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Town Manager continued from previous page Officer in May 2007. Funding for this position was part of the successful June 2006 Proposition 2% override. Ms. Yanofsky previously served as the Economic Development Officer for the Town of Westwood and was a member of the Carlisle Planning Board. In March 2007, Shire HGT, a biopharmaceutical company located in Cambridge, approached the Town regarding its plan to relocate its R & D facilities to Lexington Technology Park (LTP), the former Raytheon location. In evaluating whether to relocate to Lexington, Shire expressed interest in securing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) arrangement from the Town. A TIF is a partial reduction of property taxes given in exchange for the promise of the long -term develop- ment of a site and additional jobs. A TIF requires approval from both Town Meeting and the State. After extensive analysis, the Board of Selectmen proposed to Town Meeting that Shire receive a TIF that would result in a property tax reduction of approximately $ 8 million over a twenty -year period. In return, Shire would occupy 552,000 square feet of office, research and manufacturing space, generating $67 million in property taxes and more than 1000 jobs over a twenty -year period. The October 2007 Town Meeting over- whelming approved the TIF agreement, which was followed by State approval two weeks later. Shire's final decision to locate its manufacturing facilities in Lexington is dependent on the State's life sciences legislation proposed by the Governor and being considered by the Legislature. Senior Management Team Since 1995 the Senior Management Team (SMT), made up of the Town's 11 department managers, has worked with the Town Manager to define organizational mission, set goals and objectives, and produce and measure results. The Senior Management Team continues to maintain the organization's collaborative culture to keep municipal programs and services functioning effectively. During 2007, the SMT continued to develop an emergency management plan, in cooperation with the Health Department, for a pandemic influenza outbreak. Human Resources In April 2007 Denise Casey was hired as the Human Resources Director. She previously served in the human resources departments in Concord and Bedford. This posi- tion was funded as part of the successful June 2006 Proposition 2% override vote. As HR Director, Ms. Casey will be responsible for all aspects of the Town's personnel admin- istration, collective bargaining and benefits administration. Collective bargaining continued to be a time consuming task for the Town Manager's Office as bargaining began with a majority of the Town's 10 collective bargaining units for the FY08 -09 period. In addition, during 2007 the Town reached an agreement with its Employee Health Insurance Coalition, which represents all of the Municipal and School unions on health insurance matters. The agreement calls for the employee health insurance contribution to increase from 13 percent to 15 percent for the Blue Cross /Blue Shield HMO plan as well as increase deductibles and co -pays from $5 to $10 for the Blue Cross /Blue Shield and Harvard Pilgrim plans. Over the two -year period of the agreement these changes will save the Town approximately $1,000,000. A collective bargaining contract with the Police Officers' union has yet to reach a settlement for FY2005 -2007, the only Town union without a contract for this period. The Union filed for arbitration with the Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC), the State agency with jurisdiction and authority to arbitrate public safety union contracts. In December 2007, the Town and the Union each made a pre- sentation to the JLMC arbitrator. A decision and contract award is expected from the arbitrator in March 2008. In 2007, the Police Department assumed oversight and man- agement of the School Crossing Guard program which was previously the responsibility of the School Department. The Town Manager's Office took responsibility for negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the Crossing Guards and a FY07 agreement and FY08 -10 agreement have been negotiated with the group. Public Facilities In 2007, with the approval of Town Meeting, the School Committee, Board of Selectmen and Town Manager entered into an agreement to create a townwide Department of Public Facilities under the jurisdiction of the Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools. Patrick Goddard was hired as the Director of Public Facilities. Mr. Goddard previously served as the Director of Facilities for Raytheon Corporation. Combined municipal /school facility departments are a trend many communities have followed in recent years. It provides for improved economies of scale, professional management and more consistent maintenance of town -owned facilities. In addition, the Lexington Department of Public Facilities will give staff support and project oversight to building projects under the jurisdiction of the Town's Permanent Building Committee. This will ensure a more seamless transition for building projects through design, construction and ongoing maintenance of the Town's buildings. Special Projects Based on goals established by the Board of Selectmen, the Town Manager's Office began work on the following special projects in 2007: • Updating the Town's website; • Negotiating a lease with Avalon Bay at Lexington for the Town's use of Kline Hall; • Negotiating a sublease with LexMedia for the use of Kline Hall as a studio for PEG programming; and • Implementing Community Preservation Act grant awards to the Historical Society, Muzzey Condominium Association, Lexington Housing Authority and Supportive Living Incorporated - Douglas House. 2007 Annual Report, Town of Lexington Page 7