Melrose Select Board advances odd-even parking plan to public hearing

MELROSE — September 18, 2025 — Melrose Select Board moves odd-even winter parking proposal to public hearing. The board voted unanimously Thursday to schedule a public hearing on a proposed ordinance requiring residents to alternate street-parking sides by odd and even calendar dates from November 1 through April 1, aimed at improving snow-removal efficiency on city streets. The board also unanimously approved a preliminary fiscal year 2026 tax levy totaling $1,774,000, split between a $1,694,000 general fund levy and an $80,000 debt levy, for certification to the county auditor. Fire department representative Tom Buddy secured approval to raise the volunteer firefighter retirement benefit from $3,300 to $3,700 annually, with the fund reported at 105 percent funded. New city attorney Joe Krueger, introduced Thursday from the firm Quinn, Livingston and Hughes in St. Cloud, cautioned that any citation-based parking rule "has to be clearly articulable," pushing the council toward tying enforcement to plowable snow events rather than the daily calendar.