Melrose Council Approves Firefighter Hires and BCA Data Agreement at June Meeting

MELROSE — June 17, 2026 — Melrose City Council approved a broad slate of personnel and administrative actions at its June 17 meeting. The council unanimously hired two firefighters — Aston Toole and Aiden Matt — contingent on background checks and physicals, and approved a bridge plan compensating Police Chief Maus and Doris Reeland for carrying additional duties during the ongoing city administrator vacancy. Four finalists from a pool of 31 applicants are scheduled for interviews June 30, with the council approving federal-rate mileage reimbursement for candidates traveling to the interviews. Credit card spending limits at Magnify Financial were raised for the first time in roughly 10 years — from $10,000 to $15,000 for the city administrator and finance director, and from $5,000 to $10,000 for department heads — though underlying purchasing authority thresholds requiring council approval remain unchanged. The council also approved Resolution 2026-29, a routine five-year renewal of the police department's joint powers agreement with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at an annual cost of approximately $600, and unanimously approved a final plat and zero-setback variance for a lot split between Central Care Health Systems and Cura at the Medical Services Plat 2 site.