To cover costs, forced to slash positions, increase fees, eliminate programs
MELROSE —On Monday, June 18, the City Council approved Mayor Jen Grigoraitis’ proposed fiscal year 2026 budget of $107,575,802. In order to deliver a balanced budget, the mayor proposed and the council enacted substantial program reductions and fee or rate increases across nearly every major department of the city government and public Schools.
“Although we face another challenging budget cycle here in Melrose, I remain grateful for the attention and thoughtfulness of our City Council and the diligent work of our department heads and city employees over many long evening meetings this spring,” said Grigoraitis. “Thank you to everyone who helped make the hard and necessary decisions that produced this balanced budget while preserving as many of our community’s budget priorities as possible.”
The balanced FY 26 budget meets all of the city’s salary and benefits obligations as defined in current collective bargaining agreements with municipal employees. For the first time in over a decade, Melrose has active contracts with all employee unions (city and school) for the next fiscal year, which better enabled the administration to accurately plot the FY 26 budget.
“The annual budget has a deep and direct impact on every part of city government, and reviewing and enacting the budget is one of the City Council’s most important duties,” said City Council President Leila Migliorelli. “Thank you to the mayor and her administration, my council colleagues, and the Melrose public for their engagement and input on this critical process.”
“Although the FY 2026 budget is not ideal for what I would like to see for the future of Melrose, the law requires us to pass a balanced budget,” said Councilor Mark Garipay, chair of the City Council’s Appropriations and Oversight Committee, which conducts budget hearings. “I would like to thank the administration and department heads for their preparation during the budget hearings.”
In addition to the approximately $4 million in spending cuts made as part of the Melrose Public Schools budget process, which was completed by the School Committee in April, the FY 26 budget will have a variety of impacts on city departments and services, including the following
— Eliminates eight positions in the fire department, five positions in the department of public works, two positions in the police department, one position at the library, one position in the solicitor’s office, and eliminates the emergency management director position.
— Reduces veterans’ services staff by 50 percent and reduces positions in the city clerk and elections offices.
— Requires residents to purchase a City Yard sticker for calendar year 2026 and reduce the number of Saturdays that the City Yard is open to residents.
— Reduces or eliminates the number of trash barrels at city parks and other public spaces and eliminates Sunday trash pickup at city parks and properties.
— Eliminates Sunday hours at the Melrose Public Library.
— Reduces roadway line painting, road sign replacements, sidewalk repairs and field
maintenance to critical work only.
— Eliminates the budgets for community outreach (which supports events like the Kindergarten Welcome night, Senior Resource Fair, and Melrose Public Schools activities) and the Commission on Women, the Human Rights Commission, and the Disability Commission.
— Increases fees and rates for Memorial Hall, Wyoming Cemetery, City Clerk services, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeal permitting, and DPW disposal fees.
— Cuts approximately $2.6 million in total spending to offset increases in mandatory spending areas such as employee health insurance, utility bills, and pension obligations.
Fiscal Year 2026 begins on July 1, 2025.
The full FY 25 Melrose City Budget with extensive information on the budget development and review process can be found at www.cityofmelrose.org/fy26.