The Malden City Council, acting on a recommendation from its finance committee, moved to adopt Paper 152-25 to increase the local room-occupancy excise from 4% to 6% under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 64G, §3A.

Councilor McDonald, presenting the finance committee report, said the committee recommended the change after consulting with the mayor's finance team and surveying neighboring communities. "They estimate this would raise about 75 to a hundred thousand in additional income," McDonald said. Committee members noted that neighboring municipalities are already at the 6% ceiling and Malden is an outlier at 4%.

Councilors said they wanted the increase included in budget projections for the fiscal year; one speaker said action must be taken by May for the change to take effect by July 1. The council called the roll on the adoption motion; the committee report was received favorably and the council proceeded with the order. (The transcript records a roll-call sequence with numerous "yes" votes on the adoption motion that followed the committee recommendation.)