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02/19/15 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee February19,2015 : Public Facilities Building, Room 221, 7:30 p.m. : Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Alan Levine; Beth Masterman;Susan McLeish;Eric Michelson; Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Members absent:Andrei Radulescu-Banu; Mollie Garberg;Richard Neumeier Other attendees: Sandy Beebee, Lexington Parents Advocacy Group The meeting was called to order at 7:39p.m. Minutes: 1.A motion was made and seconded to approve the February 5, 2015Minutes, as amended, and the February 12, 2015 Minutes, as amended. The motion was approved. VOTE: 6-0 Liaison Reports: 2.Ms. McLeish reported that Vicki Blier, Co-Chair of the Tax Deferral and Exemption Study Committee, wasconcerned about inaccuracies in the Lexington Minuteman’sarticle on her recent presentation to the Board of Selectmen (BoS), as discussed at this Committee’s meeting th on February 12.Ms. Blierhas contacted the newspaper’s editor. It was suggested that Ms. Blier also submit a letter to the editor for publication. School Facilities Project “Consensus” Document. 3.Mr. Parker reported on a meeting with the Town Manager, Mr. Addelson, the Superintendent of Schools, and representatives ofthe School Committee, Capital Expenditures Committee, BoS, and Permanent Building Committee. This working session provided an opportunity to begin draftinga document that would presenta consensus position on the next steps associated with the School Building Master Plan. In response to ongoing and future school overcrowding issues, an appropriation request for approximately $4.0 million is being proposed fora spring 2015 Special Town Meeting(STM).The STM article would provide funding to develop various school building projects to differing levels of design and/or development of construction documents. The current draft of the consensus document, a copy of which was circulated at the meeting, identifiesa process for releasing fundsappropriated for work beyond the design phase based on information developed during the design phase.The document would give the BoS final authority to releasefunds.Mr. Parker stressed, however,that the various committees involved in this process would need to work together and that the BoS Chair has assured that the BoSwill not act without input from the finance committees.It was generally agreed that there is a need for flexibility in the event that enrollmentsturns out to besignificantly higher or lower than currently projected. Mr. Addelsonstatedthat the funds would not be appropriated to the School Department budgetbut to the Facilities Department budget.To ensure thatall up-front design expenditures for any particular project can ultimatelybe incorporated into a debt exclusion for that project, should it proceed, he plans to lay out in themotion for therequestedappropriation the anticipated spending by buildingfor each component. 1