work for the direct benefit of any participant who is physically unable to personally provide such services to the City of Melrose. F. In the event there are more qualified applicants than available positions, participants for the program may be selected from a lottery of equally qualified individuals. G. The Veterans Services Agent shall be responsible for determining eligibility for the program. … … … . CITY OF MELROSE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR . City Hall, 562 Main Street Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 JENNIFER GRIGORAITIS Telephone - (781) 979-4440 Mayor MEMORANDUM To: Melrose City Council From: Jen Grigoraitis, Mayor Re: Acceptance of specific paragraph of Section 12 of M.G.L. Chapter 138 Date: March 9, 2026 Cc: Lauren Grymek, Chief of Staff Kerriann Golden, CFO Shannon Phillips, City Solicitor Joe Nevin, Chair, Liquor Licensing Commission The Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission has recently received a request from one of its license holders, Table Four (Lovergaag, LLC d/b/a Table 4), to expand its offerings to customers to include the sale of cordials and liqueurs. Currently, their on-premises license is for wine and malt beverages only. In certain cities and towns that vote to accept a specific state law, M.G.L. c. 138 section 12, businesses that hold a wine and malt beverages license and also a common victualler’s license, may be given a permit to also sell cordials and liqueurs. Given this, I am requesting that City Council City vote to accept this section of state law which will allow Table Four, and other on–premises wine and malt license holders to seek a permit to sell liqueurs and cordials. The relevant paragraph of this section of law states as follows: M.G.L. c. 138 section 12: In any city or town which votes to accept the provisions of this paragraph, a common victualler, who holds a license under this section to sell wines and malt beverages may, upon written approval, also sell liqueurs and cordials pursuant to said license, subject, however, to all other licensing provisions of this chapter. If Council accepts this section, the Liquor Commission will then be able to consider permitting these additional sales for current licensees. Any such establishment would also then need to receive approval from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABCC) to add sale of cordials and liqueurs to their license. Thank you for your consideration. ORDER: That the City of Melrose accept the paragraph of Section 12 of M.G.L. chapter 138 that any common victualler, who also holds a license to sell wine and malt beverages may, upon written approval by the Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission, also be allowed to sell liqueurs and cordials. WHEREAS, Massachusetts General Law, chapter 138, section 12 includes the following paragraph stating, "In any city or town which votes to accept the provisions of this paragraph, a common victualler, who holds a license under this section to sell wines and malt beverages may, upon written approval, also sell liqueurs and cordials pursuant to said license, subject, however, to all other licensing provisions of this chapter”; and WHEREAS, liqueurs and cordials are deﬁned as ﬂavored spirits product containing not less than 2½% by weight sugar, dextrose, levulose or a combination thereof made by mixing or redistilling any class or type of spirits with or over fruits, ﬂowers, plants or pure juices therefrom or other natural ﬂavoring materials or with extracts derived from infusions, percolation or maceration of such materials.; and WHEREAS, the City of Melrose’s acceptance of this provision will support local wine and malt license holders who wish to expand options for their customers while supporting the overall strength and vibrancy of our local economy; and WHEREAS, upon acceptance of this provision any establishment seeking to serve liqueurs or cordials in Melrose would be required to obtain a permit from the License Commission and approval from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC), and so NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDERED: That the City of Melrose accepts the paragraph of Section 12 of M.G.L. Chapter 138 allowing a common victualler, who holds a license under Section 12 to sell wines and malt beverages to, upon written approval by the Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission, also sell liqueurs and cordials pursuant to said license and all other licensing provisions of M.G.L. c. 138. 3/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 Part I ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT Title XX PUBLIC SAFETY AND GOOD ORDER Chapter ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS 138 Section LICENSES AUTHORIZING SALE OF BEVERAGES TO BE DRUNK ON 12 PREMISES; VETERANS' ORGANIZATIONS, CORPORATIONS, ETC.; SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION; HOURS OF SALE; LIQUEURS AND CORDIALS; LIQUOR LEGAL LIABILITY INSURANCE REQUIREMENT Section 12. A common victualler duly licensed under chapter one hundred and forty to conduct a restaurant, an innholder duly licensed under said chapter to conduct a hotel, a pub brewer, a continuing care retirement https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 1/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 community and a keeper of a tavern as defined by this chapter, in any city or town wherein the granting of licenses under this section to sell all alcoholic beverages or only wines and malt beverages, as the case may be, is authorized by this chapter, subject however, in the case of a tavern, to the provisions of section eleven A, may be licensed by the local licensing authorities, subject to the prior approval of the commission, to sell to travelers, strangers and other patrons and customers not under twenty-one years of age, such beverages to be served and drunk, in case of a hotel or restaurant or continuing care retirement community licensee, only in the dining room or dining rooms and in such other public rooms or areas of a hotel as the local licensing authorities may deem reasonable and proper, and approve in writing; and provided further, that the limitations relative to service and consumption in a restaurant or hotel or continuing care retirement community only in the dining rooms and such other public rooms or areas deemed reasonable and proper by the local licensing authority shall not be deemed to preclude the restaurant or hotel from allowing a patron to retain and take off the premises only so much as may remain of a bottled wine purchased by the patron in conjunction with a meal and not totally consumed by the patron during such meal; provided further, that the limitations relative to service and consumption in a tavern, club or war veterans' organization licensed pursuant to this section shall https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 2/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 not be deemed to preclude the tavern, club or war veterans' organization from allowing a patron, member or guest, as the case may be, to retain and take off the premises only so much as may remain of a bottled wine purchased by the patron, member or guest in conjunction with a meal and not totally consumed by the patron, member or guest during such meal; provided further, that all such wine bottles shall be resealed in accordance with regulations promulgated by the commission and transported in a manner authorized in section 24I of chapter 90 when carried in a motor vehicle, as defined in section 1 of said chapter 90; provided, that no tavern license shall be granted to the holder of a hotel license hereunder. Such sales may also be made, by an innholder licensed hereunder, to registered guests occupying private rooms in his hotel, and in the dining room or dining rooms and in such other public rooms or areas of buildings on the same premises as the hotel and operated as appurtenant and contiguous to and in conjunction with such hotel, and to registered guests occupying private rooms in such buildings and in the case of condominium accommodations that are located appurtenant and contiguous to and also upon the same premises as a hotel, sales may be made by the hotel licensee as the local licensing authorities may deem reasonable and proper, and approve in writing. Such sales may also be made by a continuing care retirement community licensed hereunder, to residents or guests of https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 3/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 residents in rooms in a continuing care retirement community, and in the dining rooms and in such other public rooms or areas of buildings on the same premises as the continuing care retirement community and operated as appurtenant and contiguous to and in conjunction with such continuing care retirement community, and to guests of residents in such buildings; provided, however, that such sales may be made by the continuing care retirement community licensee as the local licensing authorities may deem reasonable and proper and approve in writing. Such sales may be made by a restaurant licensee at such stands or locations in a sports arena, stadium, ball park, race track, auditorium or in any one building at an airport as the local licensing authority may deem reasonable and proper, and approve in writing. A local licensing authority may grant a license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages or a license for the sale of wines and malt beverages at any location on the grounds of a golf course as it deems reasonable and proper. Upon an application for a restaurant license, the local licensing authorities may in their discretion grant such a license authorizing the sale of alcoholic beverages on all days of the week or one authorizing such sale on secular days only, and the decision of such authorities as to which of the two types may be granted upon any particular application shall be final. During such time as the sale of such alcoholic beverages is authorized in any city or town under this chapter, the authority to grant https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 4/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 innholders' and common victuallers' licenses therein under chapter one hundred and forty shall be vested in the local licensing authorities; provided, that if a person applies for the renewal of both a common victualler's license or an innholder's license under said chapter one hundred and forty and a hotel or a restaurant license, as the case may be, under this section and the local licensing authorities refuse to grant said common victualler's or innholder's license or fail to act on the applications therefor within a period of thirty days, such applicant may appeal therefrom to the commission in the same manner as provided in section sixty-seven and all the provisions of said section relative to licenses authorized to be issued by local licensing authorities under this chapter shall apply in the case of such common victualler's license or innholder's license. If a license granted under this section to a person holding a license as an innholder or common victualler is suspended or revoked for any particular cause, no action shall be taken on account thereof by such authorities with respect to such innholder's or common victualler's license prior to the expiration of the period provided for an appeal under section sixty-seven in case no such appeal is taken, or prior to the disposition of any such appeal so taken, nor thereafter, except for further cause, in case such disposition is in favor of the appellant. Any club in any city or town https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 5/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 wherein the granting of licenses to sell alcoholic beverages, or only wines and malt beverages, as the case may be, is authorized under this chapter may be licensed by the local licensing authorities, subject to the approval of the commission, to sell such beverages to its members only, and also, subject to regulations made by the local licensing authorities, to guests introduced by members, and to no others. A member of a club licensed under this section may bring wine to be consumed on the premises with a meal purchased at the club, unless the club objects, which it may do at its sole discretion. At all times the club shall control the handling, serving and dispensing of wine in accordance with this chapter and may refuse to pour wine for any patron for any reason or for no reason, regardless of whether bottles are opened or unopened. Unopened bottles shall be returned to the patron who shall remove such bottles from the premises at the conclusion of the event, and open bottles shall be returned and resealed in accordance with regulations promulgated by the commission and transported in a manner authorized by section 24I of chapter 90 when carried in a motor vehicle, as defined in section 1 of said chapter 90. The club shall set and charge a reasonable corkage fee, which shall be added to the member's meal expense. Such fee shall be set at not less than $30 and shall be applied to each bottle of wine that is opened. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 6/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 The local licensing authorities of any city or town wherein the granting of licenses under this section to sell all alcoholic beverages or only wines and malt beverages, as the case may be, is authorized by this chapter, may, subject to the approval of the commission and irrespective of any limitation of number of licenses contained in section seventeen, issue a license to any corporation the members of which are war veterans and which owns, hires or leases in such city or town a building, or space in a building, for the use and accommodation of a post of any war veterans' organization incorporated by the Congress of the United States, to sell such beverages to the members of such post only, and also, subject to regulations made by the local licensing authorities, to guests introduced by such members and to no others. The local licensing authorities may determine in the first instance, when originally issuing and upon each annual renewal of licenses under this section, the amount of the license fee, for a tavern license or for any other license under this section for the sale of all alcoholic beverages, or for any other license under this section for the sale of wines and malt beverages, and provided that nothing herein shall prevent such authorities from establishing license fees differing in amounts within the limitations aforesaid for restaurant licenses authorizing such sale on secular days only. If different license fees are so established the fee for licenses https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 7/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 authorizing the sale of alcoholic beverages on all days of the week shall not be more than twenty-five per cent higher than the fee for licensing such sale on secular days only. Before issuing a license to any applicant herefor under this section, or before a renewal of such license, the local licensing authority shall cause an examination to be made of the premises of the applicant to determine that such premises comply in all respects with the appropriate definition of section one and that the applicant is not less than twenty-one years of age and a person of good character in the city or town in which he seeks a license hereunder. No license shall be issued to any applicant who has been convicted of a violation of a federal or state narcotic drugs law. The local licensing authorities may accept the surrender of a license issued under this section and may issue in place thereof to the same licensee any other form of license authorized under this section, and may allow as a credit on the fee for the new license the license fee paid for the license surrendered but no refund shall be authorized. Different licenses issued as aforesaid for any portion of the same license year to the same licensee shall count as one license for the purposes of section seventeen. The hours during which sales of such alcoholic beverages may be made by any licensee as aforesaid shall be fixed by the local licensing authorities either generally or specially for each licensee; provided, however, that no https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 8/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 such sale shall be made on any secular day between the hours of two and eight o'clock antemeridian and that, except as provided in section thirty- three, no such licensee shall be barred from making such sales on any such day after eleven o'clock antemeridian and before eleven o'clock postmeridian, and no tavern shall be kept open on any such day between one o'clock antemeridian and eight o'clock antemeridian; provided, further, that any such licensee or his manager shall not be prohibited from being on the licensed premises at any time; provided, further, that the employees, contractors or subcontractors shall not be prohibited from being upon such premises at any time for the purpose of cleaning, making renovations, making emergency repairs to or providing security for, such premises or preparing food for the day's business or opening or closing the business in an orderly manner. The licensing authority shall not decrease the hours during which sales of such alcohol beverages may be made by a licensee until after a public hearing concerning the public need for such decrease; provided, however, that a licensee affected by any such change shall be given 2 weeks notice of the public hearing. No license issued under this section shall be subject to any condition or requirement varying the occupancy of the licensed premises as certified by any person or state or local agency charged with the administration or enforcement of the state building code or any of its rules or regulations. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 9/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 No person, firm, corporation, association or other combination of persons, directly or indirectly, or through any agent, employee, stockholder, officer or other person, or any subsidiary whatsoever, licensed under the provisions of sections eighteen or nineteen shall be granted a license under this section. In cities and towns which vote to authorize under section eleven the granting of licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages, specific licenses may nevertheless be granted under this section for the sale of wines or malt beverages only, or both. The licensing authorities may refuse to grant licenses under this section in certain geographical areas of their respective cities or towns, where the character of the neighborhood may warrant such refusal. All malt beverages sold by a licensee under this section containing not more than three and two tenths per cent of alcohol by weight shall be expressly sold as such. No malt beverage shall be sold on draught from a tap, faucet or other draughting device, unless there shall plainly appear on or attached to such device, in legible letters, the brand or trade name of the malt beverage so sold therefrom. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 10/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 In any city or town wherein the granting of licenses under this section to sell alcoholic beverages or wines and malt beverages is authorized, a person may be granted a general on-premise license by the local licensing authorities, subject to the prior approval of the commission, authorizing him to sell alcoholic beverages without food to patrons and customers subject to all other relevant provisions of this chapter, provided that such beverages shall be sold and drunk in such rooms as the licensing authorities may approve in writing. The annual license fee for such general on-premise license shall be determined by the local licensing authority. For the purposes of section eleven an affirmative vote on subdivision A or B shall be considered an authorization for the granting of general on- premise licenses in a city or town. A common victualler who holds a license pursuant to this section may provide on premises sample wine or malt beverage tasting; provided however, that such licensee shall not solicit orders for wine or malt for off premises consumption; and provided further, that any such wine tasting shall be limited to one ounce per serving and any such malt beverage tasting shall be limited to two ounces per serving and food shall be served in conjunction with any such wine or malt beverage tasting. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 11/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 In any city or town which votes to accept the provisions of this paragraph, a common victualler, who holds a license under this section to sell wines and malt beverages may, upon written approval, also sell liqueurs and cordials pursuant to said license, subject, however, to all other licensing provisions of this chapter. A common victualler who holds a license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages or holds a license for the sale of wines and malt beverages and who also holds pursuant to this section written approval to sell liqueurs and cordials pursuant to his license may provide on-premises sample liqueurs and cordials tasting; provided however, that a licensee shall not solicit orders for liqueurs and cordials for off-premises consumption; and provided, further, that any such liqueurs and cordials tasting shall be limited to 1/4 of an ounce per serving and food shall be served in conjunction with any liqueurs and cordials tasting. A common victualler who holds a license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages may provide on premises sample alcoholic beverages tasting; provided, however, that a licensee shall not solicit orders for alcoholic beverages for off–premises consumption; and provided further, that any tasting of alcoholic beverages, other than wines and malt beverages, shall be limited to 1/4 of an ounce per serving and food shall be served in conjunction with any alcoholic beverages tasting. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 12/133/9/26, 1:12 PM General Law - Part I, Title XX, Chapter 138, Section 12 No license shall be issued or renewed under this section until the applicant or licensee provides proof of coverage under a liquor legal liability insurance policy for bodily injury or death for a minimum amount of $250,000 on account of injury to or death of 1 person, and $500,000 on account of any 1 accident resulting in injury to or death of more than 1 person. Proof of the insurance coverage required by this section shall be made by filing a certificate of insurance in a form acceptable to the local licensing authority. The insurance shall be subject to sections 5 and 6 of chapter 175A of the General Laws. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Section12 13/133/11/26, 11:43 AM General Law - Part I, Title IX, Chapter 59, Section 5N Part I ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT Title IX TAXATION Chapter ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES 59 Section REDUCTION OF PROPERTY TAX OBLIGATION OF VETERAN IN 5N EXCHANGE FOR VOLUNTEER SERVICES Section 5N. In any city or town which accepts this section, the board of selectmen of a town, or in a municipality having a town council form of government, the town council or the mayor, with the approval of the city council in a city, may establish a program to allow veterans, as defined in clause Forty-third of section 7 of chapter 4 or a spouse of a veteran in the case where the veteran is deceased or has a service-connected disability, to volunteer to provide services to that city or town. In exchange for such volunteer services, the city or town shall reduce the real property tax https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIX/Chapter59/Section5N 1/33/11/26, 11:43 AM General Law - Part I, Title IX, Chapter 59, Section 5N obligations of that veteran on the veteran's tax bills and that reduction shall be in addition to any exemption or abatement to which that person is otherwise entitled; provided, however, that person shall not receive a rate of, or be credited with, more than the current minimum wage of the commonwealth per hour for the services provided pursuant to that reduction; and provided further, that the reduction of the real property tax bill shall not exceed $1,500 in a given tax year. It shall be the responsibility of the city or town to maintain a record for each taxpayer including, but not limited to, the number of hours of service and the total amount by which the real property tax has been reduced and to provide a copy of that record to the assessor in order that the actual tax bill reflect the reduced rate. A copy of that record shall also be provided to the taxpayer prior to the issuance of the actual tax bill. The cities and towns shall have the power to create local rules and procedures for implementing this section in a way that is consistent with the intent of this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the reduction of workforce or otherwise replace existing staff. The amount by which a person's property tax liability is reduced in exchange for the volunteer services shall not be considered income, wages or employment for purposes of taxation as provided in chapter 62, for the purposes of withholding taxes as provided in chapter 62B, for the purposes https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIX/Chapter59/Section5N 2/33/11/26, 11:43 AM General Law - Part I, Title IX, Chapter 59, Section 5N of workers' compensation as provided in chapter 152 or any other applicable provisions of the General Laws. While providing such volunteer services, that person shall be considered a public employee for the purposes of chapter 258 and those services shall be deemed employment for the purposes of unemployment insurance as provided in chapter 151A. A city or town, by vote of its legislative body, subject to its charter, may adjust the exemption in this clause by: (i) allowing an approved representative for persons physically unable to provide such services to the city or town; or (ii) allowing the maximum reduction of the real property tax bill to be based on 125 volunteer service hours in a given tax year, rather than $1,500. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIX/Chapter59/Section5N 3/3 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MELROSE AS FOLLOWS: That current §152-15 Lunch carts, be deleted. That Chapter 127 Hawkers, Peddlers and Transient Vendors be amended to reflect a new title — Hawkers, Peddlers, Transient Vendors, and Mobile Food Vendors — and a new Article III Mobile Food Vendors be added as follows: Article III – Mobile Food Vendors §127-13 License Required; Applicability No person or business entity, including a religious or charitable organization shall operate as a mobile food vendor, , without first obtaining a license from the City Council. A “Mobile Food Vendor” means any mobile operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, sells, or otherwise provides any prepared or packaged food or beverages for human consumption to the general public from a truck or cart, excluding ice cream trucks. The purpose of this section is to allow for food trucks or “mobile food vendors” to be licensed to operate in certain designated locations in the City of Melrose and to streamline the process for their operation on a recurring basis within City limits. A mobile food vendor license is not required with respect to the following mobile food vendors: a) vendors associated with the Melrose Farmers’ Market; b) vendors selling food and beverages on a one-day basis or for special events (up to three calendar days per year per vendor), including charitable and non-profit fundraisers; c) beverage or snack cart services provided at Mt. Hood Golf Course of Bellevue Golf Course; and d) to private events not open to the general public held on private or public property. All such vendors shall continue to follow necessary permitting through the Melrose Board of Health and any other required City approvals. §127-14 Issuance of License; Fee; Term A. Every mobile food vendor wishing to conduct business in the City of Melrose, except those as indicated above, shall apply for and obtain an annual license. An application on a form prescribed by the City Clerk shall be completed on an annual basis and filed with the City Clerk. Each licensee shall pay an annual fee of $500 for the mobile food vendor license. B. Along with any additional required documentation listed on the application, applicants shall submit all of the following with the application for a mobile food vendor license: 1. Proof of Annual Food Service Permit issued by the Melrose Board of Health; 2. Hawkers and Peddlers License issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; 3. Approvals from the Health Department, Parks Department, Public Works Department, Police Department, Fire Department; 4. .If requested location is on public property, a copy of the permission granted by the necessary City board, commission, agency, or department having jurisdiction over the public property (e.g. Parks Commission, Beebe Board of Trustees, School Department, etc.); 5. If requested location is on private property, a copy of the lease or agreement from the property owner authorizing the intended use; 6. Occupancy permit issued by the Engineering Department if parking will be along a public way; 7. Unless operating on private property, the existence of a general liability policy in effect during the days and times for which the license is sought with coverages as required by the City; and 8. Unless operating on private property, an agreement absolving the City, its officials, officers and employees from all liability in connection with the proposed use of City property, and indemnifying the City for any damage or expenses as required by the City; C. After application materials are reviewed for completeness, the applicant will then be required to obtain a license from City Council. D. In reviewing an application, the City Council shall consider the public good and general welfare and convenience of the community and shall take into account factors such as the following: 1. Traffic and pedestrian safety, 2. Impact on nearby parking, residences, and businesses; 3. Application completeness and departmental approvals; 4. Existing number of mobile food vendors; 5. History of compliance; 6. Other public safety or community concerns. E. Approved Locations of Operation: 1. No applicant shall be approved to park within 50 feet of an entrance of a restaurant unless they have received written consent from the owner(s) of any restaurant(s) within 50 feet of the proposed location. 2. Licensees shall operate only in designated locations approved for the days and times on the License as approved by Council. F. The issuance of a mobile food vendor license does not grant to, or entitle, the licensee the exclusive use of any service route or location, in whole or in part, other than the time and place specified in the license or permit for the term of the license or permit. G. Annual licenses issued shall begin on May 1st and expire on April 30th the following year. All renewal applications shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s office by April 1st. H. Mobile food vendor licenses may be renewed by the City Clerk on an annual basis upon submission of updated application materials, new departmental approvals, and payment of required fees. §127-15 Conditions of Operation A. Mobile food vendors may only operate at specifically approved public or private locations at specifically approved times. B. Mobile food vendor may not operate for more than eight (8) hours at any one location per calendar day. C. Mobile food vendors may only operate between the hours of 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM on public property. D. Mobile food vendors must maintain a clean site and provide trash/recycling receptacles, and remove all trash and recycling generated by their operation upon departing the site each day. Additionally: 1. All vendors are encouraged to provide consumers with compostable single- service articles, such as compostable forks, and paper plates. 2. No single-use plastic bags are permitted. All bags must follow requirements established in Chapter 198 Article V of the Melrose City Code. 3. Single-use plastic straws are only to be provided upon request as established in Chapter 198 Article VI Melrose City Code. 4. No styrofoam or polystyrene products are permitted as established in Chapter 198 Article VII Melrose City Code.. 5. All mobile food vendors shall inspect adjacent streets, sidewalks and alleys within 50 feet regularly for purposes of removing any litter found. E. Mobile food vendors must follow all posted traffic and parking regulations and park only in legal parking spaces, and may not for any reason park: 1. Blocking any fire department connection or fire lane, fire hydrant, crosswalk, loading zone, or within 20 feet of an intersection or blocking any driveway; 2. Within any bike lane, bus stop, or upon any sidewalk. F. Mobile food vendors may not conduct business with people in vehicles nor shall they serve customers who stop or park vehicles in a vehicle or bicycle travel lane near the mobile food vendor. G. Mobile food vendors may not provide or allow any dining area, including but not limited to tables, chairs, booths, bar stools, benches, and standup counters. H. Mobile food vendors shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and ordinances, and any conditions on the License. Mobile food vendors shall maintain for the term of their License all necessary underlying licenses such as the food establishment permit, state hawker and peddlers’ license, and all necessary approvals and insurance coverages for use of the designated location. I. Licenses are non-transferable and must be clearly displayed. §127-16 Enforcement; Modifications; Fines A. City Council may modify a mobile food vendor license after the issuance of such license,,i) for cause, after reasonable notice to the licensee of the grounds for the proposed modification and the time and place of the hearing regarding such proposed modification, or ii) at the request of the Licensee, subject to Council approval. B. In regards to trucks or carts on public property or along the public way, the City reserves the right to temporarily move a truck or cart to a nearby location if there is a need by the City to use the approved location for emergency purposes, snow removal, construction, or other public benefit. C. The City Council may suspend, revoke, or decline to renew a mobile food vendor license for cause, after reasonable notice to the licensee of the grounds for the proposed action and the time and place of the hearing regarding such action. D. The Police Department, Public Works Department, Fire Department, and Health and Human Services Director are all authorized to enforce this ordinance. E. In cases involving an immediate public safety or health hazard, the local health director or other enforcing authority may order an immediate, temporary suspension of the license for 14 days without a prior hearing. A public hearing will be held within that timeframe to review the action. F. In addition, this ordinance may be enforced by non-criminal disposition under M.G.L. c. 40 § 21D. Any mobile food vendor who refuses, neglects, or fails to comply with any laws, regulations, ordinances, or codes applicable to the license shall be subject to a fine of $100 per day. Failure to comply with any provision of this Ordinance, or retain the required licenses, permits, and approvals necessary for operation will constitute grounds for violation. Each day of non-compliance shall constitute a separate offense. CITY OF MELROSE Legal Department City Hall, 562 Main Street Shannon T. Phillips City Solicitor Melrose, Massachusetts 02176 Telephone (781) 979-4184 sphillips@cityofmelrose.org To: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis From: Shannon T. Phillips Subject: Amending Chapter A, Article II, Section 210 of the Administrative Code (Historical Commission) Date: January 6, 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________ Amending Chapter A, Article II, Section 210 of the Administrative Code of the City of Melrose as follows: § A-210. Historical Commission State law reference: MGL c. 40, § 8D. A. Established. There shall be a Historical Commission consisting of seven members. B. Authorities and responsibilities. The Historical Commission preserves, protects, and develops the historical and archaeological assets of the City. The Commission may conduct research for places of historic and archaeological value. The Commission may, subject to appropriation and approval by the Mayor, advertise, prepare, print and distribute books, maps, charts, plans and pamphlets which it deems necessary for its work. The Commission, for the purpose of protecting and preserving such places, may make such recommendations as it deems necessary to the Mayor and, subject to the approval of the City Council, to the Massachusetts Historical Commission that any such place be certified as a historical or archaeological landmark. The Commission surveys and compiles a listing of all historical sites and buildings within the City, public and private; determines the functions and structures of all historical organizations within the City; and holds correlative seminars with historical organizations. It further determines the requirements for repair, reconstruction, and protection of historical landmarks, is responsible for conducting demolition review as set forth by City ordinance, and assists and cooperates with public commissions in the conduct of public historical events. The Commission has all of the other powers, duties and responsibilities that are given to historical commissions by the General Laws. Page 1 of 2 C. The Historical Commission is an advisory multiple-member body of the City, and a regulatory multiple-member body only insofar as is necessary to conduct demolition review per City ordinance. Page 2 of 2 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: Amending Chapter A, Article II, Section 210 of the City’s Administrative Code Date: January 7, 2026 Please accept this memo in line with Section 5-11 of the City Charter regarding Order 2026-10 Amending Chapter A, Article II, Section 210 of the City’s Administrative Code As a result of the recent passage of a Demolition Review Ordinance (Order 2025-571) as adopted by a vote of the City Council on December 1, 2025 an amendment to the City’s Administrative Code needs to be made, allowing the Historical Commission to have the regulatory authority over the demolition delay process as contemplated by the ordinance. The changes to the administrative code are outlined via the memo from the City Solicitor attached to Order 2026-10. Please note as part of the process outlined in Section 5-1 of the City Charter, the City Council shall hold at least one public hearing on the proposal and does not have the authority to Amend this Order. Thank you for your consideration. 1 https://ecode360.com/35250804#35250805 Albert Talarico Building Commissioner Director of Inspection Services February , 2026 20 Dear Members of the Licensing Board, I am writing regarding the property located at 303 Lebanon Street, Melrose Auto Gallery (Cesar Cars Auto Sales Corp.), owned by Mr. Cristian Serrano. The current occupancy permit allows for the display of thirteen (13) vehicles on the property. Concerns had been raised regarding the number of vehicles on site, site layout, and the overall impact on the surrounding neighborhood. To address these issues, a meeting was held with Mr. Serrano, his attorney, John Richard Hucksam Jr., Licensing Board representative Elizabeth Kowall, and myself to review and resolve all technical issues prior to the public meeting. During this meeting, we reviewed a revised site plan developed to address concerns about excess vehicles on the lot and parking on the sidewalk. The revised plan limits the number of vehicles to the permitted thirteen (13), eliminates excess vehicle storage, and provides clearly defined parking spaces, including customer parking and no parking signs. The plan also includes installing bollards to prevent vehicle storage in restricted areas and installing vehicle barriers. In addition, the layout improves the overall organization and appearance of the site. Based on my review, the plan addresses concerns related to vehicle count, site organization, and compliance with the occupancy permit. Once the Licensing Board approves the conditions associated with this plan, I will issue a new Certificate of Occupancy reflecting these changes. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Respectfully submitted, Albert Talarico, CBO Building Commissioner / ISD Director City of Melrose ONE of 1 upon any of

10 precise g should boundary. the INTENDED or object NOR 11°x17" 09-10-2025 p boundar authoritative or SUAVEY, fasture, Date: Size: prod LEGAL legally A objects work NOT being IS This as tealuros, THIE ACRES) SERVICES LEBANON Units 1 (0.15 SALES, 301 SF BF MELROSE, Buiding AUTO tonmeneaee 1 4,230 6,673 URA = oe Ares Code 1 $ Alen hori Butktings Bulding Lol Zoning | APPLETON Lina Propeny LEBANON ST Lina Property ‘ ‘ K W i C customer Par a canvetn TOte OO grad Fi 0 Gall ards GaETes January 13, 2026 Office of the Mayor Melrose City Hall Melrose, MA 02176 Attn: Diane MacDonald Dear Ms. MacDonald, I am writing to you to express my interest in being reappointed to the Melrose Historical Commission. I have enjoyed almost 4 years of service and look forward to more productive work on behalf of the Commission. During my time on the Commission, I was very active in helping to develop and roll out the Mary Stetson Clarke Historical Recognition Award a couple of years ago. I think this award has helped raise awareness about celebrating and preserving the history of our wonderful city. Additionally, it is always a pleasure to work at our booth at the Melrose Victorian Fair and engage with our fellow Melrosians and enjoy their almost palpable excitement about the history and the wonderful homes of our community. I have also enjoyed working at a number of “Research Your Home Nights” where we make resources available to our residents so they can learn more about the history of their homes. I am also excited at the prospect of working with the Commission as we transition from an Advisory Commission to a Regulatory Commission working in partnership with the Planning Board. I look forward to helping to implementing the recent move to give the Commission “demo-delay” oversight of proposed projects. I am hopeful this can be done thoughtfully and add value to the process and not simply being viewed as obstructionist. As someone who has lived in this city 55+ years and having seen the many changes that have occurred, I feel I have a lot to offer my fellow Commissioners. I think we have a tremendous mix of backgrounds and experience on the Commission and it is my hope that I can continue to work with these wonderfully talented people. Thank you for your consideration. Very truly yours, George J. Bibilos 264 Grove Street, Melrose, MA 02176 781.888.4144 City of Melrose Office of the Mayor Attention: Diane MacDonald 562 Main Street Melrose, MA 02176 Darren J. Brown djbrown219@gmail.com 43 School Street Melrose, MA 02176 781-724-6912 14 January 2026 To Whom It May Concern, I wanted to express my interest in reappointment to the Melrose Historical Commission. During my two years on the Commission, I currently serve as the treasurer and have assisted with all events including the Research Your Home Nights, the Melrose 175th celebration and the Victorian Fair. These events have given me the opportunity to assist residents with learning more about their home and the community along with how to use the available resources for future research as well as the role of the Commission in the community. I am currently reaching out to contacts in the archaeology and historical preservation fields and awaiting word back from the Mass Historical Commission on a proposed housing development. The Commission’s mission statement is something that I strongly support and believe in. I have long been an advocate of the preservation, protection and promotion of all aspects of the region’s rich history and through education and usage can raise awareness for both present day and future generations. I have been interested in history for as long as I can remember and had pursued a career in the field serving as a museum curator for over fifteen years. I have provided advocacy for the region’s historical resources both professionally and in volunteer positions through my affiliation with area historical societies, organizations and house museums. I have an extensive history in education and collaboration with different organizations and communities. I served nine years as a member of the Town of Saugus’ Historical Commission and six years as the elected president of the Saugus Historical Society along with the two years on the Melrose Historical Commission. I strongly believe that I have the necessary interest, passion and skill set to continue in my role for another term as a valuable member of the Melrose Historical Commission. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Darren J. Brown Office of the Mayor c/o Diane MacDonald – Hello Diane – My name is Joseph Hunt, and nothing would give me more pleasure than to be reappointed for another term on the Melrose Historical Commission. I have been a member of this commission for about 15 years. I have previously served as secretary and presently serve as the commission’s vice-chair. I am honored to be a member of this current commission which is the most talented and active that I’ve been associated with. During my current term, in addition to actively participating in monthly meeting discussions and planning, I initiated and presently manage a decorative historic home plaque program. These plaques are intended to not only publicly identify speciﬁc historical Melrose structures and sites, but their inherent visibility will help raise awareness of Melrose’s history. Since the historical commission ‘s existence is not well known, I submitted an idea to help raise its public awareness. The idea was to have participating downtown stores display a large commission supplied photograph showing their building or storefront appearance from about 50 years ago when the commission was established. This idea was successfully implemented by other commission members. Along with commission members, I participate in our twice-yearly “Research Your Own Home Nights” where Melrose homeowners are provided with internet and physical resources. Then they are coached in how to best use them when researching their own home. I also help man our table at the Chamber of Commerce’s yearly Victorian Fair. If I am reappointed, I intend to continue the above activities while being mindful that the assumption of Demolition Delay regulatory obligations will require some current manpower and schedule adjustments. As always, my focus will be on balancing the preservation of Melrose Historical assets while avoiding Melrose becoming a dull, uneconomic “time capsule” I hope the above information is adequate for submission to the City Council. If not, or if you have questions, please contact me. -Joseph Hunt, Vice Chair Melrose Historical Commission Beebe Estate Board of Trustees Reappointment Accomplishments Co-Chair Bill Butler; Treasurer Jessica Rowcroft McKenna List of Accomplishments for 2025 - Hosted a series of six beer garden events in 2025 - Rekeyed entire building - Decorated property for the holidays - Refurbished Council on Aging plaster walls and painted - Painted rear exterior of property - Extensive brush removal and landscaping - Continued garden maintenance and improvements - Partnered with the Creative Alliance on a new website - Hosted 67 events consisting of private parties, non-proﬁt meetings and community educational classes - Trustees met 11 times over the past year - Added two new Trustees including a Building Manager - Finalized the Beebe Estate MOU - Added a portable air conditioner to increase Summer rental opportunities Beebe Estate Board of Trustees Reappointment Accomplishments Co-Chair Bill Butler; Treasurer Jessica Rowcroft McKenna List of Accomplishments for 2025 - Hosted a series of six beer garden events in 2025 - Rekeyed entire building - Decorated property for the holidays - Refurbished Council on Aging plaster walls and painted - Painted rear exterior of property - Extensive brush removal and landscaping - Continued garden maintenance and improvements - Partnered with the Creative Alliance on a new website - Hosted 67 events consisting of private parties, non-proﬁt meetings and community educational classes - Trustees met 11 times over the past year - Added two new Trustees including a Building Manager - Finalized the Beebe Estate MOU - Added a portable air conditioner to increase Summer rental opportunities Bryan E. Thorp 77 Wentworth Rd. Melrose, MA 02176 9 February 2026 Jennifer Grigoraitis Mayor, City of Melrose City Hall, 562 Main St Melrose, MA 01276 Dear Jennifer, Per your oﬃce’s request, I am sending a brief list of my work during my time on the Zoning Board of Appeals. I would like to note that I am a recently retired architect, with more than 40 years of experience with a wide variety of project types from residential housing to major institutional projects. I have been a Melrose resident since 1992 and raised my 3 children (all MHS graduates) here. I have served on the ZBA since 2008. Since my last appointment to the Board in 2022: ● I participated in 116 cases, including ﬁve Comprehensive Permit Applications ● I was the Board’s representative in the unsuccessful arbitration for 28 Greenwood St.. ● I was elected Chair of Board of Appeals in April 2025 ● I participated in the Board’s adoption of Rules and Regulations for the ﬁrst time ● I attended a training given by a land use attorney to review zoning laws, permits, and the re-codiﬁed zoning ordinance. I hope you ﬁnd this information useful. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the residents of our community and represent Melrose as we continue to grow smartly and work to improve the lives of our neighbors. Thank you. Sincerely, Bryan Thorp Update on The FY27-31 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) • A Capital Project is defined as: • A major, non-recurring expenditure that typically costs $25,000 or more • Have a useful life of five or more years. • Began in December 2025 with a request to all City department heads to submit capital needs for the next five years. • 100 CIP project proposals were submitted by six departments for ~ $62M • The CIP Committee met over January and February to review the CIP process, timeline, and funding approach, interview department heads and evaluate projects. • The CIP Committee has concluded its work and the administration is finalizing the CIP Report at this time.Funded by Debt Exclusion Funded by Budget from ‘25 Override Placed on FY2027-2031 CIP List

Transcript

▶ 0:01 Bradley Freeman: Good evening. Uh, my name is Council President Freeman. Um, I'm calling this meeting of the Melrose City Council to order. The time is 7:45 PM. Um, due to, um... We have, do have two members remote tonight. We have Councilor Jamaleddine and Councilor Romanul. Um, so all roll call votes, all votes will take and via roll call tonight. So I'm gonna ask the clerk to start us off with a roll call, please. Councilor Chen? Here. Councilor Finocchiaro? Here. Councilor Jamaleddine? Here. Councilor Karamcheti? Here. Councilor Kowal? Here. Councilor Obremski? Here. Councilor Park? Here. Councilor Romanul? Here. Councilor Vandiver Jay? Here. Councilor Williams? Is absent today. And President Freeman. Here. That makes for a quorum.

▶ 0:56 Thank you very much. I will now move to, if everyone can rise if we're able, for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. At this time, I will seek a motion to approve the City Council minutes from March 2nd, 2026. So moved. Second. Uh, motion by Councilor Karamcheti, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. Madam Clerk, call the roll. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver

▶ 1:53 Bradley Freeman: Jay? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. At this time, those mo- minutes are now approved. I will now entertain a motion to open the floor for public comment. Make a motion to open the floor for public comment. Second. Motion made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver Jay? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. The floor is now open for public comment per Rule 33A of the Melrose City Council rules.

▶ 2:36 Bradley Freeman: This is the portion of the meeting where the public may speak on any item on tonight's agenda. Comments expressing any viewpoints of any other matters are welcome as well, and this is just for the City Council hearing. We will get into public comment on our public hearings at a later point this evening. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to offer public comment? See none. Is there anyone online? No one online. Thank you very much. This time I'll entertain a motion to close the floor for public comment. Make a motion to close the floor for public comment. Second. Motion made to close the floor for public comment by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

▶ 3:11 Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver Jay? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. There are no communications from the honorable mayor or city officials tonight, so we'll move on to new business and filings by the honorable mayor. Appropriations. ID number 2026-612, an appropriation from free cash account 01-324001 in the amount of $20,020 to the elections department, number 162, for upgrades to poll pads and printer. That will go to Appropriations and Oversight. ID number 2026-614, an appropriation from

▶ 4:04 free cash account 01-324001 in the amount of 50,000 to the Mel- Melrose Cultural Council, number 2543, for the purposes of grant funding for arts and cultural events and programs in Melrose. That will go to Appropriations and Oversight. ID number 2026-615, an appropriation from free cash account 01-324001 in the amount of 25,000 to the mayor's office, number 121, to support chamber and city events. And that will go to Appropriations and Oversight. Moving on to orders. ID number 2026-618, acceptance of donations totaling 500,000 from the Friends of the Melrose Public Library and the trustees of the Melrose Public Library. This will go to Appropriations and Oversight. ID number 2026-616, an order to define the Veteran Volunteer Tax Work Off Program established by the

▶ 4:57 Melrose Board of Aldermen in 2012, including a description of the program, eligibility requirements, and necessary application documents. And this will go to Appropriations and Oversight. Moving on to ordinances. ID number 2026-611, that the City of Melrose accept the paragraph of Section 12 of Mass General Law Chapter 138, that any common vigiler who also holds a license to sell wine and malt beverages may, upon approval, upon written approval by the Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission, also be allowed to sell liq- liquors and cordials. This will go to Legal and Legislative. ID number 2026-617, requesting increase to the exemption amount of the Veterans Tax Work Off Program abatement from 1,000 per year to 1,500 per year as

▶ 5:45 authorized by Chapter 59, Section 5K of the Massachusetts General Law. This will go to Legal and Legislative. Moving on to petitions. ID number 2026-628, number 31257578, National Grid to install a...J. O. Pole on 357 Porter Street, close to Orchard Lane and Porter Street. Um, Mr. President, I'd like to make a motion, and seek a second on that motion for immediate consideration. Second. Motion made for immediate consideration by Councilor Vandiver, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. On discussion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park?

▶ 6:37 Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. And I would like to make a motion to set a public hearing on this matter for Monday, April 6th at 8:00 PM. Second. There's a motion to set a public hearing on ID 2026-628 for Monday, April 6th at 8:00 PM made by Councilor Vandiver, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. On discussion. Seeing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. Moving on to licenses.

▶ 7:32 ID number 2026-629, annual renewal of gasoline and fuel storage for 2026. This will go to Protection and License. ID number 2026-630, annual renewal of junk dealer and secondhand dealer licenses. This will go to Protection and License. Moving on to ordinances. ID number 2026-632, amend the language of the mobile food vendor article 3 of chapter 127 of City of Melrose ordinance to remove the requirement of public hearing prior to licensing issuance. This will go to Legal and Legislative. All right, we have about six minutes before the public hearings begin, so we're gonna skip those on the agenda and move down to unfinished business where we have appointments and reappointments. Uh, Mr. President, we have here, seven reappointments, all of which

▶ 8:26 Kimberly Vandiver: come back from, from, Boards and Commissions, and I'd like to make a motion to conjoin them, to vote on, because they all come back with a positive recommendation. So I'd like to motion to, join IDs 2026-397, 2026-309, 2026-379, 2026-444, 2026-310, 2026-311, and 2026-396. Second. Uh, there's a motion to conjoin items under appointments and reappointments made by Councilor Vandiver, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. On discussion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman?

▶ 9:26 Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. Uh, now we'll... And, all of these did come back from Boards and Commissions with positive recommendations, so at this time I make a motion to approve the seven, conjoined reappointments. Second. Motion to appro- approve the seven conjoined reappointments made by Councilor Vandiver, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. On discussion. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. Are there any reports from committees tonight?

▶ 10:13 Seeing none, there are no expiries. Rule 36 reports. Councilor Park. Yes. Hi. Uh, I would like to actually, update the rest of the board on something that I was appointed to, namely this capital improvement program. Um, if we could actually have that on display. I'd greatly appreciate it. There it is. If that's not working, Councilor Park, it is in everyone's agenda packet as well. Okay. Very good. So really quickly, I just wanted to, like I said, update the board. Uh, I was appointed to the capital improvement pr- program, and for those of you who aren't familiar with that, basically the city has a mechanism to analyze long-term projects in, in the name of five years of, basically physical improvements for the

▶ 11:32 city. Uh, the CIP sets out to, get bids and proposals and assess basically from all city departments what their capital needs are and look in terms of prioritizing what the needs are. So if you look in the packet that was provided, some of the, agenda items that were looked at... Well, first of all, let me go into exactly what a capital project is. It's a major non-recurring expenditure that typically costs 25,000 or more, and it has a useful life forUh, five or more years. Um, beginning in December of 2025, I worked with a n- number of department heads to request, to, to work with all the cap- all the department heads to see what in fact they needed over the course of the next five years. Over 100 project proposals were submitted by

▶ 12:25 the depart- the six department heads for approximately about 62 million. Um, in the course of December all the way up to the end of February, we met a number of times, and we came up with a timeline and prioritized which of those 100 would actually be the most pressing for our city. And this was a combination of things such as, how much the city would be impacted, the widest range of people, i- or residents in Melrose that would be impacted, the safety and immediate concerns of what infrastructure needs to be improved, as well as any, the cost of the project obviously as well, and also the dire needs of what those, physical, I guess, physical, wellbeing of the equipment. So all of that came into, consideration, and I'm

▶ 13:24 pleased to say that, you know, with the committee, other fellow committee members, we were able to come up with a, a very consistent and agreed-upon priority list. Um, and that right now has been submitted to the mayor. She and, Carrie Ann Golden will work to see what they can do in terms of moving forward with that list. Now, you're probably wondering, in previous, CIP assessments, what has come of those projects? And on the next slide, Adrian, you can see that in 2022, we had a list of projects that we had submitted, and I'm pleased to say that all of them, the top 15 that were classified as Group A, the highest tier, were in fact, completed. I put some, annotations to the ones that were still outstanding. Uh, you can see that the public safety buildings,

▶ 14:26 was funded by the debt exclusion that recently passed back in 2024. The high school bathroom upgrades, that was a supplemental override, supplemental budget that we passed in the appropriations recently. And finally, we have put the, the new fire truck, item number 13 ranked there, as, something that we prioritized for, the 2027, 2000... up to 2032 CIP list. So, overall, it was a good process. I think, this gives the city a, a great vision in terms of what we are looking to accomplish, especially with the override passing. So stay tuned, for the mayor and her administration to, to, unveil the list of, prioritized items for our CIP. Thank you very much, Councilor Park. Mm-hmm. Seeing as it's now eight o'clock, I will now seek a motion

▶ 15:28 Bradley Freeman: to open public hearing ID 2026-10. I'd like to make a motion to open public hearing for ID 2026-10. Second. Uh, there's a motion to open public hearing made by Councilor Finocchiaro, second by Councilor Karamcheti. Madam Clerk? Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Brembsky? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vanderberg? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you very much. Mm-hmm. At this time, we'd like to welcome City Solicitor Phillips, to join us tonight. Good evening, Ms. Phillips, and, and thank you very much for, for taking the time. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Thanks for having me here.

▶ 16:14 Um, so this order tonight is before you from the mayor, and this is in response to the passage of the demolition review ordinance by council this past December. That ordinance, as you all know, contains a number of changes and responsibilities for the Historical Commission. Um, they're now going to have increased authority and be responsible for the review of any demolitions in the city, any permits that are being sought. Our administrative code does describe the various duties, authorities, responsibilities of appointed bodies within the city, so that includes the Historical Commission. Currently under the code, they only have the authority as an advisory body, so they have no legal authority to make rules or regulations or decide

▶ 16:51 cases. So in order to affect the processes that council has set out in the new ordinance, they need to now, be given the expanded authority to be a regulatory body. So that's what this order is before you tonight. The proposal before you tonight changes the language of the responsibilities currently of the Historical Commission to address all these issues. Um, so what we're asking of you tonight is the changes that, I have written to you in the memo that's been attached to this order, that those be passed by council. Specifically, we're proposing adding under Section B, under Historical Commission, language that the board is responsible for conducting demolition review as set forth by city ordinance. And second, that the language under Section C,

▶ 17:33 be changed to reflect that the commission is now a regulatory body, but only insofar as necessary to conduct demolition review per city ordinance. So you'll notice with that language, we're not expanding their authority to encompass other types of regulatory activity, such as boards like, the Board of Health, for example, that can set fees, issue fines, things like that, that sort. Um, this authority is only going to be related specifically to demolition review and the ordinance that was passed by council. Um, so I'm happy to take any questions council might have on this. Otherwise, the mayor respectfully asks that you pass this, change so that the ordinance can start being administered by the commission.

▶ 18:11 Bradley Freeman: Thank you, Ms. Phillips. Do any councilors have any questions? Councilor Finocchiaro? Uh, no questions. Uh, just make a motion to recommend. Uh, before we do that, we do need to, invite the public up for- Oh, yes. Sorry ... for public comment as well. Mm-hmm. All right, seeing no questions for Ms. Phillips, thank you very much. At this time, is there anyone in the public who wishes to comment on this, public hearing ordinance? Seeing none. At this time, I'm gonna entertain a motion to close this public hearing so we can then deliberate and vote on it. Motion to close the public hearing. Second. Motion to close the public hearing by Councilor Karamcheti, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. Madam Clerk.

▶ 18:50 Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Because the public hearing's now closed, so now we have ID number 2610 before us. Is there any discussion? If not, what is the will of the council? I'd like to make a motion to recommend. I'll second. Motion to recommend made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. Madam Clerk. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski?

▶ 19:44 Bradley Freeman: Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you very much. Mm-hmm. At this time, we have another public hearing at eight fifteen. We have no other items on our agenda until then, so I'll entertain a motion for a brief recess until eight fifteen PM. Motion for a brief recess. Second. Second. Motion made by Councilor Karamcheti, seconded by Councilor Vandiver. Madam Clerk. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes.

▶ 20:28 Bradley Freeman: Thank you. We are in recess until the hour of eight fifteen. The time is now eight fifteen, so we are going to move into the public hearing for ID 2026175. At this point, I will seek a motion to open the public hearing. Make a motion to open the public hearing. Second. Motion made to open the public hearing by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Karamcheti. Madam Clerk. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Councilor Vandiver? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. So the hearing for ID 2026175 is now open. Just to give folks an idea how this is gonna work, we're gonna invite Mr.

▶ 21:17 Bradley Freeman: Serrano up, to speak to the council first, answer any questions, at which point, Director Talerico will come up and available to answer any questions from the council, followed by public comment. Following the public comment, Mr. Serrano will have an opportunity to come back up and, you know, provide any additional contents, context or clarifying questions for the council, at which point we'll close the public hearing and deliberate as a council. So at this time, I'd like to invite Mr. Serrano to the microphone. Good evening, and thanks for joining us. Good evening. My name is John Huxsom. I represent Mr. Serrano regarding his Class 2 license for the Melrose Auto Gallery at 303 Lebanon Street.

▶ 22:14 Mr. Serrano has owned and operated this business at that property for about 13 years. Uh, back in two, 2013, the city issued a certificate of occupancy granting Mr. Serrano permission to operate the auto sales use at that property. Um, Mr. Serrano has cooperated with the building commissioner, concerning the number of vehicles, parked at the property, the configuration of the parking spaces at the property, and, and to minimize the impact on, on the neighbors. We had a very positive meeting with the building commissioner, and, one of the councilors, at which we discussed the property, and we reviewed a revised, site plan at that time, which was developed to address the concerns about the number of vehicles at the property,

▶ 23:19 and, preventing parking on the sidewalk, which has been an issue. Uh, as I think you know, and I think you received in your packets, the building commissioner issued a letter as a result of that meeting, and he, stated, just briefly, "The revised plan limits the number of vehicles to the permitted 13, eliminates ex-excess vehicle storage, and provides clearly defined parking spaces, including customer parking and no parking signs. The plan also includes installing bollards to prevent vehicle storage in restricted areas and installing vehicle barriers. In addition, the layout improves the overall organization and imp- appearance of the site."Uh, the building commissioner's letter also states, "Based on my review, the

▶ 24:16 plan addresses concerns related to the, to vehicle count, site organization, and compliance with the occupancy permit. Once the licensing board approves the conditions associated with this plan, I will issue a new certificate of occupancy reflecting these changes." So there was a very positive result that came out of that meeting. Uh, also, Mr. Serrano is committed s- to strict compliance with the hours of operation of the business, which is Monday through, Saturday between the hours of 9 and 6 PM, and, with no activity at all on Sundays. And Mr. Serrano will also take action to minimize noise from the property, including by keeping the garage door closed while repair work is occurring. We wanna note that Mr.

▶ 25:20 Devin Romanul: Serrano has established a second location outside of Melrose, which will reduce the traffic at the Melrose location. So we, we feel that we've, we've worked hard to address the issues at the site, and we respectfully request that you renew the Class 2 license of the property. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Do any councilors have any question for, questions for Mr. Serrano or Mr. Huxham? Uh, Councilor Romanul. Good evening. Um, thank you so much for the information and the presentation, and, for the supporting materials. And, and I just wanna say, you know, I'm a small business owner myself. Uh, I have a lot of respect for what it takes to run a small business, particularly one in person. Um, and, a-

▶ 26:15 Devin Romanul: and I appreciate the, the meeting that our, that Mr. Talarico, took with you all and, and the information that came out of that. But, as the person who represents, this particular neighborhood, this is primarily a residential neighborhood, and we wanna welcome any and all commercial operations to, to operate here. Um, and I'm fully in support. I want everything-- We wanna do everything that we can as a community and as a city to help y'all thrive. But I've received a ton of correspondence and testimony from people living in the neighborhood about, you know, the hours of operation in years past, about the number of cars, about where they're parked up and down Appleton and, Lynwood Avenue, about noise, about parking on sidewalks, you

▶ 27:02 Devin Romanul: know. And I, and I, I know I'm sound like I'm complaining a lot, but I just, I have to say, after receiving kind of a deluge of some of that information, if the past is prologue, if we authorize this today, what... You know, just candidly, I hope you all succeed, but what's gonna change based on that past set of behaviors? Um, and ha- happy to have a conversation about this, but I'm, I'm really genuinely curious. May, may I respond? Please. Yes. We're very concerned about addressing the neighbors', concerns. Uh, and the, the revised plot plan that we discussed and, and appears to have been approved by the building commissioner addresses those, those very, concerns. Um, that there's, uh-- The

▶ 27:52 Devin Romanul: configuration for parking will limit the number of, of cars that can be parked on the site, including, having bollards to prevent parking in un- in restricted areas where parking is-- of vehicles will not be allowed. And also, there, there will be barriers along Appleton Street to prevent parking along there because we know that's one of the concerns of the neighbors. So the, the, this revised site plan is, is really specifically, intended to address, those issues. Do we feel like, uh... Just, thank you for that answer. But as a quick follow-up, do you feel like the rules in the past applications were markedly different? Um, meaning like, if these were the rules and regs under past applications, and they weren't respected, do we feel like

▶ 28:43 Devin Romanul: they're different enough this time that they will be? Well, again, we're, we're committed to, you know, complying with these, and, and we really feel that the, this revised site plan, imposes, you know, a configuration that will really lead to, to addressing those issues. Thank you for the answer. I, I just wanna make sure that all, you know, that, we live in harmony, the, the social contract between the city and the business and the neighbors therein, are respected moving forward. So, appreciate the comment. Thank you, Councilor Romanul. We'll go to Councilor Finocchiaro and then Councilor Karamcheti. Yep. Thank you for, being here tonight and for, you know, the presentation. Um, what is your timeframe as far

▶ 29:28 Manjula Karamcheti: as installing the barriers, installing, you know, getting this kind of site plan set? Is it a week? You know. Um, I know Mr. Serrano has already communicated with his contractor, and so they're already discussing this. Um, my understanding is that the contractor needed to wait until the snow got out of there so he can get on the site. But, but, my understanding is that he, that, he'll get to work on this, quickly. As soon as possible. Yes. So he already has the contractor lined up. Okay. Oh. Councilor Karamcheti. Yeah. Thank you so much. Really appreciate hearing about the meeting and the plans that have ensued. Um, and just, I think, building off of some of the questions that Councilor Romanul was asking, just, um-

▶ 30:18 Manjula Karamcheti: Is there an enforcement plan on the side of the owner? Meaning the intention is there, but the execution of that plan to make sure that everything is being followed, that parking isn't an issue, will the owner be relying on the city to enforce? So just it really takes, I think, everybody doing their part in terms of a plan, so I'm just curious that what sort of responsibility the owner will take for the plan. Well, he's committed to, to complying with this, but my understanding is, is that the, um... And, and Mr. Talarico obviously can speak to this directly, but is that he plans to issue a new certificate of occupancy that would be conditioned upon compliance with this. So, I mean, I, I think that would provide, an enforcement

▶ 31:07 Cal Finocchiaro: mechanism. Do any other councilors have any questions at this time? Councilor Finocchiaro? Sorry. I just wanna come back to my initial question about the timeframe, and maybe Mr. Talarico can talk to me. I don't... But that's sort of a sticking point for me. Um, you know, I wanna ap- approve this on good faith, but I, I feel like I just want a little bit more information, like is this gonna be done in a week or two, a month? Just so the residents have kind of an idea too. Hopefully within the next, few weeks. Like I said, we were just waiting for the snow to, be clear out and then we'll move forward with the plan. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Um, Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you, President. Uh, I'm, I'm

▶ 31:58 Maya Jamaleddine: going to, add to Councilor Finocchiaro question, and, I think in order for me to, to, approve and, and, this, and support this ordinance, I would like to, have an, a very clear and explicit, timeline, and a promise for the neighborhood and neighbors to let them know that this will be done by that time, and if not, what are the consequences? So, I would like to ask to get an exact date in order for me to comfortably, support that. So, is it a few weeks, you said? Yeah. Let's see, hopefully by, by the beginning of, June. By April 1st. April 1st. Yeah. You can, really you can say that. That's on the 16th. Yes. Okay. Um, we'll, we'll commit to April 1st. Okay. April 1st. Um, another question, you know, if,

▶ 33:10 not, not to bring the past, but have the neighbors, approached you, in the past and asked you, and to address those concerns, or were these concerns a surprise to you? What's the question? Um, have, have the neighbors approached you? Have you communicated with the neighbors about these issues in the past? Um, not that I remember directly. No. Not directly? Not directly, no. Every time there's an issue, they've been calling the city instead of approaching me directly. Okay. Um, there, there has not been direct communication with the neighbors. By these concerns? She- Is that what it is? Mr. Serrano has been made aware of her, of his concerns, but not through direct communication. So through staff? Uh, it just seems that there is lack of,

▶ 34:08 um... Like there is a gap or missing, information here. So, was he receiving those concerns from his staff? So how did you learn about the concerns of the neighbors? From a, from a- The complaints from the, from the city. In, from... And so it's representatives of the city informed. The city. Um, representatives of the city informed Mr. Serrano about the neighbor's concerns. Okay. And, and, and do you mind to let us know when, what were you informed by that, by the concerns? We had a couple of, maybe a couple of visits through the years from, from, city representatives, uh- Okay ... to check that this took place. Okay. So. Um, in past years there have been some, site visits, visits to the site by city representatives and, and they've spoken with

▶ 35:06 Mr. Serrano. So it's been a year. So he, he's been aware of these concerns for about a year? I believe over the years, you said? Yeah. Several years? Yeah, two over the years. Couple of times over the years it's been about. A couple of times at least over the years. Okay. Okay, thank you. Any other councilors have questions at this time? Seeing none. Thank you, gentlemen. Um, we'll move on to Mr. Talarico on the public comment, and then you'll be able to come back up to, to address anything else you'd like to. Thank you. Thank you very much. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Good evening. Um, so I can answer any questions you may have. Um... Councilor Finocchiaro. Yeah. Thanks for being here tonight.

▶ 36:00 Um, so as far as like the oversight of implementing like re- well, like as mentioned before, the barriers and other work that he's gonna do on the site plan, is that something that your office will follow up with? Or how do we, how does that work? Um, as far as enforcement or- Mm-hmm ... so I just want, I w- Kinda wanna take it back a little bit- Mm-hmm ... because there's been a lot of, not enforcement, but a, a lot of inspections by my predecessor, and complaints kinda going on throughout the years. Um, so our initial, idea of contacting Mr. Serrano was just to kinda mitigate those issues moving forward. I know that there was some, some people, complaining, not to my office, but to other, city officials,

▶ 36:51 and, kinda communicated those back to me. So we felt that we needed to have a meeting with Mr. Serrano just to go through those items. I really don't want to, you know, look back. I'm, I'm trying to move this thing forward. Um, I think that enforcement w- we're definitely gon- you know, we, our department is more, um... you know, w- we generate, enforcement orders through someone calling us. We don't just typically go by the property and just inspect it on our own. So we do, we do need complaints to come in to kinda investigate those. Um, so we will do, we will inspect the property off and on if, if there is any violations to, any of the conditions that are set forth, through the licensing board or through,

▶ 37:44 the council. Um, you know, I, I don't wanna focus on that ba- back right now. Um, I know that there has been issues in the past. I think in good faith, the owner and his attorney and, city councilor, I'm sorry, Elizabeth Uh-huh. Um, we did have a, a pretty productive meeting, and, some of the things that initially, that Mr. Serrano submitted were not, were not conducive to, to, the neighborhood. So we did get together and we fine-tuned that, and I think this is a pretty good plan for what was there before. Uh, I mean, looking at it from... even if you go on Google Maps, there's a lot of cars there. Um, I think this plan works. I think it's, it's doable. Uh, I think it limits the amount of cars that can go in there just because of the

▶ 38:40 way that the, the barriers are set up, and the bollards are there so you can't slide vehicles and all these other things into these areas where, they would kinda store things. Um, I think it's a pretty good plan. It's, it's... honestly, we, we put a lot of time into this, and I feel like it's, it, it'll work. Um, there was some suggestions maybe because one of the things that Mr. Serrano can't control, and I, I wanna highlight that, is, is registered vehicles or customers coming in. He has no control of that. Um, and I just want, if complaints do come in, that there's too many cars on that site, I mean, we have to be reasonable with that. Uh, if people are going there to visit the site and there isn't enough parking,

▶ 39:33 that's, that's the issue that we kinda run into, but if they're registered vehicles, there's really nothing that my department can do or the police department can do. Any registered vehicles are allowed to park in, in, in, in, on streets. Um, so we did discuss that a little bit. We did provide some additional customer parking in there to kind, to accommodate that. Um, but other than that, the only thing I can say is in good faith we're allow- you know, w- we had this discussion. I think that we have to give Mr. Serrano a chance to kinda go through this. If he doesn't, my office will be there. We'll, we'll document it, we'll ticket it, and we'll bring it back to the council, for, for their review.

▶ 40:22 Cal Finocchiaro: Okay, great. I hope I answered everything. Yeah. I mean, clearly I think we all wanna move forward, and we want Mr. Serrano to continue with his, his business, but, you know, it's gotten to the point where, you know, he's up to get his license, and it's, now we're doing a public hearing because it's been so many issues. So I just, you know, for the residents, for everybody, just wanna make sure that it's gonna get done, and we're gonna move forward, and if there's some oversight, I think that's great. It's just a tough situation because you have a commercial property in the middle of- Mm-hmm ... residential. Mm-hmm. And there's nothing... I mean, granted there's been some violations on the property, but it's really tough to keep something like

▶ 40:58 this without having some sort of, quality of life issues. Mm-hmm. Um, so I, I, I, you know, we tried our best and, to come up with, some good ideas. I, I think some of the ideas will, will beautify that area a little bit by le- you know, like putting in some, some... I, I think some of the suggestions I made, I can't require them, but maybe putting some planters out in some areas so people can't park on top of the curb. Um, but, you know, that's up to the owner to do that. Thank you. Council Park. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Tallarico, question about... I, I know that you haven't been here for the full context of when these complaints started coming in, but can you give me an idea or sense of what specifically the complaints are?

▶ 41:50 Is it violation of too many cars that are obstructing the sidewalks, or is it the noise complaint where it c- maintenance and work is being done beyond business hours and on Sundays? So the complaints that I received, and again, they weren't directly, sent to my office, but what I've, I've heard were... And some of them are, are pretty, you know, easy to spot. Uh, you just go to, you know, drive by there on a Saturday sometimes, and this is prior to us, um-You know, having our meeting with Mrs. Serrano. Um, but there is too many cars on the lot. So there was too many vehicles on the lot. Uh, customers would park on the curb. Um, there was work being done on, Sundays, I believe. And then, then there was some

▶ 42:42 dis- some complaints about maybe, detailing shops or something having to do with details being inside the garage. I never saw them. Um, you know, those, those violations can be, called into the police department. They have the same enforcement, mechanism, citations that I do. Um, I haven't seen one, but those were the complaints that we were getting. So hopefully this plan addresses those concerns because now, there's a little more delineation in the, in, in the, in the, plan. Um, there's barriers, so you can't have cars just moving around all over the place there. And there is some, some bollards in other areas where you just can't move... Um, you just can't park equipment anymore. So this is definitely gonna be better than what was there before.

▶ 43:39 Um, whether, you know, it improves the customer base that goes in there and where they park, I... That's, you know, I, I don't know. They, they can park anywhere they want. So, so the plan that you've outlined has a- has addressed the, has addressed the potential parking and the obstruction of the sidewalks, but not necessarily the work that's done outside business hours. Is that correct? We... I did, prior, from me getting involved in this, there was no work hours or hours of operations anywhere, and Mrs... I had Mrs. Serrano put the work hours right on the window now. So people, it's visible. If someone walks by and someone's working on a Sunday, and it states that it is no work on a Sunday, anybody can pick up the phone and complain and, and kind of

▶ 44:31 Jason Chen: document that, that, violation. Okay. Very good. Councillor Shen. Thanks. So it's clear it's gotten contentious with the neighborhood, and it's clear that many chances were given, or at least chances to resolve this. Let's say we're here three months from now, and we get-- we start seeing the same complaints again, noise on a Sunday, parking, maybe it's unsightly by some people's judgment. What do you recommend? Well, I mean, the council can, you know, request another hearing if they want or- More- That's something that m- might be-- you might refer to the city solicitor. Um, but, you know, once we approve this plan and I issue, the occupancy with the conditions that you set, put, on the plan, then if they-- there's a

▶ 45:29 violation there, typically what happens is I'll go down there if there's a violation. I'll visually cite them, write a ticket, put a letter in. Public documents, it could come to you, or we can come back here again, and then you can have another discussion about the license. Do the fines increase to the point of pulling the license? No. No, the fines are daily fines. So if the violation happens where there's two cars or three cars or they're working on a Saturday, we would fine them for that day. Once the violation is gone, um... That's how my predecessor was going about these, is daily, fines for... Once those violations are cleared up, there's no more fines. Thank you. You're welcome. Are there any other questions for Mr. Tallerico?

▶ 46:21 Kimberly Vandiver: Councillor Vandiver. Thank you. I just wanted to appreciate the work that you've done on this and taking the time to really go through all of the circumstances, all the different ways to mitigate them, both the, the owner as well as Mr. Tallerico and Councillor Kowal. I think, it's, it's, it's a lot of work, and, I know there's... I've heard that there's been a lot of frustration around the site. Um, at the same time, you know, I'm looking at the Google Maps, there's like seventeen cars on there. And so I, I also understand the perspective of, you know, if seventeen cars fit, why can't you put seventeen cars fit, you know? And like it... This really is a step back, I think, for the business

▶ 46:57 Kimberly Vandiver: owner, the, the bollards physically restricting what can go there and, and a commitment to that, the posting of the hours that you're mentioning. Um, I mean, it says in, i- in here that, you know, closing the garage door when doing work. I mean, that's gonna be loud in the garage, right? If that-- if you close the door. So I mean, there... It seems like some... I, I consider some significant steps are being outlined here, and so I, I appreciate the work that was done and, and the concessions that are being made to be a better neighbor. So I just wanted to thank you for that. You're welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Vandiver. Uh, seeing no other questions, thank you very much, Mr. Tallerico.

▶ 47:34 All right. At this point, we're gonna open it up for public comment. So if anyone is here from the public, you're welcome to come forward. Please state your name and your address, and we'll, we look forward to hearing your comments. Go get it, John. Hi, ladies and gentlemen. My name is John Finley. I'm an old timer. I'm an old timer. I've been living at the same address for forty years. I raised three daughters at that location, and, I served as a liquor commissioner for fifteen years. I gave back. I've started a special needs program, golf program up at Mount Hood. I am what makes Melrose Melrose, okay? Not the money, the spirit, okay? This complaint went in in July. I approached the building, department. I don't know the building commissioner.

▶ 48:34 I knew the former one. Whenever there was a problem with the parking or anything, the complaint often didn't come from me. It came from one of the abutting neighbors. It's my understanding that he has sent a letter into this committee, and my question to you is, where is that letter? Because he spells out, or so I'm told, very specifically what his concerns were. He put up with this for many years as I have put up with the noises coming out of this place, okay? I wanna give you a little history here, okay? The original owner of, of that property bought it. He was a retired, policeman from Reading. He bought it to put his son in there to keep him off the streets, okay? Nice people, nice-- But their idea

▶ 49:25 of being considerate of the other-- of the neighbors in the neighborhood lacked a lot of spit spot, okay? They had an alarm system in there that would go off at three clock in the morning in the dead of winter, okay? After that happened, it woke up my kids n-numerous times with the neighbors going over there to protect his property for fear that he was gonna get broken into and his thousands of dollars of tools. The neighbors stepped up, and they made sure that he, he was safe. And when we complained to him, his response to us, "Well, my alarm guy told us, 'Let it s--'" Uh, the longest an alarm can be programmed to alarm at three o'clock in the morning is twenty minutes, okay? So we a-as a neighborhood, we had to put up with twenty

▶ 50:16 minutes of an alarm going off, okay? Call the police, they put the call in, noth-nothing ever happened, okay, until the neighborhood got together and they went after him and they told him, "If it continues, you're not gonna like what's gonna happen. Somebody's gonna rip that siren off the wall because that's the only thing you seem to understood." It turned out that we went in... Uh, I went in, I'm an alarm electrician, and I troubleshot it for him. The-- He had paper towels hanging down, and when the heat would come on in the dead of winter, the towels would sway, the motion detector would go off, and I-- my kids would wake up and start crying, okay? There's a lot of history behind here. The previous owner, the retired Reading,

▶ 51:04 policeman, decided to make some more money. He approached the council at that time and wanted-- He bought the house next door on Appleton Street. He wanted to use the driveway in a residential area and put in a milk store at part of the repair station, okay, to make, to make money. Well, we had one of the largest turnouts ever in Melrose. People from the other side of Melrose were coming out to, to complain about it. He ended up selling the property in disgust, to the previous owner that, that's there now, okay? We had a meeting, and they decided that it would go to the lowest denomination of, of what would be allowed with the, with the approval of the, of the neighbors on a, on a commercial basis. And there was-- It was presented

▶ 52:01 a glass repair shop that a lot of people didn't want because they were afraid they'd listen to glass breaking, which was, you know, totally, I think, a little bit off to one side. But everybody agreed to, and it was set up that it would be a used car lot, okay? The, the owner had, another piece of property that was a used car that, that he ran. So we all agreed, and we had ten years of, u-uh, of a, of two guys that were in there doing cars. And they-- It was put in that license that the hours would be from nine till five, that they would be, you know, they were allowed to detail cars in there for their cars, okay? And, also, that after five o'clock at night, the only thing that would be allowed would be,

▶ 52:57 paperwork, quiet paperwork. That was fine. We all agreed to it. The hours were set up nine to five because it was a residential area. The building commissioner came in, and he laid out no more than ten cars. He did it by whatever formula that they have to do it. And he said ten cars. And then when it became a problem with cars parking out on the street and, the noise that was generated, we had some bad apples that were in there selling cars, he would come down and enforce it. And it was through the fines that we got it straightened out, okay? I made it a... I grew up with Mr. Longmeadow, the owner of the property right now, and, and we go back a long way. And I respect him, and I respect...

▶ 53:48 But I got tired of, of calling him up and complaining about some of the stuff that was going on over there. When, when, Chris, I don't remember his last name, when, when Chris came into the picture, we had an occasion where the doors were open, and he had a-another entity, as far as I know, come in there. And they were detailing cars supposedly for his car lot, which was not exactly the truth. They were, they were taking cars in, and they were flipping them, and they were doing it, and they were going all over the place. He had a, he had a compressor in there, a gasoline compressor thatFor eight hours a day, we had to listen to it. It was a, one used for a high pressure wash that they were using, okay? Very noisy. That building, i-if

▶ 54:44 you think of the sh- the hat shell, that building just reflects all the noise coming across. It goes all the way over. Two blocks over, you can hear whatever was going on over there, okay? Getting tired of dealing with Mr. Longmire because he didn't really wanna hear it. I approached Chris. He very nice. We had a nice understanding, and he took care of the problem. They got an electric one that doesn't make any noise, okay? He got what he needed, and I didn't have to listen to it anymore. What we have here now, is a repair shop, a, a repair shop in there, in this, in the part that he doesn't use, okay? That is the noise, the hours, they're parking cars over on Linwood Avenue, upsetting another neighbor. I don't know whether he sent the letter in or not.

▶ 55:41 But all in all, it went against what we all agreed to. It was not supposed to be a repair shop. It wasn't zoned for a repair shop. And I'm hearing now that, well, it's in part for, for doing cars, okay? I see nothing but licensed vehicles going in and out of there. I see commercial trucks with their engines being pulled out underneath the kitchen window of another neighbor at all hours of the day and night. And I'm seeing, the noise level just, just back to where we had the problem at first, okay? Now, bear with me for a second here. Stay right to right. Okay. Oh, wait a minute. I got it. Technology. I'm not good with technology. That's what I heard tonight at six thirty at night while I'm sitting down for my

▶ 57:00 supper. Can you hear it? Can you see it? The door is open. There's something wrong with the engine. Okay. We're being bombarded with this all the time now, okay? Uh, that's what I had to listen to for over half an hour from, from about six fifteen to quarter to seven, okay? So the hours don't mean anything here. The hours were set up previously for that location and for that, for that industry that was in there, nine to five, i-i-in reflecting the problems that the neighborhood had before. W- was that-- You said you mentioned- Can't hear. Chris. Chris. I'm sorry. Chris LeBlanc. Sorry. We're gonna let him finish. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I approached the, the building department with the complaint originally back in July and August,

▶ 57:47 okay? I got, I won't say pushback, but I, I could see a little panic here that, "Oh, you got-- this has all gotta be writing, and we gotta do this above board." My, ward alderman happened to come by one day, and he asked me how things were going, and I told him. He insisted that he wanted to deal with the building inspector, and I said, "Fine," you know. A-and he gave me all the reasons why he should be talking. I gave him all the information that he needed, okay? He came by, and he saw what was going on here, okay? And he assured me that he would, he would handle my problem with the city, okay? I... That's no... And after three months of not hearing anything, I found out that we're gonna wait until

▶ 58:37 the, the, uh... They postponed it until this meeting tonight, okay? Uh, I gave him some paperwork that blew across the street that I picked up that has a location and the name of another location of, of these people that, that... And they're using this address under a different business address. And the other location is in Duxbury. I don't know what happened to the paperwork. I think the alderman might have it. Uh, Mr. Devin experienced, and he went by, and he documented all the noise that was going on, the parking, the, the cars, the extra cars parked over on Linwood Avenue. Uh, he was aware of the noise that was going on, the constant revving of engines going on over there. The car issue, which seems to be the issue that was

▶ 59:33 addressed and, and, and the noise issue is kinda like gone off into the, the atmosphere. Uh, it is, it's just one part of the problem. The part that I have a problem with is the noise that's generated out of there with no consideration for the, the rest of the neighborhood, okay? Up to this point, I've had a nice relationship with the, with the, with the used car lot. And even to the point where he requested to have a meeting with me, and I went over and I talked to him. I said, "I'm getting tired of talking about this because I'm not, I'm not being paid to come in here and enforce what you're supposed to be doing," okay? Uh, and he said, well, he considers repairing cars as part of what is allowed, under his, his

▶ 1:00:25 license, which we all agreed and was voted on, the hours and all that. And, and that's, that's not what we agreed to. Uh-The vehicles. I don't have any problems at all with, with the, the plan that's come up with the parking and all that, but the noise issue has been kinda like pushed aside somewhere. And, and that is the problem, and that is foremost, and I don't wanna see this revert back by sleight of hand into being a repair shop because it's my inte- it, it, it's my impression that Mr. Chris has, has outgrown that, that particular area. And I'm not sure how the license really works 'cause I never get a straight answer. I don't know whether the owner of the property owns the license and he's, he's a subtenant.

▶ 1:01:20 Uh, so I, I... If I suspect, a lot of things, but I, I don't wanna go out on a limb. My problem is the noise. It's not addressed, it's not... In, in this whole-- all these meetings that we had, I don't hear anything about the noise. Okay? So thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry I had to vent, but I'm, I'm old school. Thank you very much, sir. Do we have anyone else from the public who wishes to add comments tonight? Please. Hi. My name is Elaine Coles. Just come up, come up to the microphone, please. I'm sorry. Thank you. And you all have to speak up 'cause I have a bad cold. Okay. I'm here because I think there's a very important issue that Mr. Finley just raised about the noise. I moved in in September, the first week in September, after a major

▶ 1:02:18 operation. I was in a lot of pain, and I was on painkillers, and I was very uncomfortable. I had a knee replacement. I'm gonna live. Everything's fine. Uh, but I thought I was-- I live at three hundred, and it's right across the street from what I thought was a used car place. And the 2nd of September on, through all the warm weather months, not nine o'clock in the morning, but more like seven fifteen, seven thirty, bang, bang, bang. Took me a while to figure out what it was I was hearing. Couldn't sleep. That was the end of that. And the noise, I'm not kidding, the noise really travels at least a block behind me, okay? The noise is the biggest issue. The other thing is, I find it hard to believe that they're gonna be model

▶ 1:03:12 neighbors after this because I haven't seen that happen yet. I have no problem with the parking. I, I get off the street, so it's not a problem to me. I grew up in Malden. I lived there and owned a house for forty-five years. I moved up here in September, as I say, because of my knee, and I'm looking to buy the house, but I'm a little worried about it because of the noise. The other thing is, the reason I don't think they're good neighbors is after this last snowstorm, uh... And again, maybe this is picky, but still, it was my understanding that you don't throw snow in the street because that's a major highway out there on Lebanon Street, where all the police, fire, and emergency equipment have to go by.

▶ 1:04:06 And what I observed, and I have pictures on my phone, I couldn't believe it, was one of the people that works there, and I'm not sure if it's the gentleman behind me or not, but he got in the black truck that's there and used the snow plow and cleared the lot, which is fine, and then he came out onto Lebanon Street, and he moved... The street was bare. This is the day after the city had done a good job plowing. The street was bare on Lebanon Street, and the salt was down. And he went out and plowed and left it in the middle of the street, directly opposite my driveway, the guy beside me, and the people across the street. And then I thought, "Well, give him a break. Maybe he's gonna go back in and back out and then push it to one

▶ 1:04:56 side." No, he did not. He went back in the lot, and he cleared again, and he cleared a little more, and then he came out on Appleton Street, which is that side street, came back onto Lebanon Street, went the opposite direction towards the hospital, dumped another load in the middle of the street. A full load, okay? Then he went back, and he did a little more cleaning in the, in the lot, got that all nice and shipshape, came back out on the street and decided to clear the, the, the, the entrance into their place, on Appleton Street, went up the road, went around the corner, and I don't know what happened. I got pictures on my phone, but I couldn't see up the street. But I assume the same thing happened, okay?

▶ 1:05:43 Now, maybe that's not a big deal to a lot of things, but that street is used for safety for all the fire and, and the, and all the traffic and all the thousands of ambulances that go by every day. I'm used to that kinda noise. I lived in Malden on a street that was, shared by two cities, a border street, and both their facilities went up and down the street all day. That noise doesn't bother me, okay? But all I'm saying is the noise is definitely a factor. It's intolerable. And I doubt very much because they haven't done it yet that they're gonna stick to the hours that they say they're gonna stick to. Uh, and I, and I think it's kind of unreasonable to expect someone to keep the doors closed

▶ 1:06:31 on a hot summer day, but I have to live with the noise. And, and I, and I don't think that's fair, and I don't think it's fair to the other neighbors either. And as I said, I don't think-- Maybe because they don't live here- I'm a blue collar worker, and I'm all for, for people working. That's fine. But they don't live here, and they don't have to put up with the aftermath of what they left. So that's all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anybody got questions for me? I think we'll save the questions for when Mr. Serrano comes back up. Oh, okay. Thank you very much. All right. Brad. Okay. All right. Thank you. I'm sorry, ma'am, we didn't catch your name. Could you just say your name again for the record?

▶ 1:07:10 I'm sorry. Your name. Could you just repeat your name? Elaine DeCola. Thank you very much. Thank you. Do we have anyone else here for public comment? Yes, sir. Yeah, how you doing? Uh, David Griffin. I live at, Lynnewood Ave. And, I mean, I've... Trying to, trying to get by Lebanon Street when they're doing stuff over there is crazy. The traffic around there is absolutely crazy. I mean, adding any type of additional traffic to that area, I, I think is just, is, is something else. Um, and like Mr. Finley said, I mean, I've lived on Lynnewood Ave since, you know, since the '70s. I think I got him a little bit. But the traffic is, it's just... Me, me pulling out my driveway, it's taking my life in my hands, never mind pulling onto

▶ 1:07:56 Lebanon Street from Park Street. It's a very busy street. Now you're gonna be adding trucks or whatever, tow trucks or ramp trucks, whatever, stopping in front of that gas station. Uh, the other thing I'm concerned about is the gas station, that's also owned by Mr. Lamia, which is directly behind me, where if we set a precedent here to give this gentleman here who's have, has a terrible track record, I've stopped in there a few times to complain and, and I can't speak what they're speaking, but I don't think they're saying anything nice about me. But I don't, I don't get any help when I go in there and stop. But if we end up doing this with this gas station here at this location, then the location behind me, I'm gonna be having the same problem with Mr. Mr.

▶ 1:08:32 Finley with the noise. So my, my main concern is the traffic. I mean, Lebanon Street is, it's, it's, it's crazy as it is. They use Lynnewood Ave now as a bypass. I'm hoping at some point we might be able to make it a one way, but you, you can't even get down the street, there's cars parked on both sides of the street, so I... We get cars from that lot all the time dumped on Lynnewood Ave. You, you just don't know who's, who's doing what with cars. They're just sitting there. They sit in front of the cemetery. They sit on Park Street. They sit, you know, I mean, the- the- the name is the Finleys, and I've got construction going, you know, across the street from me that's going on as well. So, like I said, the noise, to be

▶ 1:09:06 Bradley Freeman: honest with you, I really don't hear too much of the noise. I have heard it, but I guess maybe just used to it. But I'm concerned that if this comes, is allowed, that the gas station behind me, which right now Steven just uses to store his vehicles, that will turn into what this gentleman here is getting. And now we have two gas stations and two garages and two auto repair places within, you know, maybe 100 yards of each other i- in a very, a very congested area. So that's, that's all I got. Thank you. Thank you very much. Seeing no one else here for public comment, is there anyone on- online for public comment? No one online. No one online. At this point, Mr. Serrano and Mr. Huxman, you're welcome to come back forward if you'd like to clarify anything,

▶ 1:09:47 and allow the councilors to ask additional questions. We very much respect the concerns that the neighbors have raised. Um, again, as we've said, we're committed to, to, to lessening the impact however we can, especially on the noise and keeping that, the, garage door closed when repairs are being made. Mr. Serrano has mentioned to me, not the first time tonight, that he plans to put in, air conditioning in there, so he's able, really able to keep the, the, the door closed when people are working in there. In terms of, of vehicle, registered vehicles being repaired, that's repair of vehicles under warranty, which, which a Class II licensee is required by law to, to be able, have the capacity to

▶ 1:10:38 Elizabeth Kowal: do. So we're, we're committed to the hours of operation and limiting, the noise that emanates from the property. Thank you. Do any councilors have any questions? Councilor Covelle. Um, I have a, a couple of questions. One is, how often are you on the property? Um, you now have a second location, so, you're hearing all of this tonight. You're hearing all the concerns. You're hearing all of our questions. Um, but are you on that property? Are you gonna be at the other property? How are you, how do you intend to supervise- The, there- ... and make sure that this is all happening? Yeah, there are other, employees at the second location already as we speak. So I'm, I'm personally at the, that location every day, Monday through

▶ 1:11:18 Elizabeth Kowal: Saturday. Okay. So... Um, and I guess my other question is sort of we heard tonight that there was noise after 6:00. Um, you know, I was in that meeting with you. You know what the hours are. So I don't, I, I actually would like that addressed because it's really hard to sit here, quite frankly, and hear you say all these things, which I think I'm gonna assume positive intent, and then we have someone come in with a recording from tonight where you're, it's clearly in violation of the hours that you've posted. Yeah. That must, that must have been, something that doesn't happen, like, on a regular basis. You know, it-- like I said, sometimes it's out of our control. However, we do our best to, to,

▶ 1:11:58 Elizabeth Kowal: comply with the, with the hours that the city, that, that we have to the public. Okay. But the hours that you, you're, work... This, if this ordinance passes, it's going in with strict hours, and you heard tonight, and I, I was sitting in that meeting, and we don't wanna hear about this anymore. We want you to comply with what you are being asked to do. And already tonight, you didn't. And now you're saying, "We try to." We don't want you to try to, we want you to do it. Yes, ma'am. That's, that's what we're, that's what we're here-- We don't want to be sitting back here again. Right. And I think I, again, I... It was very disheartening, quite frankly, to hear that tonight. Um, whereas I thought we had come out of a very

▶ 1:12:40 positive meeting, and I still will believe that, but that was very disheartening to hear tonight. Councillor Finocchiaro, then Councillor Vandergrift Um, yes. Thank you. Um, the license that you hold, I probably should know this, but is it for just the story or the selling of vehicles, or do you... Is this a license allow, like, work done on vehicles? It-it's a Class 2 license- Okay ... to sell, to sell used automobiles. But the repair of, of vehicles that are sold there, like warranty repair, it's required by law to, for a Class 2 licensee to have that capacity. Okay. So that's part of the license? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Council Vandergrift. Thank you. Uh, so I'm just looking at our city noise ordinance, and I believe

▶ 1:13:35 Kimberly Vandiver: the applicable section here is about repairing, rebuilding, modifying, or testing any motor vehicle, motorcycle, or motorboat. Uh, so it, if I'm reading this correctly, it should not be audible at a distance beyond fifty feet from the lot line, according to our noise ordinance. So I wonder if there's anything, that we can do to make that true. I think w- other sections of the noise ordinance, I think they're not applicable because it's covered here. Talk about specific decibel readings, which I know we could get, you know, a meter out there and measure decibels. But I, I guess I'm just wondering how, if we've looked at this, if Mr. Talarico and, and you have looked at this together as far as how to make sure that the noise can be brought into

▶ 1:14:24 Kimberly Vandiver: compliance with, with the noise ordinance. And I know it's a tough ch- problem because some of these tools are very loud, and that's kind of inherently how they are. But is there anything that... Can you speak to that at all? Um, I have not had an opportunity to review the noise ordinance, so it's hard for me to address it specifically. We... I mean, we are committing to, to limit the noise on the property, and I think it is-- It sounds like it's primarily from the garage, and we are committing to keep the door closed, and to, and to strictly adhere to the hours and days of operation. Okay. Yeah, I appreciate that. And like I said, I, I, I mean, it's a tough problem and, and at the same time, what, what we heard from people tonight is, you know,

▶ 1:15:10 Kimberly Vandiver: it's tough on both sides. It's tough to keep it quiet, and it's tough to experience it. So I think, that seems like, to me, seems like the biggest kind of question mark right now is the noise more so than the parking. I think the parking sounds very well covered. Um, so thank you. Do any other councilors have questions for Mr. Serrano? Okay. Seeing none. Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you. Dave, before we move on, do any councilors have que- clarifying questions for Mr. Talarico? Councillor Chen. Is there a class of license that doesn't allow heavy equipment repair, pulling engines- I don't know enough about these- ... air compressors ... Class 2 licenses, I'll be honest with you. It, the license issues are

▶ 1:16:05 dictated through, the licensing board. Um, I know that there's some legislation regarding Class 2 licenses that, require, you know, the small repairs or warranties to be valid for so many years, so they do fix their cars. Um, but, you know, that, that's not really under my authority. I, what I look at is more the plan. Um, so the set of conditions that you, dictate kind of guide me to put together the plan. As far as noise, those other issues, they fall under the police department and the, the board of health. And I mean, y- we all know that that noise ordinance is a little tough to, not enforce, but it, it's hard. You know, a noise is happening, someone calls and complains, and then you go down there with a meter. Unless it's happening, you really can't

▶ 1:17:06 Maya Jamaleddine: take those kind of, noise levels. Uh, and I'm not even sure how the health department does that. Um, but from my purview, that's not really what I'm looking for. I'm looking for the amount of cars that they have there, that, the hours of operations are being adhered to. Th-those are the things that I'm looking at. Uh, Councillor Jamaleddine. Thank you. Um, would it be possible to, suggest, the holding off on the renewal until this new, plan is implemented? It does seem that even after the, meeting, there hasn't been any changes and as if tonight the residents have, s-still have those concerns, like noise and, and all the other, concerns. So I was wondering to be able to balance it and be fair to

▶ 1:18:17 both sides if we can, hold off on the, on the, renewal until this new plan is implemented. Um, thank you, Councillor Jamaleddine. That's something we can certainly discuss in the deliberation process. Any- Councillor Jamaleddine, we cannot hear you. No, no, I'm... That's a question for Director, Talarico I think Councilor Jamaleddine is wondering if you could respond to the ability to withhold permit. Um, I don't... That's really not under my purview. Um, what I can tell you is that we reviewed the plan. The plan works with the conditions, and it, you know, it, it, it works for, from what... under, u-under my authority as far as the licensing, goes. Thank you. Any other questions from Mr. Tallarico?

▶ 1:19:21 Bradley Freeman: Seeing none. At this point, I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing to allow for deliberation. Motion to close the public hearing. Second. Motion to close the public hearing by Councilor Karamcheti, seconded by Councilor Kowal. Madam Clerk. Councilor Chen. Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Councilor Bremst. Councilor Park. Yes. Councilor Romanul. Yes. Councilor Vandiver. Yes. President Freeman. Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. So the public hearing is now closed. At this point, I'll open up discussion on ID number two zero two six one seven five. Councilor Kowal. Look, I said it. I, I've got issues with this now.

▶ 1:20:05 Elizabeth Kowal: I didn't coming in. Um, I thought-- I think the plan from Al's perspective is great. The parking, the, the bout- like, all of that. I think we've got a, I think we've got a sliding understanding of what hours are. Um, and so I, I think if there's a way to do a probationary period, I think we need it at this point. I think there's a lot of chances having been given. There's been a lot of discussion over the years. Um, and then we hear tonight that there continues to be a problem with hours. Um, so I, I... That raises concerns for me whether or not that this is actually being taken seriously. So I d- I don't know what the... I don't know if there's a way to do that, but I would certainly be in favor of putting, of putting this off and putting in some

▶ 1:20:58 Maya Jamaleddine: sort of X number of months probationary period. All right. Councilor Jamaleddine, Councilor Vandiver beer, and Councilor Karamcheti. Thank you. Thank you. I, I would second that, and I would, recommend to, postpone the vo- if, if we can postpone the voting until the, plan is implemented, which is by the owner, per the owner, he said, I think April first. Councilor Jamaleddine, is that a motion or something- It i- it is a motion. There's a motion on the floor to postpone until the recommendations are made on April first. Do we have a second to that motion? Second. On discussion, Councilor Finocchiaro. Sorry. Is that, is that a motion that we can make to postpone? Um, who- I, I... You know, I will-- I'll answer this and I'll defer to my colleagues.

▶ 1:22:04 Kimberly Vandiver: I believe it's a motion we can make if we will have a business operating without a license. Um, so that's a consideration. Or, you know, we could discuss alternative paths to some sort of probationary period after we vote on this motion. Councilor Vandiver. Uh, so, two comments, I guess, about that. One is that I, I believe the way that they've set it up, it, it's like there's a promotion-- probationary period because this new license that we would be giving if we give it is conditioned on these things. And so I think in theory, there are the fines that Mr. Tallarico mentioned, but I think in theory, if the conditions are not being met, then the license could be taken back, right? Or could be declared to not-

▶ 1:22:54 Kimberly Vandiver: Mm-hmm. So I, I, I believe if, if... And I, you know, I don't know the legalities, but the way it's been described, it sounds like that essentially is a probationary license in that it's, it's conditioned, and it could be deemed to not be, valid. And, the other question I have about that is, if anybody knows and can clarify, has the existing license expired, or are they still on that for some amount of time? Cons- I will, I will clarify that, then I'll move on to Councilor Karamcheti for her, her comments. Um, the current license had expired at the end of the calendar year, so they are currently operating without a twenty twenty-six license. Councilor Karamcheti. Um, so what I was gonna say was just I wasn't

▶ 1:23:39 Manjula Karamcheti: ready to vote on postponing 'cause I felt like there was more discussion to be had. And I guess I'm just trying to understand from the business owner's perspective, was the plan in conjunction with the new license, so just deeming what happened this evening, was it sort of not understood that, like, that was supposed to be immediately from when the meeting happened, or sort of it was happening here, and then sort of those things would go into a place? I, I understand the frustration, but I also am willing to consider that the license and the plan came together. So once the license was approved, that was when the plan was also approved, and perhaps communication wasn't as tight as it should have

▶ 1:24:34 Manjula Karamcheti: been in terms of we're done at work at five, starting the day the meeting happened. So I'm just willing to consider that a little bit in terms of, like, good faith and wanting to move forward, and giving someone a chance to remedy mistakes that they've made in the past. That is generally, like, an approach that I like to take, so I'm just kind of thinking about that in terms of It is very clear what the issues are with the noise, with the parking, and at this point, there's no confusion. So if we grant this license, we move forward, a violation happens again, we have a lot of ways to move forward, take back the license, fine. Um, I am also newer to this case, really just hearing about it now, so

▶ 1:25:25 Manjula Karamcheti: I understand there's a lot of work that has been done and a lot of frustration. But I'm just trying to think about how to support the residents and also support the business in a way that feels reasonable and fair. That's just what I'm thinking about. I have Councilor Kowal and Councilor DiCarlo. I want to remind members, so there is a motion on the floor. So if you're speaking to the motion, we can do that, or if not, we can take care of the motion and then move forward. I'm not speaking to the motion. I was gonna make a point of clarification. Please. I, I believe, through you, what, Al said tonight was the hours are posted. So he had them-- he had the a- he asked them to post the hours on the shop so that there was a clear

▶ 1:26:08 Cal Finocchiaro: understanding. Thank you. Councilor DiCarlo? Um, like Councilor Karamcheti, I'm sort of, not unsure of how I wanna proceed, but I do know that yes, we are a regulatory body. We can vote a certain way, but Mr. Tallerico has set aside a site plan, and an action plan. Um, we heard from Mr. Serrano that good faith that he would take care of this by April first. Um, Mr. Tallerico is going to follow up, and if it's not, or if he gets complaints or things are not done the way that... It's sort of, I feel like in, in Mr. Tallerico's hands now, I'm not saying that we don't have the ability to withhold or deny. Um, and I, I just feel like at this point, that kinda needs to happen to see, you know... This site plan was put in place.

▶ 1:27:08 Cal Finocchiaro: Like I said, a lot of work was put into it, and see how that kind of c-comes to fruition or if it doesn't, or whatever happens with that. Um, so that's kind of where I'm thinking because I, I also wanna support the residents that nearby 'cause I know I've heard of... Obviously listening to you speak, sounds very frustrating to live there and feel like, you know, you've been ignored for so long. Um, but at this time, I feel like I would like to see this site plan come, into action and- Thank you, Councilor DiCarlo ... give them an, an opportunity. So. Is there any other discussion on the motion to postpone? I'm sorry, sir, public comment has been closed. Jamie- I'm sor- I'm sor- I'm sorry, sir.

▶ 1:27:48 Kimberly Vandiver: I respectfully request- I'm sor- sir ... that you open this back up- Sir. Sir ... because I could solve- Sir ... this problem very easily. Sir. Sir, I'm sorry, public comment has been closed. Okay. Councilor Vandiver. Uh, I... Well, s- similar to, Councilor Karamcheti, I, I feel like I, I'd like to discuss a little bit more before we say yes or no to postponing to April first because I believe once we vote on that, the yes or no has to stick. And so I, I would ask my colleagues to withdraw the motion for a few minutes so we can have a little additional discussion before we take that vote. All right, so there still is a motion on the floor. Um, does anyone else wanna be recognized on the motion? Councilor Jamaleddine.

▶ 1:28:30 Kimberly Vandiver: Yes, if that is- Um, if for the purpose of further discussion and clarification, I'll-- I can withdraw my motion. Thank you. The motion is withdrawn. Is the second withdrawn? Sure. Thank you. All right. The floor is back open for discussion on the ID 2026175. Councilor Vandiver. Thank you. So it, it seems just listening to the different, pieces tonight, it seems like maybe a step... A lot of really good work was done with the building commissioner and the owner, on defining some aspects of this plan. But it seems like maybe we sh- also need the health department in here if they're the ones who are able to speak to the noise ordinance and how that's enforced because it sounded like that wasn't quite in Mr.

▶ 1:29:16 Kimberly Vandiver: Tallerico's purview, and that's why it wasn't... maybe didn't have as much teeth in it. Um, so I, I wonder if, I mean, regardless of if we approve this now with conditions and then come back and amend it or, or hold it off because it's already been a couple months into the year and, and then approve it. But I wonder if there's a way we could bring in health to the discussion and get them to feel comfortable with maybe have a plan around monitoring periodically the noise, something like that, to, to make it a little bit fuller. Thank you, Councilor Vandiver. Councilor DiCarlo, then Council Park. Um, I agree with that statement, Councilor Vandiver. I think that would be a great i-idea. Um, in addition, in the meantime, they're gonna be

▶ 1:30:03 Cal Finocchiaro: operating without-- with an expired license and kind of doing everything the same. Correct? I mean, I'm assuming. So I don't know how it kinda solves going forward, kind of delaying it. Um, part of these things like once you have a site, the site plan in action, they're under like a probationary period at that point. And so, if there is noise, it's after certain hours. If there is stuff going on, people parking certain, then, then we can really hold them to that and say, "Okay, now your license is gone. You didn't follow the rules." If we delay it, it's giving them more time to, you know, operate under expired license and not adhere to maybe any rules because they don't have to, you know. So

▶ 1:30:50 I don't-- I'm, I'm still thinking this through as everybody else is, but that's kind of my-- what I'm thinking right now. Thank you. We have Councilor Park and then Councilor Romanul and Jamaloodin. Do I have that right, Councilor Romanul? So right now, I, I still think I'm at the point where I need more time and more information. Um, but I have serious reservation of moving forward with providing a license to this business. Uh, in this letter, that was provided to us, it specifically sa- says, point 12, "I am also committed to strict compliance of the operation of business only on Monday through Saturday between the hours of 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM." Today we have a recording of heavy machinery being

▶ 1:31:43 used after the discussion with Mr. Talerico and our city council here, and the Mr., Soliman had basically said, "Well, we try our best." That is not committed to strict compliance. That is blatant just disregarding of, of what was set forth as precedent. And, you know, I would ask, you know, City c- City Councilor, Romano what type of complaints he was r- receiving at this point. When I asked Mr. Talerico, you know, it's important to understand what type of complaints we're getting from the constituents. We have two here that were presented their case that it's not about necessarily the parking, it's about the noise control. And while this plan that is presented, which was funded by taxpayers'

▶ 1:32:41 dollars to put forth, a plan that is because of the fact that they were disregarding what they should be doing in the first place, you know, we're not addressing the main issue here or one of the biggest issues, which is the noise, which we heard again tonight at 6:30. That's heavy machinery. That sounded like, to me, an engine being mounted. Um, so to my fellow city councilors, you know, I would like to know a little bit more information about this. Um, and to Devin, to City Councilor Devin Romanul, what ki- what exactly are you hearing about, and how long has this been going on? Thank you, Councilor Park. Councilor Romanul, then Councilor Jamaleddine. Yeah. Thank you so much. Um, and I appreciate all the, the conversation amongst my

▶ 1:33:30 Devin Romanul: colleagues and, and folks testifying here and, and to my, fellow neighbors who took the time out of their, their day to come down. Um, to just one point of clarification on things that were discussed earlier about the expired license, I think this is more or less a vestigial tale of our, our license authorization process. So, as the person who was formerly the chair of the Licensing and Protection Committee, we do all of our license renewals in a batch, usually at the start of the year. Um, and certainly our clerk can speak to this. But we, if you remember in December, chose this license to, to set aside for a hearing. And because of just the s- getting the new council year up and started, getting the committees assigned,

▶ 1:34:10 Devin Romanul: getting, we had a snow delay, and so I think that's why we're hearing the renewal now. So that's certainly no fault of the, you know, of the owner, of the property manager. Um, certainly that's just a, a function of our, our processes. So, I, I wouldn't begrudge that of the property owner. Um, to, to speak to, Councilor Park questions, I had, fielded since, I'd say the beginning of 2025, um... I mean, I only started in the, in 2024, but, certainly for a little over half that time had received complaints from folks in the neighborhood about, you know, it's all the same things that we've heard tonight. Seeing hours, activities, and noise outside the stated hours of operation. Seeing, you know, a bunch of cars in the lot, on the

▶ 1:34:58 Devin Romanul: street. Um, certainly some noise complaints. Um, I personally have observed, all of those things myself just over the course of, you know... I live two blocks away from that location, so I drive by it s- several times a day or run by it several times a day. Um, so to the, my, to Councilor Park, question through the chair, I'll say that, you know, those are the pretty consistent complaints I've se- received from both myself and neighbors. Um, so, so yeah, I, I appreciate the, the idea about a probationary period, but I, honestly, if I'm... I don't begrudge my colleagues for voting how they wanna vote. I, I have to say, for my own, you know, opinion based on what I've heard tonight, I, I would say I'm a no on the

▶ 1:35:43 underlying measure. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Romanul. Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you. Uh- Through the chair, can Councilor Romanul just repeat what he said at the end? He's a no, what he was... A no to what? Yeah. Councilor Romanul, can you just repeat your f- your final statement, please? Yeah, sure. I know the Wi-Fi is wonky. I'd say, just for my, colleagues' background, I'm a no on, on the underlying measure to, to license. So for, for clarification, you would be opposed to granting a license. Is that what you're saying? That's correct, yes. Thank, thank you. Thank you. Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you, president. And also, I would like to comment on my, colleagues' com- questions and comments,

▶ 1:36:33 Maya Jamaleddine: here. Uh, my suggestion to, hold off till or postpone the voting till April 1st, is to be more, gracious with the, with the owner since we're still hearing those concerns and we still, and, a- and no, we haven't seen any improvement technically, even after the meeting. Um, so instead of opposing, um-... the renewal, I suggested to postpone it to get a chance, from now till April 1st to see if they would abide to that, to... and, and, to this new plan. And if after April 1st we revisit and we still, receive those complaints, then, the decision would be very clear for us. Thank you, Councilor Jamaleddine. Um, just quick point of clarification before we move on. Um, our next meeting, post April 1st, should that be a considered

▶ 1:37:44 Bradley Freeman: motion, would be April 6th. Does any other councilors have any points on discussion? Seeing none, what is the will of the body? I will... I would like to, make a motion to, postpone the voting till April 6, for the renewal of the license. There's a motion to postpone, ID 2026-175 until the council meets on April 6th. Do we have a second to that motion? Second. Second. Seconded by Councilor Kowal. Um, on discussion. Councilor Karamcheti. I just think it'll be important for us to clarify what we expect between now and when we reconvene on April 6th so it is clear to the applicant, it is clear to Mr. Talerico's office. And if we need to bring in the Board of Health for the noise piece, I think we just wanna be very clear on what that is.

▶ 1:38:53 Manjula Karamcheti: So I'm hoping those who have particulars, can share them now. And I guess I would just say on discussion, those would sort of be that the, hours were being followed, that the noise was in- enacted in a way between... in the hours, and also paying attention to, the loudness, that the doors are closed, and that the... I'm gonna use the wrong terminology, I apologize, but the ballards and those other pieces of the parking lot plan are put into place, and that the Board of Health is looped in in some way, shape, or form. Thank you, Councilor Karamcheti. Any other councilors on discussion? Councilor Vanderberg. Thank you. Um, I, I really appreciate, through the chair, that, clarity that Councilor Karamcheti wants to add to make sure

▶ 1:39:49 Kimberly Vandiver: that there's a path forward that they can take to be successful. Um, and I, on the, I, I think on the topic of looping in the Board of Health, I'm still a little unclear who might do that. Um, but one thing I just, as I've been kind of looking online for what could one possibly do in that direction, I, I think... I don't know if I wanna say right now that it's a condition because I'm just thinking about this, but there are, there are monitors that you can mount that just continuously monitor decibels, and some of them, you know, some of them record that data. And I, I don't think we've ever done anything like that. I'm not sure the Board of Health has done something like that. But I, I mean, for me as a data person, what, what would

▶ 1:40:35 Kimberly Vandiver: make me feel comfortable, that, you know, there are not loud noises after 5:00 PM is if there was a monitor. It costs maybe, somewhere, like a couple of hundred dollars or something. Like a monitor that the business could just show us that says there's not loud noise after 5:00 PM. I don't know if that's in the realm of possibility or if... I... For me, that would definitely satisfy me. I don't know if it's a requirement. I don't know if any- anyone else wants to comment on that, but I think that would move us in that direction. Councilor Finocchiaro. I was gonna say, I don't know if there's a way to have Mr. Talerico or s- or maybe the Board of Health get involved and s- revise a site plan with some noise ordinance information, so that they can

▶ 1:41:15 follow that and that can be, like sort of part of the site plan. I don't know how we would do that. But, I feel like that needs to be added so it's part, because it seems like the noise is the issue. Councilor Karamcheti. Yeah, just to build on that, I think an approach the, the business owner could take would be to proactively reach out to Mr. Talerico based on our concerns about noise and decibels, and work together to incorporate that into the plan for April 6th. Thank you, Councilor Karamcheti. Any other councilors on discussion? All right. There is a motion on the floor to postpone ID 2026-175 until April 6th. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll? Councilor Chen? No. Councilor Finocchiaro.

▶ 1:42:10 Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Council Obremski. Oh, sorry. Councilor Park. Yes. Councilor Romanul. No. Councilor Vanderberg. Yes. President Freeman. Yes. That motion passes. Thank you. That motion passes. Um, we have now reached the end of our agenda for today. At this point, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn. Second. Motion to adjourn made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Kowal. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Chen. Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Council Park. Yes. Councilor Romanul. Yes. Councilor Vanderberg. Yes. President Freeman.

▶ 1:43:01 Yes. Motion passes. We are adjourned. Thank you. We are adjourned, 9:37. Thanks, everyone.

City Council — 2026-03-16

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