Melrose Override: What The Mayor Told The Board Last Night

MELROSE, MA — Sitting in front of the Board of Alderman after calling them to a special meeting Thursday night, Mayor Gail Infurna called for the Board to allow the city's residents to decide on a potential override.

Reading from a prepared statement in front of the Board and with some 20 spectators in attendance, Infurna asked the Board to approve two orders: Setting a special election for April 2, 2019, and for the override question being on that ballot.

>>>Read the details of the proposed $5.18 million override.

Both orders were sent to the Appropriations Committee, which consists of the Board. That meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

The following was Infurna's statement:

Honorable Members of the Board of Aldermen,

I am here tonight to ask you to do two things that will allow the people of Melrose to
make an important decision.

The first is to call a special election for April 2, 2019, and the second is to place an
override question on that ballot.

I am asking for a special election because we need to know by the beginning of the spring
budget cycle whether or not we will have these additional funds. We will present the
voters with summaries of two possible budgets, one with the override and one without.
The choice will be very clear.

The override question is based on the most pressing needs of the city and the priorities
stated by the public in the listening sessions, via the questionnaires, and in e-mails and
letters to my office. We heard loud and clear that the people of Melrose wanted to know
exactly how the money would be used, they wanted the override to truly solve the
problems that have been set forth, and they wanted to see that this is part of a long-term
plan. We have taken their advice to heart when constructing this override.

This override addresses students, staff, and space. As you know, our student population is
increasing, and that means, quite simply, that we need enough teachers for our growing
number of students. This override would pay for that.

As for space, we are fortunate to have held on to the Beebe School, and now we want to
reclaim it rather than continue to rent it. However, this means we will no longer receive
the rental fee for that building. A portion of the override money will go to cover that lost
revenue. We are working with Superintendent Taymore to plan how to accommodate our
growing student body, and the Beebe School will play a part in those plans if the override
passes. This part of the proposal also addresses the need for more curriculum materials,
supplies, textbooks, and technology for our students.

As you know, for several years we have supplemented the school budget with an
additional appropriation. Using one-time money to fund the operating budget is not an
ideal situation, but we have had no choice. This override would allow us to do the
responsible thing and provide enough money for our schools up front. That would make
our budgeting process more accurate and more transparent. We could then use those one-
time monies for one-time expenses such as repairs and new equipment, rather than
putting them into the school operating budget.

And finally, staff: This override will give us the funds we need to keep our best teachers
in the Melrose schools. We have many good teachers who leave after a few years because
they can earn more in another district. This override will allow us to offer our teachers
competitive salaries. It will also encourage these teachers, who have benefited from our
training and professional development, to stay in the district.

The total amount of this override is $5.18 million. This is the amount we need to fix the
problems I have outlined. A lower amount would not.

This override is the responsible thing to do. We have cut costs, looked for additional
sources of revenue, and run on a tight budget for years, and we will continue along that
path. However, that is not enough. We must increase our property tax revenues.

Overrides were designed for communities like Melrose, which are mostly residential,
with little commercial and no industrial property.

If you approve these two orders, you will allow the voters to choose how much they want
to invest in themselves. Every dollar of this override stays in Melrose and will make our
city better.

This money is designated for the schools. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts establishes a set amount we must budget for the schools, and we barely meet that minimum each year. Because of this, we have given the majority of new revenue to the schools, at the expense of other departments. A successful override would take the pressure off departments that have been underfunded for years and allow us to make needed improvements.

I am not here today to ask you to endorse this proposal. I am simply asking you to put the override on the ballot. This will affect every member of our community, so I want all voices to be heard. If we do not offer our residents this opportunity, we will have to make drastic cuts to the budget without their input.

Therefore, I am asking you to call this special election for April and place the override question on the ballot so we can allow the voters to choose for themselves. I am asking you to trust the residents of Melrose to make the best choice for our city and our future.

Resident Alison Sarnoski also read from a statement during public comment:

My name is Alison Sarnoski.

This fall, we listened to many members of the community share their concerns about the cuts to the school budget and lack of growth in other city departments. Like many, we find it appalling that in the state of MA we are 12th from the bottom in per pupil spending. We are ashamed that we pay our teachers the second lowest in all of eastern MA. Our students and teachers deserve more and after talking with people about this issue for the past 6 months, we believe our community expects more.

Cities and towns around us are passing overrides to combat the restrictions of proposition 2 ½. Melrose has not passed an override in over 25 years.

We are grateful that Mayor Infurna and her team, along with input from our community, have come up with a proposal that they and think will meet our needs for the years to come. We implore you to please place this override question on the ballot so that Melrose residents can determine what kind of city we want to live in.

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Photos by Mike Carraggi, Patch