Laserfiche WebLink
Breadcrumb Navigation:
Background and mission of the Task Force <br />Noting "significant changes in the composition of Lexington's population over the last 15 -20 years" and <br />the need for municipal government and schools to take them into account, the Lexington 2020 Vision <br />Committee established the Demographic Change Task Force (DCTF). In announcing its formation in <br />March 2008, the 2020 Vision Committee issued the following statement: <br />"Identifying the nature of demographic change is essential for local government to <br />meet the needs of the community now and in the future. Different ways of thinking <br />and communicating result from changes and increased diversity over time. <br />Understanding and responding appropriately to these changes can promote a sense <br />of community and strengthen the democratic process. The data analysis and <br />recommendations provided by the Task Force will inform long -range community <br />decisions and actions for the Board of Selectmen and other Town officials." <br />Subsequently, Town Manager Carl Valente defined three primary objectives for the Task Force: <br />1. Identify the most important demographic changes currently taking place in Lexington and identify the <br />changes that are likely to occur by 2020. <br />2. Explore how these changes will affect town services. <br />3. Understand how to maintain and create a sense of community despite these demographic changes. <br />Membership <br />The current members of the Task Force are: <br />Marian Cohen (2020 Vision Committee Liaison) <br />Margaret Coppe (Lexington School Committee) <br />Ben Esty (Resident) <br />Bebe Fallick (Resident) <br />Dan Krupka (Resident) <br />Candy McLaughlin (Assistant to the Town Manager; staff to the Task Force) <br />Carl Valente (Lexington Town Manager; staff to the Task Force) <br />Activities <br />Whereas "demographics" can be interpreted to encompass a broad range of topics, the Task Force has <br />addressed the following: age, race, language, income and home values. Although, the 2020 Vision <br />Committee's Scoping Group had suggested that residency (moves into and out of town) and religion be <br />included among the demographic topics, we were unable to obtain data on the former and did not <br />explore the latter. <br />The Task Force pursued two lines of inquiry: (1) collection, analysis and discussion of demographic data <br />and (2) meetings with managers of Town Departments and organizations of interest. The activities in <br />3 <br />