Government
City of Melrose Board of Appeals
Rita C. Mercado
Chairman
(781) 979-4196
Appeals@cityofmelrose.org
Members
Rita C. Mercado, Chairman
George H. Philley R. Eric Slagle Bryan E. Thorp Wayne E. Webster Alternate Members James Bradley Vacant Clerk Jessica Mitchell
(781)979-4196
The Board of Appeals considers requests for variances from applicable zoning requirements, requests for special permits for specific uses and/or structures and appeals from decisions of the city’s building commissioner.
The Board of Appeals meets upon the call of the chairman, generally on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. Meetings are public hearings and are normally held in the Aldermanic Chamber of City Hall. All deliberations of the board, pursuant to the Public Meeting Law, are open to the public at large.
The board’s authority derives from Chapter 40(a) of Massachusetts General Laws and the Zoning Ordinances of the city adopted pursuant thereto. All testimony at public hearings is received under oath and the affirmative vote of four out of five sitting members (or alternate members as designated by the chair) is required for affirmative relief.
All board members serve as unpaid volunteers. The clerk, who prepares all public notices and mailings from her home, receives an administrative stipend on a limited, part-time basis.
The total budget is virtually mandated by state law, which requires notice of all public hearings by newspaper publication and mailing to designated individuals. The majority of the board’s budget covers administrative costs and postage.