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03/07/2019 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee(AC) March 7, 2019 Place and Time: Parker Room, Town Office Building, 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; John Bartenstein; Ellen Basch; Richard Neumeier; Nick Nichols; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent: Eric Michelson; Lily Manhua Yan Other Attendees: None The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. Announcements and Liaison Reports Mr. Neumeier reported on an employment opportunity listed in the March 4, 2019, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, for an Associate Town Counsel in the Town of Falmouth; salary: $83,200- $108,555,plus a full benefit package. He also commented that the Lexington School Department had curbed its use of outside legal services, reducing such expenses from $228,900 in FY2014 to $90,000 in FY2016 and $101,602 in FY2018. Mr. Padaki reported that the Ad hoc Crematory Study Committee was working on an interim report for the 2019 Annual Town Meeting (ATM). That Committee supports design plans for the Westview Cemetery maintenance building that support the addition of a crematory at a future date. Details associated with costs for a crematory are not yet available. Additionally, Mr. Padaki noted the following: • Although cemetery fees are used for the operation of Westview Cemetery, tax levy supplements are also necessary. It is not expected that a crematory would produce additional revenue. • There are two types of cremationa standard cremation and a"participatory" cremation. The latter includes participation by a small group of family/friends. • It is estimated that currently—50% of the population in the United States choose to be cremated upon death. Mr. Nichols reported that it is expected that Article 14(f) Appropriate the FY2020 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and Community Preservation Act Projects: Athletic Field Complex at Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School will be indefinitely postponed. AC Report to the ATM The following articles were discussed: • Article 4: Reduce Community Preservation Act(CPA) Surcharge Rate From 3% To I% Pursuant to G.L. c. 44B, §16 (Citizen Article): Ms. Kosnoff confirmed that passage of this article would not allow the Town to meet its CPA debt obligations using CPA funds, as previously voted. She added that the Town's FY2020 budget assumed a 15% CPA reimbursement by the State, but State funding for next year has been reduced to 11.5%, creating a shortfall. ➢ A motion was made and seconded to recommend disapproval of this article. The motion passed. VOTE: 7-0 1