Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2026-05-21

Appropriations & Oversight Committee-Budget Hearing

This meeting starts at 15:40 in a recording that covers several meetings.

Attendance

Jason Chen present · At-Large; Cal Finocchiaro present · Ward 6; Bradley Freeman present · President, Ex Officio; Maya Jamaleddine present · At-Large; Manjula Karamcheti present · Ward 1; Elizabeth Kowal present · At-Large; John Obremski absent · Ward 2; Christopher Park present · Ward 3; Kimberly Vandiver present · Vice Chair; Ryan Williams absent · At-Large

Agenda

CALL TO ORDER (15:34)
Attendees (15:54)
MINUTES APPROVAL (16:06)
PUBLIC COMMENT (16:19)
DEPARTMENT BUDGET PRESENTATIONS (26:25)
Department Presenter 151 City Solicitor 611 Library 152 Human Resources 912 Worker's Comp 913 Unemployment 914 Health Contractual 911 Pension/Retirement (26:42)
APPROPRIATIONS
An Appropriation in the amount of $126,652,797 to fund the Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Operating Budget. (2:07:42)
ADJOURNMENT (2:08:31)

Minutes

Appropriations & Oversight Committee Thursday, May 21, 2026, 7:00 PM City Council Chamber, 1st Floor 562 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Kimberly Vandiver Vice Chair Jason Chen Cal Finocchiaro Maya Jamaleddine Manjula Karamcheti Elizabeth Kowal John Obremski Christopher Park Ryan Williams William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Devin Romanul Chair Meeting was called to order by Chair Romanul at 7:03 PM Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Kim Vandiver Vice Chair Present Jason Chen At-Large Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Present Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Present Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Present Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present John Obremski Ward 2 Absent Christopher Park Ward 3 Present Ryan Williams At-Large Absent William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Present Member Devin Romanul Chair Present II. MINUTES APPROVAL Appropriations & Oversight Budget Committee Meeting May 18, 2026 7:00 PM 1 Motion to Approve the minutes by unanimous consent without reading made by Chair Romanul All were in favor and minutes were approved RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: May 21, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/94445450453?pwd=tvWoBbcGBhitkouMkKqkOBNtsmLrQ0.1 Passcode:923670 Webinar ID: 944 4545 0453 Motion to Open public comment made by Chair Romanul at 7:04 PM Comments on the floor: Heather Norcross, 91 West Highland Avenue, expressed concerns about the children's room at the new library and its lack of appealing and engaging toys and activities. There were no formal comments about the reason why or future plans to improve the room. Despite patron suggestions, comments, feedback and survey results, the library continued to stand still and nothing has been done to improve it. The library board of trustees does not allow public comment at their meetings, thus her appearance at the city council meeting. There have been many changes and additions the past few weeks, which is great. We are so excited and thankful, but she still can't help think about why it took so long. She wants to know the plan for improved communication, transparency, and community engagement going forward. The bottom line is that the library is requesting more money, and patrons deserve a space for their ideas to be heard and genuinely considered, as well as a formal way for the library to communicate their specific intentions with funds as they pertain to improved patron experience and access to education, materials, and activities. Martha Evancheck, 17 Grant Street, advocated for the library to take donations for the children's room as other libraries allow. They take these donations to save hundreds of dollars for their libraries and put them in circulation, allowing some funding to be used in other ways. She commented on expensive lamp purchases in the children's room where the money could have been used on better items for the children. One way the library can invest in their community is to continue to solicit feedback, and that's whether it's a Google Form, whether it's a box at the library, so patrons are able to provide valuable input, and be willing to take donations from the community, as so many other libraries have been able to make that work for their communities as well. There were no comments via Zoom 2 Motion to Close public comment made by Chair Romanul at 7:14 PM IV. DEPARTMENT BUDGET PRESENTATIONS A. Department Presenter 151 City Solicitor 611 Library 152 Human Resources 912 Worker's Comp 913 Unemployment 914 Health Contractual 911 Pension/Retirement Department 151 City Solicitor City Solicitor Shannon Phillips shared that her office works proactively to educate and advise city officials and departments on a daily basis to ensure policies and actions are legally sound and effective. It functions as full-time in-house legal counsel for the city staff, consisting of only two employees, Shannon and an assistant city solicitor, Amy Lindquist, who has a focus on schools and labor. They deal with a wide variety of legal matters on a daily basis, such as zoning, employment, labor, Title IX, civil service, procurement, licensing, education, ethics, public records, and open meeting law. They prepare and review all contracts, leases, deeds, easements, and other legal documents for the city. They manage, coordinate and respond to public records on behalf of the city since last July, and have implemented NextRequest software. They oversee and advise on labor and personnel issues on a daily basis. Outside counsel fees were discussed and they are housed/paid out of professional services. Implementing NextRequest for public records requests has saved the city money and has made the process easier, more streamlined and more efficient. Councilor Vandiver asked if AI tools would be implemented and Shannon stated that there are a lot of pitfalls associated with it and that you have to trust your source and do lots of checking. The city may consider using AI features offered in some of the software licenses in the future. The city's broker did a full market analysis on insurance policies, and they expect substantial savings as a result of estimated lower costs. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] 3 AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams Department 611 Library Executive Director Linda Gardener presented the FY27 budget, highlighting recent improvements including 2,000 new library cards registered and 14,179 physical items checked out last month, while acknowledging ongoing challenges with staffing and space constraints in the children's area. The committee discussed the library's insurance costs, programming funds, and potential solutions for improving the children's room, with Linda explaining that staffing limitations and contractual Sunday overtime requirements impact the space's functionality. Councilor Karamcheti expressed support for helping the library secure appropriate staffing, whether full-time or part-time. The discussion then moved to contract negotiations for Sunday hours, where it was clarified that current contracts provide overtime pay for hours over 8 per day or 40 per week, with separate contractual overtime rates to attract staff to work Sundays and during snowstorms. The NOBLE program was discussed, which is a shared resource among local libraries and saves the city a lot of money. More discussion occurred about the children's room and its lack of toys, games and programming being offered. The library lost a full-time staff member that was dedicated to the children's room with early separation and this has impacted its functionality. Councilors have received many complaints and negative comments from the public regarding the new children's room and asked many questions about the original design, process of listening to the public and making improvements, and offered assistance. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Chen Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams Department 152 Human Resources Human Resources Director Polly Latta shared that her department supports employees and retirees with benefits administration, wellness and health benefits, unemployment, and workers' comp benefits. They manage leave of absence and accommodation requests and ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. They uphold the terms of the collective bargaining agreements, support employees with employment-related matters, and guide 22 department heads with employment-related and performance matters. Recently, they have taken on some of the school HR functions as well. Discussion occurred over shared resources and how the salaries are split among the departments involved. Councilors asked about vacant positions and the difficulty of filling the engineering role, possibly due to competition from the private sector. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Vandiver Seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro All were in favor and motion passed 4 RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams Department 912 Worker's Comp Human Resources Director Polly Latta addressed the workers' compensation budget increase to $150,000 to more accurately reflect actual costs, particularly due to one long-term medical recipient taking up 50% of the budget. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams Department 913 Unemployment Human Resources Director Polly Latta reported that the unemployment line item would be level- funded after previous overestimations for school layoffs. Councilor Chen had overall questions on the budget spreadsheet and how it seems confusing around the 2026 projection numbers. Polly clarified that they represent the original budget plus encumbered amounts from previous years rather than actual expected costs. The percent changes listed don't mean much, and they should look at actual numbers also. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Kowal All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams Department 914 Health Contractual Human Resources Director Polly Latta detailed a 9.9% increase in group health insurance costs. This is due to premium rate increases ranging from 4.1% to 13.6% for non-Medicare plans, and ranging from 4% to 7.5% for Medicare plans. For FY27 the average health plan cost is $20,000 per employee. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Kowal 5 Seconded by Councilor Vandiver All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams Department 911 Pension/Retirement Assistant Executive Director Kristine Nobile-Rizzo commented that the Executive Director role is still open and has been very difficult to fill. Retirement Board member Michael Lucas was in attendance with her. She presented the pension and retirement appropriation of $8,272,164, explaining that while an additional $500K payment toward the pension liability was beneficial, it would not significantly reduce the overall liability timeline. Municipalities must show OPEB and pension liability on their books. The pension liability must be paid to $0 by 2040 and Melrose is an outlier in reaching this goal. The OPEB paydown has no hard deadline. Paying down these liabilities helps to ensure a good bond rating for the city. Motion to Move the Bottom Line made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded By Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams V. APPROPRIATIONS

A. (ID # 2026-1208): An Appropriation in the amount of $126,652,797 to fund the Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Operating Budget. Motion to Hold in Committee made by Councilor Finocchiaro Seconded by Councilor Karamcheti All were in favor and motion passed RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Cal Finocchiaro, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Manjula Karamcheti, Elizabeth Kowal, Christopher Park, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver NAYS: None ABSENT: John Obremski, Ryan Williams VI. ADJOURNMENT 6 Councilor Finocchiaro announced the Memorial Day activities planned for Melrose Motion to Adjourn by unanimous consent made by Chair Romanul at 8:56 PM All were in favor and meeting was adjourned 7 CITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 112 CITY COUNCIL 51 SALARIES 011121 511000 S & W 62,887.48 72,595.00 72,595.00 57,287.90 72,595.00 73,746.00 1.6% TOTAL SALARIES 62,887.48 72,595.00 72,595.00 57,287.90 72,595.00 73,746.00 1.6% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011122 520500 ADVERTIS 2,302.00 300.00 300.00 1,910.00 300.00 3,000.00 900.0% 011122 521000 PRINTING 206.00 700.00 700.00 790.00 700.00 700.00 .0% 011122 523100 EXPENSES 11,000.00 11,000.00 11,000.00 9,737.46 11,000.00 12,000.00 9.1% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 13,508.00 12,000.00 12,000.00 12,437.46 12,000.00 15,700.00 30.8% TOTAL CITY COUNCIL 76,395.48 84,595.00 84,595.00 69,725.36 84,595.00 89,446.00 5.7% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 1 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 121 MAYOR 51 SALARIES 011211 511000 S & W 335,222.26 345,726.00 345,726.00 296,506.71 345,726.00 377,019.00 9.1% TOTAL SALARIES 335,222.26 345,726.00 345,726.00 296,506.71 345,726.00 377,019.00 9.1% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011212 521000 PRINTING 456.76 750.00 750.00 584.64 998.00 750.00 .0% 011212 523100 EXP ACCT 7,026.69 7,000.00 7,000.00 6,063.19 7,000.00 7,000.00 .0% 011212 525401 WEBSITE .00 9,000.00 9,000.00 9,000.00 9,000.00 12,000.00 33.3% 011212 529000 PROF SERV 486.90 4,000.00 4,000.00 9,029.05 9,500.00 6,000.00 50.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 7,970.35 20,750.00 20,750.00 24,676.88 26,498.00 25,750.00 24.1% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011212 540500 DUES/MEMB 22,828.00 24,500.00 24,500.00 23,780.00 24,500.00 24,500.00 .0% 011212 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 3,540.00 2,250.00 2,250.00 763.16 2,250.00 2,250.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 26,368.00 26,750.00 26,750.00 24,543.16 26,750.00 26,750.00 .0% TOTAL MAYOR 369,560.61 393,226.00 393,226.00 345,726.75 398,974.00 429,519.00 9.2% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 2 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 135 AUDITOR 51 SALARIES 011351 511000 S & W 386,437.15 407,422.00 407,422.00 347,802.58 407,422.00 343,703.00 -15.6% TOTAL SALARIES 386,437.15 407,422.00 407,422.00 347,802.58 407,422.00 343,703.00 -15.6% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011352 528600 AUDIT SERV 69,170.00 80,165.00 80,165.00 79,337.50 80,165.00 84,000.00 4.8% 011352 529000 PROF SERV 11,800.00 11,800.00 11,800.00 10,777.55 11,800.00 42,702.00 261.9% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 80,970.00 91,965.00 91,965.00 90,115.05 91,965.00 126,702.00 37.8% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011352 540500 DUES/MEMB 225.00 600.00 600.00 500.00 600.00 1,000.00 66.7% 011352 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 2,527.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 150.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 100.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 2,752.00 1,600.00 1,600.00 650.00 1,600.00 3,000.00 87.5% TOTAL AUDITOR 470,159.15 500,987.00 500,987.00 438,567.63 500,987.00 473,405.00 -5.5% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 3 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 141 ASSESSORS 51 SALARIES 011411 511000 S & W 244,040.09 256,712.00 256,712.00 220,689.14 256,712.00 272,319.00 6.1% TOTAL SALARIES 244,040.09 256,712.00 256,712.00 220,689.14 256,712.00 272,319.00 6.1% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011412 521000 PRINTING 250.00 250.00 250.00 250.00 250.00 250.00 .0% 011412 523000 MILEAGE 1,029.04 1,000.00 1,000.00 35.14 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% 011412 528000 FEES 298.05 300.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 .0% 011412 529000 PROF SERV 3,327.75 15,900.00 15,900.00 30,793.16 31,507.99 15,900.00 .0% 011412 529300 REVAL 103,082.75 103,500.00 103,500.00 138,353.75 138,559.01 108,675.00 5.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 107,987.59 120,950.00 120,950.00 169,732.05 171,617.00 126,125.00 4.3% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 011412 530200 COPY SUP 181.70 200.00 200.00 192.02 200.00 200.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 181.70 200.00 200.00 192.02 200.00 200.00 .0% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011412 540500 DUES/MEMB 695.00 700.00 700.00 694.00 700.00 700.00 .0% 011412 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 6,339.01 3,000.00 3,000.00 1,795.00 3,000.00 6,000.00 100.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 7,034.01 3,700.00 3,700.00 2,489.00 3,700.00 6,700.00 81.1% TOTAL ASSESSORS 359,243.39 381,562.00 381,562.00 393,102.21 432,229.00 405,344.00 6.2% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 4 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 145 TREASURER/COLLECTOR 51 SALARIES 011451 511000 S & W 419,478.42 441,481.00 441,481.00 381,753.01 441,481.00 532,737.00 20.7% TOTAL SALARIES 419,478.42 441,481.00 441,481.00 381,753.01 441,481.00 532,737.00 20.7% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011452 521000 PRINTING 9,720.05 20,000.00 20,000.00 4,713.77 20,000.00 16,250.00 -18.8% 011452 521500 POSTAGE 69,472.33 60,000.00 60,000.00 55,082.77 60,000.00 55,000.00 -8.3% 011452 521801 FOLD MAINT 1,470.00 1,400.00 1,400.00 1,544.00 1,400.00 1,400.00 .0% 011452 527600 OFFICE EQU 1,210.94 1,215.00 1,215.00 300.00 1,215.00 2,000.00 64.6% 011452 528002 TITLE FEES 880.39 1,260.00 1,260.00 1,105.00 1,639.61 3,500.00 177.8% 011452 529000 PROF SERV 17,788.31 14,848.00 14,848.00 3,937.59 15,961.75 15,000.00 1.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 100,542.02 98,723.00 98,723.00 66,683.13 100,216.36 93,150.00 -5.6% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011452 540500 DUES/MEMB 265.00 165.00 165.00 485.00 165.00 475.00 187.9% 011452 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 1,073.13 1,500.00 1,500.00 845.09 1,500.00 2,000.00 33.3% 011452 544100 SURETY 2,000.00 2,075.00 2,075.00 2,000.00 2,075.00 2,000.00 -3.6% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 3,338.13 3,740.00 3,740.00 3,330.09 3,740.00 4,475.00 19.7% TOTAL TREASURER/COLLECTOR 523,358.57 543,944.00 543,944.00 451,766.23 545,437.36 630,362.00 15.9% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 5 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 151 CITY SOLICITOR 51 SALARIES 011511 511000 S & W 165,764.98 148,603.00 148,603.00 128,598.75 148,603.00 171,959.00 15.7% 01151771 511000 S & W 114,306.22 119,475.00 119,475.00 103,496.50 119,475.00 123,061.00 3.0% TOTAL SALARIES 280,071.20 268,078.00 268,078.00 232,095.25 268,078.00 295,020.00 10.1% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011512 523100 EXPENSES 451.14 1,200.00 1,200.00 205.00 3,410.00 1,200.00 .0% 011512 529000 PROF SERV 33,104.27 30,000.00 30,000.00 10,332.90 31,790.00 30,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 33,555.41 31,200.00 31,200.00 10,537.90 35,200.00 31,200.00 .0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 011512 534200 BOOKS 357.00 500.00 500.00 407.00 500.00 500.00 .0% 011512 534250 ELECT MASS 3,322.00 3,850.00 3,850.00 3,816.00 4,454.00 4,152.00 7.8% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 3,679.00 4,350.00 4,350.00 4,223.00 4,954.00 4,652.00 6.9% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011512 540500 DUES/MEMB 1,300.00 2,730.00 2,730.00 1,270.00 2,730.00 2,500.00 -8.4% 011512 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 1,932.09 3,000.00 3,000.00 1,680.00 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 011512 544310 PROP INS 807,504.40 884,112.00 884,112.00 891,383.40 889,764.00 968,715.00 9.6% 011512 544500 CLAIMSDED 12,013.07 10,000.00 10,000.00 2,054.97 10,000.00 60,000.00 500.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 822,749.56 899,842.00 899,842.00 896,388.37 905,494.00 1,034,215.00 14.9% TOTAL CITY SOLICITOR 1,140,055.17 1,203,470.00 1,203,470.00 1,143,244.52 1,213,726.00 1,365,087.00 13.4% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 6 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 152 HUMAN RESOURCES 51 SALARIES 011521 511000 S & W 156,945.53 164,061.00 164,061.00 145,536.92 164,061.00 200,629.00 22.3% TOTAL SALARIES 156,945.53 164,061.00 164,061.00 145,536.92 164,061.00 200,629.00 22.3% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011522 520500 ADVERTISE 5,999.67 .00 8,000.00 12,653.84 10,357.75 8,000.00 .0% 011522 521000 PRINTING 96.96 100.00 100.00 91.00 100.00 100.00 .0% 011522 529600 ADA .00 .00 .00 10,000.00 .00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 6,096.63 100.00 8,100.00 22,744.84 10,457.75 18,100.00 123.5% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011522 540500 DUES/MEMB 539.00 519.00 519.00 574.00 519.00 519.00 .0% 011522 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 242.99 500.00 500.00 90.00 500.00 500.00 .0% 011522 543000 PHYSICAL 15,129.00 .00 12,000.00 10,790.00 10,253.00 12,000.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 15,910.99 1,019.00 13,019.00 11,454.00 11,272.00 13,019.00 .0% TOTAL HUMAN RESOURCES 178,953.15 165,180.00 185,180.00 179,735.76 185,790.75 231,748.00 25.1% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 7 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 155 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 51 SALARIES 011551 511000 S & W 390,639.04 410,358.00 410,358.00 337,308.93 410,358.00 425,211.00 3.6% TOTAL SALARIES 390,639.04 410,358.00 410,358.00 337,308.93 410,358.00 425,211.00 3.6% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011552 522000 TELEPHONE 156,475.53 100,000.00 100,000.00 80,749.54 128,788.95 100,000.00 .0% 011552 522004 WAN COMMUN 13,877.41 12,000.00 12,000.00 4,199.59 16,199.59 12,000.00 .0% 011552 525105 COMP MAINT 34,999.29 29,280.00 29,280.00 32,920.10 33,919.58 29,280.00 .0% 011552 525203 NET SERVIC 2,900.00 .00 .00 .00 2,100.00 .00 .0% 011552 525301 MUNIS SUPP 123,833.50 130,343.00 130,343.00 131,241.67 132,343.00 136,860.00 5.0% 011552 525303 LICENSES 245,353.97 265,491.00 265,491.00 289,562.90 300,377.14 288,766.00 8.8% 011552 525305 IT COM NOT 6,867.13 7,417.00 7,417.00 7,317.11 7,417.00 7,417.00 .0% 011552 525309 OSDBA 3,362.80 10,000.00 10,000.00 .00 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% 011552 525402 INTERNET 16,067.51 9,180.00 9,180.00 5,789.80 9,180.00 9,180.00 .0% 011552 529000 PROF SERV 106,251.87 105,000.00 105,000.00 120,139.76 123,882.32 105,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 709,989.01 668,711.00 668,711.00 671,920.47 764,207.58 698,503.00 4.5% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 011552 530120 COMP MISC 3,482.09 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,983.18 2,000.00 .00 -100.0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 3,482.09 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,983.18 2,000.00 .00 -100.0% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011552 540700 SEMINARS 800.00 2,500.00 2,500.00 1,565.00 3,900.00 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 800.00 2,500.00 2,500.00 1,565.00 3,900.00 2,500.00 .0% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 01155772 551097 SCHOOL IT 555,609.39 .00 525,000.00 614,969.95 226,600.61 525,000.00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 555,609.39 .00 525,000.00 614,969.95 226,600.61 525,000.00 .0% TOTAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1,660,519.53 1,083,569.00 1,608,569.00 1,627,747.53 1,407,066.19 1,651,214.00 2.7% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 8 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 161 CITY CLERK 51 SALARIES 011611 511000 S & W 253,637.53 293,212.00 293,212.00 261,316.59 293,212.00 301,754.00 2.9% 011611 513000 OVERTIME 8,791.07 11,400.00 11,400.00 1,944.26 11,400.00 11,400.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 262,428.60 304,612.00 304,612.00 263,260.85 304,612.00 313,154.00 2.8% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011612 520500 ADVERTISE -26.07 1,500.00 1,500.00 1,144.00 1,500.00 1,500.00 .0% 011612 521000 PRINTING 3,377.03 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,313.44 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 011612 525109 DOG MAINT 1,523.45 1,700.00 1,700.00 1,000.00 1,700.00 1,700.00 .0% 011612 525308 AGENDASOFT .00 10,000.00 10,000.00 .00 10,000.00 17,915.00 79.2% 011612 529301 RECODE 7,912.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 8,156.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 12,786.41 26,200.00 26,200.00 12,613.44 26,200.00 34,115.00 30.2% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 011612 530501 VITALSUPPL 2,716.51 5,000.00 5,000.00 1,767.05 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 2,716.51 5,000.00 5,000.00 1,767.05 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011612 540500 DUES/MEMB 615.00 700.00 700.00 455.00 700.00 700.00 .0% 011612 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 885.60 4,000.00 4,000.00 620.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 .0% 011612 544100 SURETY 20.00 75.00 75.00 .00 75.00 75.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 1,520.60 4,775.00 4,775.00 1,075.00 4,775.00 4,775.00 .0% TOTAL CITY CLERK 279,452.12 340,587.00 340,587.00 278,716.34 340,587.00 357,044.00 4.8% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 9 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 162 ELECTION/REGISTRAR 51 SALARIES 011621 511000 S & W 3,805.10 4,569.00 4,569.00 2,953.40 4,569.00 4,569.00 .0% 011621 512000 PT S&W 80,587.83 55,000.00 55,000.00 30,562.40 55,000.00 55,000.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 84,392.93 59,569.00 59,569.00 33,515.80 59,569.00 59,569.00 .0% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011622 521000 PRINTING 16,966.64 13,000.00 13,000.00 27,951.88 13,000.00 13,000.00 .0% 011622 521500 POSTAGE 8,101.83 11,000.00 11,000.00 8,623.77 11,000.00 11,000.00 .0% 011622 525102 EQUIPMAINT 15,864.50 16,000.00 16,000.00 14,642.06 20,000.00 16,000.00 .0% 011622 529000 PROF SERV 8,089.46 10,000.00 10,000.00 2,173.65 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 49,022.43 50,000.00 50,000.00 53,391.36 54,000.00 50,000.00 .0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 011622 530506 ELEC SUPP 1,377.55 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,795.41 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 1,377.55 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,795.41 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011622 540500 DUES/MEMB 25.00 200.00 200.00 .00 200.00 200.00 .0% 011622 540600 EDUC/SEMIN .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 25.00 1,200.00 1,200.00 .00 1,200.00 1,200.00 .0% TOTAL ELECTION/REGISTRAR 134,817.91 113,769.00 113,769.00 89,702.57 117,769.00 113,769.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 10 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 165 LIQUOR COMMISSION 52 CONTRACTUAL 011652 529000 PROF SERV 387.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% 011652 529027 COMPLIANCE .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 387.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 .00 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% TOTAL LIQUOR COMMISSION 387.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 .00 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 11 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 175 PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOP 51 SALARIES 011751 511000 S & W 375,298.16 374,802.00 374,802.00 324,105.56 374,802.00 385,654.00 2.9% TOTAL SALARIES 375,298.16 374,802.00 374,802.00 324,105.56 374,802.00 385,654.00 2.9% 52 CONTRACTUAL 011752 520500 ADVERTISE 880.00 880.00 880.00 399.00 880.00 880.00 .0% 011752 521000 PRINTING 1,280.00 1,280.00 1,280.00 555.34 1,280.00 1,280.00 .0% 011752 528810 CONSERV 9,053.42 14,000.00 14,000.00 4,946.58 18,946.58 14,000.00 .0% 011752 529000 PROF SERV 471.78 .00 .00 .00 .00 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 11,685.20 16,160.00 16,160.00 5,900.92 21,106.58 18,660.00 15.5% 54 OTHER CHARGES 011752 540000 ENERGY 3,000.00 2,500.00 2,500.00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 011752 540500 DUES/MEMB 1,654.40 1,925.00 1,925.00 1,719.80 1,925.00 1,925.00 .0% 011752 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 2,400.67 2,455.00 2,455.00 1,275.28 2,455.00 2,455.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 7,055.07 6,880.00 6,880.00 2,995.08 4,380.00 4,380.00 -36.3% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 011752 551080 CONSULT .00 .00 .00 60,000.00 .00 .00 .0% 01175772 551072 CONTR SVCS 25,000.00 .00 .00 100,000.00 100,000.00 .00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 25,000.00 .00 .00 160,000.00 100,000.00 .00 .0% TOTAL PLANNING & COMMUNITY D 419,038.43 397,842.00 397,842.00 493,001.56 500,288.58 408,694.00 2.7% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 12 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 211 POLICE 51 SALARIES 012111 511000 S & W 5,101,716.77 5,182,115.00 5,336,191.00 4,402,182.37 5,182,115.00 5,670,660.00 6.3% 012111 513000 OVERTIME 623,440.40 457,900.00 457,900.00 361,766.42 457,900.00 457,900.00 .0% 012111 513010 OT TRAININ 164,869.56 125,000.00 125,000.00 188,677.64 125,000.00 150,000.00 20.0% 012111 514000 COURT TIME 17,503.10 26,000.00 26,000.00 15,109.48 26,000.00 26,000.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 5,907,529.83 5,791,015.00 5,945,091.00 4,967,735.91 5,791,015.00 6,304,560.00 6.0% 52 CONTRACTUAL 012112 521000 PRINTING 1,942.12 2,540.00 2,540.00 1,099.75 2,560.00 2,540.00 .0% 012112 521500 POSTAGE 814.60 3,750.00 3,750.00 3,397.33 3,750.00 3,750.00 .0% 012112 523500 LAUNDRY 802.50 800.00 800.00 653.40 925.00 800.00 .0% 012112 525103 LEAPS 839.50 1,240.00 1,240.00 839.50 1,240.00 1,240.00 .0% 012112 525108 GENERATOR .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 012112 525202 COMP SUPP 48,145.30 60,000.00 60,000.00 47,515.72 60,000.00 67,785.00 13.0% 012112 527305 RADIO SYS 22,555.74 20,000.00 20,000.00 18,080.03 20,000.00 20,000.00 .0% 012112 529000 PROF SERV 10,540.16 10,000.00 10,000.00 9,040.65 10,025.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 85,639.92 98,330.00 98,330.00 80,626.38 98,500.00 106,115.00 7.9% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 012112 530120 COMP MISC 281.20 2,500.00 2,500.00 344.87 2,500.00 2,500.00 .0% 012112 530202 FILM SUP 617.98 590.00 590.00 547.11 590.00 590.00 .0% 012112 530501 MISC SUP 3,406.25 2,969.00 2,969.00 848.33 3,033.46 6,000.00 102.1% 012112 530505 RADAR 1,316.40 5,000.00 5,000.00 .00 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% 012112 533400 ACCREDIT 3,220.00 3,900.00 3,900.00 .00 3,900.00 .00 -100.0% 012112 534200 BOOKS 493.44 800.00 800.00 356.00 800.00 800.00 .0% 012112 535400 FOOD 233.39 500.00 500.00 201.37 500.00 500.00 .0% 012112 535500 UNIFORMS 97,581.11 73,000.00 73,000.00 60,738.36 73,400.00 73,000.00 .0% 012112 535600 NARCAN 2,023.12 2,500.00 2,500.00 794.46 2,500.00 2,500.00 .0% 012112 535700 AMMUNITION 15,150.58 12,500.00 12,500.00 2,141.14 12,500.00 12,500.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 124,323.47 104,259.00 104,259.00 65,971.64 104,723.46 103,390.00 -.8% 54 OTHER CHARGES 012112 540000 COM ENGAGE 9,699.77 10,000.00 10,000.00 8,302.15 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% 012112 540007 RECRUIT .00 .00 46,134.00 46,134.00 .00 46,134.00 .0% 012112 540500 DUES/MEMB 12,820.08 13,500.00 13,500.00 12,365.00 13,500.00 14,000.00 3.7% 012112 540702 TRAINING 24,511.80 20,000.00 20,000.00 15,124.24 20,794.00 20,000.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 47,031.65 43,500.00 89,634.00 81,925.39 44,294.00 90,134.00 .6% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 012113 551049 POL VEHICL .00 .00 .00 90,000.00 .00 .00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 13 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 012113 551100 POL EVIDEN .00 .00 .00 16,000.00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY .00 .00 .00 106,000.00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL POLICE 6,164,524.87 6,037,104.00 6,237,314.00 5,302,259.32 6,038,532.46 6,604,199.00 5.9% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 14 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 221 FIRE 51 SALARIES 012211 511000 S & W 4,877,556.39 5,201,301.00 5,201,301.00 4,501,854.16 5,201,301.00 5,328,184.00 2.4% 012211 513000 OVERTIME 1,635,358.72 489,300.00 489,300.00 719,982.70 489,300.00 513,500.00 4.9% 012211 513010 OT TRAININ 12,012.88 11,500.00 11,500.00 12,253.40 11,500.00 11,500.00 .0% 012211 515000 MUTUAL AID .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 6,524,927.99 5,702,101.00 5,702,101.00 5,234,090.26 5,702,101.00 5,853,184.00 2.6% 52 CONTRACTUAL 012212 521000 PRINTING 173.10 250.00 250.00 45.50 250.00 250.00 .0% 012212 527311 LIFE/SAFET 14,210.75 10,900.00 10,900.00 6,546.18 11,946.00 15,000.00 37.6% 012212 527500 VEHICLEREP 128,317.88 80,000.00 80,000.00 65,446.51 80,000.00 100,000.00 25.0% 012212 527605 FIRE CONTR 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% 012212 527606 RADIO CONT 9,279.25 10,000.00 10,000.00 1,014.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% 012212 529000 PROF SERV 39,328.14 50,000.00 50,000.00 43,360.12 55,000.00 40,000.00 -20.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 196,309.12 156,150.00 156,150.00 121,412.31 162,196.00 170,250.00 9.0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 012212 530100 COMP PURCH 1,070.73 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 012212 530503 PREVENTSUP 3,651.75 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,380.20 3,000.00 4,000.00 33.3% 012212 530514 EMS SPLY .00 25,000.00 25,000.00 7,840.45 25,000.00 10,000.00 -60.0% 012212 531000 GAS & OIL .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 012212 531200 TIRES 766.73 4,500.00 4,500.00 4,500.00 4,500.00 4,500.00 .0% 012212 531500 BATTERIES 670.06 750.00 750.00 469.73 750.00 2,000.00 166.7% 012212 532000 CLEAN SUP 8,469.80 7,000.00 7,000.00 7,234.95 7,000.00 7,500.00 7.1% 012212 533200 ELECTR SUP 2,199.26 1,000.00 1,000.00 242.81 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% 012212 533300 ALARM SYS 1,804.35 4,000.00 4,000.00 964.18 4,000.00 4,000.00 .0% 012212 533500 TOOLS 2,792.91 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,316.22 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 012212 534200 BOOKS 549.21 2,000.00 2,000.00 157.25 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% 012212 535500 UNIFORMS 50,883.00 52,100.00 52,100.00 49,423.00 52,100.00 52,100.00 .0% 012212 535501 CLOTHING .00 500.00 500.00 .00 500.00 500.00 .0% 012212 535502 PROTECT CL 2,252.00 2,400.00 2,400.00 2,743.00 2,400.00 2,400.00 .0% 012212 535505 TURNOUT 52,034.48 .00 .00 75,000.00 75,000.00 .00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 127,144.28 105,250.00 105,250.00 153,271.79 180,250.00 93,000.00 -11.6% 54 OTHER CHARGES 012212 540500 DUES/MEMB 1,100.00 1,100.00 1,100.00 1,100.00 1,100.00 1,100.00 .0% 012212 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 911.21 1,500.00 1,500.00 1,106.00 1,500.00 1,500.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 15 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 2,011.21 2,600.00 2,600.00 2,206.00 2,600.00 2,600.00 .0% 56 MISCELLANEOUS 012212 560200 ED REIMB 24,972.83 20,000.00 20,000.00 9,009.78 20,000.00 20,000.00 .0% 012212 568000 FIRE HOSE 2,923.99 3,700.00 3,700.00 2,798.61 3,700.00 3,700.00 .0% TOTAL MISCELLANEOUS 27,896.82 23,700.00 23,700.00 11,808.39 23,700.00 23,700.00 .0% TOTAL FIRE 6,878,289.42 5,989,801.00 5,989,801.00 5,522,788.75 6,070,847.00 6,142,734.00 2.6% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 16 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 241 INSPECTION SERVICES 51 SALARIES 012411 511000 S & W 384,056.48 406,890.00 406,890.00 341,880.37 406,890.00 416,970.00 2.5% 012411 513000 OVERTIME 783.52 1,900.00 1,900.00 638.56 1,900.00 1,900.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 384,840.00 408,790.00 408,790.00 342,518.93 408,790.00 418,870.00 2.5% 52 CONTRACTUAL 012412 521000 PRINTING 43.10 325.00 325.00 250.00 325.00 400.00 23.1% 012412 529000 PROF SERV 10,356.90 10,000.00 10,000.00 4,903.20 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 10,400.00 10,325.00 10,325.00 5,153.20 10,325.00 10,400.00 .7% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 012412 530502 W & M SUP .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 780.00 1,000.00 1,500.00 50.0% 012412 534200 BOOKS 396.00 750.00 750.00 .00 750.00 1,000.00 33.3% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 396.00 1,750.00 1,750.00 780.00 1,750.00 2,500.00 42.9% 54 OTHER CHARGES 012412 540500 DUES/MEMB 790.00 500.00 500.00 1,488.00 500.00 500.00 .0% 012412 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 904.00 1,300.00 1,300.00 280.00 1,300.00 2,600.00 100.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 1,694.00 1,800.00 1,800.00 1,768.00 1,800.00 3,100.00 72.2% TOTAL INSPECTION SERVICES 397,330.00 422,665.00 422,665.00 350,220.13 422,665.00 434,870.00 2.9% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 17 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 291 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 51 SALARIES 012911 511000 S & W 28,080.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 8,653.95 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 28,080.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 8,653.95 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 012912 530703 RADIO 391.28 .00 .00 970.00 970.00 .00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 391.28 .00 .00 970.00 970.00 .00 .0% 54 OTHER CHARGES 012912 540000 OTH CHGEXP 810.83 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 810.83 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 29,282.11 10,000.00 10,000.00 9,623.95 10,970.00 10,000.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 18 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 296 PARKING 51 SALARIES 012961 511000 S & W 15,483.00 15,931.00 15,931.00 13,668.04 15,931.00 16,333.00 2.5% TOTAL SALARIES 15,483.00 15,931.00 15,931.00 13,668.04 15,931.00 16,333.00 2.5% 52 CONTRACTUAL 012962 521000 PRINTING 5,031.50 6,750.00 6,750.00 1,009.50 6,750.00 6,750.00 .0% 012962 527950 GROV/MYRTL 34,999.92 35,000.00 35,000.00 35,000.00 35,000.00 35,000.00 .0% 012962 529000 PROF SERV 12,809.89 12,000.00 12,000.00 9,947.05 12,040.65 14,000.00 16.7% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 52,841.31 53,750.00 53,750.00 45,956.55 53,790.65 55,750.00 3.7% TOTAL PARKING 68,324.31 69,681.00 69,681.00 59,624.59 69,721.65 72,083.00 3.4% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 19 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 300 SCHOOL 51 SALARIES 013001 511000 S & W .00 42,523,875.00 46,342,675.00 .00 42,523,875.00 49,332,180.00 6.5% TOTAL SALARIES .00 42,523,875.00 46,342,675.00 .00 42,523,875.00 49,332,180.00 6.5% TOTAL SCHOOL .00 42,523,875.00 46,342,675.00 .00 42,523,875.00 49,332,180.00 6.5% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 20 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 399 REGIONAL SCHOOL ASSESSMENT 54 OTHER CHARGES 013012 547100 REGION SCH 1,619,030.00 1,951,636.00 1,951,636.00 1,951,636.00 1,951,636.00 2,066,354.00 5.9% 013012 547200 MINUTEMAN 27,426.18 28,201.00 28,201.00 28,200.18 28,201.00 29,231.00 3.7% 013012 547300 ESSEX AGRI 184,459.00 191,310.00 191,310.00 141,961.00 191,310.00 193,731.00 1.3% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 1,830,915.18 2,171,147.00 2,171,147.00 2,121,797.18 2,171,147.00 2,289,316.00 5.4% TOTAL REGIONAL SCHOOL ASSESS 1,830,915.18 2,171,147.00 2,171,147.00 2,121,797.18 2,171,147.00 2,289,316.00 5.4% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 21 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 401 PW ADMINISTRATION/ ENGINEERING 51 SALARIES 014011 511000 S & W 776,408.34 694,535.00 806,239.00 608,324.48 694,535.00 831,489.00 3.1% 014011 512000 PT S&W 20,361.50 .00 21,000.00 6,330.00 .00 21,000.00 .0% 014011 513000 OVERTIME 1,178.00 4,000.00 7,905.00 12,070.40 4,000.00 7,905.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 797,947.84 698,535.00 835,144.00 626,724.88 698,535.00 860,394.00 3.0% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014012 520500 ADVERTIS 4,881.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 11,075.60 4,000.00 4,000.00 .0% 014012 521000 PRINTING 82.02 4,500.00 4,500.00 .00 4,500.00 4,500.00 .0% 014012 521500 POSTAGE 694.01 4,250.00 4,250.00 1,371.40 4,250.00 4,250.00 .0% 014012 529000 PROF SERV 38,133.81 45,000.00 45,000.00 120,186.83 136,731.76 45,000.00 .0% 014012 529304 WELLNESS 210.00 1,500.00 1,500.00 2,192.50 1,500.00 1,500.00 .0% 014012 529500 GIS SERVIC 4,590.00 6,000.00 6,000.00 .00 10,000.00 6,000.00 .0% 01401772 529025 SCH OUTRCH .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 3,500.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 48,590.84 65,250.00 65,250.00 134,826.33 160,981.76 68,750.00 5.4% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014012 533502 PROF TOOLS 4,720.61 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,672.45 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% 014012 533503 OPER TOOLS 1,464.09 6,000.00 6,000.00 4,562.60 6,000.00 6,000.00 .0% 014012 535501 CLOTHING 25,993.26 28,000.00 28,000.00 30,739.74 28,000.00 39,015.00 39.3% 014012 535509 SAFE EQUIP 548.49 8,000.00 8,000.00 .00 8,000.00 8,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 32,726.45 47,000.00 47,000.00 40,974.79 47,000.00 58,015.00 23.4% 54 OTHER CHARGES 014012 540704 PROF DEVEL 8,595.89 12,000.00 12,000.00 3,888.75 12,000.00 15,000.00 25.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 8,595.89 12,000.00 12,000.00 3,888.75 12,000.00 15,000.00 25.0% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 014012 551046 SOFT LIC 17,526.36 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 014012 551072 STWRSTUDY .00 .00 .00 25,000.00 .00 .00 .0% 014012 551073 ELLPOND .00 .00 .00 80,000.00 .00 .00 .0% 014012 551184 ACCESS 3,871.00 .00 .00 71,129.00 71,129.00 .00 .0% 014012 551194 SUMMER .00 .00 .00 205,147.50 .00 .00 .0% 014012 551195 LEB&SYLVAN .00 .00 .00 175,000.00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 21,397.36 .00 .00 556,276.50 71,129.00 .00 .0% TOTAL PW ADMINISTRATION/ ENG 909,258.38 822,785.00 959,394.00 1,362,691.25 989,645.76 1,002,159.00 4.5% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 22 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 402 PW FACILITY MAINTENANCE 51 SALARIES 014021 511000 S & W 135,792.56 128,870.00 128,870.00 120,685.86 128,870.00 208,254.00 61.6% 014021 512004 INTERNS 66,682.50 .00 69,120.00 3,495.00 .00 69,120.00 .0% 014021 513000 OVERTIME 15,143.08 15,461.00 15,461.00 13,751.65 15,461.00 15,461.00 .0% 01402531 512002 LIBR PART 15,012.00 25,000.00 25,000.00 14,556.00 25,000.00 25,000.00 .0% 01402771 511041 SAL CUSTOD 844,902.46 877,783.00 877,783.00 709,894.43 877,783.00 823,767.00 -6.2% 01402771 511042 SAL MAINT 364,951.37 382,744.00 437,093.00 320,856.94 382,744.00 443,980.00 1.6% 01402771 512003 SCH PART 24,580.91 25,000.00 25,000.00 22,065.00 25,000.00 25,000.00 .0% 01402771 513000 OT SCH BLD 91,842.27 60,000.00 78,329.00 56,439.13 60,000.00 78,329.00 .0% 01402771 513008 OT F GREEN 45,929.85 7,960.00 7,960.00 31,212.40 7,960.00 30,000.00 276.9% TOTAL SALARIES 1,604,837.00 1,522,818.00 1,664,616.00 1,292,956.41 1,522,818.00 1,718,911.00 3.3% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014022 522525 ESCO PROJ 230,456.94 237,941.00 237,941.00 237,940.64 237,941.00 245,649.00 3.2% 014022 522526 ESCO QC 8,117.22 16,621.00 16,621.00 11,882.78 28,503.78 16,621.00 .0% 014022 527700 MUNBLD REP 74,642.58 120,000.00 120,000.00 139,692.49 120,000.00 620,000.00 416.7% 014022 527759 MUN MAJ CL 6,907.73 30,000.00 30,000.00 7,500.00 30,092.27 30,000.00 .0% 014022 529000 PROF SERV 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 500.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 .0% 01402502 522506 CH ELECTR 42,999.30 55,620.00 55,620.00 33,950.13 55,620.00 55,620.00 .0% 01402502 522611 CH HEAT 17,166.53 18,700.00 18,700.00 16,855.16 18,700.00 18,700.00 .0% 01402512 522507 STR LIGHTS 125,403.26 168,000.00 168,000.00 128,424.51 168,000.00 168,000.00 .0% 01402522 522509 COA ELECT 8,416.10 6,800.00 6,800.00 11,670.75 6,800.00 6,800.00 .0% 01402522 522613 COA HEAT 2,326.90 4,910.00 4,910.00 2,525.24 4,910.00 4,910.00 .0% 01402532 522510 LIBRARY EL 20,041.96 60,000.00 60,000.00 82,150.61 60,000.00 110,000.00 83.3% 01402532 522614 LIBR HEAT 6,388.30 .00 .00 904.17 .00 .00 .0% 01402542 522511 POLICE ELE 20,736.58 22,200.00 22,200.00 6,900.28 22,200.00 22,200.00 .0% 01402542 522615 POL HEAT 9,669.53 7,500.00 7,500.00 10,542.47 7,500.00 7,500.00 .0% 01402552 522512 FIRE ELEC 34,494.67 33,300.00 33,300.00 36,057.45 33,300.00 33,300.00 .0% 01402552 522616 FIRE HEAT 19,362.11 20,000.00 20,000.00 23,043.44 23,013.89 20,000.00 .0% 01402582 522515 PARK ELECT 31,940.47 31,800.00 31,800.00 25,642.61 31,800.00 31,800.00 .0% 01402592 522516 CEM ELECT 3,928.34 6,900.00 6,900.00 3,029.99 6,900.00 6,900.00 .0% 01402592 522619 CEM HEAT 4,393.59 4,250.00 4,250.00 4,497.98 4,250.00 4,250.00 .0% 01402602 522508 OPER ELECT 18,184.95 49,440.00 49,440.00 23,647.96 49,440.00 49,440.00 .0% 01402602 522612 OPER HEAT 34,707.26 39,000.00 39,000.00 54,932.72 39,000.00 39,000.00 .0% 01402772 522524 SCH ELECT 959,078.87 840,000.00 840,000.00 877,387.81 840,000.00 860,000.00 2.4% 01402772 522627 SCH HEAT 312,470.71 267,800.00 267,800.00 490,474.18 267,929.44 300,000.00 12.0% 01402772 527550 SCH CLEAN 152,839.39 236,900.00 236,900.00 29,958.81 237,224.09 236,900.00 .0% 01402772 527551 SCH GROUND .00 25,000.00 25,000.00 .00 25,000.00 25,000.00 .0% 01402772 527552 SCH EQUIP 149,535.44 77,250.00 77,250.00 79,029.03 98,702.46 77,250.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 23 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 01402772 527553 SCH SYSTEM 9,608.50 21,800.00 21,800.00 14,640.14 28,946.77 21,800.00 .0% 01402772 527554 SCH DOOR 12,885.64 5,000.00 5,000.00 276.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% 01402772 527555 SCHOOL SEC 7,601.58 10,000.00 10,000.00 6,105.88 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 2,344,304.45 2,436,732.00 2,436,732.00 2,360,163.23 2,480,773.70 3,046,640.00 25.0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014022 533100 CLEAN SUP 8,815.14 20,000.00 20,000.00 24,097.47 23,975.50 20,000.00 .0% 014022 533107 CLEAN EQUI 13,412.99 13,750.00 13,750.00 3,915.00 13,750.00 13,750.00 .0% 01402772 531825 SCH CONTR 470,010.74 437,750.00 437,750.00 347,432.11 464,006.00 437,750.00 .0% 01402772 533115 SC CUSTOD 78,790.50 146,000.00 146,000.00 136,769.04 146,000.00 146,000.00 .0% 01402772 533116 SCH MAINT 113,373.28 98,000.00 98,000.00 104,129.93 98,000.00 98,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 684,402.65 715,500.00 715,500.00 616,343.55 745,731.50 715,500.00 .0% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 014023 551094 REPAIR .00 .00 40,000.00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 01402772 551191 ASBESTOS 75,000.00 .00 .00 100,000.00 .00 100,000.00 .0% 01402773 551172 SCHOOL REP 3,711.25 .00 4,345,052.00 3,847,983.53 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 78,711.25 .00 4,385,052.00 3,947,983.53 .00 100,000.00 -97.7% TOTAL PW FACILITY MAINTENANC 4,712,255.35 4,675,050.00 9,201,900.00 8,217,446.72 4,749,323.20 5,581,051.00 -39.3% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 24 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 422 PUBLIC WORKS HIGHWAY 51 SALARIES 014221 511000 S & W 277,736.26 297,292.00 297,292.00 252,037.18 297,292.00 393,738.00 32.4% 014221 512004 INTERNS 4,000.00 .00 4,800.00 .00 .00 4,800.00 .0% 014221 513000 OVERTIME 26,544.21 27,973.00 33,737.00 16,519.78 27,973.00 33,737.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 308,280.47 325,265.00 335,829.00 268,556.96 325,265.00 432,275.00 28.7% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014222 520200 TRAF SIG 12,568.86 17,000.00 17,000.00 10,000.00 21,000.00 17,000.00 .0% 014222 520450 LIGHT MAIN 20,273.91 15,000.00 15,000.00 20,000.00 15,000.00 21,400.00 42.7% 014222 524000 HIRE EQUIP 27,104.46 27,500.00 27,500.00 22,849.53 29,470.00 27,500.00 .0% 014222 526900 TRAF MRKNG 58,073.29 50,000.00 60,000.00 30,000.00 50,000.00 60,000.00 .0% 014222 527100 CATCH BSN 30,000.00 30,000.00 30,000.00 30,000.00 30,000.00 30,000.00 .0% 014222 527101 NPDES DRAI 39,130.37 62,000.00 62,000.00 68,895.00 127,386.50 62,000.00 .0% 014222 527102 DRAINMAINT 560.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 49,115.00 68,415.00 20,000.00 .0% 014222 527105 MS4 27,543.84 44,725.00 44,725.00 27,787.84 58,077.84 44,725.00 .0% 014222 527307 SIDEWK REP 27,587.03 20,100.00 20,100.00 38,149.00 55,210.00 20,100.00 .0% 014222 529012 ST SWEEP 52,208.85 55,000.00 55,000.00 52,000.00 55,000.00 96,000.00 74.5% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 295,050.61 341,325.00 351,325.00 348,796.37 509,559.34 398,725.00 13.5% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014222 533000 PAINTS 6,604.45 8,266.00 8,266.00 5,461.00 8,266.00 8,266.00 .0% 014222 533504 BARRICADE 379.61 .00 .00 .00 1,720.39 2,100.00 .0% 014222 535800 BUT PATCH 35,319.30 40,000.00 40,000.00 40,000.00 40,000.00 44,000.00 10.0% 014222 536000 CEM&CONCR 1,500.00 2,500.00 2,500.00 81.89 2,500.00 2,500.00 .0% 014222 536210 ROAD STRUC 4,255.99 7,560.00 7,560.00 3,760.00 7,560.00 7,560.00 .0% 014222 537200 LUMBER 1,000.00 2,400.00 2,400.00 800.00 2,800.00 2,400.00 .0% 014222 538000 SIGN MAT 15,260.47 10,000.00 10,000.00 9,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 64,319.82 70,726.00 70,726.00 59,102.89 72,846.39 76,826.00 8.6% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 014222 551183 TRAFCALM 14,679.75 .00 50,000.00 124,115.85 110,320.25 50,000.00 .0% 014223 551101 ROADS .00 .00 600,000.00 180,000.00 .00 600,000.00 .0% 014223 551165 DRAIN 40,914.67 .00 330,000.00 39,085.34 39,085.34 330,000.00 .0% 014223 551190 SIDEWALK 23,436.20 .00 250,000.00 66,563.80 66,563.80 250,000.00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 79,030.62 .00 1,230,000.00 409,764.99 215,969.39 1,230,000.00 .0% TOTAL PUBLIC WORKS HIGHWAY 746,681.52 737,316.00 1,987,880.00 1,086,221.21 1,123,640.12 2,137,826.00 7.5% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 25 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 423 PUBLIC WORKS SNOW REMOVAL 51 SALARIES 014231 513000 OVERTIME 217,462.29 144,125.00 144,125.00 347,787.75 144,125.00 200,000.00 38.8% TOTAL SALARIES 217,462.29 144,125.00 144,125.00 347,787.75 144,125.00 200,000.00 38.8% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014232 524000 HIRE EQUIP 195,196.46 273,700.00 273,700.00 544,915.83 273,700.00 274,700.00 .4% 014232 529015 YOUTH SNOW .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 014232 529220 WEATHER 2,794.40 2,300.00 2,300.00 2,954.38 2,300.00 2,300.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 197,990.86 276,000.00 276,000.00 547,870.21 276,000.00 277,000.00 .4% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014232 531000 GAS&OIL 55,020.41 15,000.00 15,000.00 60,318.15 15,000.00 15,000.00 .0% 014232 531201 TIRE CHAIN 7,165.05 2,000.00 2,000.00 5,524.44 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% 014232 531203 PLOW PARTS 42,773.09 30,000.00 30,000.00 104,338.92 30,000.00 30,000.00 .0% 014232 531800 PARTS&REP 71,949.16 35,000.00 35,000.00 94,801.58 35,000.00 35,000.00 .0% 014232 533500 TOOLS 12,114.18 2,000.00 2,000.00 16,718.70 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% 014232 534900 SALT 370,524.54 237,000.00 237,000.00 428,751.15 237,000.00 237,000.00 .0% 014232 535000 SAND&GRAVE .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 014232 535401 SNOW MEALS .00 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,945.37 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 559,546.43 323,000.00 323,000.00 712,398.31 323,000.00 323,000.00 .0% TOTAL PUBLIC WORKS SNOW REMO 974,999.58 743,125.00 743,125.00 1,608,056.27 743,125.00 800,000.00 7.7% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 26 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 433 PUBLIC WORKS SOLID WASTE/SANI 51 SALARIES 014331 511000 S & W 126,651.12 138,355.00 138,355.00 110,630.25 138,355.00 130,981.00 -5.3% 014331 512000 PT S&W 6,225.00 5,000.00 7,500.00 .00 5,000.00 7,500.00 .0% 014331 513000 OVERTIME 60,804.92 38,300.00 58,000.00 37,217.99 38,300.00 58,000.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 193,681.04 181,655.00 203,855.00 147,848.24 181,655.00 196,481.00 -3.6% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014332 524000 HIRE EQUIP 45,583.47 40,000.00 40,000.00 39,451.40 40,000.00 50,000.00 25.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 45,583.47 40,000.00 40,000.00 39,451.40 40,000.00 50,000.00 25.0% TOTAL PUBLIC WORKS SOLID WAS 239,264.51 221,655.00 243,855.00 187,299.64 221,655.00 246,481.00 1.1% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 27 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 475 PW PARK & FORESTRY 51 SALARIES 014751 511000 S & W 579,655.22 641,092.00 607,911.00 467,618.95 607,911.00 581,699.00 -4.3% 014751 512000 PT S&W 16,120.00 .00 24,000.00 .00 .00 24,000.00 .0% 014751 513000 OVERTIME 56,894.27 40,375.00 55,900.00 38,433.06 40,375.00 55,900.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 652,669.49 681,467.00 687,811.00 506,052.01 648,286.00 661,599.00 -3.8% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014752 524006 FRST HIRED 20,960.00 21,500.00 154,681.00 69,278.20 54,681.00 100,000.00 -35.4% 014752 524007 PARK HIRED 27,230.20 30,000.00 30,000.00 17,270.39 31,230.20 30,000.00 .0% 014752 527400 IRRIG REP 12,000.00 12,000.00 12,000.00 8,000.00 12,000.00 12,000.00 .0% 014752 527806 PLYGRND RE 1,474.44 6,500.00 26,500.00 13,679.52 11,239.08 26,500.00 .0% 014752 528805 MOW&MAINT 51,260.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 57,421.00 70,690.00 68,000.00 36.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 112,924.64 120,000.00 273,181.00 165,649.11 179,840.28 236,500.00 -13.4% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014752 531826 EQUIP PART 7,459.00 6,500.00 6,500.00 3,000.00 6,500.00 6,500.00 .0% 014752 533050 FLD MRKNG 6,638.82 7,500.00 7,500.00 6,763.15 7,500.00 7,500.00 .0% 014752 533505 LAND EQUIP 5,224.93 6,500.00 6,500.00 3,062.50 8,269.80 6,500.00 .0% 014752 535200 LANDSC SUP 43,438.62 50,000.00 55,000.00 32,188.82 50,000.00 55,000.00 .0% 014752 537300 FENCE MAT 420.35 4,200.00 4,200.00 1,500.00 5,279.65 4,200.00 .0% 014752 537610 BEN&BARR .00 4,200.00 4,200.00 5,183.12 8,187.73 4,200.00 .0% 014752 537640 ADOPTASITE 5,000.00 .00 5,000.00 .00 .00 5,000.00 .0% 014752 537641 FLOWERVET .00 .00 .00 8,000.00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 68,181.72 78,900.00 88,900.00 59,697.59 85,737.18 88,900.00 .0% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 014752 551182 TREES 34,859.00 .00 100,000.00 141,363.15 41,363.15 100,000.00 .0% 014753 551168 PARKS 75,776.45 .00 536,000.00 283,791.55 283,791.55 .00 .0% 014753 551169 COURTUPGRA 7,694.15 .00 125,000.00 13,537.75 437.75 .00 .0% 014753 551177 FIELD .00 .00 352,300.00 33,000.00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 118,329.60 .00 1,113,300.00 471,692.45 325,592.45 100,000.00 -91.0% TOTAL PW PARK & FORESTRY 952,105.45 880,367.00 2,163,192.00 1,203,091.16 1,239,455.91 1,086,999.00 -49.8% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 28 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 485 PW AUTOMOTIVE 51 SALARIES 014851 511000 S & W 167,223.01 155,827.00 212,951.00 125,826.73 155,827.00 150,368.00 -29.4% 014851 513000 OVERTIME 11,414.77 6,160.00 6,160.00 5,918.35 6,160.00 6,160.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 178,637.78 161,987.00 219,111.00 131,745.08 161,987.00 156,528.00 -28.6% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014852 531000 GAS & OIL 30,589.49 120,000.00 120,000.00 97,677.29 120,000.00 140,000.00 16.7% 014852 531200 TIRES 2,304.18 15,000.00 15,000.00 10,000.00 15,000.00 21,775.00 45.2% 014852 531204 POL TIRES 3,000.00 3,308.00 3,308.00 2,500.00 3,308.00 3,308.00 .0% 014852 531205 WELD SUPP 1,639.05 2,040.00 2,040.00 1,500.00 2,040.00 2,040.00 .0% 014852 531500 BATTERIES 1,500.00 4,245.00 4,245.00 .00 4,245.00 4,245.00 .0% 014852 531800 PARTS&REP 93,282.06 98,313.00 98,313.00 122,363.76 102,609.26 98,313.00 .0% 014852 531824 EVCHARGIN .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 15,000.00 .0% 014852 532000 CLEAN&DISF 2,413.00 3,360.00 3,360.00 3,020.00 3,360.00 3,360.00 .0% 014852 533500 TOOLS 2,961.82 4,500.00 4,500.00 2,047.64 4,500.00 4,500.00 .0% 01485542 531804 POL MV RP 13,077.91 20,000.00 20,000.00 30,678.94 27,660.96 25,650.00 28.3% 01485772 531814 ALL SCH MV 4,517.38 8,400.00 8,400.00 1,200.00 8,400.00 8,400.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 155,284.89 279,166.00 279,166.00 270,987.63 291,123.22 326,591.00 17.0% TOTAL PW AUTOMOTIVE 333,922.67 441,153.00 498,277.00 402,732.71 453,110.22 483,119.00 -3.0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 29 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 491 CEMETERY 51 SALARIES 014911 511000 S & W 166,192.07 146,694.00 208,038.00 141,307.65 146,694.00 294,494.00 41.6% 014911 512000 PT S&W 21,096.54 15,000.00 24,580.00 4,266.86 15,000.00 24,650.00 .3% 014911 513000 OVERTIME 16,654.08 15,400.00 15,400.00 22,616.47 15,400.00 15,400.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES 203,942.69 177,094.00 248,018.00 168,190.98 177,094.00 334,544.00 34.9% 52 CONTRACTUAL 014912 524000 HIRE EQUIP 5,593.10 3,000.00 3,000.00 .00 3,000.00 4,800.00 60.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 5,593.10 3,000.00 3,000.00 .00 3,000.00 4,800.00 60.0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 014912 530704 CEM MARK .00 2,500.00 2,500.00 .00 2,500.00 2,500.00 .0% 014912 531205 WELD SUPP 201.55 850.00 850.00 500.00 850.00 850.00 .0% 014912 532000 CLEAN&DISF .00 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 900.00 80.0% 014912 535200 LANDSC SUP 12,397.95 12,000.00 12,000.00 8,327.31 12,869.00 16,700.00 39.2% 014912 536000 CEM&CONCR .00 1,000.00 1,000.00 .00 1,000.00 4,500.00 350.0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 12,599.50 16,850.00 16,850.00 9,327.31 17,719.00 25,450.00 51.0% TOTAL CEMETERY 222,135.29 196,944.00 267,868.00 177,518.29 197,813.00 364,794.00 36.2% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 30 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 511 HEALTH 51 SALARIES 015111 511000 S & W 539,988.88 539,369.00 539,369.00 468,470.96 539,369.00 634,428.00 17.6% 015111 513000 OVERTIME .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 25,000.00 .0% 01511771 511000 S&W SCHOOL 712,986.88 747,047.00 747,047.00 545,224.37 747,047.00 842,326.00 12.8% TOTAL SALARIES 1,252,975.76 1,286,416.00 1,286,416.00 1,013,695.33 1,286,416.00 1,501,754.00 16.7% 52 CONTRACTUAL 015112 520500 ADVERTISE .00 250.00 250.00 .00 250.00 250.00 .0% 015112 521000 PRINTING 282.37 250.00 250.00 67.42 250.00 250.00 .0% 015112 522711 SHARPS 1,750.00 1,800.00 1,800.00 1,610.00 1,940.00 1,800.00 .0% 015112 523000 MILEAGE 490.43 1,000.00 1,000.00 192.38 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% 015112 524500 PEST CONTR 24,893.97 21,500.00 21,500.00 19,853.06 21,500.00 21,500.00 .0% 015112 529000 PROF SERV 380.64 8,000.00 8,000.00 502.00 8,000.00 8,000.00 .0% 015112 529031 ANIM SHELT 3,282.74 4,000.00 4,000.00 200.00 4,000.00 9,000.00 125.0% 01511772 529000 PROF SERV 5,528.69 9,000.00 9,000.00 7,135.50 9,000.00 9,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 36,608.84 45,800.00 45,800.00 29,560.36 45,940.00 50,800.00 10.9% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 015112 530501 MISC SUP 726.23 600.00 600.00 262.44 600.00 600.00 .0% 015112 533500 TOOLS 410.84 600.00 600.00 98.07 600.00 600.00 .0% 01511772 532100 MEDICALSUP 8,667.69 8,900.00 8,900.00 3,732.50 8,900.00 8,900.00 .0% 01511772 535501 CLOTHING 4,000.00 4,400.00 4,400.00 4,000.00 4,400.00 4,800.00 9.1% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 13,804.76 14,500.00 14,500.00 8,093.01 14,500.00 14,900.00 2.8% 54 OTHER CHARGES 015112 540500 DUES/MEMB 905.64 800.00 800.00 1,045.38 800.00 800.00 .0% 015112 540700 SEMINARS 2,520.37 2,500.00 2,500.00 606.16 2,500.00 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 3,426.01 3,300.00 3,300.00 1,651.54 3,300.00 3,300.00 .0% TOTAL HEALTH 1,306,815.37 1,350,016.00 1,350,016.00 1,053,000.24 1,350,156.00 1,570,754.00 16.4% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 31 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 540 BEEBE ESTATE 52 CONTRACTUAL 015402 522505 BEEBE ELEC 2,544.70 1,800.00 1,800.00 2,012.16 1,800.00 1,800.00 .0% 015402 522605 BEEBE GAS 3,369.32 3,900.00 3,900.00 3,998.75 3,900.00 3,900.00 .0% 015402 527700 BLDGREPAIR 749.82 2,000.00 2,000.00 1,044.15 2,000.00 2,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 6,663.84 7,700.00 7,700.00 7,055.06 7,700.00 7,700.00 .0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 015402 530501 MISC SUP .00 200.00 200.00 .00 200.00 200.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL .00 200.00 200.00 .00 200.00 200.00 .0% TOTAL BEEBE ESTATE 6,663.84 7,900.00 7,900.00 7,055.06 7,900.00 7,900.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 32 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 541 COUNCIL ON AGING 51 SALARIES 015411 511000 S & W 285,779.30 260,084.00 260,084.00 223,647.76 260,084.00 294,946.00 13.4% TOTAL SALARIES 285,779.30 260,084.00 260,084.00 223,647.76 260,084.00 294,946.00 13.4% 52 CONTRACTUAL 015412 521000 PRINTING .00 400.00 400.00 400.00 400.00 400.00 .0% 015412 523000 MILEAGE 130.25 50.00 50.00 .00 50.00 100.00 100.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 130.25 450.00 450.00 400.00 450.00 500.00 11.1% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 015412 530501 MISC SUP 1,084.92 1,095.00 1,095.00 1,095.00 1,095.00 2,500.00 128.3% 015412 535500 UNIFORMS 400.00 400.00 400.00 42.00 400.00 500.00 25.0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 1,484.92 1,495.00 1,495.00 1,137.00 1,495.00 3,000.00 100.7% 54 OTHER CHARGES 015412 540500 DUES/MEMB 3,332.00 3,332.00 3,332.00 2,626.56 3,332.00 4,415.00 32.5% 015412 543800 PROGRAM SU .00 .00 40,000.00 11,213.88 .00 2,500.00 -93.8% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 3,332.00 3,332.00 43,332.00 13,840.44 3,332.00 6,915.00 -84.0% TOTAL COUNCIL ON AGING 290,726.47 265,361.00 305,361.00 239,025.20 265,361.00 305,361.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 33 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 542 WOMEN'S COMMISSION 54 OTHER CHARGES 015422 540000 OTH CHGEXP 1,025.52 .00 .00 117.50 117.50 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 1,025.52 .00 .00 117.50 117.50 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL WOMEN'S COMMISSION 1,025.52 .00 .00 117.50 117.50 2,500.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 34 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 543 VETERANS 51 SALARIES 015431 511000 S & W 179,987.48 74,256.00 74,256.00 63,272.40 74,256.00 76,513.00 3.0% TOTAL SALARIES 179,987.48 74,256.00 74,256.00 63,272.40 74,256.00 76,513.00 3.0% 52 CONTRACTUAL 015432 523000 MILEAGE 246.50 100.00 100.00 492.08 100.00 1,000.00 900.0% 015432 525303 LICENSES 973.04 1,000.00 1,000.00 .00 1,000.00 500.00 -50.0% 015432 527803 WAR MEM 1,947.58 5,000.00 5,000.00 2,594.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 100.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 3,167.12 6,100.00 6,100.00 3,086.08 6,100.00 11,500.00 88.5% 54 OTHER CHARGES 015432 540500 DUES 185.91 250.00 250.00 600.94 250.00 200.00 -20.0% 015432 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 1,721.22 1,000.00 1,000.00 513.28 1,000.00 3,000.00 200.0% 015432 543800 PROGRAM SU .00 .00 30,000.00 5,835.26 .00 .00 .0% 015432 544000 VET BENE 157,806.81 175,000.00 175,000.00 152,151.17 175,000.00 192,650.00 10.1% 015432 544020 EVENTS .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 5,000.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 159,713.94 176,250.00 206,250.00 159,100.65 176,250.00 200,850.00 -2.6% TOTAL VETERANS 342,868.54 256,606.00 286,606.00 225,459.13 256,606.00 288,863.00 .8% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 35 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 544 HUMAN RIGHTS 54 OTHER CHARGES 015442 540000 OTH CHGEXP .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL HUMAN RIGHTS .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 2,500.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 36 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 545 DISABILITY COMMISSION 54 OTHER CHARGES 015452 540000 OTH CHGEXP 1,461.45 .00 .00 605.44 605.44 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 1,461.45 .00 .00 605.44 605.44 2,500.00 .0% TOTAL DISABILITY COMMISSION 1,461.45 .00 .00 605.44 605.44 2,500.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 37 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 611 LIBRARY 51 SALARIES 016111 511000 S & W 1,064,612.52 1,052,032.00 1,077,347.00 912,321.30 1,052,032.00 1,170,932.00 8.7% 016111 513000 OVERTIME 12,770.02 12,881.00 12,881.00 8,082.98 12,881.00 14,901.00 15.7% TOTAL SALARIES 1,077,382.54 1,064,913.00 1,090,228.00 920,404.28 1,064,913.00 1,185,833.00 8.8% 52 CONTRACTUAL 016112 521000 PRINTING 461.72 1,000.00 1,000.00 593.29 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% 016112 521500 POSTAGE 1,000.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 1,740.19 1,000.00 1,000.00 .0% 016112 523000 MILEAGE 85.93 250.00 250.00 .00 250.00 250.00 .0% 016112 525104 NOBLE 52,780.02 54,372.00 54,372.00 54,372.00 54,372.00 55,869.00 2.8% 016112 527702 CONTRACT 15,937.33 15,235.00 15,235.00 14,515.52 15,235.00 15,235.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 70,265.00 71,857.00 71,857.00 71,221.00 71,857.00 73,354.00 2.1% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 016112 530100 COMP PURCH 1,484.00 1,500.00 1,500.00 492.99 1,500.00 1,500.00 .0% 016112 530500 OFFICE SUP 7,894.07 8,000.00 8,000.00 8,889.63 8,000.00 8,000.00 .0% 016112 534100 AUDIO MAT 1,232.48 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,332.79 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 016112 534150 VIDEO FORM 2,141.78 3,000.00 3,000.00 2,012.86 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 016112 534200 BOOKS 46,810.92 35,000.00 51,550.00 51,550.00 35,000.00 53,000.00 2.8% 016112 534210 ELECTRONIC 1,792.75 2,330.00 2,330.00 2,192.35 2,330.00 2,330.00 .0% 016112 534220 NETWRK ECO 27,225.00 27,225.00 27,225.00 27,225.00 27,225.00 30,155.00 10.8% 016112 534230 DOWNLOAD 22,660.97 20,000.00 20,000.00 19,247.43 20,000.00 20,000.00 .0% 016112 534240 ELECTR DAT 16,581.74 17,800.00 17,800.00 12,370.29 17,800.00 15,000.00 -15.7% 016112 534300 LIB PASSES 2,375.00 2,375.00 2,375.00 2,375.00 2,375.00 2,375.00 .0% 016112 534800 RECRE SUP 1,031.29 1,000.00 1,000.00 944.53 1,000.00 .00 -100.0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 131,230.00 121,230.00 137,780.00 129,632.87 121,230.00 138,360.00 .4% 54 OTHER CHARGES 016112 540500 DUES/MEMB 814.00 300.00 300.00 425.00 300.00 300.00 .0% 016112 540600 EDUC/SEMIN 500.00 500.00 500.00 .00 500.00 500.00 .0% 016112 542700 RECPROGRAM 2,086.00 2,600.00 2,600.00 2,455.00 2,600.00 2,600.00 .0% 016112 543800 PROGRAM SU .00 .00 10,000.00 9,311.05 .00 10,000.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 3,400.00 3,400.00 13,400.00 12,191.05 3,400.00 13,400.00 .0% TOTAL LIBRARY 1,282,277.54 1,261,400.00 1,313,265.00 1,133,449.20 1,261,400.00 1,410,947.00 7.4% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 38 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 631 RECREATION 51 SALARIES 016311 511000 S & W .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 83,070.00 .0% TOTAL SALARIES .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 83,070.00 .0% TOTAL RECREATION .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 83,070.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 39 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 652 PINE BANKS 51 SALARIES 016521 511000 S & W 229,941.66 266,928.00 266,928.00 214,743.02 266,928.00 271,681.00 1.8% 016521 513000 OVERTIME 3,665.15 5,770.00 5,770.00 4,634.61 5,770.00 6,531.00 13.2% TOTAL SALARIES 233,606.81 272,698.00 272,698.00 219,377.63 272,698.00 278,212.00 2.0% 52 CONTRACTUAL 016522 522000 TELEPHONE 5,500.00 5,500.00 5,500.00 5,500.00 5,500.00 3,840.00 -30.2% 016522 522500 ELECTRIC 21,050.00 21,050.00 21,050.00 21,050.00 21,050.00 9,500.00 -54.9% 016522 527500 MV REPAIRS 3,000.00 3,000.00 3,000.00 3,000.00 3,000.00 3,000.00 .0% 016522 527700 BLDGREPAIR 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% 016522 528600 AUDIT SERV 13,000.00 13,000.00 13,000.00 13,000.00 13,000.00 16,425.00 26.3% 016522 528804 ATH FIELD 3,300.00 3,300.00 3,300.00 3,300.00 3,300.00 3,500.00 6.1% 016522 529000 PROF SERV 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 55,850.00 55,850.00 55,850.00 55,850.00 55,850.00 46,265.00 -17.2% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 016522 530500 OFFICE SUP 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 525.00 5.0% 016522 530800 HEAT FUEL 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,450.00 4,450.00 4,500.00 12.5% 016522 531000 GAS & OIL 3,500.00 3,500.00 3,500.00 3,500.00 3,500.00 3,500.00 .0% 016522 532000 CLEAN SUP 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 525.00 5.0% 016522 533000 PAINTS 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 525.00 5.0% 016522 533500 TOOLS 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 525.00 5.0% 016522 535100 PARK SUP 55,000.00 55,000.00 55,000.00 55,000.00 55,000.00 55,000.00 .0% 016522 537200 LUMBER 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 500.00 525.00 5.0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 65,000.00 65,000.00 65,000.00 65,450.00 65,450.00 65,625.00 1.0% 54 OTHER CHARGES 016522 543201 WCINS PINE 4,750.00 4,750.00 4,750.00 5,250.00 4,750.00 5,250.00 10.5% 016522 544320 FIRE INS 7,000.00 7,000.00 7,000.00 7,500.00 7,500.00 7,500.00 7.1% 016522 544325 PB LIAB IN 1,250.00 1,250.00 1,250.00 1,250.00 1,750.00 1,250.00 .0% 016522 544330 AUTO INS 2,550.00 2,550.00 2,550.00 2,875.00 2,875.00 2,875.00 12.7% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 15,550.00 15,550.00 15,550.00 16,875.00 16,875.00 16,875.00 8.5% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 016522 551053 PB VEH&EQU .00 .00 .00 15,520.50 .00 28,130.00 .0% 016523 551099 PB PROJECT 101,294.18 101,295.00 101,295.00 101,294.18 101,295.00 75,971.00 -25.0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 40 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 016523 551102 PF SHED 48,597.67 48,598.00 48,598.00 48,597.67 48,598.00 48,598.00 .0% 016523 551189 TURF/PLAYG 76,828.15 76,829.00 76,829.00 76,828.15 76,829.00 76,829.00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 226,720.00 226,722.00 226,722.00 242,240.50 226,722.00 229,528.00 1.2% TOTAL PINE BANKS 596,726.81 635,820.00 635,820.00 599,793.13 637,595.00 636,505.00 .1% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 41 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 693 MEMORIAL BUILDING 51 SALARIES 016931 511000 S & W 158,106.32 148,886.00 148,886.00 118,443.62 148,886.00 153,361.00 3.0% TOTAL SALARIES 158,106.32 148,886.00 148,886.00 118,443.62 148,886.00 153,361.00 3.0% 52 CONTRACTUAL 016932 522500 ELECTRIC 16,850.60 20,700.00 20,700.00 9,074.98 25,959.88 20,700.00 .0% 016932 522600 GAS HEAT 16,368.93 12,295.00 12,295.00 17,313.78 12,295.00 12,295.00 .0% 016932 527303 ELEVATOR 5,535.92 5,813.00 5,813.00 5,768.72 5,813.00 6,011.00 3.4% 016932 527700 BLDGREPAIR 8,645.29 6,273.00 6,273.00 1,861.12 6,273.00 6,273.00 .0% 016932 529000 PROF SERV 14,614.19 16,000.00 16,000.00 15,891.19 16,000.00 22,240.00 39.0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 62,014.93 61,081.00 61,081.00 49,909.79 66,340.88 67,519.00 10.5% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 016932 530501 MISC SUP 5,200.74 5,170.00 5,170.00 3,769.59 5,170.00 5,170.00 .0% 016932 530508 MARKET SUP 393.00 800.00 800.00 26.98 800.00 800.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 5,593.74 5,970.00 5,970.00 3,796.57 5,970.00 5,970.00 .0% TOTAL MEMORIAL BUILDING 225,714.99 215,937.00 215,937.00 172,149.98 221,196.88 226,850.00 5.1% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 42 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 711 MUNICIPAL DEBT 56 MISCELLANEOUS 017112 565000 MUNI DEBT 2,259,500.00 2,333,100.00 2,333,100.00 2,410,200.00 2,333,100.00 2,179,000.00 -6.6% 017112 565010 EX PRINC 1,733,909.35 1,809,910.00 1,809,910.00 1,809,909.35 1,809,910.00 1,934,410.00 6.9% TOTAL MISCELLANEOUS 3,993,409.35 4,143,010.00 4,143,010.00 4,220,109.35 4,143,010.00 4,113,410.00 -.7% TOTAL MUNICIPAL DEBT 3,993,409.35 4,143,010.00 4,143,010.00 4,220,109.35 4,143,010.00 4,113,410.00 -.7% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 43 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 751 MUNICIPAL DEBT INTEREST 54 OTHER CHARGES 017512 549102 MUNI INT 1,127,840.76 1,472,667.00 1,472,667.00 1,514,593.77 1,472,667.00 1,396,459.00 -5.2% 017512 549103 EXEMPT INT 227,255.94 159,778.00 159,778.00 159,777.75 159,778.00 2,042,017.00 1178.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 1,355,096.70 1,632,445.00 1,632,445.00 1,674,371.52 1,632,445.00 3,438,476.00 110.6% TOTAL MUNICIPAL DEBT INTERES 1,355,096.70 1,632,445.00 1,632,445.00 1,674,371.52 1,632,445.00 3,438,476.00 110.6% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 44 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 752 PROJECTED DEBT & TEMP INTEREST 54 OTHER CHARGES 017522 549100 PROJ DEBT 311,275.56 380,300.00 380,300.00 312,968.75 380,300.00 897,362.00 136.0% 017522 549103 EXEMPT INT .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 311,275.56 380,300.00 380,300.00 312,968.75 380,300.00 897,362.00 136.0% TOTAL PROJECTED DEBT & TEMP 311,275.56 380,300.00 380,300.00 312,968.75 380,300.00 897,362.00 136.0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 45 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 911 PENSION 51 SALARIES 019111 511010 CONTRIB 7,366,574.00 7,620,971.00 8,120,971.00 8,120,971.00 7,620,971.00 8,272,164.00 1.9% TOTAL SALARIES 7,366,574.00 7,620,971.00 8,120,971.00 8,120,971.00 7,620,971.00 8,272,164.00 1.9% TOTAL PENSION 7,366,574.00 7,620,971.00 8,120,971.00 8,120,971.00 7,620,971.00 8,272,164.00 1.9% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 46 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 912 WORKER'S COMPENSATION 54 OTHER CHARGES 019122 543100 W C MED 147,408.67 100,000.00 100,000.00 129,433.54 100,000.00 150,000.00 50.0% 019122 543101 W C EXP 35,166.32 50,000.00 50,000.00 36,309.03 50,000.00 50,000.00 .0% 019122 543102 W C BENE 241,935.54 234,000.00 234,000.00 212,089.44 234,000.00 234,000.00 .0% 019122 543200 INDEMN 80,331.61 70,000.00 70,000.00 55,961.52 70,000.00 70,000.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 504,842.14 454,000.00 454,000.00 433,793.53 454,000.00 504,000.00 11.0% TOTAL WORKER'S COMPENSATION 504,842.14 454,000.00 454,000.00 433,793.53 454,000.00 504,000.00 11.0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 47 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 913 UNEMPLOYMENT 54 OTHER CHARGES 019132 544400 UNEMP EXP 79,969.86 411,000.00 411,000.00 155,168.59 418,440.00 100,000.00 -75.7% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 79,969.86 411,000.00 411,000.00 155,168.59 418,440.00 100,000.00 -75.7% TOTAL UNEMPLOYMENT 79,969.86 411,000.00 411,000.00 155,168.59 418,440.00 100,000.00 -75.7% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 48 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 914 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 51 SALARIES 019141 511000 S & W 96,816.15 101,220.00 101,220.00 90,294.49 101,220.00 115,107.00 13.7% TOTAL SALARIES 96,816.15 101,220.00 101,220.00 90,294.49 101,220.00 115,107.00 13.7% 54 OTHER CHARGES 019142 549201 GROUP HEAL 13,139,054.91 14,500,000.00 14,942,455.00 11,914,426.63 14,500,000.00 16,426,989.00 9.9% 019142 549214 LIFE INS P 79,832.37 90,000.00 90,000.00 71,866.17 90,000.00 90,000.00 .0% 019142 549215 SENTINEL F 13,822.60 16,000.00 16,000.00 12,743.80 16,000.00 16,000.00 .0% 019142 549217 PART B 70% 928,880.95 985,000.00 985,000.00 953,755.00 985,000.00 1,056,720.00 7.3% 019142 549218 PART B PEN 21,673.90 22,000.00 22,000.00 15,694.00 22,000.00 22,000.00 .0% 019142 549223 HIATUS .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 .0% 019142 549224 OPT OUT 784,050.34 816,800.00 816,800.00 618,430.14 816,800.00 816,800.00 .0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 14,967,315.07 16,429,800.00 16,872,255.00 13,586,915.74 16,429,800.00 18,428,509.00 9.2% TOTAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 15,064,131.22 16,531,020.00 16,973,475.00 13,677,210.23 16,531,020.00 18,543,616.00 9.3% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 49 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 916 MEDICARE TAX CITY PORTION 54 OTHER CHARGES 019162 548000 MED TX CTY 983,942.45 1,005,581.00 1,046,705.00 848,010.22 1,005,581.00 1,099,040.00 5.0% TOTAL OTHER CHARGES 983,942.45 1,005,581.00 1,046,705.00 848,010.22 1,005,581.00 1,099,040.00 5.0% TOTAL MEDICARE TAX CITY PORT 983,942.45 1,005,581.00 1,046,705.00 848,010.22 1,005,581.00 1,099,040.00 5.0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 50 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 930 DEPARTMENTAL EQUIPMENT 52 CONTRACTUAL 019302 527602 IT COPY LE 47,006.97 27,707.00 27,707.00 21,125.30 31,023.21 27,707.00 .0% TOTAL CONTRACTUAL 47,006.97 27,707.00 27,707.00 21,125.30 31,023.21 27,707.00 .0% 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 019302 530100 IT COMP PU 66,308.12 28,000.00 28,000.00 28,000.00 28,000.00 28,000.00 .0% 019302 530103 IT PRINTER 3,541.10 2,000.00 2,000.00 2,173.10 2,371.26 2,000.00 .0% 019302 530500 OFFICE SUP 21,108.52 33,329.00 33,329.00 35,392.86 38,076.07 33,329.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 90,957.74 63,329.00 63,329.00 65,565.96 68,447.33 63,329.00 .0% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 019303 551059 PERMIT SFT 50,688.27 60,000.00 60,000.00 54,939.08 79,072.21 60,000.00 .0% 019303 551165 DRAIN 2,564.15 .00 .00 76,055.73 76,055.73 .00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 53,252.42 60,000.00 60,000.00 130,994.81 155,127.94 60,000.00 .0% TOTAL DEPARTMENTAL EQUIPMENT 191,217.13 151,036.00 151,036.00 217,686.07 254,598.48 151,036.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 51 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 931 CAPITAL OUTLAY 53 SUPPLIES & MATERIAL 019313 530706 FIRE EQUIP .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 109,000.00 .0% 019313 535505 BUNKER GEA .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 58,500.00 .0% 019313 537500 FURN&FIX .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 100,000.00 .0% 01931773 537500 FURN&TECH .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 100,000.00 .0% TOTAL SUPPLIES & MATERIAL .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 367,500.00 .0% 55 CAPITAL OUTLAY 019313 551032 PUMP .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 50,000.00 .0% 019313 551049 POL VEHICL .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 83,000.00 .0% 019313 551072 MASONRY .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 250,000.00 .0% 019313 551185 ARC ELECT .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 225,000.00 .0% 019313 551186 MILANO .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 75,000.00 .0% 01931773 551097 SCHOOL IT 114,868.29 .00 .00 .00 8,953.47 325,000.00 .0% 01931773 551168 PARKS .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 200,000.00 .0% 01931773 551193 MVMMS .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 100,000.00 .0% 01931773 551196 HOOV APR .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 75,000.00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 114,868.29 .00 .00 .00 8,953.47 1,383,000.00 .0% TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY 114,868.29 .00 .00 .00 8,953.47 1,750,500.00 .0% Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 52 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrptsCITY OF MELROSE v2024.7 LIVE NEXT YEAR / CURRENT YEAR BUDGET ANALYSIS PROJECTION: 2027 FISCAL YEAR 2027 OPERATING BUDGET FOR PERIOD 99 ACCOUNTS FOR: 2025 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 PCT GENERAL FUND ACTUAL ORIG BUD REVISED BUD ACTUAL PROJECTION MAYOR CHANGE 942 STABILIZATION FUNDS 56 MISCELLANEOUS 019422 561300 STABIL TRT 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 .00 50,000.00 50,000.00 .0% 019422 561350 CONTRACT .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 400,000.00 .0% 019422 561400 OPEB TRUST 50,000.00 50,000.00 550,000.00 .00 50,000.00 50,000.00 -90.9% TOTAL MISCELLANEOUS 100,000.00 100,000.00 600,000.00 .00 100,000.00 500,000.00 -16.7% TOTAL STABILIZATION FUNDS 100,000.00 100,000.00 600,000.00 .00 100,000.00 500,000.00 -16.7% TOTAL GENERAL FUND 64,190,836.38 107,575,802.00 121,092,352.00 66,213,351.77 109,305,232.97 126,652,797.00 4.6% GRAND TOTAL 64,190,836.38 107,575,802.00 121,092,352.00 66,213,351.77 109,305,232.97 126,652,797.00 4.6% ** END OF REPORT - Generated by Kerriann Golden ** Report generated: 05/07/2026 14:29 Page 53 User: kgolden Program ID: bgnyrpts Fiscal Year 2027 Board/Commission Memo to City Council Board/Commission: Beebe Estate Name of Chair: Bill Butler 1. Board/Commission Overview: Trustees appointed to steward the Beebe Estate 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: Accomplishments: New master lock and key system, exterior painting, holiday decor, appointed new member and Building Manager, John Tozza, extra shrub pruning, new website done in partnership with the Creative Alliance, hosted second year of Bier Garden events. Challenges: gutter inspection - looking to replace gutter in phases this and next FY. 3. FY 27 Priorities: Generate more awareness of the estate for private rental use via online marketing campaign and special events. Complete gutter renovation. Complete wiﬁ installation for the use of renters. 4. What, if anything, has changed for your Board/Commission Budget for FY 27? Nothing. Fiscal Year 2027 Board/Commission Memo to City Council Board/Commission: Commission on Disability Name of Chair: Gary Hale 1. Board/Commission Overview: The purpose of the Commission on Disability is to provide advocacy, education and information toward the goal of assuring that Melrose is fully inclusive of all people with disabilities. The Commission is comprised of seven members, four of whom are individuals with disabilities, one a parent of a young adult with a disability, one member with years of experience in the field of disability, and a City liaison. Several of our members have many years of experience working with people with disabilities in various ways and toward unique goals. The predominance of a perspective on disability as it exists on our Commission makes us an informed and insightful group that effectively advocates for Melrose residents with disabilities and that provides an expert resource to the City in its shared commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: A. The Commission worked with City personnel to obtain a $171,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office on Disability to address some accessibility needs in three elementary schools. The work was underway during the April school vacation. B. The Commission completed and is distributing a “Guide for Community Organizations” that addresses ways in which people with disabilities can be welcomed and included in organizational activities, considerations for ensuring accessibility in meeting spaces and when conducting events, and ways to address reasonable accommodation requests. C. Last July, the Commission organized some activities to acknowledge disability pride month and to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Activities included a panel discussion, a book reading about disability for children and a mural was painted on the side of the YMCA. D. The Commission initiated and effort to connect students with disabilities at the high school with work experience opportunities at Melrose businesses. This has been a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and the High School Special Ed Department. E. The Commission provided a resource to work with the City toward website accessibility. City the size of Melrose are expected by the State to have addressed this satisfactorily by April, 2027. F. We have taken on some advocacy issues, particularly when it tends to effect the disability community at large. An example of this are the ‘no parking’ signs along Lebanon Street across from the softball field. 3. FY 27 Priorities: A. The Commission will be available to provide education and resources pertaining to the Guide for Community Organizations. B. We intend to continue and expand our initiative to increase the participation of community businesses in providing work exposure and experience for students with disabilities at the High School C. We will, again, arrange activities for Disability Pride Month, July. D. We will continue to develop our partnerships with city departments to bring important advocacy issues to their attention and to provide our resources and expertise when requested. E. We will continue to seek ways to reach out to and connect with the disability community in Melrose. 4. What, if anything, has changed for your Board/Commission Budget for FY 27? In FY’26, the Commission on Disability had no budget although the City was very supportive in finding funds to cover our few expenses. As the Commission on Disability, we are able to access the Handicapped Parking Violation fund by requesting these funds through the City. In FY’27, we anticipate a budget of $2,500 which we will prudently utilize to support our priority activities. Fiscal Year 2027 Board/Commission Memo to City Council Board/Commission: Human Rights Commission Name of Chair: Josh Shortlidge 1. Board/Commission Overview: a. The Melrose Human Rights Commission (MHRC) works closely with City of Melrose leadership and partners to address issues of human and civil rights, reinforces a positive atmosphere in the community, and amplifies and promotes organizations and people working to make Melrose one community, open to all. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: a. Distributed “Know Your Rights” (KYR) Red Cards in seventeen languages at Melrose City Hall, the Melrose Farmers Market, and other high-need locations i. KYR Red Cards are small, business-card-sized tools that help individuals assert their constitutional rights during encounters with immigration or law enforcement b. Published three resource guides to connect vulnerable community members with available services: i. Legal and Civil Rights Resource Guide (PDF) ii. LGBTQ+ Resource Guide (PDF) iii. Immigrant and Refugee Legal Resource Guide (PDF) c. Created an intake process to review claims of discrimination based on protected class and provide referrals to appropriate agencies and resources d. Increased community engagement through social media outreach e. Provided supplies and support for community events, including MLK Day of Service and the Roosevelt School World Culture Fair f. Challenge: The absence of an administrative budget limited the scale, consistency, and reach of these efforts 3. FY 27 Priorities: a. Visibility: Strengthen MHRC’s role as a trusted public resource i. Publish human and civil rights explainer pieces in local media ii. Participate in community events to share MHRC materials and KYR information b. Education: Expand KYR and documentation training i. Host KYR trainings, including at least one in a high-need location ii. Partner with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office for trainings (KYR, active bystander) iii. Continue distribution of KYR cards and resource materials iv. Develop educational materials explaining judicial vs. administrative warrants c. Community Coordination: Strengthen local alignment i. Clarify and publish ICE-related policies in coordination with Melrose Police ii. Confirm and document policies for Melrose Public Schools and Melrose Wakefield Hospital d. Community Engagement: Deepen participation and support i. Facilitate community forums to explain policies and answer questions ii. Ensure legal training resources are accessible to residents iii. Host or co-host active/aware bystander trainings with community partners e. Foundations: Build internal capacity i. Provide training for commissioners on human and civil rights fundamentals 4. What, if anything, has changed for your Board/Commission Budget for FY 27? a. The need for resources, trainings, and community engagement has increased. MHRC has established a strong foundation for outreach aligned with the City's commitment to protecting residents' rights. With funding, the Commission can expand multilingual materials, replenish KYR cards, and host public forums, trainings, and interpretation services. b. Without a restored budget, MHRC's ability to provide consistent programming, respond to community needs, and proactively address discrimination and misinformation will remain limited. c. Request: Restoration of an annual operating budget of $2,500 to support: i. Printing and translation of materials ii. Community events and trainings iii. Outreach supplies and tools iv. Administrative support Fiscal Year 2027 Board/Commission Memo to City Council Board/Commission: Commission on Women Name of Chair: Karen Blackburn & Alli Goldberg 1. Board/Commission Overview: The Melrose Commission on Women (“MCW”) works to investigate, understand, educate, and promote constructive action in areas of interest and concern to all women and girls, including trans women and girls, in our community. As a central voice in the community, MCW promotes opportunities, fosters equity and belonging, and provides the community with a vehicle for information, advocacy and action on issues affecting all women. Understanding that our community is open to all, we advocate and support diversity across all aspects of our lives - gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, culture, age, abilities, and socio-economic background. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: Despite not having a budget due to the fiscal realities of the city, the MCW had a productive year. Building on the success of our financial literacy event to close out the previous fiscal year, we once again focused on bring women together to engage with and learn from one another. We hosted two book club events centered on women’s brain health—understanding some of the factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s in women and the role nutrition plays. Both events were held at The Residence at Melrose Station and close to 50 people attended. We are currently planning a June event focused on the role fitness plays in preventing Alzheimer’s and leading a healthy life. We welcomed three new commissioners, who each bring a variety of expertise and passion to this work. The most significant challenge has been finding creative ways to introduce more of the community to our work and events. We’ve been unable to utilize our Facebook account for several years but have finally developed a workaround that should make raising awareness of our events and engagement opportunities much easier. 3. FY 27 Priorities: With our commissioners having incredible full lives outside of this work, we aim to keep our programming focused and simple. In FY27 we plan to revisit our interview series with MMTV, EmpowerHER, where we interviewed leaders in our community on issues of importance to women. We’ll continue with our thematic book events and will explore other programming ideas depending on issues and opportunities facing our primary constituents. 4. What, if anything, has changed for your Board/Commission Budget for FY 27? Having a budget for FY27 will be a huge help in ensuring our programming is not solely reliant on donated time and items. Fiscal Year 2027 Board/Commission Memo to City Council Board/Commission: Liquor License Commission Name of Chair: Joseph P. Nevin, Jr. 1. Board/Commission Overview: FY 2026 was a solid year. Melrose currently has 21 liquor licenses issued – 12 Restaurants (3 wine & malt beverages and 9 full alcohol), 3 Retail full alcohol licenses, 1 Farmer/Brewer license and 5 Private Clubs. The Liquor License Commission met on a monthly basis. All licenses were renewed in December 2025. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: a. New Licenses – Three new establishments opened • Restaurant Full Alcohol – Bangkok Thai • Restaurant Wine & Malt Beverages – Table 4 & Big Fin Poke • Retail Full Alcohol – Franklin Market b. Farmers market multiple one day permits/multiple vendors – summer & winter c. One day permits – We issue approximately 25 – 40 one day permits annually. d. We had one Commissioner depart the Commission (Kevin Cronin) and added a new Commissioner (Diane Casey). We thank and greatly appreciate Commissioner Cronin’s time, dedication and service to the commission and welcome Commissioner Casey. 3. FY 27 Priorities: a. Review current Melrose Liquor Licensing Commission General Rules and Regulations for Licensing of Alcoholic Beverage Sales in the City of Melrose, last amended March 30, 2015. b. Review current license fees and those of surrounding communities. c. License Renewals. d. Website update. 4. What, if anything, has changed for your Board/Commission Budget for FY 27? No change. Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Clerk’s/Elections Name of Department Head: Tanji Cifuni 1. Department Overview and Mission: The City Clerk is the official keeper of the history and records of Melrose. Our mission remains dedicated to maintaining and protecting historical records as safely as possible while also servicing the public by providing information in an efficient and timely manner. At the literal and figurative main entrance to City Hall, the Clerk’s office is a busy, vibrant gateway municipal services. Often the first point of contact with the public is to respond to questions and concerns that arise with our residents. The 4-person department consists of a City Clerk, an Assistant City Clerk, an Elections Administrator and a Senior Clerk. City Clerk Tanji Cifuni Asst. City Clerk Linda Reed Election Clerk James Harris Senior Clerk Kathy Maihack Records kept by the office include: • Vitals Statistics: Births, Deaths, Marriages, Affidavits & Correction of Vitals • Election and Census records • Business Certificate Filings and Dissolution • Original filings of Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning, Site Plan and Slope Protection Decisions (29 cases) • All notifications of meetings of municipal governmental bodies (253 meetings) • Common Victualler Licenses, Second Hand Dealers Licenses, Class I & II Motor Vehicle Licenses, Gasoline Storage Certificates, Food Truck and Hackney license • Dog Licenses • Insurance Claim filings • Raffle permits • Conflict of Interest completion records • Oaths of Office and Committee • All City Council documents: Orders, ordinances, resolutions and motions minutes, agenda for all meetings, Council related Mayoral communications and all City of Melrose Board and Commission appointments (25 council meetings) 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: FY 27 Budget Memo page. 1 • Conducted a successful local election in November with 11,227 voters turning out which is 51% of the total registered voters ( Early Voters 4857 and Election Day 6370) • Distribution of annual online Conflict of Interest training information to all City employees including public safety and public school personnel. • Rolled out a new software platform for city and school agenda and minutes across the city. This was a large undertaking and the roll out of the program was successful. • Annual training of election workers with almost 100 percent attendance • Continued organization, inspection and preservation of municipal records • Electronic distribution of monthly Campaign Finance newsletter • Refresh and update to departmental webpages • Updated our licensing and permit fees for the department • Created and or edited our annual license applications • Coordinated a SAFE audit with the State ( Paid for by the State ) on our election procedures on a daily basis as well as Election Day • Revamped the nomination packages for the local election • Mailed out over 16,000 census first week in January and to date have received and processed a little over 10,000 over the last few months. We will be mailing out a REMINDER confirmation card to all registered voters that have not mailed in their census in the next week. • Send updated Registered Dog Licenses to BOH the first day of the Month to post on website • Send the State Representative the list of all newly registered voters on the first day of each month 3. FY 27 Priorities: Updating the 28 Election Poll pads for the Primary and November State Elections Running a smooth State Primary and November election Increasing the voter turnout for State elections 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? At this time, we did not run against any negative financial constraints because we plan accordingly. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? Election Office If a School Committee member runs for office then we manage the election process and make sure that the candidate files their campaign finance reports in a timely manner. City Clerks office • Perform the oaths for the School Committee members • We also make sure that all school staff members complete the annual conflict of interest training FY 27 Budget Memo page. 2 • Post Agendas and minutes for all School Subcommittee meetings 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? The City Council, Clerks Office and Elections office was not negatively or positively affected by the result of the override election at this time. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 3 Total number of transactions Total Sterilized dogs @$23 each 1597 $36,728 Intact dogs @$25 each 131 $3,275 Late Fee @ $18 each 150 $4,178 Replacement Tag @ $5 each - Total 2 = $10.00 2 $10 Marriage Certificates @ $20 each - Over the counter 75 $1,500 Birth Certificates -@ $20 each - Over the counter 642 $12,840 Death Certificates -@ $20 each - Over the counter 474 $9,480 Marriage Certificates - @ $22 each- Online 72 $1,584 Birth Certificates - @ $22 each - Online 419 $9,218 Death Certificates - @22 each - Online 288 $6,336 Marriage Intentions -@75 each 28 $2,100 Mail-In Vital Requests -@ $22 each 40 $880 Gas and Storage -Different amounts per location 29 $3,137 Fees -@ $50 each 15 $750 Amendments - @ $75 each 10 $750 Planning Board -Different amounts per job 2 $2,165 Board of Appeals Commerical - @ $500 each 1 $500 Board of Appeals Residential @ $350 each 10 $3,500 Business Certificates - @ $75 each 35 $2,625 Change of Business - @ $15 each 2 $30 Common Victualler - @ $175 each 40 $7,000 Class II Motor - @ $150 each 5 $750 Second Hand Dealer - @ $150 each 3 $450 Livery -$175 each 1 $175 Raffles - @ $50 for new $10 for renewal 2 $60 Copies - @ 1.00 each 9 $9.00 Total $110,030 FY 27 Budget Memo page. 4 Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Council on Aging Name of Department Head: Erica Drummond 1. Department Overview and Mission: The Melrose Council on Aging (COA) aims to connect older adults with programs, resources, and services in our community to generate a positive impact on daily living. The COA serves older adults aged 60+. Members of the Milano Center have the opportunity to participate in fitness programs, social engagement activities, and educational presentations. Members can also take advantage of resources like the COA’s social services team and transportation program. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: a. Marked progress on strategic planning goals that were created from the 2022 Needs Assessment including creation of resources for housing options, an ADU information session, assisting members with MBTA discount passes, a digital literacy program on rideshare apps, a YMCA information session, Senior Strolls with the Friends of the Middlesex Fells, the continuation of our weekly walking club, resource creation for food insecurity, a monthly men’s breakfast to increase male membership, distribution of a resource guide and accessible walking maps, hosting our annual Open House and Resource Fair, increasing fitness class offerings, and creating participant led programming like armchair travel. b. Progress towards an Age-Friendly/Dementia-Friendly city designation with plans to officially apply by the end of the fiscal year c. As of 4/24/2026, the Milano Center has served 1,199 individuals who have recorded 14,104 check ins. d. As of 4/24/2026, the Council on Aging transportation program has provided 2,034 rides to Melrose residents, with 524 of those going to medical destinations. e. Challenges included an update to our weekly schedule to maximize parking efficiency, increased costs of goods and services, and special limitations within the Milano Center building. 3. FY 27 Priorities: a. Updates to the Council on Aging city webpage to include tax relief resources, support groups, durable medical equipment, Memory Café, and all program offerings b. “Milano on the Move” programming to work more collaboratively with local resources, businesses, and city departments c. Memory Café – continuing this monthly resource for caregivers and their loved ones d. “Aging in Place” panel e. “Enriching Retirement” programming f. Member-led programming FY 27 Budget Memo page. 1 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? Changes to the department’s budget include several line item increases to create level funding from FY25, increases to salaries and wages to keep positions competitive, and increases to the “Dues & Memberships” line item to reflect the higher costs of services. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? N/A 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? The Proposition 2 ½ Override has ensured that the Council on Aging’s Milano Center can continue to operate at levels residents have come to expect. This includes the transportation program, social services, fitness offerings, social engagement activities, and educational opportunities. Specifically, the Milano Center will reduce fitness class fees from $5 per class to $2 per class in order to maximize participation in these vital programs. Without the Proposition 2 ½ Override, this price reduction would not be possible. In addition to level funding from FY25, the Council on Aging is also benefiting from $40,000 in capital funding from the override to install lighting along the driveway. Upon completion, this project will provide safe access to participants who walk to evening events, as well as increasing the overall security of the property. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 2 Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Veterans’ Services Name of Department Head: Tammy Shovelton 1. Department Overview and Mission: Melrose Veterans’ Services administers all aspects of Massachusetts Chapter 115—including emergency funds for urgent needs—helps veterans and families understand and file for federal, state, and local benefits, liaises on VA claims and appeals, hosts benefits-review meetings to explain changes, coordinates Veterans Day and Memorial Day commemorations, cares for and preserves Melrose’s veterans monuments, and operates a monthly food mart where veterans and family members select the groceries they need. These efforts cut red tape, improve food security, protect historic memorials, and reduce hardship while honoring the service of our veteran community. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: In FY26, Melrose Veterans’ Services relocated its office from the Milano Center to City Hall to improve access and coordination; restored the Otis W. Bishop Memorial Plaque; conducted several outreach events; actively supported 77 veterans on VA claims; ensured 16 veterans or dependents received Chapter 115 assistance; and launched Monthly Veteran Socials to strengthen community connection. We also formally codified and publicly published the Veterans Property Tax Work-Off Program 3. FY 27 Priorities: Sustain and expand outreach through monthly socials, neighborhood pop-up benefits clinics, and quarterly workshops; provide comprehensive care and preservation of all veterans memorials citywide with a documented inspection/maintenance schedule; and host Thanksgiving and Christmas community dinners for Melrose veterans and families with on-site benefits navigation, and follow-up case management—strengthening access to benefits, food security, and community connection. 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? In FY27, the Veterans’ Services Department will implement a 3% salary increase, increase mileage funding to support home visits and event logistics, expand war memorial maintenance, strengthen outreach programming, and increase the veteran’s benefits line. We are also raising the allocation FY 27 Budget Memo page. 1 for employee professional development to ensure staff can meet evolving state and federal standards in benefits administration, claims processing, compliance. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? NA 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? Thanks to the override, the Veterans’ Services Department has restored outreach funding and raised targeted spending levels where needs are most acute—professional development (required training), mileage for home visits and outreach, war memorial maintenance, veterans’ benefits assistance, and employee education/seminars—while decreasing software and licensing costs through consolidation and efficiencies. These adjustments sustain service quality, expand access to benefits, and ensure we can meet growing demand and deliver timely support to Melrose veterans and their families. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 2 Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Mayor (121) Name of Department Head: Mayor Jen Grigoraitis 1. Department Overview and Mission: The mayor is the chief executive officer of the City of Melrose, elected by the voters at large every four years. The mayor oversees all City operations and is responsible for appointing department heads, city officers, and the members of multi-member bodies (Boards & Commissions). Jen Grigoraitis is the 24th Mayor of Melrose, the first woman elected mayor, and assumed office on January 8, 2024. The mayor has oversight over all City departments, with all department heads with the exception of the superintendent of schools, reporting to the mayor. Per city charter, the mayor serves as an ex officio member of the Melrose School Committee, which hires and supervises the superintendent. The mayor’s office engages with a variety of stakeholders, including residents; federal, state, and local elected officials; members of City boards and commissions; and local media Staff also regularly provide information and resources to residents via email, phone and in-person visits. The Mayor’s Department is currently staffed by the following employees: • Mayor Jen Grigoraitis • Chief of Staff, Lauren Grymek • Communications & Events Manager, Thomas Dalton • Part-Time Executive Assistant to the Mayor and Constituent Services Representative, Diane MacDonald The Mayor’s Department continues to utilize and manage Property Tax Work Off Participants who provide front desk coverage to answer and transfer phone calls within City Hall, greet and assist walk- ins, and assist with administrative tasks in the absence of a full-time Executive Assistant. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: Constituent Services and Events: Throughout FY 26, Mayor Grigoraitis and her staff met with hundreds of residents in a variety of settings and forums including: in-person Mayor’s Office Hours; coffee hours at senior and public housing facilities (the Steele House, the Cefalo Complex, the Cochrane House, the McCarthy House, the Fuller and Gould Houses, and the Residence at Melrose Station); and new events such as Slice of the City neighborhood pizza socials and a New Resident Open House at City Hall. The mayor also conducted in-person office hours with residents throughout the year. These events provided an opportunity for residents to speak directly with the mayor about their concerns, priorities, and hopes for the community. At the five Slice of the City events held over the summer and fall, residents joined the mayor and city councilors for informal gatherings at parks and green spaces in their wards of the city while enjoying pizza from a neighborhood restaurant. FY 27 Budget Memo page 1 The mayor’s office works closely with departments who regularly provide social services support and outreach, including the Council on Aging and the Veterans’ Services Department. These departments oversee City resources including the Melrose Emergency Fund, the monthly Veterans Food Mart and the Veterans Relief Fund, and assist with SNAP benefits and applications, emergency funding and housing resources. Through this social services team, the mayor’s office led the city’s response to the temporary termination of SNAP benefits to approximately 50 Melrose residents in early 2026. Thanks to the generosity of so many Melrosians who sustainably donate to the Melrose Emergency Fund, the city was able to provide grocery store gift cards to residents in need over eight weeks, as well as share resources on non-profit supports available for the impacted Melrosians. The Mayor’s Office is the primary respondent to calls and emails from residents looking for information and resources. On a typical weekday the Mayor’s office receives an average of 15 calls and dozens of emails and website contact forms plus walk-in visits from residents looking for general City information and assistance, ideas and requests of the Mayor, and help and resources. One of the office’s Property Tax Work Off participants has extensive public sector case management experience and we have created a case coordinator role filled by this individual so that they can assists with calls regarding housing and food insecurity. Most of the calls regarding housing come from residents residing at the Melrose Housing Authority and the Mayor’s office can easily resolve and assist these residents thanks to the collaborative working relationship with the Housing Authority’s Executive Director. Our PTWO case coordinator is tracking calls for social services support to help us best assess future options. Communications: The Mayor’s Office serves as the primary communications hub for residents and stakeholders. The Office provides: a weekly email newsletter to approximately 2,800 individual subscribers; weekly City Hall submissions and press releases to the Melrose Weekly News and Melrose Messenger; a monthly email newsletter of activities and events run by local non-profits; frequent social media updates to over 2,200 followers on both Facebook and Instagram ; and episodes of the Melrose Minute podcast via MMTV. The Mayor’s Office also serves as the primary communications department for all City Departments, responding to media inquiries and interviews, assisting with writing of press releases and social media posts, advising on web content and helping to promote and publicize city programs and events. The Mayor’s Office continued to support and promote an incredible number of community events, including the following during FY 26: 1. Summer Stroll 2. Victorian Fair 3. Home for the Holidays 4. Sustainability Day 5. DPW Day (May) - expanded to serve the entire community this year 6. Third Annual 8th Grade Civics Day (June) 7. Melrose High Grad Night (June) 8. Pride flag raising at City Hall (June) 9. Juneteenth flag raising at City Hall (June) FY 27 Budget Memo page 2 10. Disability Pride City Initiatives & Special Projects: The Mayor’s Office continues to oversee and liaise with the City’s boards and commissions; to date the mayor has submitted 67 new mayoral appointments and reappointments throughout Fiscal Year 26 to resolve backlogs of empty seats and lapsed terms reaching back years. Staff regularly meets with chairs to strategize and plan for community programs, services and initiatives. Through the Chief of Staff and CFO, the Mayor’s office oversaw and coordinated the City’s FY 2027- 2031 Capital Improvement Program including the (CIP) Final Report. Since 1995, the CIP Committee has reviewed and recommended funding for capital projects on an annual basis. Capital projects are major, non-recurring expenditures that typically cost $25,000 or more and have a useful life of five or more years. For this iteration of the CIP, the committee reviewed over 100 project requests submitted by six departments. Creating a CIP is both a requirement of the city charter and a DLS recommended best practice for municipalities. The CIP is NOT a funding source; it is instead a guiding document on how the City should consider and prioritize planned capital investments as funding sources become available. Additionally, the Mayor’s office applied for and was awarded a Technical Assistance Planning Grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to conduct a strategic planning process for Memorial Hall and how we best utilize that building. The Chief of Staff has been the lead representative on the City side for this project, which has included a community survey, meetings with MAPC and various stakeholders and a community forum, to inform a strategic plan for how best to utilize Memorial Hall for the future. 3. FY 27 Priorities: Building Capacity in Sustainability and Youth Services: The Mayor’s Office will be asking the City Council to formally codify a Sustainability Commission to guide the administration’s work on energy savings and climate stewardship; and to bring back a Birth to Five advisory group to unify and enhance our local programs and opportunities for Melrose’s youngest residents. In addition, plans are underway to host the Slice of the City and New Resident Open House events again. In FY 27, the Mayor’s office will continue to pursue Vision Zero priorities, and we are currently waiting for the grant funding to be finalized. Communicating About the Override: After Melrose voters entrusted the city with additional revenue in the November 2025 override referendum, the Mayor’s Office and City Hall have undertaken unprecedented levels of public engagement and information-sharing to accurately and comprehensively demonstrate the impact of the override. The city website features several detailed lists and descriptions of override-funded services and projects, and communications spanning from press submissions to email newsletter to physical signage and flyers have clearly acknowledged the impact of the override on the viability and delivery of improved or sustained city services. Budget Transparency with ClearGov: Since Mayor Grigoraitis took office, City Hall has prioritized providing the most transparency into the city budget of any administration to date. The administration has regularly provided the City Council with updates as we move through several fiscal years and have regularly added documentation on the FY 27 Budget Memo page 3 City website. The administration continues to work towards even more access: this month, the City’s visual budget will be available on the city website, thanks to our use of ARPA funds to support the adoption of ClearGov, a platform which will enable us to share the budget with the public in a more comprehensive and digestible manner Public Safety Facilities Advisory Committee: The Public Safety Facilities Advisory Committee is appointed by the Mayor and staffed by the Public Safety Buildings Project Manager, who reports directly to the Mayor. The PSFAC was formed in 2024 to advise the mayor’s administration on the Public Safety Facilities renovation and replacement projects approved by Melrose voters in a November 2023 debt exclusion vote. 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? There are three line items within Department 121 which are changing for FY 27: (011211-511000) S&W: The Salary & Wages line item is increasing 9.1% to reflect the salary schedule set forth for salary of the Mayor according to Melrose Revised Ordinances, Chapter 48-1. Mayor. Part A, Salary and cost of living adjustments and any anticipated step-ups for three staff members in the department. On February 5, 2024, the City Council voted to increase the annual salary of the Mayor’s position from $125,000, which had been in effect since January 1, 2014, as follows: $137,500 - Effective January 1, 2026; and $150,000 - Effective January 1, 2027. Mayor Grigoraitis declined the increase for FY 26 due to the budget challenges facing the City at that time. (011212 – 525401) Website: The Website line item is increasing 33.3%. Oversight and maintenance of the City Website was previously in the City Council (112) Department under Website (011122 – 525401) and in FY 26 the work and annual costs were moved into the Mayor’s Department under a new line item. The increase in annual costs represents the full annual amount to host and maintain the City’s website. In FY 26 some of the costs were covered by remaining APRA funds which are no longer available. (011212 – 529000) Prof Serv: The Professional Services line item is increasing 50% to account for opportunities to support community outreach that would include things such as additional mailers and posters to communicate information to residents; hiring interpreters for events; and adding one- time community meetings and events as needed. It will also allow the Mayor’s Office to provide support for City-administered and managed community events including photography, marketing and publicity. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? There are no direct costs housed in Department 121 which support the Melrose Public Schools. However, the Communications Manager works on school-related communications, press releases and other public-facing information as requested by the mayor and the superintendent of schools. 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? FY 27 Budget Memo page 4 The Professional Services line item is increasing 50% to account for opportunities to support community outreach that would include things such as additional mailers and posters to communicate information to residents; hiring interpreters for events; and adding one-time community meetings and events as needed. It will also allow the Mayor’s Office to provide support of City- administered and managed community events including photography, marketing and publicity. FY 27 Budget Memo page 5 Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Legal Department 151 Name of Department Head: Shannon Phillips, City Solicitor 1. Department Overview and Mission: The Legal Department functions as a full-time law office for the City of Melrose providing legal services to the Mayor, City Council, School Committee, Department Heads, Boards and Commissions and other municipal officials. We regularly advise and represent the City in areas such as zoning, employment, labor law, Title IX issues, civil service, procurement, permitting and licensing, education law, ethics, code enforcement, public records, and open meeting law. We prepare and review public contracts, leases, deeds, easement documentation and other legal documents, assist in drafting ordinances and policy, and represent the City and schools in a variety of courts and administrative agencies. This office also manages, coordinates and responds to public records requests received by the City of Melrose, as well as processes and manages all insurance and claims for the City. Aside from these duties, this office oversees and regularly advises on labor relations and is responsible for negotiating with twelve different collective bargaining units between the City and Schools. The mission of this Department is to provide sound and effective legal advice and representation to the City on a daily basis- Mayor, City Council, School Committee, Boards, Commissions and public officials- to allow for informed decisions to be made that help navigate potential risks and ensure legal compliance with state and federal laws. In doing so, we protect the City’s interests by helping to avoid costly litigation, maintain the public’s trust in local government, and ensure municipal policies and actions are legally defensible. 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: • Developed an orientation and training for newly elected officials on legal responsibilities as municipal officials; • Managed and responded to an increased volume of public records in a timely and effective manner; • Managed Insurance and claims processes for the City; • Assisted the School Committee in process and negotiations related to the hiring of a new Superintendent; • Assisted with legal issues related to the Prop 2 ½ override question and its passage by voters. 3. FY 27 Priorities: • Assist in the implementation and creation of a more streamlined contract/ procurement process for the City; • Settle any pending Collective Bargaining Agreements; and • Stay current on changes in legislation, litigation, municipal practice, to proactively prevent issues and concerns in the City and Schools. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 1 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? • The filling of a position (split between HR and Legal) which will take some of the administrative burden for certain tasks- claims processing and management, public records management and responses, processing payroll and invoices- off of current staff and assist the Department in being able to more efficiently focus on providing legal guidance proactively on areas of legal concern. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? • Educator’s Professional Liability Insurance, Property Insurance, some legal expenses 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? During the FY26 budget cycle, the role of Executive Assistant – a position that has existed for more than 20 years- was eliminated from this Department given financial constraints. With the Prop 2 ½ override approved last November, a new position is being proposed to be shared between Human Resources and Legal, given HR’s expansion to administer school- related leaves and benefits. Half of the salary and benefits for this position will be funded out of this Department’s Budget for FY27. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 2 Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Library - 611 Name of Department Head: Linda C.W. Gardener 1. Department Overview and Mission: The Melrose Public Library provides public library services to the Melrose community. The library provides access to information through physical books, both in print and on CD; downloadable ebooks and e- audiobooks; magazines and newspapers, online databases and more. We provide access to the internet and computers, book groups and other programming for all ages and spaces to work, study or relax. Our mission is to provide a portal for all to explore, imagine and engage. The library is where literacy, local history and community connect! 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: FY2026 began 2.5 months after the Public Library re-opened in its renovated/reconstructed space. The year has been full of both accomplishments and challenges. We began the year with the loss of one of our 13 full time positions due to the early separation incentive. This, combined with being unable to add anticipated staff for the larger, active new building, has proven to be very challenging. Staff worked hard to acclimate both themselves and the public to the new environment and received both positive and constructive feedback, which we continue to build upon. Work on the building continued after we opened, with punch list items and necessary changes. Despite the challenges, we were excited to register over 2,000 library cards in the first year open. After the successful Override vote, we were able to be open on Sundays once again, which was very well received. We have been consistently in the top 3 NOBLE libraries for items circulated. We were also able to bring in more outside programs, including children’s events that had between 100 – 200 attendees. The Local History Room is now available for in-person visits by appointment, and we continue to work on digitizing the collection to make it more accessible. Our library e-newsletter is published monthly which includes a “Did you know” section to help make residents aware of new services available at the library. The April issue let everyone know that we now have a variety of activities that kids can use in the Children’s Room, including board games, card games and coloring kits. We are happy to be able to offer patrons needing internet access a choice between our traditional public computers and a laptop that can be checked out for in-house use. This allows patrons who do not own a laptop to have the same flexibility as patrons who do when deciding where in the building to do their work. We collaborated with the Melrose Residence to have a group of their residents come and get a chance to look around the library and get library cards, and several staff participated in the Bridge’s Community Read day. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 1 3. FY 27 Priorities: We are looking forward to continuing to improve our offerings in FY27 through the following priorities: Comprehensive collections – We will have a focus on improving our Young Adult nonfiction collections to better meet middle and high school interests and needs. We will also work on strengthening areas of the collection throughout the building with more authors with diverse voices. Diverse services - We will continue to utilize the results of the FY26 Children’s Room survey to inform the direction of both active and passive programming, making adjustments as possible with staffing and budget. We will digitize additional specific portions of the Local History collection, including photographs capturing local history. User-Centric Facilities - We will explore opportunities to increase library access for senior members of the community who may have difficulty coming to the library. Purpose-designed rooms in the library will be used to offer educational craft programs for all ages. Superb staffing – Staffing is a priority both in ensuring that staffing levels are adequate to meet our goals and the community’s needs and that staff have the opportunity to benefit from staff trainings and professional development, both of which will enhance our ability to provide excellent services to the community. Staffing is the foundation upon which all other priorities can be built. 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? Line 534800 (Recreational Supplies) has been eliminated, due to the increase in line 543800 (Program Supplies), which performs the same purpose. We will have funding to be open on Sundays for the full school year in FY27, which was cut in the original FY26 budget. The Program Supplies line is a significant increase from prior years, and will allow us to continue the enhanced program offerings initiated this year to better meet community desire. Salary & Wages has been increased (not including restoration of the full time position), allowing for additional part time staff which will enable us to meet more of our priorities and better respond to patrons’ needs. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? The library does not house any direct costs related to the Melrose Public Schools, although our collections are regularly used by Melrose students for school projects as well as personal interest. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 2 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? The library has regained funding for the Sunday hours which were lost prior to the Override vote. Our programming budget has been increased, which will allow us to continue providing a diverse array of programs for patrons of all ages. We will be able to hire some additional part time staff, which will enable us to better serve the community’s needs. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 3 Fiscal Year 2027 Department Memo to City Council Department: Human Resources Name of Department Head: Polina Latta 1. Department Overview and Mission: The Human Resources Department is committed to promoting fair and consistent employment practices across the City of Melrose. It supports employees and retirees by administering health and wellness benefits, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, and upholding the terms of collective bargaining agreements. The department also serves as the employer for the City and a key resource for effectively communicating employment-related matters to all City staff. Through high-quality service and by fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace, Human Resources aims to create an environment where employees from all backgrounds can succeed and thrive, ultimately helping to deliver outstanding services to the diverse community we serve. To accomplish these responsibilities, the department is staffed with: Polina Latta, Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations Diane Barrett, Benefits Coordinator for City and School Matt Travers, HR Systems & Operations Specialist 2. FY 26 Accomplishments/Challenges: School HR Support • Assisted with the recruitment and hiring, and onboarded, trained and supported a new School HR Coordinator, ensuring continuity of service and operational stability during transition. • Led development of the Melrose Public Schools HR Portal in partnership with School Administration and City IT, creating a centralized platform that improves employee access to HR, benefits, policies, training and support information. • Following the School HR vacancy, transitioned key school HR functions to the City HR Department to maintain continuity, strengthen compliance, improve consistency of practice, and enhance operational efficiency and employee experience across City and School operations. Contract Negotiations • Four Union contracts expire at the end of FY 26. The City is on schedule begin health insurance negotiations with the PEC for a successor health insurance agreement, which expired June 30, 2027. The HR Director serves as a member of the City’s collective bargaining team, alongside the City Solicitor and CFO. The team is currently engaged in active contract negotiations with four unions including: Library, Clerical, Laborers, and Fire, and will begin PEC negotiations related to health insurance. These negotiations focus on maintaining fiscal responsibility while supporting competitive, sustainable, and fair employee compensation and benefits structures. Workforce Restoration FY 27 Budget Memo page. 1 The second half of the year was a busy period for recruiting and promotions. The department supported the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of 12 benefited new employees (3 were managers/department heads), processed over 40 non-benefited (part-time/seasonal) hires, and facilitated nearly 10 promotions as positions opened and qualified internal candidates advanced. ADA Support • Secured CART and interpreter services for high school graduation, significantly improving accessibility for students, families, and attendees. • Assisted with obtaining ADA grant funding in collaboration with DPW and the Commission on Disabilities to advance priority projects aligned with the 2022 ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan, including accessibility improvements at Hoover, Horace Mann, and Winthrop schools. • Advanced citywide ADA compliance and accessibility by expanding closed-captioning requirements for virtual meetings, collaborating with City Clerk and Chief of staff to expand closed-captioning guidance, and updating municipal and school ADA resource pages, and strengthening coordination between Commission on Disabilities and City departments. 3. FY 27 Priorities • Collaborate with IT and Auditor’s office to streamline and automate HR processes to improve workflow efficiency between Departments, leveraging existing technology tools and the MUNIS HR module. • In collaboration with IT, Mayor’s office, and other departments, prepare for and support compliance with Digital Accessibility requirements under the ADA, through proactive planning and implementation. • Continue supporting the school through the implementation of standardized HR processes to strengthen compliance, enhance internal controls, and establish a unified HR framework across City and School operations. • Modernize the performance evaluation system to make it more relevant and align it with performance management and payroll practices. 4. What has changed in the Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of these changes, what are the corresponding service delivery impacts? The HR Salary budget has increased, to support the School HR alignment. To successfully integrate the School HR function within the City’s Human Resources Department and distribute responsibilities among existing HR staff without the need to hire additional professional personnel, it was proposed that certain routine and clerical duties were reassigned to a new Administrative Assistant role to be shared with the Legal Department. This adjustment allows professional HR staff to focus on higher-level and more complex responsibilities, improves operational efficiency, reduces costs by eliminating the need for higher-cost professional staff to perform administrative tasks and improves employee experience across City and School operations, which helps with staff retention. The Health Contractual budget has increased due a number of factors, including broader economic conditions and the evolving healthcare landscape. This budget is inherently dynamic and difficult to fully control. At any given time, it reflects a snapshot of current membership enrollment, which is shaped by employee life events as well as broader socioeconomic trends. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 2 In addition to economic pressures, the budget is influenced by annual Open Enrollment changes, Opt-Out participation, Medicare premium adjustments, and individual employee status changes throughout the year. For FY27, the rate increases for non-Medicare plans range from 4.1% to 13.6%, while Medicare plans premiums have increased between 4.0% and 7.5%. The Workers’ Compensation medical budget was increased to $30,000. Approximately 60% of the current budget is attributed to prescription costs for a long-term recipient. This expenditure reflects a contractual obligation and does not impact service delivery, and is a more accurate representation of the actual cost, which helps avoid year budget shortfalls. The Unemployment budget has been decreased to $100,000, which is more fiscally appropriate, in the absence of layoffs. Employee Benefits, Worker’s Compensation and Unemployment are budgets that are contractual and legally mandated budget obligations for the City of Melrose. They don’t directly impact service delivery. 5. What costs, if any, are housed in your department’s budget to support the Melrose Public Schools? The HR Department is responsible for managing the Employee Benefits, Workers’ Compensation, and Unemployment budgets, which support both City and School employees and retirees. 6. What impacts, if any, has the Proposition 2 ½ Override Melrose voters approved in November had on your Department’s Budget for FY 27? As a result of the approval of Proposition 2½, the City secured funding to restore 17 school positions, 5 DPW positions and 2 Police officer positions that had previously remained unfilled. The HR Department plays a key role in the full recruitment and hiring lifecycle for City employees, as well as enrollment benefits for all City and School positions. As a result, additional funding was reinstated to the City’s Health Contractual budget, Advertising and Pre-employment exams budgets. Timely filling of vacancies with qualified candidates directly supports service delivery across City departments. FY 27 Budget Memo page. 3

Transcript

▶ 16:02 Devin Romanul: President Freeman. This serves as a quorum for the record, and in accordance with the open meeting law, this meeting is broadcast and recorded live on MMTV. At this time, I'll motion by unanimous consent to approve without reading the minutes from our most recent meeting on Monday, May 18th. Seeing no objections, those minutes are now approved. I will now motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment. Seeing no objection, we are now open for public comment. This is the portion of the meeting where members of the public may join us and speak on any item on tonight's agenda, and comments expressing any other viewpoints on other matters are also welcome. Anyone here for public comment?

▶ 16:41 All right. Please join us, and please feel free to have a seat and state your name and address for the record. I would love to. Hello. Wonderful. Hello. Hi, my name is Heather Norcross. I live at 91 West Highland Ave, and I'm here to speak on the library budget. I just want to share some of my relationship with the Melrose Library as a somewhat passive patron recently. When I moved to Melrose, the library renovation had just begun, so I started taking my kids library hopping, both in and out of our network, to explore other towns' libraries. It was a lot of fun and gave me a broad perspective on books, toys, and activities that are available to children. Each visit set my expectations higher for the

▶ 17:22 reopening of the Melrose Library. I couldn't wait to see a brand-new, up-to-date children's library in my own city. However, on opening day, I was underwhelmed, disheartened, and frankly stunned by the sterile and stiff nature of the space. Sure, the space was visually clean lined and beautifully streamlined with new furniture and plenty of windows with natural light, but nothing for pre-reading kiddos to engage in, save for one small bin of soft blocks. I figured there was another room I wasn't aware of, or maybe they hadn't put everything out yet because it was the first day. Maybe things would be refreshed within a couple of weeks. No. When I returned, they were the same. No coloring station, no snack area, no train table, no imaginary play

▶ 18:04 items, no pre-literacy items, no fun and bright decor beyond the style and color of the furniture. I was totally perplexed and quickly learned that that's how a lot of parents felt. It was pretty uninviting and stayed this way for months with no official comment from the library that it was temporary or unfinished.I did hear at one point that the children's room seemed so empty because the library reopened before they were ready so that patrons didn't have to wait any longer. Again, there was no formal comment in this regard. It would have alleviated so much uncertainty and answered many questions to post an update about expectations like, "We didn't want to delay opening anymore, but that means things might look a little stark.

▶ 18:43 All our books are here, but we're still working on activities and toys and are taking the unique opportunity to see how the space is used before purchasing lots of items. If there's something you'd like to see, please let us know." That would've been great. When community members started asking questions, they were repeatedly met with silence or empty generalities like, "We're working on what's best for the space." In addition, after the community survey results were collected, the library continued to stand still on many upgrades despite hundreds of unified and specific requests for change. This kind of response personally has felt disingenuous and untrustworthy, which truly damages the relationship between the

▶ 19:17 library and the community. Over the past year, I've brought my family to check books out from Melrose, but if we are going to spend time at a library, we go elsewhere. I hate that. We can walk to the library. I want to be able to do that. I want to feel proud of my library. I want to teach my kids all about the resources it has to offer. My kids are under five. They're going to grow up here, and I want them to think of the library as a place for books and reading, but also a place to be curious, to discover, to make friends, and to have fun. Encouragingly, there have been many changes and additions the past few weeks, which is great. We are so excited and thankful, but I still can't help think, "Why did it take so long? Are they only getting around

▶ 19:55 to it now because we've been nagging them so much? Are we always going to have to remain this vigilant to ensure the library is using funds in a way that represents public interest and is consistent with what other libraries in our network offer?" I apologize for these somewhat misplaced frustrations, but the library of trustees still does not allow public comment at their meetings, and I know this is being voted on soon, as I requested it to be allowed. And many of us feel like we are hitting dead ends when we reach out to the library. So for now, we must resort to using any public platform we can until we feel heard and respected. What is the plan for improved communication, transparency, and community

▶ 20:31 engagement? Maybe a simple suggestion box in the children's library to request books, materials, and activities, and then maybe a fun voting board of some sort, like a would you rather. Maybe a quarterly meeting with the librarians in surrounding towns to brainstorm and share ideas. Maybe a more engaging social media presence that includes the librarians themselves as another avenue to connect with the public. Can we see more child-friendly decor, like stuffed animals on top of the shelves or character posters on the walls? Can we have a coloring station? Can we get Tonys to borrow? Can we see more self-guided activities regularly available, like scavenger hunts or take-home crafts? Can we request specific books to increase our catalog size?

▶ 21:08 Please, can the library consider gently used donations for the play area? And if the answer to any of these questions is no, please, respectfully, why not? The bottom line is that the library is requesting more money, and patrons deserve a space for their ideas to be heard and genuinely considered, as well as a formal way for the library to communicate their specific intentions with funds as they pertain to improved patron experience and access to education, materials, and activities. Many community members have shared what they would like to see in the library directly to library staff or in the community-wide survey. With more money on the line, we want to ensure a plan is in place for the library

▶ 21:41 to be held accountable to openly communicate with the community about the use of these funds. Thank you. Thank you, Heather. Anybody else for public comment? Good evening. Hi. Hi. Good evening. I'm Martha Evinchack. I live at 17 Grant Street in Melrose. I'm also here to discuss the children's section of the Melrose Public Library. As tonight is the Appropriations and Oversight Committee, which looks at the financial matters in the city, I want to spend a little time advocating for the public library to take donations, specifically for the children's room. As mentioned, when I came to talk to city council in November, 100% of the libraries surveyed in the NOBLE network and surrounding networks

▶ 22:32 take donations for their children's rooms. I spent time talking to the children's librarians that we surveyed, and they mentioned that they have procedures in place to review these donations, figure out whether or not they can incorporate them into their children's rooms, and have a procedure to decide if this works for them, or if not, then they decline them. They take these donations to save hundreds of dollars for their libraries and put them in circulation. The money then can be invested into their programming or into investing in library books or other media to make their collections more robust. Everything from train tables to play dinosaurs, the librarians were proud to talk about how their communities chose to give back to their

▶ 23:21 library in this way and to further enhance their library space. While it's nice for our library to order all new items, some of these items come at a high cost. One of the first things the library had ordered for the children's space were two teal fabric dinosaur floor lamps. Back in March, I was curious on the cost of these floor lamps because there was two of them there, and I saw that one of them had required repair, as one of the feet of the lamp had appeared to be damaged and had been super glued to the base. The reverse image Google search of this lamp came back to a listing on Amazon for $381.62, with two lamps costing the library a grand total of $763.24. While it's not clear or transparent what the library actually spent on these lamps or

▶ 24:09 what vendor was used to acquire these lamps, the point is that a decent amount of money was utilized to purchase these two lamps, both of which have been intermittently pulled out of circulation due to the need for repair and replacement parts. Last time I was at the library, there was the lamp there with a new lampshade in place.The most recent addition of a make-believe farm stand is listed on the website on reverse Google search for $835.23, which only currently has make-believe bread in circulation. No fruits, no vegetables, which goes against the public health interest of promoting healthy diets and nutritional choices for children. While I know that the understanding is the library is planning on using

▶ 24:57 this as a flexible style to allow for different themes at different times, this particular item is marketed to encourage dramatic play, which is hard to do when it's bread and nothing else. For a cost of $835, that seems like an unusual use of resources. I've attended several of the library board of trustees meetings this year on my own time. I'm not able to do public comment because we don't have public comment available yet. I'm hopeful that will be passed in the next couple of meetings. I want to see this library thrive. I've spent hundreds of hours at libraries growing up, and I've spent a lot of time going to our library in town, and I'm hoping that they can use their financial resources to do what

▶ 25:38 makes sense for the community, especially for kids ages zero to five. One way the library can invest in their community is to continue to solicit feedback, and that's whether it's a Google Form, whether it's a box at the library, so patrons are able to say, "Hey, we would love to see more than just bread. We would like to see fruits and vegetables at the market stand." And be willing to take donations from the community, as so many other libraries have been able to make that work for their communities as well. Thank you. Thank you so much. Do we have anybody else for public comment? Anybody online? No one online. All right. Seeing no other commenters, I'll offer by unanimous consent to close public comment.

▶ 26:23 Devin Romanul: Seeing no objection, public comment is now closed. Thank you all for joining us. All right. Moving on to our first agenda item and our next in the series of departmental budget presentations. We have Department 151, the city solicitor joining us this evening. None other than the City Solicitor, Shannon Phillips. Thank you so much. Good evening. Through the chair, Shannon Phillips, city solicitor. Thank you all for having me here tonight to talk about the budget for the legal department, the city solicitor's office for the city for fiscal year '27. As department head, I can tell you our department's mission is to provide in-house, high-quality, cost-effective legal service and representation to the city.

▶ 27:03 We work proactively to educate and advise city officials and departments on a daily basis to ensure policies and actions are legally sound and effective. Our department, like I mentioned, functions as a full-time in-house legal counsel for the city staff, consisting of only two employees, myself and an assistant city solicitor, Amy Lindquist, who has a focus on schools and labor. And we deal with a wide variety of legal matters on a daily basis. We regularly advise on matters such as zoning, employment, labor, Title IX, civil service, procurement, licensing, education, ethics, public records, and open meeting law, just to name a few. We also prepare and review all contracts, leases, deeds, easements, and other legal documents for the city,

▶ 27:45 as well as assist counsel in the administration and drafting ordinance, and the administration of drafting policy. We represent the city and schools in a variety of courts and administrative agencies. We manage and coordinate it and respond to public records on behalf of the city since last July. That's involved responding to more than 330 public records on behalf of the city and schools. And we have implemented a NextRequest software that now has made it transparent, so residents can go on and search previous public records requests as well. And every record we respond to, they're able to publicly view. We also oversee and advise on labor and personnel issues on a daily basis, which also consists of negotiating with the

▶ 28:24 12 different collective bargaining unions between the city and schools. So I'd like to just highlight some of the changes in our department's budget for this year that you might have noticed that are in the documents before you tonight. So first off, the salaries in my department. Generally, the salaries and wages have increased by 3%, so my understanding is that's a 2% step and 1% COLA. In the first line of the salaries, there's also been added for this coming fiscal year an administrative assistant role. So that's a role that's proposed to be shared between HR and legal for administrative support. Last fiscal year, I lost the full-time legal assistant in my office that had been in our office for 20 years, at least, prior to

▶ 29:11 that. So it's been an adjustment with administrative tasks, just daily functions. We reviewed the needs of the department between HR and legal, and we decided a split would make the most sense for that type of administrative function. So you'll see that first line of the budget actually includes half of the budgeted salary for that position. So I think it was 18,104 would be included in that first line. You'll also notice from the budget that the legal department houses the entire insurance policy for the city and schools, that very large number you see in the last section of my budget. The property insurance line encompasses city, like I said, it encompasses city and school liability. So this includes general liability, auto,

▶ 29:59 professional liability, so of city officials, department heads, et cetera. Auto insurance, property insurance, cyber insurance, which has become increasingly important in the past few years for municipalities. This year, our broker, who represents over 90 municipalities in the Northeast, did a full marketing of our policies very broadly on the insurance market. The number that you see on here was a good faith estimate prior to going out to market. Because of the timing of budget cycles, we're not able to get numbers from the insurance providers. So over the past couple of days, I received very good information from her. It looks like we're going to have some very significant cost savings on this

▶ 30:38 number for this coming fiscal year. So that's under the property insurance.We also, for social engineering, so that's become a second leading cyber insurance claim. That's become really important. So that would be employees maybe being tricked into paying an invoice that's fraudulent, et cetera. Those are things in the past insurance companies have tried to limit liability and limit funds that they will pay out for those. So we now have an increase to $1 million for this coming fiscal year on that with our new policy she's marketed. We also need to take into account with this number, that council approves any potential autos or new buildings that might be coming online in the coming fiscal year, because I do

▶ 31:20 pay those costs out of that line item as well. And I believe the other increase that I just wanted to highlight here was in the claims deductible line item. So that's historically been 10, but my understanding from the auditing department... This is really important for deductibles. So we have a $1,000 deductible for any car insurance type case. It's $10,000 for property. It's $25,000 for public officials liability. So this is really just so we can have a centralized place to have the deductibles, because my understanding is in the past it's been, where is this going to be paid from? Is it police? Is it DPW? Is it legal? So the purpose of increasing it that much is just so it will be housed in one

▶ 31:58 location involving insurance. And I believe that's all I have. I'm happy to answer any questions you all might have. Thank you so much, City Clerk Phillips. First, I have Councilor Kowal. Thank you, Attorney Phillips. Where is outside counsel fees? They don't look to be in this budget. Where are they generally housed or accounted for? Yep. So any outside counsel that we need to retain for specialized- Mm-hmm ... services or legal matters, usually in professional services is where we pay that out. Okay. So that's that 30,000 number. Got it. Thank you. Other councilors? Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you. Hi again. Hi. You've mentioned that over the past year you processed 330 public record. And as we know,

▶ 32:51 Maya Jamaleddine: that these cost a lot of money for the city. Do you mind just sharing some numbers about how much this is costing the city to process those, and how much... I'm not asking for exact numbers, but how much this is with the new system that you said that now we're going to, it's saved online- Yes ... and people can just pull all the previous public record. Yes. How much it will save us, just in comparison of how repetitive we receive public record? Yes. Okay. So if I understand the question, so the database is very cost-effective. It saves a lot of time. Before, we were manually having to track due dates of public records requests, things like that. We were having to communicate by email with various department

▶ 33:38 heads. You might have one public records request that you have to send to four different departments, and this streamlines it so you can all see each other's communication back and forth. They can upload the documents directly, you can redact the documents within the software, and then you can easily share it with the public. And there's still an internal and external chain. And the public can go on, like you mentioned. They can go on and look at previous public records requests that might be responsive to a question they have, and then they don't have to spend time submitting it. For ones that are going to be very time-consuming or might be too broad, under the public records law, we can charge a fee for that. So that's a $25 an hour

▶ 34:16 usually fee we have to charge. We can petition for more. We don't normally do that. But especially some of these very broad email search type requests that we've been getting, having IT upload 3,000 different emails, and then by the time you extract those with the attachments, it ends up being 6,000. And so some of these are just, it's very time-consuming. It's difficult, I guess, to put a cost on it because we are salary employees, Amy Lindquist and myself. Like I said, we do charge, and we would require them to pay if it's going to be an excessive amount of time. Mm-hmm. But I guess it takes up a lot of time. And now for those that probably they wanted to see if we already have those records-

▶ 35:01 Maya Jamaleddine: Yeah ... online, where would they look? So it's right on, if they just go onto the NextRequest platform, they can go to All Requests and there's a search bar. They can just enter a keyword. Yeah. So they could do building permits. And search it. They could, yeah. And who is upholding that? Because I know this is also time-consuming. Is that something that your office- Yep ... is doing? Yes. So right now, if you go on the website and you do public records, they can either input it themselves. If we get it by email, by phone, it's usually myself- Mm ... or someone from schools that inputs it directly into the system as a new request just so we can track everything. And just sort of different than that-

▶ 35:43 Maya Jamaleddine: Sorry ... I know that in previous years we had some interns from school and students in- Yes ... from middle schools. Are you doing it in your, to help probably and do some interns, some hours, community hours? We haven't done that. I would love- You haven't. I'd love to start that. Yeah. Is that something that can be taken into consideration, or legally because of the nature of your office, it's not something that could happen? We could. I guess it hasn't been considered before because we would have to pay, or they would have to be getting school credit for it, usually, for internships. So we just haven't set up that type of program for my office yet. Got it. We're also not going to court on a regular basis-

▶ 36:22 Kimberly Vandiver: Mm-hmm ... which a lot of these interns want that experience. So just setting it up the right way. I think we'd have to- Awesome ... put a lot of thought into that. Awesome. Thank you. Yeah. Up next, I have Vice Chair Vandiver. Thank you. Just curious, thank you for the detailed memo and information. I was curious as we're in 2026 and AI is starting to become a bigger topic, and in some cases it's quite good, especially for kind of formulaic tasks. Is that something that you see impacting in any way or perhaps something we could use for some of the more tedious public records requests or anything like that to save time? I think there's a lot of pitfalls still when it comes to AI. I've seen it very recently on a listserv where someone sends

▶ 37:12 an email and they cited cases that were not cases. So there's a lot of pitfalls with it still. I think you have to just know that you're trusting the source and you're checking. A lot of the legal research software, that was one of the other line items on here, elect mass. We have a new contract, a two-year contract with Lexis. So Westlaw and Lexis are now offering AI-type sources within the legal research database. That was an additional cost. I think we were going to wait a couple of years to kind of see how things play out and look at what the cost of that would be and see if it would be worth it. So they do have those tools available in legal research. But it's more useful for like drafting pleadings and standard documents and things

▶ 37:53 Jason Chen: like that than it is for doing any real research or relying on that thing. Thank you. That's helpful. Thanks. Up next I have Counselor Chen. Hi. Welcome. Two questions. So the 2026 actual spend is only about a third of its projection. It's right about for the contractual spend, sort of about 10,537. We only have a month left to go, but we still have to spend about $25,000. Are we actually going to be a lot less than we budgeted, or is this the timing of invoices and cash out? I don't know the day and time that this number is calculated. I have to leave that to the moderator. Probably from a few weeks ago. No? I'm not sure when she submitted this. I don't know when the actual versus projection is calculated.

▶ 38:39 Jason Chen: I know it's not- Mm-hmm ... always the night year before council on the budget, so. Do you typically expect a lot of invoices right at the end of the year? Which would explain why- No, we are using outside counsel right now for one of the negotiations, so I do expect a few more to come in- Okay ... in the month of June. All right. And then we've got some 40Bs that the developers will likely appeal. Yep. And is that potential outside counsel? Yes. We had one previously. I've used it. Sometimes we use them only for consulting, depending on how far it goes. Otherwise, we use it to-- I'm also sort of a co-counsel, but I assist them with that. So I have, yeah, used outside counsel for those services.

▶ 39:17 Okay. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Counselor Park. Thank you. I want to go back to something that you had said earlier about the property insurance. You had mentioned something, you were excited about the fact that there might be some savings in that. Correct me if I'm wrong. But could you repeat what you said? I just want to make sure I understand fully. That our broker did a full market. She went out to market on all the different policies, and she's expecting a substantial savings, beneath that 968 number that we have. Okay, so that 968 does not reflect the potential savings that we may- Oh, no. No. Okay. It would be under that is what I'm estimating. Yes. Excellent. So- But if-- Yes ... so that being said, how did we derive the

▶ 40:06 968? That's based on a, we always ask them before we submit the budget for an estimate of where they see insurance being projected. So this is before she went out to market. So that was based on an estimate. I think it was a percentage estimate that she did on the various policies, depending on what they were seeing at the time. I see. That's usually how we do it when we submit the budget. Okay. Great. And I would love to, at some point, when that final number comes in, if you could just broadcast that to the- Yep ... the council, that'd be great. Thank you. Terrific. And I looked and it says the munis report was generated on May 7th, in case anybody was curious. Up next, I have Counselor Finocchiaro.

▶ 40:44 Cal Finocchiaro: Thank you. I don't have any questions, but thank you for your explanation and just thank you for advising all of us and many of us in the administration. You're very helpful. And I just want to make a motion to move to bottom line. Second. Second. A motion to move to the bottom line made by Counselor Finocchiaro, seconded by Vice Chair Vandiver on discussion. Seeing none, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Counselor Chen? Yes. Counselor Finocchiaro? Yes. Counselor Jamaleddin? Yes. Counselor Karimcheti? Counselor Cole? Yes. Counselor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor motion passes. All right. The motion passes. We'll move that to the bottom line for FY27.

▶ 41:31 Thank you, Solicitor Phillips, for joining us. Up next we have line, excuse me, department number 611, the library. Joining us, Ms. Linda Gardner, director of the library. Thank you so much for joining us. Hi. Take it away. Thank you for having me tonight. I am happy to be here to talk to you about the fiscal 2027 library budget. The public library provides access to information for the entire community. This includes books and periodicals, both physical and downloadable, internet and computer access, and programming for all ages. Our staff take great pride in their work, which includes selecting and preparing materials for circulation, planning programs, circulating materials to our patrons,

▶ 42:17 answering questions, and more. I'm incredibly proud to be able to work with the staff that we have, and I am so grateful for the work that they do. I'd like to take a quick moment to give you some of the year's highlights. As I mentioned in my memo, we have registered over 2,000 library cards in the past year. Last month, we checked out 14,179 physical items to patrons, which was the second highest circulation count of all the Noble Consortium libraries, with only Beverly being higher. Melrose is typically in the top three libraries, particularly since regaining our Sunday hours after the override vote. We average about 2,500 visits per week. In May, we will be hosting 52 programs for children,

▶ 43:05 teens, and adults, and we are busy planning for this year's summer reading programWe have been working over the past several months to enhance offerings for our youngest patrons and will be continuing that work. I encourage you to come in and see the changes and additions. I will note on that work that all of the new items that we have been able to purchase for the children's room have been funded by the Friends of the Public Library. When we were doing our building renovation, they did a large fundraising campaign. So we received a lot of donations of funding to the Friends that has been specifically going towards that so that city funds would not be needed for that. At the other end of the spectrum, we partner with the Council

▶ 44:01 on Aging to provide curated book selections for patrons who are unable to leave their homes. Library staff create book bags based on patrons' preferences, and Council on Aging volunteers deliver the bags to our patrons' homes, enabling residents who can't come in to maintain their ability to use the library. Access to information through technology has become a very important part of our services. One of our new offerings this year is a laptop kiosk. The kiosk provides patrons with access to 12 laptop computers in the library, which they can choose instead of one of our standard public PCs. This option, combined with the building's wireless internet access, allows all of our patrons to choose their own space in which to work,

▶ 44:50 regardless of whether they are able to own the technology personally. Not everything is technology, though. We recently added a puzzle swap on the main floor, along with a space to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle, giving patrons a sense of shared activity, which can help combat social isolation, and it's just fun. I've enjoyed watching people think they were just going to walk past it, and then 10 minutes later, they're still there. I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the budget. Perfect. Thank you very much. Up first, I have Councilor Kowal. Hi, thanks for joining us tonight. I just have a question about the overtime line. Yes. Given that you're open just regular hours, I'm curious as to how

▶ 45:38 Maya Jamaleddine: and when overtime is incurred. Overtime, large percentage, it's the Sundays. It's because we've gotten our Sundays back. Full-time union staff contractually get time and a half when they work Sunday shifts. Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much. Up next, I have Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you. Hi, how are you? So we've heard a lot of feedback tonight, and we've received a lot of positive feedback. I wonder, how do you collect your feedback? Whether community members or anyone, do you have a system in place to collect those feedback? When we do formal things like the surveys, obviously, we get the survey results. We regularly get emails that can be sent to the library and will be forwarded to me or whoever is

▶ 46:36 Maya Jamaleddine: appropriate. People are always welcome to walk in, and do walk in and talk to staff. And if it's not me, staff forward that information to me. Mm-hmm. Now, because I do want to take into consideration some of us may not feel very comfortable going and walking directly and sharing those feedback, and they prefer other ways. So I'm glad that you have emails in place. Absolutely. Have you considered anonymous box that people can just put those feedback in box and you collect it, or you review it by the end of the week or day? We could consider that, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And one of the things that you just mentioned about puzzle and jigsaw and- Mm-hmm ... based on what you decide, do you decide to on these two? Is it internal decision, or

▶ 47:34 is it based on community requests? The two things we have there, it's the puzzle table and then the puzzle swap. And we had a puzzle table that we kind of always had jigsaw puzzle out in the past, and that was always very popular, and we'd have a few people mention that. And then we had also had public interest in whether or not we could do a puzzle swap. So we thought the two of them went nicely together. Awesome. And you mentioned about the fundraiser, which I remember very well last year. Do we have any money left from the fundraising? The Friends do have funds, yes. I don't have those funds personally. The Friends of Mowers Public Library is a legally separate 501 [ 3 ] . Mm-hmm. And yes, they do still have funds.

▶ 48:31 Maya Jamaleddine: So the money that was collected from the fundraising is still with them. Yes. And they will have access to it, and they control it. It wasn't directly given to you to- So there were two pieces. There was, I believe it was 200,000 that was given to the building project itself, and that was before the city council. And then there is another amount of money that they have- Okay ... that we ask them for things. Awesome. And you mentioned that you've received some feedback and via email and stuff. Do you mind sharing some of those requests, and how has it been in general? I recognize that, as we know, there are concerns still. Honestly, the overwhelming amount of feedback that we've had in person since we started implementing the results of the

▶ 49:34 Maya Jamaleddine: survey and talking to people have been overwhelmingly positive. We are seeing more people spending time. I'm seeing a lot more buzz in the children's room. And we've had many patrons going up to our staff and making a point of thanking them for hearing the survey and for implementing changes. Awesome. That's great. Now, it was a lot of requests and questions, but what kind of support do you feel the library may need? Or what is it that you're missing as well, physical or other kind of support, to be able to accommodate more requests from the public? Staff. It's a big area because the friends can't help us with that. There's only really one source that we can get more staff from, so that would just give us more. We are working to

▶ 50:38 accommodate as much as we can. But at the end of the day, in order to do more programming, more of those things, it would be staff. And when you say staff, is it a specific specialty like program manager, or with specific skills, or is it just admin? No, it would be more like, I think, library assistants, staff who can be at the desk, which gives the programming staff that we do have more bandwidth. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Terrific. Up next, I have President Freeman. Thank you so much for being here tonight. I'm a big fan of the library. I do remember when my kids were little going to the younger library, and I did love the children's room, so I appreciate the advocacy of folks, and I appreciate what

▶ 51:27 you're doing to try to meet in the middle and find solutions here. I did just want to ask a little bit about the-- I see the line item in here for the NOBLE program, which is obviously the larger library network. Can you just talk a little bit about that and explain the benefits Melrose derives from that? Absolutely. So in Massachusetts, just about every library is in a consortium. There's several of them. And the library consortium membership pays for a vast array of services and resources. It includes our internet connection. I have an internet connection with the city, and one other admin does. All the rest we get through NOBLE, including our wireless. It's our server and support for our technology.

▶ 52:22 It's on-site and remote staff training and consulting, software development, and support, and that's largely for the software that we use. When you check a book in and out, we have a program that has the data and information for the entire catalog and all the patrons in all of the NOBLE libraries. And then shared library resources. So for example, our OverDrive downloadables, we all pitch in together to share the cost of that resource. So it saves us and the city. The IT department would have a lot more to be doing with us if it weren't for this. It represents a fraction of what we would pay if we were doing all of these things on our own and separately. That's great. As a frequent patron of the library, I'm always so impressed when I

▶ 53:23 go there, and they're able to tell me, "Well, Peabody has this book," or "Saugus, and it'll be here tomorrow for you." Yep. So I think that alone is a huge resource. And then I see the line item for new books. Is that purely physical books, or does that include e-books as well? Yes. So great question. Basically, that whole section represents what we're providing to patrons. So books for that line is books and periodicals. So books, magazines, newspapers, pretty much physical items. Then we have where it says download. That would be more the OverDrive and Hoopla, the downloadable items. And we separate it out that way in part because we're just required to report those separate things to the state at the end of the

▶ 54:18 year. And are there requirements within the NOBLE consortium for investments each year in the library to improve your collection to provide benefit to the entire consortium? Do other libraries match? There's no requirement, per se. It's what we're all here for, so it's what we want to be doing. There is a requirement at the state level that we need to spend a certain percent of our budget on materials that go directly to the public. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Terrific. Up next, I have Councilor Karamcheti. Hi, how are you? So great to see you. First, I think you're doing such a wonderful job with the library, and it's always been one of my favorite places in the city and continues to be. You know that I'm a library enthusiast.

▶ 55:14 Manjula Karamcheti: We've met for the past six years during budget times, and my mother-in-law was a librarian as well, so they have a very close place in my heart, and I'm appreciating the enthusiasm of the community in terms of the children's center and sort of wanting to advocate for it. So I have a couple of different questions kind of related to that, but I think my first is I'm looking at your line item for programmingAnd it looks like for the past few years, it's been $2,600, which doesn't seem like a lot for the amount of programming that you actually offer at the library. So I'm just curious about what you spend those funds on, and then how do you supplement? Because I feel like for the robust program that you do

▶ 56:06 Manjula Karamcheti: offer, that's not a lot of money. No, it's not. So that goes to literally supplies, it could be glue sticks or whatever. And it also goes towards bringing in outside programmers. We, the Friends, really have typically funded the bulk of our programming. Okay. And then, I think donations have come up a lot in terms of public comment that people have brought to our attention, letters that we've gotten. I'm making some connections between needing more staff to do that kind of work because it takes time, energy to go through donations and that kind of thing. Are there any other rules or regulations, or barriers to accepting donations and that kind of thing? More for my own learning- Mm-hmm ... trying to understand what might make that difficult for the library.

▶ 57:07 We have accepted donations in the past. Right now, it's quite literally that all these people in the community previously, during the Friends campaign, donated funds so that right now we have that ability to utilize. People donated in a different way, and we're using that, if that makes sense. Oh, understood. So, actual physical donations of puzzles and- The puzzles are donations, but no, I meant that because we have all of the donations that people gave, that's why we're doing purchase- You're using that as your primary source right now. Right. And not going into public donations- Yes ... of materials and stuff. Yes. Okay. Understood. Thank you so much. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's all I wanted to know. Thank you.

▶ 57:58 Thank you. Great. Up next, I have Councilor Finocchiaro. Thank you. Thank you for being here. I just want to echo what Councilor Karamu Chetty said and just sort of ask a question of what is the plan for the children's room going forward? We're open. We have toys, we have games. And the plan is to continue that, to keep that current. As the toys that we get age out, obviously not immediately, but to be replacing those with new items. With programming, continuing to try and do both staff programming, which again, staffing, but also bringing in outside people. We can do some of our really bigger programs with outside people. We just had Matt Heaton that brought a lot of people. But the staff-run programs also provide an additional

▶ 59:02 opportunity for staff to build relationships with the local families instead of it always just being somebody else. So I think having that combination is important, and building out our collections. Yeah. Okay, so you would use the donations you said from the Friends- Yeah ... to build out your collection of things for the children's room? Yes. And staff-wise, from the older library, the children's area, do you have less staff than what you had at the previous library? We do. With the early separation incentive, we lost a full-time staff member. Mm-hmm. And that was full-time in the children's room. Mm. We will be getting some additional staff, but some part-time staff, so it won't entirely make up for it, but it

▶ 59:58 Cal Finocchiaro: will help. Okay, so right now, in comparison to the previous library where the children's room was, you don't have a full-time staff. You had one before. Correct. Okay. Personally, I raised my three boys here, and I brought them to the library all the time. That room downstairs was warm and cozy, and the train tables, and color, and books all around. They loved going. And so whatever we can do going forward, whether we find volunteers in the community to help at the library, or interns from the high school. I'm sure there's a lot of young adults that have creative ideas. I don't know. Some way that we can go forward and really create that space, recreate it, sort of. You know what I mean? You don't have to obviously carbon copy, but

▶ 1:00:46 Cal Finocchiaro: obviously we're hearing from residents tonight, previously, through email. I'm sure you get a lot of adults, but you do get a lot of young kids there, I'm assuming. Yes. Young families. Yes. So if I could make any recommendation, I would say let's kind of focus on that. I know you already are, but kind of make that a priority. So thank you. Thank you. Perfect. Up next, I have Councilor Park. Thank you. Ms. Garner, I have two questions for you. So with regards to the overtime, I understand that the overtime can be explained by the fact that we had opened up for Sundays, and that was not budgeted for that. So moving forward, we should not have overtime. Is that correct? Can you confirm? No. Anytime a benefited staff member works on a

▶ 1:01:41 Sunday- Oh ... they get paid overtime. Okay. I misunderstood that. Okay. So we will-still have that overtime budget line item because we have Sundays now being in place. Correct. Okay. Got that. Okay. And this seems to be a recurring theme here with the city council with regards to the children's room. And personally, just for context, we've heard from a number of constituents, both from my ward and from others, about the simple fact that some residents feel like they're stonewalled with their suggestions. And so I want to take this a step farther and ask you, with the feedback that you get, whether it be direct from the actual residents themselves, concerned parents, or the anonymous ones that you get, potentially,

▶ 1:02:35 what is the formal process in terms of having a catalyst for change? So in other words, what does it need to take for you to actually make it good on some of the feedback that you get? Do you need to have a certain quota in terms of a change? Do you need to escalate this up to the board? Or if it's something simple, can it be done quickly and seamlessly without going through the proper... So just give me an outline or an overview of what that process or workflow is for changing based off the feedback you get in the library. I think it can vary based on the situation. If somebody comes in, for example, and is looking for a book on bones, and we didn't realize they've been lost, they've been damaged,

▶ 1:03:24 we don't have any in-house, we're going to help them find one at another library, and then we're just going to quickly get a few books on bones. That can be a very informal process. With other situations, we may be getting feedback from one direction over here, but also getting feedback of people who want the opposite thing on the other side. So then we're going to be looking at that in terms of what seems to be getting the most traction and what works for the library, and again, whether it's a financial consideration, whether there's some sort of space requirement consideration, and deciding what we can do to move forward with that. And is that brought to the library board for discussion? In some cases, yes. So for example, the snack table that was

▶ 1:04:19 Kimberly Vandiver: very much desired, that no food in the library was an actual policy. So that was brought before the board so that they could vote that into policy that that would be allowed. I see. Okay. Thank you. Up next, I have Vice Chair Vandiver. Thank you. It's good to see you tonight. So I also just want to acknowledge the feedback and the engagement from the public, especially relating to the five and under group, and their diligence to kind of keep at this and express their vision for what they'd like to see there and the changes they'd like to make. And I also really want to give you credit for the responsiveness that you've had over the last year. I know there have been some things I brought forward

▶ 1:05:08 Kimberly Vandiver: that I had heard about, and I've seen changes with signage, changes with some policies about late arrivals to programming. There was an issue that I think was partially a technology issue with the wait list for programs a while ago. Stroller parking area, the snack table, which you mentioned, which was obviously a big change that was considered and did go forward. We do have additional toys. We have new programming. So I do really appreciate that you've been hearing feedback and responding to feedback, and I want to really give you credit for that. And I know this is something a lot of people care a lot about, and the library is a very important public resource. And so I just hope that all around we can really be appreciative of each other's

▶ 1:06:00 Kimberly Vandiver: efforts and build on each other's ideas and incorporate ideas from everyone who's bringing them up, but also just really keep in mind that we're all working towards this goal, and hopefully we keep going and keep making it improve. I do have a few other questions and comments just from the course of discussion. I was just curious if you could speak a bit about if there are any ways that you usually collaborate with other libraries and share ideas or resources with them. Mm-hmm. Yes. So as part of the NOBLE Consortium, we are constantly in contact with each other. We actually just had our annual meeting today, and so the directors email each other frequently with whatever's going on in our own

▶ 1:07:00 environments, troubleshooting, getting ideas. We also have those email lists for various groups. So there's a statewide one for children's and teen librarians that our staff are active on. We also have some working groups in NOBLE. So one of them, there's a collection management working group. So we discuss for that one its collections, and it could be kind of anything that has to do with collections. We all know that if you have somebody who needs a lot of Russian language books, we're going to advise that we either get them from Swampscott, Swampscott has a fabulous Russian language collection, or it could be discussing the need for more diverse authorsWhich has been a really big push for libraries.

▶ 1:08:05 Kimberly Vandiver: And we also work together not just amongst ourselves, but like in that particular topic, libraries can then work together to try and push publishers, because we can't have diverse authors and titles in our collections if the publishers aren't publishing them. So we also try and collaborate in that way. Thank you. And let's see. These are in no particular order, but as far as the friends' funds and donations, personally, I would just advocate for if you do have an opportunity without too much overhead to take donations and free up some funds for later, it could be beneficial. As far as the programming, I know in the past, and I'm not sure if this is an ongoing issue, but there was some limited number of signup

▶ 1:08:59 Kimberly Vandiver: slots for certain programs just due to space constraints. And I believe you've moved some of the programming downstairs. Has that addressed that issue, or are there still programs completely filling up as soon as they're posted, and then there are people who'd love to be in the program, but there's still a space constraint? And do you have any further work on how to make sure that there's open slots for people who want them? It's not entirely. We have added more of the big capacity programs. We've added some capacity to some of our smaller programs. We like to have a combination. We have people who really enjoy going to the smaller programs and not having it be as overwhelming, so we don't really want to get rid of that entirely.

▶ 1:09:48 Kimberly Vandiver: What we are trying to do is have a variety so that everybody is able to find something that suits them. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that makes sense as far as the less overwhelming smaller programs. I know sometimes their program is geared to just four-year-olds or something like that, and one of the comments I had heard was about, well, sometimes you have a sibling you want to bring with, and the sibling is two or something like that. How do you think about that trade-off of keeping it to, I don't know if four-year-old is the correct number, but keeping it to four-year-olds or also opening it up to the siblings? And again, we try to have a combination. I think kind of our key is trying to have different things that we can offer

▶ 1:10:36 Kimberly Vandiver: for different people. Mm-hmm. Let's see. It sounds like staffing is really one of the core issues, so I would really encourage any ability to do partnerships, internships, volunteers, or streamlining any tasks that the existing librarians have so that they can complete those things efficiently and be freed up, and I'm sure you're thinking about this. But there's a room in the lower level that originally was earmarked for a maker space. Mm-hmm. And I believe part of the issue there was staffing of that space, but I would also really welcome any thoughts about how else the space could be used without the staffing. Perhaps either directly by the library or even to be rented out to a business that patrons

▶ 1:11:38 Kimberly Vandiver: would enjoy if they had that little pop-up in the basement or something like that. Has there been any discussion about how to maybe activate that space that is there? We've started doing some programs with staff in that space. But honestly, that's about as far as we've got with that spot because we've been more focused upstairs. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, again, I appreciate you and the work that you do, and I'd love to help with any of the above. So, thanks. Thank you. Up next, I have Councilor Chen. Thank you. And one of the great public goods that I found is the meeting spaces that you mentioned. And Councilor Karamcheti and I had a meeting with constituents there, and your staff was extremely helpful.

▶ 1:12:22 Jason Chen: So to members of the public that want to have an event within reason, I think the meeting spaces are a great option. To be an accounting troll, there's a couple items here that the 2026 actual is higher than the 2026 projection, like if you look at books. I'm not sure if that's an error, or is there a reason why we might get $16,000 back before the end of the year, the next month? It's okay if you don't know. I can ask our CFO separately. Maybe a system issue. Usually, that would be if I probably had another line that we hadn't spent within that range, that we had spent less, so we had spent more. Right. But this says that we had already spent it, and then we're going to spend less by the end of the year.

▶ 1:13:10 That would be Carrie. I don't know why that's showing up that way. Okay. There's a number of items on a number of these budgets that are like that, so you're not the only one. Okay. I motion to recommend. Motion to recommend made by Councilor Chen. Second. Seconded by Councilor Kowal. Oh, sorry. Point of clarification. Move the bottom line. Oh, motion to move to the bottom line. Sorry. A mistake on all three of us. No, two of us. And seconded by Councilor Kowal. On discussion, first, I have Councilor Karamcheti. Okay. We've talked about the children's room. Mm-hmm. And I think I'm trying to understand a little bit more, and we can also follow up later, because I feel like I'm a little later to this

▶ 1:13:52 Manjula Karamcheti: than some of the folks because my kids are in college now, so I haven't been in the children's room in a while. But it sounds likeThe children's room now is perhaps very different than it was when my kids were there, because it was cozy. It wasn't like there were a million things to do, but we spent hours there just looking at books, hanging out. And so I guess I love to think about root causes and why something happened. So I guess I'm just curious about the design process and was there sort of a design consultant for the children's room? Mm-hmm. And sort of just trying to understand how we got here. And yeah, so just curious about that, because it doesn't sound like it's the cozy space that it used to be. So I'm just curious about that.

▶ 1:14:56 It certainly wasn't when we opened. I fully acknowledge that. Yeah. We have added floor rugs. We've got more posters up. We've brought more color in. Especially at the very early days. We are end caps. We're just back ordered. So yes, when people walked in, they were just looking at the steel shelving. Okay. And I mean, that's a pretty big visual impact. Yeah. We've changed the form. All the shelves were going the same direction, and I think it was just sort of kind of marching soldiers-ish, if you will. Which made me so happy that we made the decision to have all of the shelves on wheels, because we were able to just move those things around and create kind of a more dynamic flow to the room.

▶ 1:15:56 Manjula Karamcheti: Yeah. Got it. So I guess it just questions again that you don't need to answer right this second, but I guess it sounds like the board is involved in some of the decisions, the friends are involved, but I guess I would just be interested and curious because I think we all really value the library and are all on the same page about wanting to help develop the children's space into, I think, the experiences we had back in the day for our kids, and wanting that for kids now who are accessing. So just thinking about what kind of support you need, more than, I know you're getting a lot of suggestions, but also what suggestions you need support. So I guess I'd just be really interested and open to how

▶ 1:16:41 Maya Jamaleddine: we can help with that. Thank you. Yeah. Up next, I have Councilor Jamaleddine. Thank you. I just want to name that this is a budget hearing, and we've been taking that time asking about, because the library is newly renovated and there is a lot of programs. So I just want to name that, although this should have been only about budget, but, me included, I've been asking about all kind of updates, and that show how much we appreciate the work that you do and how important it is in our community. When you mentioned about the Sunday overtime- Yes ... is it our employees, regardless if they exceeded the 40 hours or not, they will get paid overtime because it's a Sunday? Yes. So how our system is, their regular work week

▶ 1:17:43 Maya Jamaleddine: is Monday through Saturday. Mm-hmm. That's five days within that work week. And then Sundays are a separate entity. Mm-hmm. And contractually in their contract, it's time and a half on Sundays. Time and a half. Okay, so it's technically not overtime, it's just time and a half. Yes. Okay. So even if we think of switching and having, for instance, new position, not that I'm suggesting that. New position for only Sunday employees, like Sunday staff, separate from the ones that work over the week. That will still be considered as time and a half? Yeah. The Sundays, it's all set out- Yes. Okay ... in the contract. Okay. Yeah. Just want to make sure. Do we have any exciting plans for summer program this coming summer?

▶ 1:18:43 Cal Finocchiaro: We do. I don't have that information. That's fine. I just want to end it on a- Yes ... more- It'll be starting- ... happy side note ... mid-June, and will be going through until the first couple of weeks of August. Awesome. I'm looking forward to hear about it, and I will reach out to have meetings and get more updates. Thank you so much for your help. Up next, I have Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes. I'm sorry. My last time speaking, but I just wanted to kind of close the loop here. So it sounds like the library was, on the children's room, sorry, bringing this up again. Sounds like the library was built and designed, but maybe we didn't focus on the children's room. It was sort of just kind of made like this. Maybe there was an extra design kind of implemented or,

▶ 1:19:28 Cal Finocchiaro: I don't know, a missing piece there. So we kind of opened with as is, I'm guessing? I mean, there was focus on the design of the children's room. It was, I think, the small things, the intangible, not intangibles, actually tangibles. The lights, the toys, those were not part of the architecture team. Right. So that makes sense. And then on top of that, you lost a full-time staff for that area. Yes. So like Councilor Karamu Chetty said, and I think all of us share the same sentiment, it would be we want to support you, however that means. Advocating for that space to either get a full-time employee or somebody part-time or somebody to help you Kind of make that space what I think everybody wants it to be.

▶ 1:20:17 Cal Finocchiaro: So, I think that's just the goal. But it makes sense. It wasn't the priority with the design, as far as making sure that it was a similar space as the old library. But then also, you did lose that full-time staff, which I think I know who it is, and she was wonderful. So anyways, it's making more sense to all of us now. But like I said, I'm just going to reiterate, I feel like however we can support you to get that space the way we all want it would be great. Thank you. Thank you. And at this point, last on my list right now, I have Councilor Vanderburg. Thank you. I just wanted to talk about the Sunday hours for a second. Can you remind me when the contract is up? Is it currently being renegotiated?

▶ 1:21:08 Kimberly Vandiver: It's currently being negotiated, yeah. Okay. And I- So I don't know how much I can actually say about it. So, yeah, I would love to see if that's something that could be addressed this cycle since that is an ongoing typical expectation that we're staffing Sundays. And even the possibility to redistribute some of higher base salary across the regular week versus concentrating the overtime on Sundays, because it seems like these staff are important. They should be paid well. But I would think that the expectation would be they should be paid well kind of distributed throughout the week on whatever their normal cadence is, especially if Sundays is an ongoing schedule. So just to make sure I'm clear,

▶ 1:21:53 if they work extra hours during the week, they do get paid for that. So, it is set out in the contract. It's just that Monday through Saturday is their regular week, and then Sunday is a separate thing. But yes, if they are paid more than, and I don't know how much you want me saying this, Pauline. Is it okay to just talk about what's currently in the contract? Currently in the contract, yes. Yeah. So if they get paid, I think it's more than eight hours in a day. If they work after that eight hour, they would get paid the overtime regardless of what's happening on Sunday. Right. Yeah, that definitely makes sense. Over eight hours in a day, over 40 hours in a week. Exactly. Depending on how far down the road you are with the contract and what

▶ 1:22:47 else you're thinking about, I wonder if there's a way to make Sunday part of the work week for some people. But I'm sure there's more to the negotiation as well. Thank you. Councilor Finocchiaro. Sorry, through the chair. I was just going to say, I think this is just kind of across the board for union employees, right? For Sundays, like the DPW operates like that as well. Fair enough. I think what we're getting at is the difference between FLSA overtime and contractual overtime. Okay. So FLSA is what many of you are bringing up, over eight hours a day, over 40 hours a week. And then there's sort of contractual overtime that is in the contract to really attract folks to show up on Sunday, to show up during snowstorms.

▶ 1:23:24 And that overtime, or time and a half, or two time, whatever it is, that's outside of the FLSA. So even if an employee hasn't worked 40 hours, they would get that contractual overtime. So I think these are the two types of overtime that we're discussing. And we have coming attractions, human resources. And with no other comments in queue- Nope ... and we have a motion on the floor. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Coleman? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor. Motion passed. We will move the bottom line on-

▶ 1:24:15 Thank you ... the library budget. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Up next- Thank you again for your time. Really appreciate it. Should we spin it again? What? Should we spin it again? Department 152, human resources joining us this evening. Human Resources Director, Pauli Latta. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you for having me here tonight. My name is Pauli Latta. I'm the human resources director for the City of Melrose, and I'm here tonight to present our fiscal year '27 budget for human resources, for employee benefits, workers' compensation, and unemployment. I know you have received my department memo. We have new councilors, so I will give you a brief overview of what my department does.

▶ 1:25:11 So, the human resources department supports employees and retirees with benefits administration, wellness and health benefits, unemployment, workers' comp benefits. We manage leave of absence, accommodation requests. We ensure compliance with federal state regulations. We uphold the terms of the collective bargaining agreements, support employees with employment-related matters. I guide the 22 department heads that we have with employment-related matters, performance matters, and recently, over the past few months, we have taken on some of the school HR functions that we're very excited about. And I have to say, I cannot accomplish any of this alone, so my department consists of three members. Diane Barrett, she is

▶ 1:26:18 the-HR coordinator for benefits for city and school, and Matt Travers, who is the HR systems and operations specialist for city and school. And I'm very grateful for that because they're very talented and capable team members. In addition to that, I want to say thank you to the mayor's office, and the team that I work with on daily basis, which is Carrie Golden, the CFO, and Shannon Phillips, primarily in the city solicitor's office. So over the past year, one of the biggest accomplishment was kind of supporting the school HR function. It started with recruiting and onboarding and training the new HR coordinator and kind of ensuring stability during that transition. And when this position became vacant,

▶ 1:27:19 strategic decision was made to transition key HR functions, or I should say, the majority of the HR functions from the school to my department without adding necessarily an extra personnel. This, I believe, allows us to maintain continuity of services. Over the past few years, there have been a lot of gaps in the HR or benefits management function in the school, so this allows continuity of services. It improves consistency of practice, enhances the operational efficiencies, and ultimately, and that's really important to me and my department, improves the employee experience across city and school, which is also a retention strategy. In addition to merging the HR function, my department has helped lead the development of the HR

▶ 1:28:21 portal for the school employees. This is something that did not exist prior, so, I have to give credit to Matt Travers. Again, he's very talented in these areas, so he helped develop the HR portal, which is a centralized area for platform for school employees to have access to HR benefits, policies, training. It's kind of like one-stop shop. That's on the school side. With contract negotiations, member of the negotiations team, we have four contracts that are expiring at the end of fiscal year '26. So that's clerical, laborers, library, and fire. I have to say that we are on track to hopefully be able to settle the contracts by the end of the year if everything goes well. And in addition to that, we

▶ 1:29:18 have started the initial stages of PEC negotiations, which has to do with negotiations for our health insurance. We are in the information gathering stages. Our health insurance agreement with the Public Employee Committee expires June 30th, 2027, so we had to start the process January of 2026, and we need to have a decision by late fall of '26. And that's a big one, as we're focusing on maintaining fiscal responsibility and ensuring that we are negotiating and supporting sustainable, fair employee compensation and benefit structures. Another accomplishment for this year was workforce restoration. After the passing of Proposition two and a half, we were able to start recruiting for a lot of the positions who had left and the positions that were not

▶ 1:30:25 filled. So it was a busy period. We recruited, onboarded successfully 12 new employees. Three were managers, department heads. Processed over 40 non-benefit hires, which is usually part-time, seasonal, and facilitated nearly 10 promotions. Many of these are DPW as positions open. There's a lot of internal movements. Another area that my department has focused on is ADA support. So I'm happy to report that we have secured CART and interpreter services for the high school graduation. So we have two CART services as well as two ASL and two deaf interpreters for high school graduation that's coming up. In addition to that, I have collaborated with the DPW department and with the Commission on Disability, and we're able to obtain a grant

▶ 1:31:26 to improve for accessibility improvements with the Hoover School, Horace Mann, and Winthrop School. In addition to that, we have Matt Travers, he's the mayor's appointment on the Commission on Disability. I am the ADA coordinator for the city. So we have worked together with many departments to expand closed captioning requirements for virtual meetings and update municipal school ADA resource pages and just overall strengthen the coordination between the different city departments and the Commission on Disability. So, that's a little bit about my department, and I can go over the human resources budget to start with.So that is budget number 152, human resources. This budget hosts part of our salaries

▶ 1:32:36 and some other expenses. The reason I said part of our salaries is because the salaries of the human resources department are split between the salary and wage line item and the health salary and wage line item. So my salary is split 75/25. 75 human resources salary and wages and 25 health insurance salary and wages. The HR coordinator is 50/50, and the HR specialist is 50/50. And our city solicitor mentioned that we are going to have a full-time role, this administrative assistant role that's split between her office and mine. And my department is covering half of that compensation through the HR salary and wages line item. So you are seeing an increase in that line item because in order for us to be able to successfully transition

▶ 1:33:46 the school HR function to the city HR function, we had to get creative, try to work with the resources we have, and really maximize the talent that we have in my department. So instead of hiring an extra HR person, the decision was made that we are going to promote the staff that I currently have, and primarily Matt Travers, who is our now human resources systems and operations specialist. He was promoted, his responsibilities increased, and he was reclassified, which is why you see an increase here in the salary wages. There was also an increase in the HR coordinator's salary and in my salary to account for the additional responsibilities that were taken with the merging with the school function.

▶ 1:34:51 So that's the highlight on that department. I don't know if anybody has any questions. Thank you very much. Councilor Park? Quick question. The way you juggle the salary seems like a logistical and accounting nightmare in terms of splitting it between 75, 25, between HR, health, legal HR, et cetera and so forth. So I guess my question is, is this because it is a shared resource and this is a common practice among municipalities, or is it because we are short-staffed and you are getting creative in the-- You mentioned that you are getting creative, but is this something that you see often, or is this something that you would like to eventually abolish and have it that the people work full-time in these respective departments?

▶ 1:35:45 So is the question about how salaries are hosted within our budgets, or is the question about- Yes, because more often than not, when we go through these salaries- Yeah ... and we come across large increases per salary, they can be explained in the notes because they're splitting, and you have an extra person or half person, I should say, that is being taken on board between two different- Yes ... departments. It doesn't show in the line item, right? So I guess, is that something that we'll continuously see now that we have the override additional funds for this, or is this a common practice where we will, as the years go on, continue to split resources like that and- Well, I can speak right now, this is the first year that we are

▶ 1:36:40 taking on the HR function at the school. Mm-hmm. So with the resources we have right now, we were trying to be, again, thoughtful about having my staff focus on more complex HR responsibility. And instead of paying them for routine administrative clerical work, be able to kind of outsource this to an administrative assistant that is shared. It made the most sense. Down the road, there might be changes, but with the information, with what we have now, the experience we have now, we are just trying to be thoughtful with the resources that we have. I don't know if I answered your question. Well, I guess if you're happy with the way this is set up or structured and you are sharing the resources, I can see the benefit of that.

▶ 1:37:37 Devin Romanul: So as long as you're happy with this moving forward, then that's fine. That's- We are in the beginning stages, so at this point in time, I'm happy with the steps we've taken. But it doesn't mean that things are not going to change down the line. Okay. Thank you. Other councilors? Vice Chair Vandiver. Thanks. Thank you for your presentation. I'd like to motion to move Department 152 to the bottom line. Second. Motion made by Vice Chair Vandiver, seconded by Councilor Finocchiaro. On discussion? I actually have one if you'll indulge for a moment. Yes. I do policy design and talent recruiting for municipalities around the country for a living. And did I hear correctly that we had trouble filling somevacancies.

▶ 1:38:25 And I'm just wondering, from a budgetary perspective, if there's anything that we should know as a council for budget planning moving forward about our inability to fill vacancies, if there's very broadly anything you could share? Yeah. This is a good question. We do have difficulty filling the engineer role, as well as mechanic and HMEO roles. Engineers are very difficult to find. At one point on the Mass Municipal job site, there were 13 engineer openings for 13 engineers that municipalities were trying to recruit for. I've spoken to neighboring communities who have had these vacancies for close to a year. So, we are constantly discussing with public works how we can figure out a way to fill these roles.

▶ 1:39:23 Right now, we did hire a junior engineer, and we are hiring three interns to at least try to alleviate some of the load. But realizing these are interns, it's not an engineer role. So, it's difficult. I wish I had an answer. And if I did, we would've implemented it. But, we're using all resources we can. We're using word of mouth. We're using different type of recruiting sites. It's hard. Yeah. Thank you for answering. I really appreciate it. Yes. Councilor Chen. How would you assess our retention compared to other towns or places you've worked? Change has a cost, and cycling people in has a cost as well. I think we have great retention. Every department is different, but generally, our employees are

▶ 1:40:19 really happy with our benefits. I meet with every employee when they leave. We have an exit interview. So if there's anything, and I always ask them what they loved about their employment, what they'd like to continue, what they don't like. Salaries is always something they like to see increased, but other than that, we are getting good feedback. Councilor Park. Sorry. Just to piggyback off of Councilor Chen comment. One of the biggest holes to fill is the city engineer. That is a big role to fill that is creating some bottlenecks here. Mm-hmm. And I know that Elena, the department head of DPW- Yeah ... has expressed concern about that. And for some reason, the people internally do not want to move forward with that

▶ 1:41:10 position. So from your perspective, how do we fill this? Is this a role that just we simply-- Is it a matter of money? Do we need to throw more money at this position to make it more attractive? Should we actually include in schedule-- At this point, it's obviously too late. Yeah. But do we need to start thinking about making certain roles a little bit bigger in terms of the budget for allocating for these specific positions that we have a hard time to fill? I would say this position has been vacant for a while. So every three, four weeks, Elena and I would meet and think about what can we do. Can we reduce certain requirements that are nice to have but not absolutely required? Can we increase the salary? So we have tried some

▶ 1:41:59 movement in the requirements, in the salary. I think it's very difficult to compete with the private sector when it comes down hiring for engineers. I don't know if more money is going to help, because we are talking about engineers who are able to work from home, who have unlimited time off, who have their student loans paid by their employer, and it's hard to compete. There's a great need for engineers in the municipal world, and there's not enough in the pipeline. So I wish I had an answer on how we can do it better. We're continuously meeting and trying to come up with strategies. Okay. Thank you. Up next, I have Vice Chair Vandiver. Thank you. A discussion made me wonder, when we have many of our roles covered by union contracts, how does

▶ 1:43:09 that work if we have a role that's difficult to fill? Are we able to pay above what's in the union salary rate, or what do you do in those circumstances? Well, in this case, this is a management role and a leadership role in a way, so we cannot have union folks perform this work. Within a union environment, if a union employee covers for another role that's a higher role, there's a clause often that they will get paid a higher amount. Okay. Mm-hmm. Interesting. Thank you. Yeah. You're welcome. That's great. I believe we have a motion on the floor, and barring any other comments from councilors, with a motion to move the bottom line. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver?

▶ 1:43:56 Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor. All in favor. We'll move that to the bottom line. Thank you so much. Up next, item number 912, workers' comp. Okay. So the workers' compensation budget, you can notice there is an increase to the 2027 line item by 50%, from $100,000 for workers' comp medicals to $150,000.And the reason for that is to more accurately reflect the actual cost associated with workers' comp medical expenses. Just to give you a little background. So right now, I was looking at the budget and realized we have a long-term recipient

▶ 1:45:08 of medical benefits, and this long-term recipient already accounts for 50%, or 72,000, of this 150,000 line item. Last year, this recipient accounted for 60%, leaving us with a very small margin to work with. And if we have any type of a more significant medical cost, such as surgery, it depletes that line item very quickly. And I know most of you have seen me here at the end of the fiscal year asking for more money. I've been fairly consistent, and you will see me again in few weeks asking for more money for this line item. So, it made most sense that we reflect what's more or less the actual cost, so I don't have to come here at the end of the fiscal year. We appreciate it. Councilor- Yeah

▶ 1:46:06 Devin Romanul: ... Finocchiaro. Thank you. The explanation makes sense. Yeah. Just want to make motion to recommend. Second. Motion to recommend made by Councilor Finocchiaro, second by Councilor Kowal. I think we mean move the bottom line. Oh, I thought this was because it was a fund or a... Oh yeah, a revolving account? No? Oh, it's not. It's a- I think they're going to move the bottom line. But you know what? I think this has come up enough. I think we should track down the solicitor who was just here. So I will take care of that tomorrow. Motion to move the bottom line. Motion to make the- Second ... chair do that tomorrow. On discussion. Seeing none, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Chen?

▶ 1:46:46 Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor. All right. All in favor? We'll move the bottom line. Next up, department 913, unemployment. Okay. Department 913, unemployment, you will see a significant decrease in this line item. And the reason for this decrease was that we had to budget for the many school layoffs we had last fiscal year. And, I had projected what I thought was safe amount, not worst case scenario, because that would've been scary. I'm glad to see that that line item did not get used as much as I had projected. So therefore, we are level funding to the previous fiscal

▶ 1:47:45 year, which was at $100,000. Terrific. Councilors? Councilor Finocchiaro. I was just make a motion to remove the bottom line. Second. Motion to move the bottom line made by Councilor Finocchiaro, seconded by Councilor Kowal. On discussion. Councilor Chen. Is this 2026 projection then far off, and we're closer to the 2026 actual? Oh, yes. We are at the 2026 actual, which is what we have expended so far. So the projection was, we had a lot of layoffs at the school, and I projected last year. So I projected for about 13 weeks of benefits. During the summer, school employees don't receive unemployment benefits because they get paid for the summer. So it seems like maybe, I assume many of them may have

▶ 1:48:39 Jason Chen: found employment during the summer months, so they didn't need to collect our unemployment benefits past the summer, which is a good thing. But it's really hard to predict employee behavior if they're going to... Or former employee behavior, if they will be using the unemployment benefit, or they will try to use the summer to find employment. Thank you. You know. This is really an outlier. This does not happen often. Yeah. A point of information then, for anyone who knows, is this projection rolling and updated based on our... Yeah, like it was updated on May 7th? Or is this something that was done a long time ago in the beginning? Which is not really useful because a lot of the percent changes are comparing the 2026 projection to the 2027

▶ 1:49:29 proposed. Does anyone know what goes like- Mr. Chair, do you mind to explain your question? I'm just not getting it. Yeah. So the 2026 projection- Yeah ... Holly just mentioned, is something that she projected earlier in the year, like at the beginning of the fiscal year, right? But I understood it as, that's our latest view on where we're gonna end up on June 30th. Oh, no. Mm-mm. No? No, no. Mm-mm. So, I spoke to our CFO about this particular line column, 2026 projection, which is, I have to say, very confusing, and you have the right to ask all these questions. What this column shows is the budget, the original budget, 2026 budget, and then any encumbered amounts that were rolled from the previous fiscal year.

▶ 1:50:28 So you have the 2026 projected original budget amount, which is 411. And to that, we have added the encumbered, anything that's left over from the previous year that was encumbered. And that's how you get the 418,000This right now means nothing because the actual cost that we have spent on unemployment is $155,000 so far. I can tell you that in our April bill, we have only three former employees, and the April bill was only $7,000. Yeah. It's confusing. It's just frustrating because then the percent changes don't mean much if that's not actually where we think we're going to end up. And sorry. I think the- It's not a- Oh, no ... it's not for you to answer. It's just a- Yeah ... more a- I think the changes-

▶ 1:51:26 Maya Jamaleddine: You're looking at the numbers and you think, "Oh, well, it means we project to end here," then you look at the percent change based on that. So- Yeah ... what we should be doing is looking at the actual and then maybe prorating or asking directly, "Hey, where do we think we're going to end up?" And then we use that to calculate, okay, how's it different from next year, but... Yeah, that is a confusing column. I agree. Through the chair. Just from what we've done previous, because we don't have Carrie with us, I think my suggestion, if you want to send an email- Yes ... and she'll provide all these explanations. It's tricky with that, but I totally see your point. For future meetings and hearings, it would be differently

▶ 1:52:19 framed and differently explained for us. This is actually my first rodeo, so yes. Terrific. Any other councilors? Seeing no further discussion, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Karamcheti? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor. All in favor, we will move the bottom line on 9.13. Up next, department 9.14, health contractual. All right. So department 9.14, health contractual, as I mentioned earlier, it holds some of our salaries, and the rest are just contractual benefits that we provide to our employees and retirees.

▶ 1:53:14 I already went over the salaries. The benefits have increased. The group health insurance line item has increased by 9.9%, and the Part B Medicare reimbursement line item has increased by 7.3%. So, the reason that our group health insurance has increased is because we had increase in the premium rates. The rate increases for non-Medicare plans for fiscal year '27 range anywhere from 4.1% to 13.6%, and the premium increases for the Medicare plans ranged anywhere between 4% and 7.5%, and it amounted to this percent increase. I can give you a little information on how we create the budget for the group health line item because it is the largest line item that we have. It is always a moving target, so what we do is we take April

▶ 1:54:32 1st membership listing, so the number of employees and retirees we have on our health insurance for April 1st, and then we plug in the new rates for fiscal year '27. Then we find what the average health plan cost is, and we use that number to project the cost. This year, for fiscal year 2027, the average cost is 20,000. We have found that per plan. We have found that this has worked well in the past. The CFO and I are constantly meeting and trying to figure out if there's a better way to project, to predict what the health insurance cost would be, and this has worked well. A while back, the approach was to use the most popular plan. The difference between the average rate, 20,000, the most popular

▶ 1:55:47 plan for fiscal year '27 is $10,000. Mm-hmm. And it's not realistic that we're going to have every new employee that will take a family plan and the most popular, most expensive plan. So, we have adjusted. We take into consideration any new hires that will be on our health insurance for July 1st that we have not accounted for during the time that we create the budget. We take into consideration vacancies that are coming up. We take into consideration employees who are younger than 26 that currently don't have insurance, but as soon as they turn 26 within the next year, they may get on our insurance. So that's certainly a liability that we have to consider, and we also account for any employees whom don't have insurance with

▶ 1:56:43 us that at any point could potentially get on our insurance, and that's how we get to the final number.I'm happy to answer any questions. Councilor Kowal? No, I'm just going to make a motion to move it to the bottom line. Oh. Motion to move to the bottom line made by Councilor Kowal. Second. Second by Vice Chair Vandiver. On discussion? Seeing none, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver. Yes. Councilor Chen. Yes. Councilor Finocchiaro. Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine. Yes. Councilor Karamcheti. Yes. Councilor Kowal. Yes. Councilor Park. Yes. President Freeman. Yes. Chair Romanul. Yes. All in favor. Thank you so much. We'll move that to bottom line. Thank you so much, Director, for joining us this evening.

▶ 1:57:31 Thank you. Have a good night. Thank you. You too. All right. Oh, we have one more. We've got one more. Pension and retirement. We got pension and retirement coming up. Yes. That is not me. Woo-hoo. You waited all this time. Been a long time. Oh, my goodness. Drum roll, please, for department 911, pension and retirement. Thank you both so much for your patience and grace this evening. We really appreciate it. Sure. Last but not least. Right. Certainly. Members of the council, thank you for your time this evening. My name is Christine Rizzo. I am the Assistant Executive Director for the Retirement Board. I currently solely run day-to-day operations as the board seeks to hire a new executive director. To give you a little color, if you think that hiring an

▶ 1:58:26 engineer is tough, try looking for an executive director for retirement. It was vacant for about eight months prior to April of 2025, when Adam Travinski was the director, and then we hired somebody in October of this past year, and he resigned in April of 2026. So. And with me tonight is my fifth board member for the Retirement Board, Michael Lucas. He's going to help answer some financial questions you might have. If I can. Yes. I'll do the best I can. Yes. Oh, yeah. So, this is a statutory appropriation under Mass General Law Chapter 32. With pension reform in 2010, this assessment of the petition for appropriation cannot be reduced from prior years from previous years. So, this is an appropriation that we voted

▶ 1:59:33 Jason Chen: at our August 27th, 2025 Retirement Board meeting, and it was approved by PERAC in a letter dated December 3rd, 2025, and the city's portion of the appropriation is $8,272,164. Thank you very much for the presentation. Any councilors with questions? Councilor Chen. So, it looks-- I recall sometime in December, we added an extra 500K to our PERAC contribution. Yes. And I was wondering what the benefit is to pay that off quicker, and- So- We pay the principal down- Yes ... and then do we then have to pay less overall on our PERAC? Well, the annual amounts that the city will pay aren't really going to change until the last year. You're getting the benefit of it earning interest over the next...

▶ 2:00:40 2030. 12 years. 2037, right? Like over the next 12 years. So, that final payment will probably be just less, but it's not going to reduce the amount of time that it's going to take to pay down that liability. I guess I'm wondering if it was good to pay off an extra 500K then, and it may be more a city finance question. Oh, it's always good to keep putting in extra. If you're just throwing funds at your debt, then you get that benefit of over the next 12 years. It's going to accrue that interest and reduce your liability. Yes, definitely. It's just such a huge liability that, yes, an extra $500,000 is great, but you're only kind of chipping away at it, that it's not really going to change much in

▶ 2:01:30 Kimberly Vandiver: terms of the actuarial accrued liability. This is going to take some time to chip away at. And we're all in favor of taking a higher appropriation from the city with the override, if you want to keep throwing additional funds at it, because the city is going to be facing an OPEB liability after the pension liability is paid off. I'm sure the city council is aware of that. Vice Chair Vandiver. Mm-hmm. Thank you. I'm somewhat aware of that, but could you go back a step or two and just explain that so that we're all kind of completely informed about those liabilities? And my understanding is that many cities throughout Massachusetts are in a similar situation. We have really large outstanding liabilities, and

▶ 2:02:26 so I would love to hear more about that, as well as what we should anticipate over the next decade, needing to address. Well, a number of years ago, there was a GASB that required cities and towns to put a big fat liability on their financial statement of OPEB and pension even longer before that. So, it's just one of those things that you really want to pay down in order to maintain a good, strong bond rating.So, I'm sorry. Can you go back to your question? I guess one basic part of the question is what is the total amount that we have outstanding, and how long do we have to pay it? So cities and towns are mandated by the state. You have to have a zero liability by 2040, by the beginning of FY 2040. We're

▶ 2:03:33 slated to be done in 2038. 2038. And some towns and municipalities are already fully funded. Most, yeah. We're kind of in the middle of the pack, but I think by 2035, there's only going to be 25 municipalities left that have a liability on the books, and by 2036, that's going to be about 12. So we're still kind of an outlier in that sense. Okay. And for my understanding in the public, so OPEB is other post-employment benefits. Yes. So those are things that we promised to employees when they were our employees, but we haven't put aside the money to pay for that yet. Yeah. I think Melrose has maybe like $1.3 million in assets to cover OPEB, but the OPEB liability, and I looked at the most recent financial

▶ 2:04:23 statements that the city has, and that was 2024, the OPEB liability on your books is $172 million. So 172 million minus 1.3, that's going to be your next big liability, so you need to get the pension paid off and then attack OPEB. And Melrose isn't really an outlier in that sense. A lot of cities and towns are faced with that. But it is kind of like a scary thing that cities and towns are waking up to. Right. Okay, so we have about 170 million to pay off over the course of 15 years? OPEB doesn't have a hard deadline. Okay. I think right now most cities and towns are just trying to pay it as they go. Okay. But it still has to be shown as a liability on the books. But yeah, pension is a little more strictly enforced, especially,

▶ 2:05:18 obviously, by the state agency, PERAC. So it's just one of those things. This is just usually a really simple line item, and I don't want to belittle your guys' roles at all. But I'm a resident here. I totally appreciate what all you guys do. I almost came into this meeting saying, "You guys don't really have a choice. You have to give us this money." "And if you don't, you guys are going to get in trouble. The state will withhold your state aid, and you'll get letters." But anyway, I am happy to be here to elaborate on just how important this really is. Mm-hmm. Okay, and last question from me. So it's about eight million this year. Do you know, will that be consistent year over year? Will it grow a little bit every year?

▶ 2:06:13 Yeah. So we have Stone Actuarial Consultants, Stone Consulting. They're our actuary for the pension system. And they give us a whole schedule just in terms of we generally know what we're going to pay over the next 12 years. We could forward this- I sent you the funding schedule. Point of clarification. Oh, thank you. It's in our agenda packet. Oh, wonderful. Yeah. All right. It's just one of those things that we're getting there, and thank God for the override passing, too. I was watching meetings over the past few years, and I know how difficult it is. So luckily, we don't feel as bad asking for this to be paid off, but it just has to. It has to. Mm-hmm. Thank you. You're welcome. Other counselors have discussion. Counselor Finocchiaro?

▶ 2:07:05 Devin Romanul: Do we have a motion on the floor? We do not. Okay. I make a motion to move the bottom line. Second. Motion to move the bottom line made by Counselor Finocchiaro, seconded by Counselor Karemchetty. On discussion? Seeing none. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Counselor Chen? Yes. Counselor Finocchiaro? Yes. Counselor Jamaleddin? Yes. Counselor Karemchetty? Yes. Counselor Cole? Counselor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. All in favor. All right. That motion passes. We'll move the bottom line. Thank you both, again, for your- Thank you ... patience and information. No worries. We thought we were first. And we ended up being last. Oh, no.

▶ 2:07:44 Devin Romanul: So next time, we'll put some treats in the bag. All right. Our last item tonight, appropriation number 2026 1208, an appropriation in the amount of $126,652,797 to fund the fiscal year 2027 general fund operating budget. I'd like to motion to hold this in committee. Motion made by- Second ... Vice Chair Vandiver, seconded by Counselor Finocchiaro. On discussion? Seeing none. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Yes. Counselor Chen? Yes. Counselor Finocchiaro? Yes. Counselor Jamaleddin? Yes. Counselor Karemchetty? Yes. Counselor Cole? Counselor Park? Yes. President Freeman? Yes. Chair Romanul? Yes. Motion passes, and we will hold that in committee. That being our last item on tonight's agenda, on that motion by unanimous consent

▶ 2:08:31 Cal Finocchiaro: to adjourn. Point of privilege. Chair Romanul, I wanted to just make a point to just remind the counselors about the Memorial Day events this weekend. Let's see, it just went to 9:00 a.m. at the cemetery is the flag placing at the Wyoming Cemetery from 9:00 to 11:00. And then at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday is a Memorial Day ceremony at the Knoll. And I think there's something else going on on Memorial Day, but those are the two events I wanted to let everyone know about. Fantastic. Thank you so much, Counselor Finocchiaro. All right. Seeing no other objections, we are now adjourned. Thank you so much.

Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2026-05-21

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