THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 10, 2025 Page 13 Sign-up now for the Housing Families Fun Run! J oin us for a day of fun, connection and community spirit! The Housing Families Fun Run is perfect for friends, families, kids and dogs. Whether you walk, run or cheer from the sidelines, you’ll TAX | FROM PAGE 1 Council meeting where Mayor Gary Christenson formally requested Council approval of a ballot question calling for a Proposition 2/12 override. Mayor Christenson's request for the specific amount of $5.4 million, coupled with an estimated $3 million saved with a municipal employees' health plan switch, would cover an an $8.4 million structural deficit in this year's FY26 city budget The $5.4 million raised would add up to an estimated $346 in one-time increase in property tax for the average homeowner, with Malden's single-home's median price at $653,000, according to figures provided by the Mayor and his team last week. Tuesday's meeting consisted largely of questions and, sometimes, suggestions, regarding what might happen financially and what might be done to lessen the impact on the community, namely cuts in personnel and services. The timeline of the discussion ranged from present day — real time— to the next coming months, and projected into the next fiscal year, FY27, and even 5 years from now. Councillor at large Carey McDonald, the chairperson of the Finance Committee, was methodical in running the meeting, which was one of longest committee meetings of the years at twoplus hours, and used a step-bystep approach to ensure that all Councillors and any department heads from the city were heard. Ranaghan, who is the city's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as the controller, spent the majority of the time at the Council podium, fielding questions and often referring back to other city leadership team/department heads in the audience for either confirmation when answering or additional information to complete an answer. Like last week's full Council be part of something bigger: a community working together in support of housing equity. Tickets include complimentary lite bites and drinks at the race day after-party and a 2025 Fun meeting, it appeared every municipal department head was in attendance, as was Mayor Christenson and his top mayoral leadership team of Chief of Staff Maria Luise and Chief Strategy Officer Ron Hogan. It is the first time in recent memory that a Malden mayor has been in attendance at two consecutive municipal meetings convened by the City Council, owing to the present gravity of the city's financial situation. Unlike last week's full Council meeting, where the discussion centered on the "nuts and bolts" of the override request, namely, "how much" "why" and Run athletic shirt. There will be pre-run yoga, face paint, games, cornhole, music, raffle and more! Sign up at https://housingfamiliesfunrun2025.funraise. org/?mc_cid=50165f46c0&mc_ offering a slide and chart showing that Malden spends the least per capita than five other peer communities, far less, than Everett, Revere, Somerville, Peabody and Salem. Councillor at large Craig Spadafora, who has been the most vocal Councillor on the city's financial status and future, both this term of office and for many years he has served in the past, made it clear that this request for a $5.4 million override was for this year's budget and that "We are chasing something we are not going to catch." What Councillor Spadadora was referring to with the last eid=5d55242d5c In-person participants: Be at 200 River’s Edge Dr. in Medford on Saturday, November 15, from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. to complete the Fun Run along the Malden River wall the city faces in state education funding. "Something has to be done. We are out of time and we're still facing the same situation. " Councillor Winslow recalled his former employment with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in another period of financial turmoil. "I was laid off myself (by the state). We are talking about people's lives, their careers. We must explore every avenue to address this serious situation," he said. Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon, who has served in parts of five different decades on the City Council, in two separate lengths at the beautiful River’s Edge Park. Virtual participants: Follow Housing Families Inc. on social media to share photos from your run. Virtual participation will be open all weekend long! should do right now." Councillor at large Karen Colon Hayes asked Ranaghan if he or any of the other city leaders knew of any actions the Council could take right now to alleviate the deficit situation now, or in the near future. "What can we do now? We would like to know if the City Council can do anything , any actions we can take to help," Councillor Colon Hayes said. "We are ready to act, please tell us how we can address this." In some specific suggestions where cuts could be made, Councillor Condon referred to some jobs that were added to the city side with American Rescue Act (ARPA) funds, then kept on the budget. "We should look at those jobs first," Councillor Condon said. Ranaghan explained that there only about 2 full time and several part-time grant-funded jobs. Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe Malden City Controller Chuck Ranaghan, at the podium, answers questions from the City Council at Tuesday night's Finance Committee meeting including, from left Councillors Stephen Winslow (Ward 6), Peg Crowe (Ward 1), Council Clerk of Committees Lisa Cagno Councillor at large and Finance Committee Chair Carey McDonald, and Councillor at large Karen Colon Hayes. (Advocate Photo) "when"Tuesday's committee used more stark terms. "We are in an emergency situation," said more than one Councillor, the first that term had been used publicly. Ranaghan stressed that all financial numbers and all information regarding the proposed override are available to all on the city's website:www.cityofmalden.org under the tab on the front of the website: Proposition 2 ½ Override Proposal Fiscal Year 2027 Ranaghan and others made a strong point of referencing previous statements made last week by members of the public regarding what "type" of dilemma the city faced. "This is not spending problem, this is clearly a revenue problem," he said, statement was the vast gap — which he estimated last week and this week at $30 million— between State Chapter 70 funding for the Malden Public Schools and what other Gateway Cities such as Everett, Chelsea and Revere were receiving. "We are going to be missing that funding every year as long as the (Chapter 70) formula does not change and we keep falling further and further in the hole," Councillor Spadafora said. Spadafora, McDonald and Ranaghan all pointed to the fact that city of Malden is mandated by the state to provide 51 percent of all school budget expenditures Ward 6 Councillor Stephen Winslow reiterated points made by Councillors Spadafora, McDonald and others on the brick of service, recalled when Proposition 2 1/2 first came into effect in the early 1980s. Heavy personnel layoffs followed in Malden, including police and fire positions, as well as over 35 teachers from the Malden Public Schools. "That was a very painful time for our community. Those are people who have mortgages, college tuitions, rents, car payments, you name it," Councillor Condon said. "This problem is not going away, we have to do something now." "We don't have the money, plain and simple. How can we pay money (for our schools) they say we are mandated to pay if it doesn't exist?" Spadafora said. "We are done asking, we should go to the Governor's office and demand relief. That is what we brought up the Community Preservation Act program, which sets aside a certain percentage of property tax revenue for use on vetted, designated municipal projects each year. "I'm not advocating for it, but is it possible to pause the Community Preservation Act for a year or more?" Ranaghan, after consulting with another department head, said that he would have a more complete answer next week, but did verify that the CPA hold was about $1 million, which goes directly from property tax revenues to the CPA fund. Ranaghan said he would be able to provide more information on all of the suggestions and questions that needed a more complete answer at next week's meeting. After the last Councillors asked their questions and Ranaghan made his final points, Councillor McDonald announced that discussion on the override would continue at a future Finance Committee meeting, probably next Tuesday evening, October 14.
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