2018-01-08 BOS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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71-145 Selectmen's Meeting January 8, 2018 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was called to order at 6:02 p.m. on Monday, January 8, 2018 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Present were Ms. Ciccolo, Acting Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; and Mr. Lucente as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Executive Session—Exemption 3: Discuss strategy with respect to collective and coalition bargaining related to Municipal and School unions Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 at 6:02 p.m. to enter Executive Session under Exemption 3 to discuss strategy with respect to collective and coalition bargaining related to Municipal and School unions, and to reconvene in Open Session. It was further declared that an open meeting discussion may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the Town. After exiting Executive Session and re-entering Open Session, a 15-minute recess was called. The meeting was reconvened at 7:00 p.m. by Ms. Barry, Chair, who joined the meeting after the recess. Selectmen Concerns and Liaison Reports Ms. Ciccolo applauded the Department of Public Works for its efforts to make roads and sidewalks safe during and after the recent snow storm. Mr. Kelley asked residents to lend a hand by clearing snow away from fire hydrants near their homes. Town Manager Report Mr. Valente announced that the new Building Commissioner, Jim Kelly, started work today. Mr. Kelly served as Building Commissioner for the Town of Sudbury for many years and, more recently, served as Sudbury's Director of Facilities. Mr. Valente said the first big storm of the season was a"team event" for Town departments. Police, Fire, and Facilities had extra crews on for the duration. Public Works crews were out all weekend, working 12-hour shifts. More work remains to be done to clear public parking lots and to widen roadways. Three water main breaks occurred, two over the weekend (Harding Street and Mason Street) and one today (Maple Street). The Town also responded to a number of calls regarding frozen water pipes which were, in all cases, on the homeowner's side of the system. Mr. Valente noted that trash collection, delayed because of the storm, is now back on track. The State Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has announced the long-awaited utility rates. Of specific concern was an Eversource application for substantial reduction in municipal energy generation payments. Any reduction would have changed the financial dynamics of Lexington's solar program. The DPU did not adopt Eversource's recommended rate structure which means revenues should remain stable for the next three to five years. Mr. Valente noted, however, that the DPU recommended that Eversource engage with municipalities on this subject and left the door open for a rate review.