Appropriations & Oversight Committee — 2026-08-17
Attendance
Jason Chen ; Cal Finocchiaro ; Bradley Freeman ; Maya Jamaleddine ; Manjula Karamcheti ; Elizabeth Kowal ; John Obremski ; Christopher Park ; Kimberly Vandiver ; Ryan Williams
Agenda
Minutes
Appropriations & Oversight Committee Monday, August 17, 2026, 7:15 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 7:16 pm Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Kim Vandiver Vice Chair Present Jason Chen At-Large Present Cal Finocchiaro Ward 6 Absent Maya Jamaleddine At-Large Present Manjula Karamcheti Ward 1 Absent Elizabeth Kowal At-Large Present John Obremski Ward 2 Present Christopher Park Ward 3 Absent Ryan Williams At-Large Present William Bradley Freeman President, Ex Officio Present Member Devin Romanul Chair Present II. MINUTES APPROVAL A. Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting August 10, 2026 7:30 PM 1 Motion to Approve the minutes by unanimous consent without reading made by Chair Romanul All were in favor and motion passed RESULTS: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Jason Chen, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver, Ryan Williams NAYS: None ABSENT: Cal Finocchiaro, Manjula Karamcheti, Christopher Park III. PUBLIC COMMENT When: Aug 17, 2026 07:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: Appropriations & Oversight Committee Meeting Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android: https://cityofmelrose- org.zoom.us/j/99009691652?pwd=NsypvUDSBLvp2YhRrLHdzz4aGDSTYZ.1 Passcode:347313 Webinar ID: 990 0969 1652 Motion to Open public comment made by Chair Romanul at 7:17 pm There were no comments on the floor or via Zoom Motion to Close public comment made by Chair Romanul at 7:18 pm IV. GRANTS
A. (ID # 2026-1529): Acceptance of the FY2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850.00 Councilor Kowal raised initial concerns about language in the contract related to immigration and DE&I issues, but confirmed after speaking with Shannon Phillips, city solicitor, that these concerns had been addressed through guidance from the AG's office. It was clarified that Article 63 in the contract applies to Massachusetts and strikes all of the immigration-focused language in the contract. In terms of the DE&I, because of the type of contract that it is, the DE&I language does not apply. Councilor Vandiver brought up a different issue last time, which was whether we would be repaid, given issues with other grants. She had not done any follow-up. Motion to Recommend made by President Freeman Seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine Motion passed, with Councilor Williams voting Present RESULTS: ACCEPTED (7 Yes, 1 Present) TO: City Council AYES: Jason Chen, Bradley Freeman, Maya Jamaleddine, Elizabeth Kowal, John Obremski, Devin Romanul, Kim Vandiver 2 NAYS: None PRESENT: Ryan Williams ABSENT: Cal Finocchiaro, Manjula Karamcheti, Christopher Park V. ADJOURNMENT Motion to Adjourn by unanimous consent made by Chair Romanul at 7:22 pm All were in favor and meeting was adjourned 3 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS | STANDARD CONTRACT FORM This form is jointly issued and published by the Office of the Comptroller, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and the Operational Services Division as the default contract for all Commonwealth Departments when another form is not prescribed by regulation or policy. The Commonwealth deems void any changes made on or by attachment (in the form of addendum, engagement letters, contract forms or invoice terms) to the terms in this published form or to the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Human and Social Services, or the Commonwealth IT Terms and Conditions which are incorporated by reference herein. Additional non-conflicting terms may be added by Attachment. Contractors are required to access forms at macomptroller.org/forms or mass.gov/lists/osd-forms. CONTRACTOR INFORMATION COMMONWEALTH INFORMATION Contractor Legal Name Department Mosaic Department Code d/b/a Contract Manager Name Legal Address Business Mailing Address As entered on Form W-9 or Form W-4 Contract Manager Name Billing Address If Different Phone Fax Phone Fax Email Email Vendor Code Mosaic Transaction ID(s) VC Vendor Code Address ID RFR/Procurement or Other ID Number e.g. “AD001”. AD Note: The Address ID must be set up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments. NEW CONTRACT CONTRACT AMENDMENT Procurement or Exception Type (Check one option only) Current Contract End Date Amendment Amount PRIOR to Amendment Or Enter “No Change” Statewide Contract (OSD or an OSD-designated department.) Amendment Type Collective Purchase Check one option only. Attach details of amendment changes. (Attach OSD approval, scope, and budget.) Amendment to Date, Scope, or Budget Department Procurement - Includes all Grants 815 CMR 2.00. (Attach updated scope and budget.) (Attach Solicitation Notice or RFR, and Response or other procurement supporting documentation.) Interim Contract with Current Contractor (Attach justification for Interim Contract and updated scope/budget.) Emergency Contract (Attach justification for emergency, scope, and budget.) Contract Employee (Attach any updates to scope or budget.) Contract Employee (Attach Employee Status Form, scope, and budget.) Other Procurement Exception (Attach authorizing language/justification and updated scope/budget.) Interim Contract with new Contractor (Attach justification for Interim Contract and updated scope/budget.) Other Procurement Exception (Attach authorizing language, legislation with specific exemption or earmark, and exception justification, scope, and budget.) TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications and the following document are incorporated by reference into this Contract and are legally binding. Check ONE option: Commonwealth Terms and Conditions Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for Human and Social Services Commonwealth IT Terms and Conditions COMPENSATION Check ONE option. The Department certifies that payments for authorized performance accepted in accordance with the terms of this Contract will be supported in the state accounting system by sufficient appropriations or other non-appropriated funds, subject to intercept for Commonwealth owed debts under 815 CMR 9.00. Rate Contract (No Maximum Obligation). (Attach details of all rates, units, calculations, conditions or terms and any changes if rates or terms are being amended.) Maximum Obligation Contract. Total maximum obligation for total duration of this contract (or new total if contract is being amended): Page 1 of 2 Updated 2/23/2026 Mosaic Transaction ID(s) PROMPT PAYMENT DISCOUNTS (PPD) Commonwealth payments are issued through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 45 days from invoice receipt. See Prompt Pay Discounts Policy. Contractors requesting accelerated payments must identify a PPD as follows: Payment issued within: 10 days % PPD. 15 days % PPD. 20 days % PPD. 30 days % PPD. If PPD percentages are left blank, identify reason: Statutory/legal Ready Payments (M.G.L. c. 29, § 23A) Agree to standard 45-day cycle Only initial payment BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CONTRACT PERFORMANCE or REASON FOR AMENDMENT Enter the Contract title, purpose, fiscal year(s) and a detailed description of the scope of performance or what is being amended for a Contract Amendment. Attach all supporting documentation and justifications. SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM (SDP) PLAN Does the Supplier Diversity Program apply? YES If YES, the Contractor’s annual SDP commitment for this Contract is NO If NO, and the department is an Executive Department, enter the appropriate exemption: ANTICIPATED START DATE (Complete ONE option only.) The Department and Contractor certify for this Contract, or Contract Amendment, that Contract obligations: 1. may be incurred as of the Effective Date (latest signature date below) and no obligations have been incurred prior to the Effective Date. 2. may be incurred as of , 20 , a date LATER than the Effective Date below and no obligations have been incurred prior to the Effective Date. 3. were incurred as of , 20 , a date PRIOR to the Effective Date below, and the parties agree that payments for any obligations incurred prior to the Effective Date are authorized to be made either as settlement payments or as authorized reimbursement payments, and that the details and circumstances of all obligations under this Contract are attached and incorporated into this Contract. Acceptance of payments forever releases the Commonwealth from further claims related to these obligations. CONTRACT END DATE Contract performance shall terminate as of , 20 , with no new obligations being incurred after this date unless the Contract is properly amended, provided that the terms of this Contract and performance expectations and obligations shall survive its termination for the purpose of resolving any claim or dispute, for completing any negotiated terms and warranties, to allow any close out or transition performance, reporting, invoicing or final payments, or during any lapse between amendments. CERTIFICATIONS Notwithstanding verbal or other representations by the parties, the “Effective Date” of this Contract or Amendment shall be the latest date that this Contract or Amendment has been executed by an authorized signatory of the Contractor, the Department, or a later Contract or Amendment Start Date specified above, subject to any required approvals. The Contractor certifies that they have accessed and reviewed all documents incorporated by reference as electronically published and the Contractor makes all certifications required under the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications under the pains and penalties of perjury, and further agrees to provide any required documentation upon request to support compliance, and agrees that all terms governing performance of this Contract and doing business in Massachusetts are attached or incorporated by reference herein according to the following hierarchy of document precedence, the applicable Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, this Standard Contract Form, the Standard Contract Form Instructions and Contractor Certifications, the Request for Response (RFR) or other solicitation, the Contractor’s Response (excluding any language stricken by a Department as unacceptable, and additional negotiated terms, provided that additional negotiated terms will take precedence over the relevant terms in the RFR and the Contractor’s Response only if made using the process outlined in 801 CMR 21.07, incorporated herein, provided that any amended RFR or Response terms result in best value, lower costs, or a more cost effective Contract. AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE FOR THE CONTRACTOR AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE FOR THE DEPARTMENT Signature and date must be captured at time of signature. Signature and date must be captured at time of signature. Signature Date Signature Date Print Name Print Title Print Name Print Title Page 2 of 2 Updated 2/23/2026 Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Emergency Management Grants Unit FFY 2025 EMPG Special Conditions and Reporting Requirements Parties The Contractor/Subrecipient is an eligible public or private not-for-profit entity that has applied for grant funding to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and has received an approved award under the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) Emergence Management Performance Grant (EMPG). The subrecipient must be represented by a duly authorized official(s) of the Contractor/Subrecipient whose signature(s), authorization(s), and/or certification(s) legally represent and bind the Contractor/Subrecipient. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Emergency Management Grants Unit (EM Grants Unit) is responsible for administering this grant program. Agreement The Subrecipient and MEMA will execute a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Standard Contract Form through which the subrecipient agrees to perform all activities as described in the approved application within the budget, dates of service, and other conditions set forth below. MEMA agrees to reimburse the Subrecipient for all allowable costs incurred within period of performance as stated in the executed state contract and to provide technical assistance and support required to carry out the purposes of the grant. Special Conditions 1. Communication. Primary communication regarding this contract shall take place between the subrecipient’s primary point of contact and MEMA’s EM Grants Unit. 2. Press. Subrecipient agrees to proactively notify EM Grants Unit of any interactions or planned media outreach regarding activities funded under this grant program. 3. Release of Information. All records, papers and other documents of any kind related to the funded activity in any manner and kept by subrecipients of these funds shall be made promptly available upon request to any person authorized by MEMA for inspection and copying. 4. Pass Down Requirements. If a subrecipient proposes to engage in sub-sub-granting activities, it shall ensure its sub- contractors/sub-subrecipients adhere to all applicable contract conditions and pass down requirements. 5. Reporting. Subrecipients agree to submit timely and accurate reports as needed and directed. Failure to comply with this condition may result in the withholding of subrecipient funds until the delinquent report is received. See Reporting Requirements below for details. 6. Contractor/Consultant Rates. Compensation for individual consultant services is to be reasonable and consistent with the amount paid for similar services in the marketplace. Consideration can be given to compensation, including fringe benefits, for those individuals whose employers do not provide the same. Time and effort reports are required for consultants. 7. Project Point of Contact. Subrecipients are required to notify EM Grants Unit of any project point of contact changes within 30 days following the change. Notification must include the following: a. Name b. Title c. Email address d. Phone number 8. Internet Access. Subrecipients must have Internet access. 9. Email addresses. Subrecipient’s project point of contact for this subgrant must have individual email addresses. 10. Subrecipient Non-compliance. Subrecipient is subject to the federal and state regulations and related requirements set forth herein. 11. Non-compliance. Subrecipients that are found to be in non-compliance may result in an audit finding and subsequent repayment of funds. a. Approval of a project, project costs, contract, or payment by MEMA does not exempt the Subrecipient from requirements to repay funds. b. Should a state, federal, or local audit reveal that actions taken by the Subrecipient, or any of its contractors, regardless of previous approval by MEMA, do not comply with policies, laws, or regulations, the subrecipient agrees to repay the required amounts in the manner and timeframe determined by MEMA. c. Repayments not made as expected will be considered debts and addressed under the Commonwealth’s Debt Collection and Intercept Regulation (815 CMR 9.00). 12. Monitoring. Subrecipients agree to cooperate with MEMA’s EM Grants Unit monitoring and site visits. 13. Records Retention. The Contractor/Subrecipient shall retain all related records for a minimum of six years from the date of the Close-Out Report Submission. In cases of similar requirements at two or more levels, the more stringent of the requirements must be followed. 14. Award Acceptance. Prior to acceptance of Federal Articles of Agreement and MEMA Special Conditions and Reporting Requirements, subrecipient must evaluate its policies, procedures, and management systems for risk of non-compliance with any of the above terms and conditions, inclusive of all requirements of FEMA and 2 CFR 200. Any identified areas of risk must be brought to the attention of MEMA’s EM Grants Unit prior to the execution of the contract in order to determine and implement the appropriate remedy. 15. Project Revisions. Subrecipients are required to notify MEMA’s EM Grants Unit if they need to revise their approved projects. a. Project revision request should be emailed to EM Grants Unit at EM.Grants@mass.gov and include removal of old items, additional items and justification for the revision b. Failure to request and receive prior approval for revisions will result in disallowable expenses and possible closing of project with no activity. c. MEMA is not obligated to reimburse activities that were not part of subrecipient’s approved project. d. Only EM Grants Unit can approve project revisions, Reporting Requirements 1. Subrecipients are required to submit quarterly reports. Failure to submit required reports will result in MEMA terminating contract for cause and without reimbursement of activities. Reporting periods and due dates are listed below: a. April – June report is due July 15, 2026 b. July – September report is due October 15, 2026 c. January – March report is due April 16, 2027 d. April – June report is due July 15, 2027 2. Subrecipients are required to submit final reimbursement no later than August 16, 2027. a. Reimbursement requests must be emails to EM.Grants@mass.gov and include MEMA’s EM Grants Unit Reimbursement Request Form, b. Invoices for all items under reimbursement and match documentation. c. Failure to submit proper documentation within required due date(s) will result in closing subrecipient’s project with no activity and no reimbursement. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CITY OF MELROSE John J. White – Director Fire Headquarters – 576 Main Street, Melrose, MA 02176 Ma ____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________ To: Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis CC: Kerriann Golden, City Auditor Date: July 13, 2026 RE: Acceptance of FY2025 EMPG Grant Dear Mayor Grigoraitis, I respectfully request the acceptance of the FY2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850.00. Funding from the grant will be used to procure a laptop computer and two dedicated workstations to support activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Annual dues for membership in the Mystic Region Emergency Planning Committee will be paid with funding from this grant. Respectfully submitted, John J. White Emergency Management Director
Transcript
▶ 0:02 Devin Romanul: No gavel today, so Oh. Good evening. The time is 7:15 on Monday, August 17th, 2026. This is a meeting of the Appropriations and Oversight Committee. My name is Daniel Romanul. I'm the chair. Joining us this evening are Vice Chair Vandiver, Councilors Chen, Jamaleddine, Kowal, Obremski, thank you so much, Williams, and President Freeman. This serves as a notice of quorum for the record. In accordance with the Open Meeting Law, this meeting is being broadcast and recorded live on MMTV. At this time, I'll motion by unanimous consent to approve without reading the minutes for our most recent meeting on Monday, August 10th. Seeing no objection, those minutes are now approved. I'll now motion by unanimous consent to open the floor for public comment.
▶ 0:47 Devin Romanul: Seeing no objection, we are now open for public comment. This is the portion of the meeting where members of the public may comment on any items on tonight's agenda, and comments on other viewpoints or other matters not on the agenda are also welcome. Do we have anybody here for public comment? Have we got anybody online? No one online. No. All right. Everyone's on vacation. If there's no objection, I will motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. Seeing none, public comment is now closed. All right. Our one and only agenda item this evening is Grant ID number 2026-1529, acceptance of the FY 2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant in the amount of $5,850. Joining us this evening is Chief White.
▶ 1:38 Elizabeth Kowal: Good evening. I come ahead to ask you folks to accept the 2025 EMPG Grant for Emergency Management for $5,850, I believe. Any questions? Up first, I have Councilor Kowal. Thanks, Chief. So, I raised some issues last week about concerns about language in the contract, specifically as it related to immigration issues as well as DE&I issues, and I spoke with and also heard from Shannon Phillips, and that has alleviated any concerns that I had, that they will not be an issue in the contract. They have either been stricken from the contract and/or there is guidance from the AG's office that we can go forward with these contracts. So, I have no further concerns about the language in the contract.
▶ 2:38 Ryan Williams: Any other councilors? Councilor Williams? No. I was just- Oh, sorry. Just to be clear- Well, since I've been appointed, I'll thank Councilor Kowal because I wasn't here, and so that was a big concern I had as well. And through the chair, would like to know, I heard what Councilor Kowal said, but the contract's been amended. We don't have the amended contract in the agenda portal, I assume, but it can be put in there maybe or... Yeah, absolutely. And perhaps Chief White, is that something that you would be able to speak to? I spoke with Shannon Phillips this afternoon about this, and she did reiterate what she told Councilor Kowal, that there's a clause at the very end of it basically saying for the purposes that we
▶ 3:27 Elizabeth Kowal: applied for it, all those stipulated things we have to agree to don't apply for this grant that I'm asking for. Terrific. And Councilor Kowal, do you have any other- Yeah, certainly. Mr. President, there is language. It's Article 63 in the contract. It looks like it's Illinois, applies to Illinois contracts. If you dig into that, it's actually cases that have also applied to Massachusetts and others. So, that strikes all of the immigration-focused language in the contract. So, that takes care of that. In terms of the DE&I, because this is the type of contract that it is, that DE&I language does not apply to this type of contract. And so, I do have an email from Councilor Phillips, which I can share to that extent.
▶ 4:16 Kimberly Vandiver: Mm. So, even if they wanted to have it apply, it does not apply to this contract. Terrific. Thank you for the clarification. Appreciate it. Any other councilors have commentary or questions that they'd like to share? Vice Chair Vandiver. I'll just repeat since it was-- I brought up a different issue last time, which was whether we would be repaid, given issues with other grants. I've not done any follow-up. If any other councilors have anything to add about that, that would be helpful. But, that's probably a comparatively smaller concern than the other one that was brought up. So, I think what is the will of the committee? President Freeman. Motion to recommend. Second. Motion to recommend made by President Freeman, seconded by Councilor Jamaleddine.
▶ 4:59 On discussion? Seeing none. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes. Vice Chair Vandiver? Councilor Chen? Yes. Councilor Jamaleddine? Yes. Councilor Kowal? Yes. Councilor Obremski? Yes. Councilor Williams? Present. President Freeman? Yes. Councilor Romanul? Yes. Okay. This motion passes. Motion passes and will be referred to our next city council meeting, which starts in approximately 23 minutes. That being our last item on our agenda, I'll now motion by unanimous consent to adjourn. Seeing no objections, we are now adjourned. Good evening. The time is 7:45 PM on Monday, August 17th, 2026. I'm Council President Freeman. This meeting of the Melrose City Council is called to order. In accordance with the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, this meeting is