2007-11-14 Ad hoc Budget Schedule Report

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INTRODUCTION The Ad Hoc Budget Schedule Cotittee was appointed by the Lexington Board of Selectmen in August 2007. Members are chair Tom Diaz (School Committee), Helen Cohen (School Committee), Bonnie Brodner (Town Meeting Member, Precinct 3), Mary Ann Stewart (Town Meeting Member, Precinct 1), Nortn Cohen (Board of Selectmen), George Burnell (Board of Selectmen), and Andy Friedlich (Town Meeting Meinber, Precinct 5). Nonvoting liaisons: Susan McLeish (Appropriation Committee), David Kanter (Capital Expenditures Committee), and Pain Hoffman (Appropriation Committee). The cotntnittee was asked to "study and recommend a budget schedule to accommodate operating overrides, when necessary, earlier than the first week of June."' • Lexington's history features a town budget prepared between the fall and the following February, town elections on the first Monday in March,2 and the Annual Town Meeting in late March— usually about three weeks following the elections- -which includes approval of a town budget. Operating override elections, if needed, have been scheduled by the Board of Selectmen following Town Meeting's approval of a contingent budget. As with any election, an override election requires 35 days of preparation following the Selectmen's vote to hold the election.) Beginning in 1988, Lexington has had twelve. override elections. In three elections, questions were defeated. In 2006, hvo of the four operating override questions were defeated. In 2003, the single operating override question was defeated, and in 1997 the single debt exclusion question was defeated. Operating overrides have been in early to mid June. (See Appendix 1: Override elections in Lexington.) In two years, 2003 and 2006, significant numbers of town employees were laid off as a result of override failures — school, library, and municipal employees in 2003, and school employees in 2006. Even in years in which overrides pass, town employees and hiring managers face an uncertain situation until the override election is over. The schools hire significant numbers of people every year—about 100 in 2007 and are especially affected in their efforts to recruit new teachers, to compete for teachers with specialized skills, and to diversify their workforce. The Town has an interest in making this period of uncertainty shorter, by making operating override elections earller.3 1 From charge to this committee, adopted by the Lexington Board of Selectmen, July 31, 2007. 2 In years of presidential primaries, such as 2008, town elections are held on the first Tuesday in March instead ---the same day as the primary. Debt exclusion overrides, which can occur at any time on the calendar, are not germane to this committee's work, since the committee is mainly concerned with effects of overrides on hiring. 3