MELROSE — Mayor Paul Brodeur and his administrative team propose a $95,256,080 budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It has been made available for viewing at www.cityofmelrose.org/mayor/pages/city-budget-fiscal-year-2023.

The spending request, made to the City Council, reflects a 4.7 percent increase over what the city’s working with this year. The School Committee is asking for about $40 million of the total.

“The budget that we’ve presented to the City Council reflects an investment in the Melrose community and the vitally important services we provide,” said Brodeur. “It delivers on a commitment to our residents to provide first-rate education by investing in our schools, to enhance quality of life by supporting our elders, addressing infrastructure needs, continuing sustainability efforts, and increasing resources and programs to support the health and wellness needs of our residents – particularly our young people – that have grown as a result of the pandemic.”

Brodeur said his office has also collaborated with the Auditor’s office and City departments to provide community members and elected officials with the tools needed to engage with and understand the FY23 budget – an Interactive Digital Budget Presentation that moves key data from the City’s budget document into an easy-to-understand digital format; and a Supplemental Budget Document, which highlights each City Department’s mission, goals for FY23, and all key changes to their budgets from FY22 to FY23.

The budget proposes a 4.18% budget increase for the School Department which represents an increase of over $1.4 million for Fiscal Year 2023, and meets the state mandated Net School Spending requirement. The budget proposes balanced budgets for the Water, Sewer, Mt. Hood and Ambulance Enterprise Funds.

In developing the Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget, the City formulated the budget utilizing the following:

• new tax revenue resulting from the 21⁄2 Tax Levy;

• approximately 75% of the New Growth realized last year;

• an increase in Net State Aid of $1,285,000 or just over 12.0%, (principally driven by revenues received through the New Student Opportunity Act in Chapter 70 Educational Aid);

• and officials are also recognizing approximately 75% of the total Local Receipts revenue realized in the last full fiscal year.

“In developing this strategic plan, we have also requested an increase in the amount to be deposited into the City’s Stabilization Funds. We have requested $1,225,000 be deposited into these funds prior to July 1, 2022. This is a significant deposit into the City’s Stabilization Funds and continues the administration’s effort of insuring solid fiscal health.

“If approved, in conjunction with our FY23 requested budgetary funding for the Stabilization and OPEB funds, over $8.4 million dollars will reside in our Stabilization Funds as of July 1, 2022 (the highest level in the City’s history).

“I am equally committed to increasing transparency in our City’s finances. As Mayor, it is also my goal to inspire and increase civic engagement within our community. To achieve these goals, my office has once again collaborated with the Auditor’s department to deliver an interactive FY23 budget tool. This interactive budget presentation makes the numbers clear, accessible, and digestible. Transparency is nothing without accessibility, and the budget tool allows for both.

“I am particularly proud of my administration’s efforts to increase accessibility and transparency around our budget processes through these tools,” added Mayor Brodeur. “I’m thankful to our entire finance office for assisting me in my mission to provide residents with access to the City’s budget information. I’m especially grateful to CFO Patrick Dello Russo and Assistant Auditor, Kerri Golden, for their invaluable guidance year after year.”

For more information, visit www.cityofmelrose.org/mayor/pages/city-budget-fiscal-year-2023.