2019-12-09 BOS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Selectmen’s Meeting December 9, 2019 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was called to order at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9, 2019 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Present were Selectmen Mr. Lucente, Chair; Mr. Pato; Ms. Barry; and Mr. Sandeen as well as Mr. Malloy, Town Manager; and Ms. Katzenback, Executive Clerk.  FY21 Proposed Budget – Library Budget Presentation Ms. Stembridge, Director Cary Memorial Library; and Ms. Smith, Assistant Director, presented th the FY2021Library Budget. Ms. Stembridge noted that the Library celebrated its 150 anniversary in 2019. More than 1million items were loaned out during the year; 22% of these items were digital. Reference inquiries increased over the year, indicating that people still want human guides, rather than doing online research only. Programs included history lectures, creative workshops, teen events, after hours events for community groups. Ms. Stembridge said the Staff works very hard to ensure the Library exceeds community expectations. There are ten major items on the Library’s action plan. Ms. Stembridge highlighted several: preliminary planning for the Children’s Room renovation ($100,000 Capital funds received in FY2020); digitizing the Lexington Minuteman newspaper microfilm for ease of use and preservation; conducting an accessibility audit on the Library facility and website to ensure the Library experience is as welcoming as it intends to be to all members of the community. Donations through the Friends of the Cary Library and the Cary Library Foundation provide about $250,000 per year to the Library’s budget, paying for all programming, exhibitions, and about ¼ of the materials budget. These groups also contribute about 5000 hours to support Library operations. Ms. Smith presented a level-service budget request of $2,894,341, to be supported from Town funds, an increase of $45,392 or 1.59% from FY2020. Compensation is increasing by $15,780 or 0.68%, which reflects contractual obligations. FY2021 Compensation does not include any estimate of prospective cost of living increases for contracts expiring on or before June 30, 2020. Funds for prospective increases are captured in the Salary Adjustment account within the Town Manager’s budget. Expenses are increasing by $29,612 or 5.79%, driven by increases in service contracts. Ms. Smith noted that the Minuteman Library Network made the executive decision to automatically renew non-digital materials that exceed their due dates, as long as no one is waiting for those materials. This means that fines for these items (estimated at $32,400 for FY2021) will not be collected, impacting the Library’s ability to pay for supplies, professional development, programming, and other services. Administration and General Services: This is a level-service budget. Amounts requested 1