MELROSE — The City Council has set the schedule for the fiscal year 2024 budget hearings, which will include presentations from every department starting on Monday, May 15. The complete schedule can be found here: https://www.cityofmelrose.org/city-council. Meetings will be held every Monday and Thursday evening, May 15 – June 15 (no meeting on Memorial Day).
These budget hearings follow the May 10 joint meeting of the City Council and School Committee, where Mayor Brodeur presented his proposed FY24 budget that goes into effect on July 1.
Council President Jen Grigoraitis stated that “the Council values resident engagement and looks forward to hearing from the public during the budget review process. In addition to the upcoming budget discussions in committee meetings, we will continue to partner with the Brodeur administration and our colleagues on the School Committee to share relevant information via the City’s website.”
All budget hearings will occur in the Appropriations and Oversight Committee, which is chaired by Councilor-at-Large Leila Migliorelli. Residents may attend meetings in person in the Council Chamber, watch them live via MMTV channels and/or website, or view meeting recordings on https://mmtv3.org/government-meetings. A public comment period will be offered at the beginning of each meeting, and residents may offer remarks either in person or through a remote participation link posted in the meeting agenda.
“Annual budget hearings give residents the chance to hear how the administration is planning to meet the needs of our community and also allows the council to ask questions on behalf of our constituents. It also provides an opportunity for city department heads to update the Council on all that they’ve accomplished this past fiscal year and plans FY24,” said Councilor Migliorelli.
According to state law, the City Council may only delete or decrease any budgetary item (except expenditures required by law). The council has no authority to increase any item or the overall total proposed operating budget. The council has 45 days from the date that the budget is received to approve the operating budget of the city. If the council does not take any action on the budget, the mayor’s proposed budget will be implemented for the fiscal year.
If you have any questions regarding the budget review process or wish to share your thoughts, please email citycouncil@cityofmelrose.org.