'Yes' Movement Carries Melrose Override Special Election

MELROSE, MA — The Melrose Proposition 2 1/2 override vote has passed, according to unofficial results Tuesday night. The vote means taxpayers will be paying an additional $5.18 million in real estate and personal property taxes to bridge a wide gap in the upcoming school budget. The vote comes after a 2015 override effort for less than half the amount of money was defeated by a 2-to-1 margin.

Unofficial tallies Tuesday night had the "Yes" side winning, 6,079–4,875. More than three years after every ward voted against an override, only Ward 6-2 voted against. The full unofficial results can be found below

Several red "Vote Yes" signs and a black "Vote No" sign lingered around the intersection at City Hall as polls closed at 8 p.m. As soon as unofficial results started to trickle in, it looked like the "Yes" votes would carry across the city. That was soon confirmed by City Hall.

"It came down to two choices: Support the override or live with the cuts in city and school services," Mayor Gail Infurna said in a statement.

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It all came down to one question at the polls Tuesday: Yes or No? Months of discussions, letters and rhetoric (don't forget the signs) came to a head when voters decide whether to accept the Proposition 2 1/2 override in a vote both sides said would shape the future of Melrose — for better or worse.

The "Yes" vote netted $5.18 million in property tax for what city officials insist is a school budget stretched beyond its limit due to a loss of revenue and a sharp increase in student population, among other things. A "No" vote would have limited an increase in the city's property tax to 2.5 percent, something opponents dubious of the city's narrative say would force Melrose to bear the burden of financial accountability.

"The voters of Melrose have made a wise and fiscally prudent decision to invest in our community and in our schools," School Committee Chairman Ed O'Connell said in a statement. "The funds generated by the property tax override will stabilize city finances and afford our school district the resources needed to support our students, faculty, and staff. In an era of declining state aid and ever-increasing systemic expenses, Melrose looked to the only option available and made the smart choice to override the property tax cap imposed by Prop. 2½.”

Here are the unofficial results, according to the City Clerk's office. The votes are Yes/No:

• Ward 1, Precinct 1 565/339
• Ward 1, Precinct 2 432/348
• Ward 2, Precinct 1 572/432
• Ward 2, Precinct 2 376/336
• Ward 3, Precinct 1 496/294
• Ward 3, Precinct 2 375/307
• Ward 4, Precinct 1 383/266
• Ward 4, Precinct 2 590/439
• Ward 5, Precinct 1 319/309
• Ward 5, Precinct 2 333/256
• Ward 6, Precinct 1 337/297
• Ward 6, Precinct 2 449/477
• Ward 7, Precinct 1 384/350
• Ward 7, Precinct 2 468/425

The Board of Aldermen in November approved Infurna's request for Tuesday's special election, featuring the ballot question asking for the $5.18 million override. The question reads as follows:

Shall the City of Melrose be allowed to assess an additional $5,180,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of the general operation of the Melrose Public Schools for Additional Classroom Teachers and Staff ($1,905,000); Classroom and Infrastructure Needs ($675,000); Supplementing the Operating Budget of the Public Schools ($750,000); and for Classroom Teacher and Other District Staff Compensation ($1,850,000), for which the monies from this assessment will be used for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019.

The city said the override would cost $554 per year in additional property taxes for the average Melrose single-family residence, which has an assessed value of $538,000.

"Tonight, Melrose moved itself forward both fiscally and foundationally," Alderman Mike Zwirko said in a statement, in addition to thanking the One Melrose. "Melrose has taken control of its destiny in addressing the glaring challenges of what could have been and now move towards what will be."

Most city officials have been adamant about the necessity of the override revenue for a school system they say falls shy of many of its contemporaries in several financial statistics, including Melrose's much-recited poor placement in spending per pupil in Massachusetts. Infurna, nine out of the city's 11 aldermen, and both state legislators have spoken in firm support of the override.

The vote brings to a close passionate community discussion that started in the summer - one that at its best provided spirited discourse and a focus on the state of Melrose's financial health, and at its worst degraded into accusations of scare tactics, statistical misrepresentations and other incessant bickering between 'Yes' and 'No' supporters.

It also begins a new chapter of what's next. Whether the override passes or fails, a new mayor will be in charge of directing the city in the aftermath. City council and school committee members face voters after a transformative two years for the city, with the override potentially being an issue that stirs voter turnout.

The polling places are: