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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE-2.020 ATM 25 March 2020 service for this program, and the phase-in of cash capital at only $100,000 per year would have a less dramatic impact on rates.8 Committee Recommendation The Committee recommends approval of both the appropriation amount and funding method requested in this article.It supports the principle of making,on a regular basis,the capital investment necessary to assure the continued safety, soundness and longevity of the Town's water and wastewater distribution infrastruc- ture. The changeover to cash capital funding is desirable as it will more transparently and directly reflect the true current cost of system maintenance and preservation when rates are set, as well as saving interest costs. Finally,the plan to phase the changeover in over a ten-year period is a reasonable way to avoid the "sticker shock"of the changeover which, if done all at once would add a one-time increment to the rates of about 10%. The Committee recommends approval by a vote of(8-0). Article 15 Appropriate for School Capital Projects and Equipment Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $1,299,246 Free Cash Approve (8-0) The requested funds will be used to purchase equipment to aid Lexington Public Schools staff in teaching and administration,to provide devices to be assigned to students to allow for innovative learning methods that integrate supportive technologies, problem-based approaches and higher order thinking skills, and to maintain and upgrade LPS information technology infrastructure. We note that the funding strategy for annual school technology requests is transitioning from debt to cash capital, which is reasonable given the relatively limited lifetimes of the hardware. For a more detailed list and description of the items in this request, please see the Capital Expenditures Committee Report to the 2020 Annual Town Meeting and the Brown Book page XI-13. The Committee recommends approval by a vote of(8-0). Article 16 Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $1,736,285 Free Cash $5,300,152 GF Debt Approve (8-0) $208,962 Tax Levy $7,245,399 This article requests the appropriation of funds for the facilities projects summarized below. For further discussion of items,please see the report of the Capital Expenditures Committee and the Brown Book(page s However,increasing debt service from other previously approved capital projects—in particular that resulting from the appropriation at least year's annual town meeting of$2,470,000 in debt for the wastewater fund's share of the $5,940,000 automatic meter reading project—could have a material impact on this and future years'wastewater rates. See Brown Book,p.XI-9,Table III. 37