Published June 18, 2021
MELROSE — This week the City Council passed a $91 million spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
For several weeks, the council’s Appropriations Committee has held hearings on and drilled down into the proposed city operating budget presented last month by Mayor Paul Brodeur. The spending request allocates about $34 million for schools, about $9 million for various public works-related services, $5.2 million for police and $5 million for fire protection.
The spending proposal, which passed the City Council unanimously, is not quite 3 percent more than what the city had to work with this year.
Brodeur was proud that his administration’s budget plan was approved.
He wrote, “Designing a municipal budget is a collaborative effort, and I am especially grateful for the leadership of the School Committee and Superintendent (Dr. Julie) Kukenberger, city department heads, and staff members who helped craft this balanced, fiscally responsible, and progressive economic roadmap for the coming year. I am proud to stand hand in hand with these teams and our City Council who harmonized in extraordinary ways over the past year and a half to continue delivering exemplary services to our community. I also want to thank the many residents who shared their thoughts and opinions about their priorities for Melrose as we look ahead toward a vaccinated “new normal.” “In both content and format, this budget represents the model I hoped to present when I took office in 2019, thanks in no small part to former Chief Assessor Chris Wilcock’s innovation in building our interactive budget dashboard, and Assistant Auditor Kerri Golden’s invaluable guidance year after year. This marks an important first step in enhancing accessibility to municipal finance. This balanced budget, combined with strategic capital investments in our parks, schools, roads and traffic safety, and support for our diversity, equity and inclusion goals, moves Melrose forward in a positive direction.”
