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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE-2.020 ATM 25 March 2020 Preface This preface describes the structure and stylistic conventions used in this report. It is followed by an intro- duction discussing changes in the Town's financial status since the previous Annual Town Meeting, along with issues pertinent to the Town's general financial situation.The main body of this report contains article- by-article discussions and recommendations on those articles that,in our opinion,have substantial financial relevance. The report references several appendices at the end of this document that provide a deeper ex- planation of particular financial issues. The discussion for each article presents the prevailing view of the Committee, as well as any other consid- erations or cautions that we feel Town Meeting should be informed of. If one or more Committee members are strongly opposed to the majority position,we summarize the opposing perspective. Each article discus- sion concludes with the most recent vote of the Committee prior to publication. The vote is summarized by the number of members in favor,followed by the number of members opposed,and lastly(when applicable) the number of members abstaining, e.g. "(6-2-1)" indicates six members in favor, two opposed, and one abstaining. It is not always possible to collect a complete vote for every article from nine voting members. In such instances, the total number of votes and abstentions published will be less than nine. For conven- ience, Committee votes are also summarized on the preceding pages. This report does not replicate information readily available to Town Meeting members elsewhere. Key documents that inform our analysis and provide a more thorough picture of the Town finances are: • The Town Manager's Fiscal Year 2021 Recommended Budget & Financing Plan (the "Brown Book"),dated February 21,2020,fully describes the annual budget of the Town. The Brown Book also summarizes budget laws and bylaws (Appendix B) and includes a glossary of financial terms (Appendix D). • The Level Service and Recommended Budget of the Superintendent and School Committee as voted February 4, 2020 (hereafter the "LPS Budget Book",which details the budget plan for the Lexing- ton Public Schools. • Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC)Report to the 2020 Annual Town Meeting,which provides recommendations on appropriation requests for capital projects. • Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Report to the 2020 Annual Town Meeting, which de- tails requests approved by the CPC and funded using revenue from the CPA surcharge. The LPS Budget Book is available online at: https://sites.google.com/lexingtonma.org/lps-finance-and-operations/fy-21-budget All other reports for this Town Meeting will be available online at: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/town-meeting/pages/2020-annual-town-meeting Acknowledgements The content of this report,except where otherwise noted,was researched,written and edited by Committee members who volunteer their time and expertise,and with the support of Town staff.We have the pleasure and the privilege of working with Town Manager James Malloy; Assistant Town Manager for Finance Carolyn Kosnoff(an ex officio member of our Committee); Budget Officer Jennifer Hewitt; the Capital Expenditures Committee;the Community Preservation Committee;the School Committee;the Permanent Building Committee;the Planning Board; Superintendent of Schools Dr. Julie Hackett;Assistant Superin- tendent for Finance and Operations David Coelho;and the Lexington Select Board.We thank the municipal and school staff, Town officials,boards and volunteers who have contributed time and expertise to help us prepare this report. Last but not least,we thank Sara Arnold,who records and prepares the minutes for our meetings. 1