MELROSE — Mayor Jen Grigoraitis has hit the ground running, and during her first month in office she and her team are diving into their 100-day plan.

A progress report is expected during the week of April 22.

According to a posting on the city’s website, the mayor’s team will focus on strengthening three strategic priorities to make city government run better and be more accessible to more people — proactive executive leadership and fiscal stewardship, greater access to local government and enhanced communication and engagement.

In addition, the 100-day plan states, Grigoraitis’ administration will focus on making short-term progress, building momentum for larger initiatives, and gaining traction for long-term success.

Strategic direction

This will include assessing existing data and develop a sustainable process for reviewing and improving our capital needs.; reviewing FY25 department budget recommendations and establish FY25 budget priorities; reviewing and updating positions and recruiting talent for several key positions including leaders in finance, communications, sustainability, and community and economic development; launching a bi-monthly “Melrose Minute” show in partnership with MMTV to provide community
updates; reviewing the City’s goal setting and evaluation process for city employees to ensure the City’s
workforce has formal feedback upon which opportunities for improvement, growth, and
advancement can be based; reviewing City employment policies to ensure legal compliance, advance equity, and attract and retain high-quality staff; reviewing all open City of Melrose board and commission positions and prioritize recruiting new members by implementing a sustainable process for residents to indicate interest; preparing to deliver a comprehensive, clear, and accountable FY25 City budget that fully reflects and communicates not only our revenues and expenses but also identifies short-and long-term needs and priorities; initiating improved language access efforts for priority information both in print and online; exploring the creation of a grant writer position to increase the Fiscal Oversight 

This includes hiring interim CFO and launch hiring process for new CFO, incorporating feedback from department heads, partners, and stakeholders; presenting a mid-year FY24 budget review to the City Council, including projections for the remainder of the fiscal year and identifying any requests to the Council before the end of FY24; starting to plan for the FY25 budget, including creating clear, easy-to-understand budget documents and publishing them for public review on the City website; engaging an external consultant to assess the City’s financial status, review internal controls and fiscal practices, and assist with developing a long-term strategic plan; meeting with senior staff and state partners, including the Commonwealth’s Division of Local Services, to ensure best practices are being followed and the City is in compliance with state rules, laws, and mandates.
 Schools 

The mayor’s 100-day plan includes meeting with MHS students to hear their priorities and ideas for a thriving Melrose Public Schools system & Melrose community; visiting every MPS building to hear from students and staff and tour infrastructure; sending a free cash order to the City Council to cover the FY24 budget shortfall housed in the Melrose Public Schools budget; partnering with the interim superintendent and leverage existing City resources to regularly communicate MPS happenings with the broader Melrose community; establishing a school buildings committee to review, assess, and plan for infrastructure needs within MPS; participating with the Superintendent and School Committee to provide the community with information regarding the most pressing priorities and fiscal needs within MPS to inform FY25 budget planning; and meeting with the METCO Director and develop regular communication channels with METCO families. 

The mayor, as a member of the School Committee, will contribute to a comprehensive plan for onboarding the new superintendent.
Community & Economic Development 

This area includes assessing community and economic development needs, create an updated job description, and begin the process of recruiting for the community and economic development role; establishig one point of contact at City Hall to address businesses’ needs; beginning to create a business toolkit to assist new businesses in understanding the required processes for signage, permitting, etc.; exploring the creation of an advisory council of a diverse range of building owners/landlords and small
businesses to be a touchpoint for the City for pressing and emerging concerns and priorities; advocating for proposed changes to the Liquor Licensing Regulations; reviewing progress made on the application for Cultural District designation through the Mass Cultural Council.
Sustainability & Open Spaces 

The mayor’s team will review, seek community feedback on, and implement the City’s new trash and recycling contract and develop a communication plan for engaging with residents about upcoming changes; launch a recruitment process to fill key vacancies in the City that support sustainability efforts, including conservation agent, recycling coordinator, and sustainability manager; explore the formation of stakeholder groups to set up a Sustainability Summit for organizations to share goals and initiatives; create a Net Zero Implementation Task Force to assess progress on our Net Zero Action Plan and focus on the city’s goal to become a net zero community by 2050; explore mayoral involvement in the Fells Caucus; initiate review of management of open spaces, including permitting practices and schedule for
use; continue to engage with stakeholders regarding safe and quality sports field maintenance and
improvement and the City’s November 2023 Open Space and Recreation Plan.
Transportation & Public Safety 

The Grigoraitis administration will engage an architectural firm for the design stage of public safety buildings, form an advisory committee, hire a full-time project manager, and develop and implement regular communication to the community with project updates and points of engagement; reassess the City’s practices around prioritizing potholes, crosswalks, flashing beacons, and other road conditions and needs; review and assess DPW Services, including yard waste schedule (an additional week in the April 2024 has already been added) and City Yard schedule; begin to lay the foundation for setting Melrose on the path to become a Vision Zero community – making our streets safer for cyclists, walkers, and motorists alike, while also recognizing that transportation needs are different for every resident; advocate to and with our State Representatives and MBTA Advisory Board to retain vital MBTA services in, and funding for, Melrose; represent Melrose on the MBTA Advisory Board.
Housing & Development

The administration will submit appointments to fill vacancies on the Zoning Board of Appeals to the City Council for consideration; convene the first meeting of the Melrose Affordable Housing Trust; begin assessment of Melrose Housing Production Plan; assess Melrose’s status to become compliant with the Massachusetts Multi-Family Zoning Requirements for MBTA Communities.
Senior residents 

The mayor’s team plans to begin regular office hours at the Milano Center; explore senior involvement at MPS through The Bridge; review and revise water and sewer rate discounts for senior residents; and review senior tax work-off program for potential updates and expansion.
During the week of April 22, 2024, the community will be provided with an update on the progress made under the first 100 days of Mayor Grigoraitis’ administration. The update will be available on the city’s website and there will be an accompanying video on MMTV.