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2012-05-01-AC-min
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2012-05-01-AC-min
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3/2/2022 3:28:40 PM
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8/30/2012 11:30:01 AM
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2012
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Town Clerk
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Minutes - AC - Appropriation Committee
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May 1, 2012 <br />Minutes <br />Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee Meeting <br />May 1, 2012 <br />Time and Location: Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Offices, 7:30 p.m. <br />Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Joe Pato, Vice <br />Chair; Alan Levine; Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Rob Addelson (non- voting, ex officio) <br />Notpresent: Robert Cohen; Mollie Garberg; Jonina Schonfeld <br />Others in attendance: David Kanter (member Capital Expenditures Committee); Deb Mauger <br />(Selectman); Carl Valente (Town Manager); Paul Ash (School Superintendent); Mary Ann Stewart <br />(School Committee Chair) <br />The meeting was called to order at 7:36 p.m. <br />Announcements. <br />No announcements. <br />Discussion of potential for in -house legal services. <br />Mr. Neumeier led a discussion considering the merits of having in -house legal counsel for the <br />Town's affairs. Mr. Neumeier observed that the abundance of recent law school graduates has led to <br />a market favorable to clients hiring legal staff. Currently the town spends between $700K and $900K <br />per year on outside counsel legal fees. It is possible that bringing some of the work in -house may <br />reduce this expenditure, especially if a significant portion of the work is routine and doesn't need <br />deep specialization. <br />Dr. Ash reported that the school department uses four categories of legal services: special education, <br />labor relations, student and general law. Special education and labor law require highly specialized <br />work and account for the majority of legal services consumed by the school department — the exact <br />breakdown of expenditures was not immediately available. <br />For municipal services the majority of legal expenses stem from land use issues. Mr. Valente reported <br />that Lexington has all the complexity facing a community like Brookline, which has in -house <br />counsel, but does not have the volume to support the number of positions that would allow for <br />specialization. <br />Further analysis of the potential for savings requires a deeper investigation to determine if there is a <br />large enough consumption of routine legal services not requiring deep specialization. <br />Action: Mr. Parker will send a request to the Board of Selectmen and another to the School <br />Committee asking them respectively to have the Town Manager and the School Superintendent <br />consider the merits of bringing legal services in- house. <br />
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