HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-09-24-CEC-min JS�®pN�N
Minutes of the
�3 Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
g September 24, 2020
EXING'�'"
Location and Time: Remote Meeting; 7:30 A.M.
Members Present (remote participation): Charles Lamb, Chair; David Kanter, Vice-Chair
& Clerk; Sandy Beebee (joined at 8:00 A.M.); Rod Cole; Wendy Manz, and Frank Smith
Members Absent: None
Others Present (remote participation): Scott Bokun, School Committee liaison;
Sara Cuthbertson, School Committee liaison; Glenn Parker, Chair of the Appropriation
Committee and liaison; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary.
Documents Presented:
• Notice of CEC Meeting, September 24, 2020
• Draft #2 CEC Report to the Special Town Meeting (STM) 2020-3
• Draft #3 of CEC Meeting Minutes, September 17, 2020
Call to Order
At Mr. Lamb's request, Mr. Kanter served as Chair. Mr. Kanter called this Remote (Virtual)
Meeting, which had been posted as such, to order at 7:34 A.M. He announced that the
requirement to have a physical presence of a quorum had been suspended in an Executive
Order by Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker, on March 12, 2020, after having
proclaimed, on March 10, 2020, a STATE OF EMERGENCY in the Commonwealth due to
the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, known as "COVID-19". Mr. Kanter announced
the Documents Presented at this meeting and stated that any votes during this meeting would
be taken by a roll-call vote—which he will call. A roll-call vote was taken and confirmed that
five CEC Committee (Committee) members were remotely participating at the beginning of
the meeting.
Review of the Draft#2 CEC Report to the STM 2020-3 (Report)
Mr. Kanter led a review of the Report that he had prepared based on available information,
but noted that complete information was not yet available for several of the Report's Articles.
Comments about those Articles included the following and any votes that were taken:
• Article 3: Establish, Dissolve and Appropriate To and From Specified Stabilization
Funds (SFs):
➢ (b) Traffic Mitigation SF and (g) Transportation Management Overlay District
SF: Over $500,000 were recently received from King Street Properties as a
mitigation payment under the provisions of a Memorandum of Understanding
associated with a prior zoning approval. Those funds are currently in a
revenue-holding account and will be deposited into one or more SFs or be left
in that account until allocation at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting (ATM). A
Motion was made and seconded to preliminarily support the recommendation
made by Town staff and the Select Board (SB) relative to any allocations at
this STM. Roll-Call Preliminary Vote: 5-0
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Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
September 24, 2020
➢ h) Capital SF: It had originally been contemplated that there would be an
FY2021 deposit into this SF; however, that was deferred at the 2020 ATM and
remains to be an element of the Free Cash that will be available for the
FY2022 budget. This Article, therefore, identifies only a $1.1 million
withdrawal from this SF to mitigate exempt-debt service—a planned use of
this SF. A Motion was made and seconded to support that withdrawal.
Roll—Call Vote: 5-0
• Article 4: Rescind Prior Borrowing Authorizations: Mr. Kanter reported that it is
expected that some rescissions will be recommended, but the specifics are not yet
known. He added that, in the past, this Committee has not had a basis to oppose any
specific rescissions or to propose any more than recommended by Town Staff. A
Motion was made and seconded to preliminarily support any proposed rescissions.
Roll—Call Preliminary Vote: 5-0
• Article 5: Amend FY2021 Operating, Enterprise and Community Preservation Act
(CPA) Budgets: Town staff has suggested that there may be an amendment to the
CPA budget now that the State Department of Revenue has forecasted a 17.7%,
1 S' round, State supplement; the 2021 CPA budget approved at the 2020 ATM used
an all-rounds 27% based on the increase in the surcharge at the Registries of Deeds
that took effect on January 1 of this year. To get a better understanding of such an
amendment, Mr. Kanter advised he had discussed this matter with Stuart Saginor,
Executive Director of the Community Preservation Committee Coalition—of which
Lexington is a member. He learned the other eligible municipalities traditionally made
such adjustments at their next spring Annual Town Meetings (ATMs) as the actual
amount of the State supplement—to be released in November—will not be known until
this November. As long as the municipality has made a good-faith, estimated,
percentage based on what was known at the time the initial percentage was chosen,
the CPA only requires any amendment that is needed is made during the current fiscal
year. Mr. Kanter suggested that this Committee might recommend waiting until
Lexington's 2021 ATM to make such an adjustment. Mr. Parker agreed that this was
worth considering and he would discuss this with Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town
Manager for Finance, at this evening's meeting of the Appropriation Committee.
Ms. Beebee joined at 8:00 A.M. during the Article 5 discussion and her presence was
confirmed by her response to Mr. Kanter's call for her to acknowledge she had joined the
meeting.
After further discussion, there was a unanimous consensus that if Ms. Kosnoff agrees
there need not be an amendment at this STM to the 2021 CPA Budget, and the CPC
recommends no amendment, there would be no reason for this Committee to report
on Article 5.
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Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
September 24, 2020
• Article 7: Land Acquisition: This Article is awaiting completion of negotiations for a
land purchase; however, at this time that information and information on the parcel
cannot be made public as the acquisition remains in SB Executive Session. If
negotiations are not completed prior to the Motion to dissolve this STM (which is
anticipated before this Town Meeting returns to address STM 2020-2), this Committee
anticipates the SB's Motion for this Article will be for Indefinite Postponement (IP). A
Motion was made and seconded to approve IP if that should be the case. Roll—Call
Preliminary Vote: 6-0
Member Concerns and Liaison Reports:
Ms. Beebee reported that the SB heard at its September 21, 2020, meeting a contracted
report on a Recreation Community Needs Assessment which included a thorough review of
needs as identified by residents. She noted that the number one need identified by residents
was for additional indoor space, particularly space for cultural events. The assessment
supports the concept of expanding the Community Center. This study will be used to support
Recreation's five-year (FY2022—FY2006) capital plans.
Approval of Minutes
Minor amendments were suggested for the Draft #3 Minutes of this Committee's meeting on
September 17, 2020. A Motion was made and seconded to approve said Minutes, as
amended. Roll-Call Vote: 6-0
Adjourn
A Motion was made and seconded at 8:14 A.M. to adjourn. Roll-Call Vote: 6-0
This Minutes was approved by the CEC at its meeting on October 1, 2020.
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