Brodeur's Budget Boosts Schools, Seniors, Quality Of Life

MELROSE, MA — Mayor Paul Brodeur's $91 million operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year would set Melrose on a path toward recovery and prosperity by investing in schools, seniors, sustainability and other quality-of-life enhancements, he told elected officials.

Brodeur virtually presented his budget to the City Council and School Committee Monday night, kicking off a weeks-long series of hearings to set the city's spending over Fiscal Year 2022. Each city department will appear before the Council and, if necessary, make their case.

The $91 million budget is the largest ever for Melrose — which isn't a rarity, but significant after the city sidestepped financial peril during the pandemic. The proposal is nearly 3 percent higher than the current budget, adding some $2.6 million.

"What a difference from a year ago," Brodeur opened his remarks by saying.

The proposal is available for the public in a new interactive format.

The budget proposes a 3.3 percent increase — or $1.1 million — in school spending.

"For too long in this city, there has been a perceived conflict between investing in our cityside assets or our school system," Brodeur said.

He also talked about how the pandemic highlighted the need for more investments in the city's seniors. Brodeur proposed expanding the Council on Aging board membership, introducing an 18-hour-a-week social worker position and making the part-time Milano Center assistant position full-time. The Council on Aging's budget line item would increase by almost $27,500.

The next fiscal year would also see the addition of a Human Resources assistant to help implement changes geared to diversity, equity and inclusion. Brodeur is requesting about an $8,000 increase for the department. (The city replaced its longtime HR director last year.)

One of the more significant increases is in the IT department, which was leaned on like never before during the pandemic. The department will see a new staff position among some other increases, resulting in a 24 percent boost of more than $150,000.

Brodeur said the budget is not just geared toward recovery, but progress. The idea of getting back to normal isn't good enough anymore, he said.

"Over the last year, from the devastating economic and social impacts of COVID-19, to the murder of George Floyd which has sparked a national reckoning on race in our country, to the challenges of educating our students and keeping them safe, we have learned that what we regarded as 'normal' did not work for all our residents, and what we need to do now is continue to innovate and move forward to address these challenges," Brodeur said.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and Instagram at MelroseHappening. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook