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2017-10-16-AC-STM2-STM3-rpt
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2017-10-16-AC-STM2-STM3-rpt
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12/14/2022 4:22:13 PM
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10/10/2017 2:44:50 PM
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2017
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Appropriation Committee
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Town Clerk
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Town Meeting APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE OCTOBER 2017 SPECIAL TOWN MEETINGS 2017-2 AND 2017-3
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL TOWN MEETINGS 2017-2&3 OCTOBER 10,2017 <br /> period of time between FY2019 and FY2024, from approximately $10 million annually to $20 million <br /> annually, resulting in a"spike"of substantial annual tax bill increases for that period of time. <br /> Fortunately,thanks to recent favorable economic conditions, and a prudent anticipation of major upcoming <br /> capital needs,the Town has been able to set aside substantial reserves in a Capital Stabilization Fund(CSF), <br /> which is available to help finance these projects and partially to mitigate the impact of projected increases <br /> in excluded debt. The current balance of the CSF is currently approximately $28 million. The Town staff <br /> has recently prepared, and will present at the Special Town Meeting, a Capital Financing Model and Prop- <br /> erty Tax Mitigation Plan (the "Model") which contemplates annual draws from the CSF through FY2024 <br /> to limit the sharp increases to annual tax bills which would otherwise occur during that period of time if all <br /> of the new debt exclusion referendum items are approved. Assuming that no additional funds become <br /> available to further augment the CSF, the Model projects that the CSF would be depleted by FY2024. <br /> Financing Bedford Street and Pelham Road Property Purchases <br /> At the time of the Annual Town Meeting last spring,it was contemplated that a debt exclusion referendum <br /> presented to the voters would include not only the project costs described above, but also two additional <br /> associated costs,totaling approximately$12.5 million,which were previously appropriated by Town Meet- <br /> ing, and which have already been incurred: the cost to acquire the property at 171-173 Bedford Street(ap- <br /> proximately$4.5 million)in the fall of 2016 for use as fire station(and possibly police station)swing space; <br /> and the cost to acquire the 20 Pelham Road property(approximately $8 million) for use by the LCP and, at <br /> a future date, the Lexington Community Center. Because these two land purchases were financed with <br /> short-term, interest-only Bond Anticipation Notes (BAN's), it would theoretically be possible to seek ex- <br /> clusion of the future debt service costs of long-term bonds issued to replace the BAN's. <br /> During a series of"capital"summits conducted by the major boards and committees through the spring and <br /> summer, this Committee suggested that it might be prudent to use funds in the CSF, which are currently <br /> earning approximately 1% interest, to pay off the two property purchases, rather than to issue long-term <br /> excluded debt at an interest rate of approximately 3% (the "true interest cost" of the most recently issued <br /> long-term debt),thereby saving a 2% spread or roughly$250,000 per year and potentially millions over the <br /> life of the avoided debt. Although this would lower the amount of CSF funds available to "mitigate"the <br /> near-term spike in excluded debt service costs, it would also lower the total amount of excluded debt re- <br /> quired to be issued, lower total borrowing costs, and remove from the debt exclusion two items which are <br /> faits accomplis and not subject to the usual voter"choice"associated with a debt exclusion referendum. <br /> The Selectmen ultimately concurred with much of this reasoning,and decided that the costs associated with <br /> the two land purchases should not be included in the debt exclusion referendum. However,at the suggestion <br /> of the Town Manager, they have adopted a slightly different plan for paying off those purchases within the <br /> levy, and avoiding the payment of higher long-term interest costs,but without the need to draw directly on <br /> the CSF. Under this alternative plan, the Town will roll over for five years the existing BAN's for the two <br /> property purchases,which have an interest cost of about 1%; and if conditions are favorable,gradually pay <br /> off the principal, and thereby retire the indebtedness, in equal installments of approximately $2.5 million <br /> over those five years using surplus available funds within the levy (i.e., free cash) that would otherwise <br /> have been appropriated to augment the CSF. If conditions are not favorable, the fallback plan would be to <br /> issue long-term debt within the levy, thereby spreading out the repayment over a longer period of time. <br /> To kickstart this plan, a motion will be presented under Article 2017-3.5, "Amend FY2018 Operating <br /> Budget,"to appropriate $2,351,487 toward the partial retirement of the debt incurred for the purchase of <br /> the Bedford Street and Pelham Road properties in lieu of appropriating it to the CSF. <br /> 7 <br />
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