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6 | 2015 Annual Report
<br />Town Manager
<br />Personnel FY14 FY15
<br />Full Time .................................8 .....................................7
<br />Part Time ................................1 .....................................1
<br />Role: As the Chief Executive Officer of the Town, es-
<br />tablished in the Selectmen-Town Manager Act, the Town
<br />Manager administers the policies and procedures of the
<br />Board of Selectmen, enforces bylaws and actions passed by
<br />Town Meeting, proposes the operating and capital budgets
<br />and manages the daily operation of all Town departments.
<br />The Town Manager’s Office also includes the Human Re-
<br />sources Office.
<br />A ppointed: by the Board of Selectmen: Carl Valente has
<br />served as Town Manager since July 2005.
<br />Form of Government
<br />The current Town Manager/Selectmen/Town Meeting
<br />form of government dates back to a 1969 Act of the State
<br />legislature based on a plan developed by the Town Struc-
<br />ture of Government Committee. Lexington had previously
<br />operated under a Selectmen/Executive Secretary plan. The
<br />Selectmen/Town Manager Act brought major realignment
<br />of responsibilities including changes in methods of ap-
<br />pointment, closer supervision of administrative functions,
<br />and centralized control of purchasing.
<br />Budget
<br />The FY2016 budget process continued the collaborative
<br />effort among the Board of Selectmen, School Commit-
<br />tee, Appropriation and Capital Expenditures Committees,
<br />and Town staff. Seven budget summit sessions resulted in
<br />consensus on a balanced budget for Town Meeting con-
<br />sideration that addressed many pressing needs and did not
<br />require a Proposition 2-1/2 override (the last Operating
<br />Budget Override was approved for FY2008). The FY2016
<br />general fund budget totals $193,549,110, an increase of
<br />$13,362,199, or 7.4% over the FY2015 adopted budget.
<br />Chart 1 shows the breakdown of the expenditures by use.
<br />Chart 1: FY2016 General Fund Budget Breakdown
<br />The Town is preparing for several capital expenditure proj-
<br />ects primarily focused on public safety and school improve-
<br />ments. To support these recommendations, the Board of
<br />Selectmen recommended, and Town Meeting adopted, the
<br />creation of a Capital Projects Stabilization Fund. In antici-
<br />pation of these potential projects, the 2015 Annual Town
<br />Meeting appropriated $9,447,832 to the Capital Projects
<br />Stabilization Fund. This reserve fund now has a balance of
<br />approximately $16.6 million. Table 1 shows the amounts
<br />voted into and out of that fund since FY13.
<br />Table 1: Activity of Capital Project Stabilization Fund
<br />FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016
<br />Amount into Capital Projects Stabilization Fund $1,600,000 $3,983,240 $5,910,726 $9,447,832
<br />Subtotal $1,600,000 $5,585,076 $9,901,430 $17,490,545
<br />Bridge/Bowman/ Estabrook Debt Service Tax
<br />Relief $0 $(1,600,000)$(950,000)$(215,000)
<br />Other School and Municipal Capital Projects $0 $0 $(919,000)$(620,567)
<br />Interest Income $1,836 $5,628 $16,036 $32,000 (est)
<br />Closing Balance $1,601,836 $3,990,704 $8,048,466 $16,687,050 (est)
<br />Town Meeting also appropriated $1,200,000 to the Other
<br />Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund to help
<br />fund the liability for retiree health care costs. The current
<br />balance in the OPEB trust fund is $6,998,656.
<br />Unreserved Fund Balance as of July 1, 2013 was certified
<br />at $14,598,830, which was appropriated to support the
<br />FY2015 capital and operating budgets and to finance a
<br />portion of the contribution to the Capital Projects Stabi-
<br />lization Fund. Table 2 shows the three year history of the
<br />uses of Free Cash.
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