2008-11-17-SPTM-AC-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT, NOVEMBER 17, 2008 STM $323,758 increase to 4200 Fire/Medical Expenses, 3100-3500 DPW expenses, and 2400 Public Facilities to supplement fuel budgets, bringing the total fuel budget in those three accounts to $926,918. The budget for fuel in 4100 Law Enforcement Expenses remains at $88,634. It should be noted that a $100K increase to the Reserve Fund voted at the Annual Town Meeting remains available to provide a contingency fund for any other energy overages. $ 7,500 increase to 8210-8220 Town Manager Expenses to fund the evaluation by an assessment center of candidate(s) for Police Chief. $ 4,502 increase to 4200 Fire/Medical Expenses to supplement the $200,000 already appropriated for purchase of an ambulance (actual bid came in at $204,502). Normally this would be appropriated under a capital article, but it is being appropriated now under the operating budget so the ambulance purchase can proceed without further delay. $457,760 TOTAL to be appropriated from General Fund/tax levy $134,050 decrease to 1100 Lexington Public Schools for phone service expenses $134,050 increase to 2400 Public Facilities for phone service expenses $ 0 TOTAL (transfer from one line item to another) The Committee unanimously supports this article. Article 4: Amend FY2009 Enterprise Funds Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation Budgets see text EF Approve (9-0) This article proposes several minor housekeeping adjustments to the appropriations made for the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds at the Annual Town Meeting last spring. Adjustment to Reflect Final MWRA Charges In January of each calendar year, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) provides its member towns with a preliminary estimate of their water and sewer assessments for the upcoming fiscal year. The Town uses these preliminary assessment figures to establish the MWRA component of the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund appropriations at the annual town meeting. In June of each year, the MWRA completes its budget process and issues final assessments to its member towns. The final assessments are typically less than the preliminary estimates. Water and sewer rate-setting for each fiscal year takes place during the late summer or early fall following the annual town meeting. Since at this point the final MWRA charges have been determined, the Town's practice has been to set rates in an amount projected to be sufficient to cover the actual, final MWRA assessments, as well as the other direct and indirect costs of the Water and Sewer Enterprises appropriated at the Annual Town Meeting. In effect, therefore, the Town raises within this rate structure and pays to the MWRA each year an amount somewhat smaller than the amount originally appropriated at the annual town meeting. The proposed adjustments will reduce the original appropriations made for the MWRA component of the FY2009 Water and Sewer Enterprise budgets at last spring's Annual Town Meeting to reflect the actual final assessments. The amounts appropriated at this year's Annual Town Meeting for MWRA water and sewer charges and the final assessments for FY2009 are as follows: Page 6 of 15