What’s In Melrose’s Fiscal Budget For 2024?

MELROSE, MA – The city of Melrose has released its operating budget for the fiscal year 2024. Here’s what you need to know.

The $101,173, 341 budget represents a 6.2 percent increase over last year’s budget for 2023.

In the budget, Mayor Paul Brodeur proposed a $3 million increase to the Melrose Public Schools budget – a 13 percent increase in the city-funded portion of the school’s operating budget since 2022.

Funding for Melrose Public Schools makes up the largest part of the budget, followed by employee benefits.

The unprecedented, non-override investment in Melrose Public Schools is in addition to the $2,762,675 in Free Cash appropriations recently approved by the city council that Brodeur and CFO Patrick Dello-Russo requested to close out the School’s FY23 budget, and the $3,399,132 in American Rescue Act (ARPA) funding the mayor has allocated over the past two years to support the operating costs and capital needs of Melrose Public Schools.

“I am confident that together we will chart a path forward that supports our students and teachers and invests in our public schools while maintaining the stability of our City finances,” Brodeur said in a news release.

The budget also invests in supporting elders by increasing the wages of drivers, addressing infrastructure needs, increasing sustainability efforts, and supporting the health and wellness of residents.

“I am particularly proud of our efforts to meet the goal of increasing transparency around our budget processes year after year,” Brodeur said in the news release. “I’m especially thankful to our entire finance office for assisting me in my mission to provide residents with access to the City’s budget information.”

Melrose community members can use the Digital Budget Presentation to see key data from the City’s budget document in an easy-to-understand digital format and the Supplemental Budget Document to see each city department’s mission, goals for FY24, and all key changes to their budgets from FY23 to FY24.