2013-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Town Government Board of Selectmen Elected by the voters at large to 3 -year terms: Chair Deb- orah Mauger, Peter Kelley, Norman Cohen, Hank Manz, and Joe Pato. George Burnell did not run for re- election and Mr. Pato was elected to the board along with the re- election of Ms. Mauger. After the Annual Town Meeting, Ms. Mauger was re- elected as Chair. 300th Celebrations The Selectmen enjoyed participating in the many events celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Town's incorpo- ration. We extend our sincere thank you to the 300th An- niversary Celebration Committee, our Town Celebrations Committee and the hundreds of volunteers who made the celebrations so successful. Fiscal Matters Lexington continued to maintain its positive financial standing. Even with a stalled economy, property tax rev- enues rose due to new growth in both the residential and commercial sectors. Home prices have remained stable. We have maintained our Aaa rating from our bond agen- cies and our cost of debt is very low. We have begun to see a positive financial impact on our health insurance expense as a result of employees joining the Common- wealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC). The Se- lectmen kept their goal to have no operating overrides. The Selectmen also received approval from Town Meeting to establish a fund that would allow for tax mitigation to reduce the impact of the excluded debt due to the con- struction of a new Estabrook and the renovation of the Bridge and Bowman elementary schools. Land Acquisition and Use Town Meeting approved the purchase of the Wright Farm based on the recommendations of the Board of Select- men, the Conservation Commission and the Community Preservation Committee. The Wright Farm will remain as open space under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. Community Preservation Act funds were used for this purchase. Town Meeting also approved the purchase of 39 Marrett Road from the Scottish Rite. The purchase was for approximately 10 acres of open space with two buildings. One of those buildings, the mansion and modern annex, will be used for our new community center. Capital Planning The Board continues to address the issues of maintain- ing and improving our capital infrastructure, including, but not limited to, our roads, water and sewer systems, parks and fields and buildings. The Board created and ap- pointed an Ad Hoc Townwide Facilities Master Plan- ning Committee to devise a master plan for our municipal building needs. Our public safety buildings, the Fire and Police Departments, are long overdue for renovation or reconstruction. Increased funding for road repair resulted in a busy construction season. The inconvenience creat- ed by this work is offset by the roadway improvements. Town Meeting approved the use of funds to stabilize and renovate the exterior of the "White House." The Board received a study about the possible renovation of the Cary Memorial Building. Planning for a renewed Massachu- setts Avenue in the Center continued with a series of pub- lic forums to discuss the Streetscape Plan for that area. In addition, there has been discussion of how best to renew the Battle Green. Other Accomplishments and Challenges The Board unanimously endorsed the Citizen's Article at Annual Town Meeting calling for a municipal subsidy of school transportation in order to reduce the bus fee and increase ridership. Town Meeting approved this article and the Board plans to get advice from the Ad Hoc School Transportation and Safety Study Committee about the results of this experiment and proposals for the future. The Board heard the reports of the Community Center Task Force. The recommendations of the Transportation Gov- ernance Advisory Committee were adopted. The Board was provided with the report and recommendations from MRI (Municipal Resources, Inc.) about staffing and other issues related to our fire and medical emergency services. The Board also approved the Greenways Corridor Com- mittee's pilot recreational trail as part of their ACROSS (Accessing Conservation land, Recreation areas, Open Space, Schools and Streets in Lexington) project. For many years now, the Board's policy has been to find ways to ease the burden on the residential taxpayer by de- veloping our commercial sectors. This commercial devel- opment must be balanced against any adverse impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Development of the Hart- well Avenue corridor is a goal and attention must be given to the transportation and other issues in the area. The ef-