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1/11/2024 AC Minutes 3 fund a few new program improvement requests. Mr. Padaki expressed support for Mr. Bartenstein’s point about using fees to fund inspectional services. Mr. Levine noted that one result of eliminating unused positions would be a reduction in free cash at the end of the year, which in turn would reduce the cash that can be directed to the Capital Stabi- lization Fund along with other one-time uses. Ms. Kosnoff agreed that this would affect free cash but noted that the Town has incorporated very few program improvement requests over the past few years, and these new positions will fill important new needs. On the positive side, the Town is cur- rently benefiting from higher interest rates on the balances held in accounts like the Capital Stabili- zation Fund. Mr. Bartenstein observed that we should not be relying on that free cash, since it was only available due to our inability to hire the previously mentioned part-time positions. Ms. Kosnoff noted that in recent budget cycles, almost all remaining free cash has gone towards capital projects. Stormwater Capital Ms. Kosnoff began by noting that stormwater-related capital requests have been presented as three distinct programs: storm drain improvements and NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimina- tion System) compliance, stormwater management program, and culvert replacements. Over the past few years, the Town has considered the creation of a new stormwater management enterprise fund that would fund these capital projects under one umbrella. That idea has been put on pause while the Town faces some uncertainty in the future of stormwater management. In particular, the Town’s MS4 permit (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) was not updated as expected in the fall of 2023. Potential changes in the MS4 permit could have a major impact on the Town’s storm- water budget. The scale and complexity of stormwater projects in Lexington has made it difficult to provide fund- ing that is responsive to the needs of the Town under the current model. This has frequently re- quired the Town to delay projects for a year or more until sufficient funds could be banked to cover a complete project. The best fiscal management policy would be to fully fund a project when it is ready, allowing it to proceed immediately. The stormwater capital request for the 2024 ATM will combine these three categories into a single request, which will allow the DPW greater flexibility in carrying out stormwater projects. Mr. Padaki asked if prior, unencumbered appropriations could be repurposed to better suit our cur- rent stormwater capital needs. Ms. Kosnoff replied that it was a reasonable question, but that it would not be necessary. Sustainability Capital Ms. Kosnoff stated that there is a request from the Sustainability Director for an electric vehicle (EV) charging station behind the Town Office Building, but the estimated cost of $16,000 is below the Town’s standard threshold of $25,000 for capital. Nevertheless, since this may be only one of a series of installations of charging stations, this has been categorized as a capital request. In the fu- ture, there may be requests for multiple EV chargers plus additional support infrastructure that would generate a larger request. Staff would like to initiate a new capital program where future requests related to sustainability, such as EV charging stations, solar panels, and battery storage can all be coordinated. The 2024 ATM warrant will have an article for funding sustainability capital projects that will include the EV charger and a feasibility study for adding solar panels at Lincoln Fields. These two requests arise from separate departments, but staff feels it would be best to coordinate sustainablity-related re- quests under the Sustainability Director, which will mean working with multiple departments.