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STM 2023-1 APPROPRIATION COXMTTEE 31 OCTOBER 2023 Article 7 Appropriate Housing Resale and Rental Monitoring Fees Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation None N/A IP (8-0) This article originally intended to request approval to automatically appropriate two affordable housing fees into the Affordable Housing Trust (AHT) with no further approval required by town meeting. The Affordable Housing Rental Monitoring fees and the Affordable Housing Resales fees were established via written agreements with a subset of developers that build and maintain affordable housing in Lexington. These agreements obligate the Town to use the funds to monitor the developers' affordable housing compliance, The fees are currently deposited into the General Fund and support the operating budget of the Land Use/Planning Division. The Town contracts with the nonprofit Regional Housing Services Office (RHSO) to perform services related to affordable housing, including the monitoring of rents. Additionally, RHSO provides the following services: committee/board staff assistance with new projects, HOME Administration, Regional Services, and facilitating regulatory approvals from the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities. RHSO was paid $32,923 in FY2023 and$39,971 in FY2024. Currently $12,970 in fees for Affordable Housing Rental Monitoring are collected annually. Affordable Housing Resale fees are paid by the buyer when an income/asset controlled unit is sold. Only two payments have been made under this program, $6,820 in FY2023,and$5,000 in FY2020, averaging out to roughly$4,000 per year. On October 26, 2023, the Affordable Housing Trust requested indefinite postponement of this article after two issues came to light. First, the fee revenue in question is tied to an ongoing operating expense (RHSO's contract) and transferring this revenue to the AHT would create a roughly $13,000 shortfall for the Town's operating budget. Second, the developers' agreements explicitly state that the fees will be used to pay for rent monitoring. To maintain compliance with the agreement, the AHT would have to pay for the RHSO contract, but such a change is outside the scope of this warrant article. Article 8 Appropriate for Speed Hump Pilot Program Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $101,000 Traffic Mitigation SF Approve (8-0) This article requests $101,000 to implement a pilot program to install temporary speed humps on Walnut St. in south Lexington. Walnut St. extends south from Concord Ave. to the Waltham line where it turns into Woburn St and then connects with Trapelo Rd. Residents on Walnut St. have requested the installation of speed humps to reduce the speed of vehicles on that street. In response, the Transportation Safety Group is proposing to study the use of speed humps on Walnut St. using temporary speed humps. This is a capital request,meaning that the appropriation may be used for costs incurred after the current fiscal year. An evaluation would be done after the speed humps have been in place for 6 months or so in 2024 and repeated in 2025. The second six-month trial provides an opportunity to change, for example,the number and placement of the speed humps, especially if the results of the trial over the first season suggest that changes may yield better results. The results would inform where, when and how permanent speed humps should be installed on Walnut St. These temporary speed humps would not stand up to snow plowing so they will be removed during the time when plowing might be necessary. The pilot program would include: • An engineering study to determine number, location,and size of the speed humps • Purchase of re-usable,temporary, rubber speed humps and warning signs • Installation and removal of speed humps and signs for two periods • Pre-and post-engineering,public safety, and neighborhood evaluation 6