Aldermen Pass $65.3M City Budget For Next Year

The Melrose Board of Aldermen approved a $65.3 million operating city budget for the coming fiscal year at Monday night's meeting.

The only change from Mayor Rob Dolan's initial proposal is a $25,000 cut in the city's unemployment line item, reducing that from $167,000 to $142,000.

In a tight budget last year, the aldermen approved a $62.9 million operating budget to Dolan's original proposed.

In past years, the aldermen have chipped away at Mayor Rob Dolan's proposed budget, cutting a few thousand dollars from various line items and sometimes reallocating those funds towards other needs identified by city and school officials. For instance, two years ago mainly for elementary school science kits and sidewalk repairs.

A major investment in this year's budget is $497,425 in one-time funding that will allow Melrose Public Schools to .

Another major change in the budget is the proposed .

the city borrowing $400,000 for a new police dispatch and radio system; regionalizing the Veterans Services Office with Wakefield; and hiring a full-time assistant recreation director. Melrose Patch previously reported other .

One aspect of next year's budget that hasn't been settled yet are next year's water and sewer rates, and the related Water and Sewer Enterprise budgets. On Monday night, the aldermen set a public hearing on those rates for Monday, June 4 at 8 p.m.