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May 29, 2013 Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee May 29, 2013 Place and time: Ellen Stone Room, Cary Memorial Building at 7:30pm Members present: Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Rob Addelson, Asst. Town Mgr. for Finance; Mollie Garberg; Alan Levine; Eric Michelson; Susan McLeish; Richard Neumeier; Jonina Schonfeld Members Absent: Robert Cohen Other Attendees: Carl Valente, Town Manager The meeting was called to order at 7:40pm. 1. Announcements: Mr. Levine stated that he had attended a meeting of the Ad Hoc Town - Wide Facilities Master Planning (MP) Committee and would summarize the meeting during Liaison Reports. Mr. Parker stated that he and Mr. Michelson had attended a meeting with Carl Valente regarding proposed changes to the Regional Agreement governing the Minuteman Regional High School. 2. Liaison Reports: Mr. Levine stated that the MP Committee was preparing an "executive summary" of its recommendations to present to the Board of Selectmen on June 3. In brief, the document will rank the construction of a new Fire Station as the first priority for the Town, followed by a new or renovated Police Station. The MP Committee generally favors a new combined Fire and Police facility. Some alternative scenarios will also be addressed in the report, such as building a new Fire Station, then building a new Police Station at the former location of the Fire Station. Mr. Levine noted that the Fire and Police Stations are duly recognized as urgent projects for the Town, but emphasized that they are only part of a much larger and more complicated set of questions that the Town had hoped to resolve. Mr. Levine expressed his concern that the MP Committee will be unable to completely satisfy its charter given the timing and resource constraints. 3. Mr. Michelson and Mr. Parker summarized their meeting with Carl Valente regarding Minuteman Regional High School (MRHS). Mr. Valente sits on the Regional Agreement Amendment Subcommittee for the MRHS School Committee. The buildings at MRHS are in need of major renovations, expected to cost around $80 million. State regulations do not permit MRHS to pass on capital expenses to non - member towns. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) may reimburse up to 40% of the capital expenses, but the remaining 60% (approximately $48 million) would fall entirely on the 16 member communities, which account for only about half of the total student enrollment at MRHS. Mr. Valente's subcommittee is considering changes to the Regional Agreement that would alter the Capital Apportionment Formula, which determines the amount each member community is assessed for capital improvements. The subcommittee is also discussing changes to voting thresholds for the MRHS School Committee, but until the issue of non - member capital assessments is resolved, there will be no progress on voting issues. 1