Melrose Select Board Approves Flat 2020 Levy, Orders Property Cleanup

MELROSE — September 19, 2019 — Melrose Select Board approves a flat $1.38 million preliminary 2020 tax levy and hears of a $115,733 federal fire grant. Fire Chief Booty told the council the Assistance to Firefighters Grant will cover 90 percent of the cost of new air packs, replacing units 17 years old, with the city's 10 percent share drawn from existing reserves. City Administrator Scott presented a preliminary general fund expenditure budget of $2,743,555, noting an approximately $340,000 cushion created by a bond dropping off the levy — money both he and a council member cautioned should not be treated as available for new spending. The board unanimously ordered property owner Don Crocker to abate nuisance conditions at 518 4th Street Southeast within 30 days, effectively giving him the 60-day window he requested once court scheduling is factored in. Election judges will see their pay rise from $10 to $15 per hour, matching Stearns County rates, ahead of a busier 2020 election cycle.