New-Look Melrose Emergency Fund Gets A 'Relaunch'

MELROSE, MA — Mayor Paul Brodeur has given the city's emergency fund a "relaunch" with an advisory board, new administrator and promises of transparency and communication, a move made to provide clarity and oversight after some questioned how the fund worked.

A website has been established for the fund, including financial reports, policies and procedures (below) and more.

The executive director of the Council on Aging will act as the fund administrator. Stacey Minchello currently holds that position.

Minchello is part of an advisory board that includes former Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan, Brodeur's Chief of Staff Patrick Prendergast and five others.

The board will not handle individual requests, but will, among other things, review a quarterly report of expenditures. The identities of those who apply for assistance will not be shared.

"The Melrose Emergency Fund is such an incredible asset to the community and it has really highlighted how much residents care for each other and the type of City we are," Brodeur said in a release. "It’s important to me as Mayor that the public is aware of the fund as a resource and that they know about the incredible work their donations are making possible in our community."

The fund is being relaunched as the added federal unemployment benefits expire months into an ongoing pandemic. June data showed more than 2,000 Melrose residents are unemployed, with the city's unemployment rate at 14.3 percent.

"We can’t solve all the economic problems that came about because of COVID-19 or other unforeseen challenges, but we can help each other bridge the gap during tough times," Brodeur said. "That is the reason for the Melrose Emergency Fund – to help Melrose residents in need."

The latest financial report says the emergency fund had $$196,182.69 as of June 30, the end of the fiscal year. From April 1 to June 30 — as COVID continued its spread across the region — the fund received $33,051 and paid out $21,602.65, the vast majority of which was for food assistance.

Brodeur told the City Council he was looking to revamp the emergency fund and clarify its purpose after Councilors Shawn MacMaster and Jeff McNaught drafted an order requesting more information on the fund.

The emergency fund was established in 1996 under Mayor Richard Lyons after a pair of fire displaced more than two dozen families.

Policies and Procedures Emergency Fund