Letters to the Editor

Letter: Call For Civility Should Apply To City Officials Too

Patricia Wright takes exception in a letter to the editor to city officials' behavior at Monday's aldermen's committee meeting.

Editor's note: The author of this letter made a copy available to Melrose Patch. At the start of Monday night's meeting of the aldermen's Appropriations Committee, Alderman at-Large Don Conn, the committee chairman, hearkened back to last week's public hearing and cautioned against uncivil behavior such as pounding on the public participation table, yelling, screaming or name-calling. "It will not be allowed and we will recess the committee." Alderman Conn, Your insulting preemptive caution to the general public demanding "decorous behavior" and no "fist pounding on the table" seemed to have escaped Mr. Dello Russo’s notice, or in the alternative perhaps your rules do not apply to the chief financial officer and auditor of our fair city. …

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Second Water, Sewer Rate Increases Get Initial OK

An amended version of the proposed increases that would build reserve funds over five years rather than three, while addressing the sewer deficit, received a recommendation from the aldermen's Appropriations Committee.

After another lengthy meeting filled with strident voices from both residents and city officials, and with an amended proposal to soften the impact this coming year, a second round of increased water and sewer rates received an initial OK from the Melrose Board of Aldermen on Monday night. City officials proposed the second round of rate increases—which still require a final vote of the full board—after the first set of increases were approved in June, to address a $158,771 deficit caused by lower than projected consumption in the sewer budget at the close of the fiscal 2012 year, which ended on June 30. Officials also sought to implement a three-year plan to save 10 percent of both the water and sewer budgets in reserve accounts to …

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Steve Meuse

9:46 am on Monday, July 30, 2012

The ones at the common are on almost every morning around 7, rain or shine.   more ›

Five Things You Need to Know Today

[UPDATE] 5 Things You Need To Know Today—Monday, July 23

Bedtime concert for toddlers at the library; aldermen take up proposed water and sewer rate increases.

Share your news and expertise by blogging on Melrose Patch! 1) He's heating up! A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Southwest wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent. Tonight, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southwest wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. (Forecast by the National Weather Service.) 2) You gotta move: Tonight at 6:30 p.m., Music, Movement and Mother Goose returns to the Melrose Public Library. The Children’s Room offers special family bedtime concerts designed for toddlers and their parents featuring music specialist Dara VanRemoortel. …

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Five Things You Need to Know Today

5 Things You Need To Know Today—Thursday, July 19

Adrian Gonzalez comes to Melrose; aldermen seek answers on Ward 2 pumping station emergency generator; farmers' market open today.

1) Who get lost when the sun goes down: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind 8 to 11 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy, with a low around 60. North wind 5 to 8 mph. (Forecast by the National Weather Service.) 2) It must be a homer, Simpson, because the pitcher just went "D'OH!" Red Sox first basemen Adrian Gonzalez—who had a home run and 4 RBIs last night—comes to Melrose today for The Playstation Adrian Gonzalez Baseball Clinic. A-Gon will be at Melrose High School directing the clinic, providing instruction and give lectures about baseball and more. 3) Oh that would be me. I've been swimming in raw sewage. I love it: The aldermen's Health, Education and Welfare Committee and Public Works Committee meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. On the…

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Assistant Fire Chief Position on Hold

The aldermen tabled a proposal to remove the position from civil service as the firefighters request more time to hash out details with Chief Christopher Leary and City Hall.

Plans to reinstitute the long-dormant assistant chief position in the Melrose Fire Department are on hold after the Melrose Board of Aldermen voted Monday night to table Chief Christopher Leary and City Hall's request to remove it from civil service. At the aldermen's Appropriation Committee meeting on June 28, the committee unanimously voted to send the proposal to the full board Monday night without a recommendation, with an eye on a scheduled July 6 meeting between the Melrose Firefighters 1617 union and city administrators. While the decision whether or not to remove the assistant chief position from civil service is solely up to the aldermen, many of the details surrounding how the position would be filled need to be bargained with …

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Residents Speak Out On Proposed Water and Sewer Rate Hikes

The aldermen held a public hearing Monday night on the second rate hikes proposed within the past month.

Several residents chided the city last night about its financial planning and proposal to further increase the water and sewer rates to build reserve funds over the next three years. The Melrose Board of Aldermen held a public hearing Monday on the proposed rate increases, which are on top of increases already approved last month by the aldermen. A $158,771 deficit in the fiscal 2012 sewer enterprise fund would get backfilled by the increased sewer rate, and both increased rates would bring in revenue that the city would place in savings accounts to mitigate any future deficits or increased assessments from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The new proposal would increase the residential water rate to $5.85, which on top …

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Five Things You Need to Know Today

5 Things You Need To Know Today—Monday, July 16

Aldermen meet tonight, with public hearing on water and sewer rates, events happening this week; YouTube tours of Melrose homes for sale.

Share your news and expertise by blogging on Melrose Patch! 1) Feare no more the heate o' th' Sun: Patchy fog before 7 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 88. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Tonight, partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the evening. Also, prepare yourself: could be record high temperatures tomorrow. (Forecast by the National Weather Service.) 2) The water understands Civilization well: The Melrose Board of Aldermen has a full meeting tonight at 7:45 p.m., and at 8:30 p.m. a public hearing on proposed further increases to the water and sewer tax rates for this years. 3) Get busy livin': Have you checked …

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Water, Sewer Rates Could Go Up Again

A deficit in the city's sewer budget, combined with a desire to start saving more to account for potential deficits, means City Hall is proposing to further increase the water and sewer rates for this coming year.

Water and sewer rates for the coming year already approved by the Melrose Board of Aldermen could go higher, as the city aims to address a year-end deficit in the sewer budget and start a three-year savings plan for both the water and sewer budgets. The new proposal would increase the residential water rate to $5.85, which on top of the previously approved rate increase would result in a 11.43 percent increase over this past year's rate, according to a letter from Department of Public Works Director John Scenna to city officials (PDF attached). The commercial water rate would increase to $7.20, an 11.68 percent increase (again accounting for the already approved increases), and the combined sewer rate would increase to $10.02, a 7.17 …

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Bill for Transfer, Sale of Melrose Group Homes on Governor's Desk

The special act allows the the transfer of group homes on Lebanon Street and Trenton Street from the Melrose Housing Authority to the Melrose Affordable Housing Corporation, which plans to sell them.

A special act of the state Legislature that would allow for the sale of group homes on Lebanon and Trenton Streets, and then using the revenue from those sales to rehabilitate existing Melrose Housing Authority (MHA) properties and purchase more homes to convert to affordable apartments, has reached Gov. Deval Patrick's desk. Rep. Paul Brodeur, D-Melrose, tweeted yesterday afternoon, "Happy to report that Melrose home rule petition on affordable housing is on its way to the Governor's desk!" The bill as enacted by the House and Senate yesterday, and approved by the Melrose Board of Aldermen last August, would authorize the transfer of residences at 499 Lebanon St. and 165 Trenton St. from the MHA—which runs government-subsidized public …

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Water and Sewer Rate Hikes Approved

The average Melrose homeowner will see a $42.50 increase in their water and sewer bill.

Proposed increases in Melrose's water and sewer rates, driven by lower consumption and Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) assessments according to city officials, received unanimous final approval from the Board of Aldermen on Monday night. As a result, the average Melrose homeowner will see a $42.50 increase in their water and sewer bill next year, a 4.6 percent bump over the current average bill. The rates as approved are: City officials repeated Monday night what's been said before the Appropriations Committee and when the rates first went before the board two weeks ago—that the rates are largely driven by increased assessments from the MWRA and consumption being down across the MWRA system, which lowers revenue. The MWRA …

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