Aldermen Delay DPW Director Ordinance Change

The Melrose Board of Aldermen held off Monday night on approving a change to the city ordinances regarding the director of position, after one alderman had concerns about the board relinquishing confirmation authority over mayoral appointments, the length of the DPW director's appointment and alderman representation on the water rate setting board.

Mayor Rob Dolan asked for the ordinance change so that John Scenna, current Melrose DPW assistant superintendent, with current DPW Superintendent Bob Beshara stepping down into a city engineer and director of projects position.

The city ordinance currently requires that DPW superintendent role to be filled by a registered professional engineer, while Dolan is seeking to separate the director's role and the city engineer's role, as most other nearby communities have done.

Alderman at-Large Don Conn, Jr. said he supported separating the public works director and city engineer's roles. However, the proposed changes would also eliminate the aldermen's current role in confirming the appointment of the public works director, and likewise would not endow the aldermen with any confirmation over a mayoral appointment to the city engineer position.

When the proposed ordinance change first came up last week before the aldermen's Appropriations Committee, which recommended the changes for passage, Melrose City Solicitor Rob Van Campen, according to Conn, indicated he believes that the aldermen no longer have a right to confirm those appointments under the city charter adopted in 2005.

Conn moved that the aldermen retain confirming authority over both roles, while noting that the employees would still serve at the pleasure of the mayor, who could remove them from those positions "at his or her whim."

DPW Director's Appointment Length, Water Rate Committee Also Eyed

Also, the ordinance change would remove the three-year appointment stipulation from the public works director position, which Conn wanted to see reinstated.

Finally, the proposed city ordinance establishes a Water Rate Review Committee that consists of the city engineer, the city auditor and city treasurer, similar to the current ordinance minus the DPW superintendent.

That committee reviews at least annually the city's water rate charges, costs of operating and maintaining the water system and any capital improvements to the system, helping to establish the water rates each year. Conn said he would "love" to see a member of the Board of Aldermen also sit on the Water Rate Review Committee.

Conn apologized for making the motion at Monday night's full board meeting, explaining that because the order had previously come before the Appropriations Committee for a recommendation, he could not speak to the issue at that time in his role as Appropriations Committee chairman.

"I do take seriously my role as committee chairman and don't think it’s appropriate to step outside that role," he said, also saying that if his proposed amendment were to pass, he'd ask to table the order to give Van Campen the opportunity to opine on the legality of his proposed changes.

Ward 3 Alderman Frank Wright said that based on the changes Conn proposed, he suggested that the aldermen table the proposed ordinance changes and allow the city administration and Van Campen to come back to the board and comment on Conn's suggestions. Wright added that he did not feel comfortable voting on Conn's amendments without having the full range of information and feedback before him.

"Then we can vote to amend and vote up or down in whatever form comes before us ultimately," he said.

Alderman at-Large Jackie Lavender Bird, who had seconded Conn's proposed amendments, withdrew her second and Conn withdrew his motion, with the alderman unanimously voting to table the proposed ordinance changes.