Council President Ryan O'Malley presented the Malden City Council's 2025 committee appointments and a set of changes to committee sizes and special committees, and the council voted to place the roster on file and to amend committee membership counts pending a final vote next week.

O'Malley said the changes aim to "remove barriers to results," expand committee membership from three to five where feasible, and add several special committees, including Arts and Culture, Community Traditions, and a Quadricentennial Planning Committee for the city's 400th anniversary. He said the changes were developed with the city's chief strategy and innovation officer and other staff and that some committees will develop their own mission statements.

Councilor Cica moved, and Councilor Colon Hayes seconded, to receive the committee appointments and place them on file; the motion passed by roll call. Later, a motion to amend the committee structures as presented was moved and seconded; the council approved that amendment on first reading but O'Malley said the change is a rule change and therefore requires a second vote next week to take effect.

Specific committee leadership announced included Councilor Colon Hayes as chair of the Community Engagement and Inclusion Committee, Councilor McDonald chairing Finance, Councilor Linehan chairing Personnel and Appointments, Councilor Condon chairing Public Safety, and Councilor Spadafore chairing Public Properties. Special committees and ex officio appointments were also named; for example, the Quadricentennial Planning Committee is chaired by Council President O'Malley with Vice Chair Spadafore and member McDonald and requests the mayor or designee and the CFO or designee to be part of the committee.

The council debated the change to committee sizes in part because small three-member committees can make follow-up conversations difficult under the Open Meeting Law. O'Malley said expanding several committees to five members would make it easier to attain quorum and conduct business outside full council sessions. The amendment to committee membership passed by roll call and will be presented again for final adoption next week because rule changes cannot be adopted the same night they are proposed.

The council also noted logistical improvements to the chamber, including new extension tables on the dais for the city solicitor, clerk of committees, treasurer and controller to facilitate access to documents during meetings.

No substantive policy authority or ordinance text was adopted as part of the committee appointments motion; the actions recorded were procedural (receive and place on file, and an amendment to committee composition that requires a subsequent final vote).