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Board of Selectmen continued from previous page The Board wishes to thank the 34 retirees for over 614 years of collective service to Lexington. Their professional- ism and loyalty have contributed enormously to the Town. Legal Services Review Palmer and Dodge has been town counsel since 1972. Many citizens have questioned whether the Town was paying too much for its legal services, whether the contract should be put out to bid, and whether the Board had the details they needed to make decisions on how to handle cases while bal- ancing the costs. An independent committee consisting of residents in the legal profession and former Board members concluded that the Town gets tremendous value from our present representation. However, by providing direction about litigation management and billing updates, the Board could fiscally manage the account more efficiently. Town Manager ROLE: To act as Chief Executive Officer of the Town as estab- lished in the Selectmen -Town Manager Act, and to either directly or indirectly, through staff, administer the policies and procedures of the Board of Selectmen, enforce bylaws and actions passed by Town Meeting, and prepare the bud- get and manage the daily operation of all town depart- Expenditures Payroll FY03 FY02 $349,748 $3173369 Expenses $ 11, 494 $ 161576 Personnel Full Time 4 4 Part Time 1 1 ments. APPOINTED by the Selectmen: Richard White since October 1987. The Town maintained a payroll of $16,557,467 for the fis- cal year ending June 30, 2003 covering 296 full -time and 51 part -time employees. The total amount expended for fiscal year 2003 was $112,455,009 while $115,183,921 has been appropriated for fiscal year 2004. Finances During the last several years, the staff has worked hard to develop budget decision - making processes that encourage more collaboration between the staff and the Board of Selectmen, as well as the Board of Selectmen and the vari- ous interests that have a stake in the Town's budget devel- opment process. The budget development timelines for municipal and school departments were aligned and synchronized. This simple, but logistically complicated, adjustment allowed for a care- fully planned budget development process that permitted most of the groups that have a financial interest in Transitions This was a year of transitions. Peter Kelley soundly defeat- ed his only opponent to win election to the seat vacated by Peter Enrich. In April, Phyllis Smith, the Executive Clerk to the Board of Selectmen, retired after 33 years of service to the community. In a 3 -2 vote, a new model of operation was adopted with Lynne Pease promoted from Department Clerk to part -time Executive Clerk and Planning Board Clerk Elissa Tap adding Recording Clerk for nighttime meetings to her duties on an overtime basis. The one area in which there was stability was in the chair- manship. Leo McSweeney was unanimously re- elected Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Lexington's budget process to be involved in the budget pol- icy setting and guidance process. To begin the FY2003 budget process, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee, with involvement of the Finance and Capital Expenditures Committees, met in early fall 2002 to develop a common understanding of some of the decision- making parameters that would affect the 2003 budget. A series of five collaborative policy guidance sessions were held during the fall and winter months. These meetings, combined with last year's success, have clearly enriched the Town's budget decision - making competency. The FY2004 budget included a school appropriation that was representative of the actual needs of the schools as rep- resented by the School Superintendent and approved by the School Committee. The FY2003 budget was the fourth con- secutive year in the which the leadership of the Town, both elected and appointed, met together to collectively develop and agree upon budget policies and resources. Economic conditions surrounding the FY2004 budget required that both the Selectmen's cash reserve and cash cap- ital policies be compromised. Policy direction from the Board required a balanced budget and a request for a Proposition 2- 1/2 override. Expected increases in school enrollment, rising costs of providing employee health insurance, and reduced State aid in FY2004 and additional revenue losses expected for FY2004 limited growth in every budget category. On bal- ance, no new revenue was expected for 2004. The FY2004 budget was Lexington's most challenging with no cash reserves, no cash capital policy, a sagging economy, a State budget crises and a country reeling from threats of terrorism. On June 2, 2003 an override of $4,957,000 lost by some 385 votes. This defeat resulted in significant pro- gram reductions throughout the budget. Over 80 full -time and part -time positions have been eliminated, resulting in Page 6 2003 Annual Report, Town of Lexington