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2014-03-19 Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee March19,2014 : RobbinsRoom,Cary MemorialBuilding,7:30p.m. :Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Mollie Garberg;Alan Levine;Susan McLeish;Eric Michelson; Jonina Schonfeld Members Absent:Robert Cohen; Richard Neumeier;Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Others Present:Joe Pato, Board of Selectmen; Dawn McKenna, Chair, Tourism Committee The meetingwas calledto order at 7:37p.m. Announcements: 1.Mr. Bartenstein reported that Kevin McGuire, President of the Lexington Historical Society, had contacted him. Mr. McGuire expressed appreciation for an invitation to attend to discuss the proposed warrant article for Visitor Center funding, and passed on the general positionof the Society, but saidthat he would not be able to attend. Minutes: 2.There was a motion and second to approve the Appropriation Committee minutes for March 5, 2014 and March 12, 2014. VOTE: 7-0 Liaison Reports by Staff and Members: 3.Mr. Addelson reported that some of the budget numbers in Articles 4 and 5 hadbeen refinedto reflect reductions in the FY2015 projected health insurance premiums.Of the$1.0 million available from thisreduction,the proposed budget includes$495,000 to fund the High School modular units and $505,000 for debt relief.In response to questions, Mr. Addelson notedthat the lower premiumswill reducethe base upon which a percentage increase will be estimated for FY2016, and in this sense could be viewed as recurring additional revenue; however, each year,he researches the market to determine the most likely percentage change for the coming year, and there is no guarantee that the savings will continue. Ms. Schonfeld, who is preparing the write-up on Article 6,Appropriate for Senior Service Program, noted that the program is currently available only for residents 60 and over. She questioned whetherthe program should be extended, as the Town’s special enabling act allows, to disabled residents under 60 who otherwise meet the eligibility criteriafor the program. It was agreed that this is ultimately a policy decision for the Board of Selectmen (BoS), to whom an extension of the program could certainly be advocated. Mr. Parker reported that the BoS recently adopted a policy relative to funding of the Other Post Employee Benefits (OPEB) liability trust fund. He described the policy and will forward a copy to Committee members after the meeting. There was a motionandsecond to endorse the BoS’OPEB funding policy.VOTE: 7-0 1