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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 ATM Preface This Preface describes the structure and stylistic conventions used in this report. It is followed by an In- troduction discussing changes in the Town’s financial status since the most recent Annual Town Meeting in March 2013, along with issues pertinent to the Town’s general financial situation. The main body of this report contains article-by-article discussions and recommendations on those articles that, in our opin- ion, have substantial financial relevance. The report references several appendices at the end of this doc- ument that provide a deeper explanation of particular financial issues. The discussion for each article presents the prevailing view of the Committee, as well as any other con- siderations or cautions that we feel Town Meeting should be informed of. If one or more Committee members are strongly opposed to the majority position, we summarize the opposing perspective. Each article discussion concludes with the most recent vote of the Committee prior to publication. The vote is summarized by the number of members in favor, followed by the number of members opposed, and lastly (when applicable) the number of members abstaining, e.g. “(6-2-1)” indicates six members in favor, two opposed, and one abstaining. It is not always possible to collect a complete vote for every article from nine voting members. In such instances, the total number of votes and abstentions published will be less than nine. For convenience, Committee votes are also summarized on the preceding pages. This report does not replicate information readily available to Town Meeting members elsewhere. Key documents that inform our analysis and provide a more thorough picture of the Town finances are: · The Town Manager’s Fiscal Year 2015 Recommended Budget & Financing Plan, dated March 3, 2014, commonly known as the “Brown Book”, fully describes the annual budget of the Town. The Brown Book also summarizes budget laws and bylaws (Appendix B) and includes a glossary of financial terms (Appendix D). http://www.lexingtonma.gov/finance/budget/FY15_Brown_Book_for_Web.pdf · School Committee Fiscal Year 2015 Recommended Budget (the “Gray Book”), dated Feb- ruary 11, 2014, which details the budget plans for the Lexington Public School System. http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/3787 · TMMA Warrant Information Report (March 2014), published by the Town Meeting Members Association. http://www.lexingtontmma.org/uploads/Main/2014WarrantInfoReport.pdf · Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Report to the 2014 Special Town Meeting, which pro- vides a detailed report on appropriation requests for capital projects. · Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Report to the 2014 Annual Town Meeting. Acknowledgements The content of this report, except where otherwise noted, was researched, written and edited by members of the Committee with support from Town staff. Our Committee has the pleasure and the privilege of working with Town Manager, Carl Valente; Assistant Town Manager for Finance, Rob Addelson; our Budget Officer, Theo Kalivas; the Capital Expenditures Committee; the Community Preservation Com- mittee; the School Committee; the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Paul Ash; the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, Mary Ellen Dunn; and the Board of Selectmen. We thank the municipal and school staff, Town officials, boards and volunteers who have contributed time and expertise to help us prepare this report. iv