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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2013 ATM Introduction The Appropriation Committee is required to create a report with a review of the budget as adopted by the Board of Selectmen, including an assessment of the budget plan and a projection for future years' reve- nues and expenses. This report includes the Committee's advice and recommendations regarding all ap- propriations of Town funds that are anticipated in the Town Warrant, and other municipal matters that may come before Town Meeting. This report is published and distributed to the members of Town Meet- ing as a printed document and as an electronic document via the Town website. The Committee also makes presentations during Town Meeting, including recommendations on appropriations and other mat- ters for which the Committee's formal position was pending at the time of publication. The Committee has already published its report to the March 2013 Special Town Meeting, which recom- mended approval of the Board of Selectmen's offer to purchase 10 acres of land and two buildings of- fered by The Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry at 33 Marrett Road. The Committee was unanimously in support of this request, and we are delighted that the Town's offer has now been accepted. Town Meeting's strong endorsement of the purchase represents a clear mandate to develop a community center along with other Town services in that location. Developments Since Adoption of the FY2013 Budd The unallocated funds available within the FY2013 budget were put to use at the November 2012 Special Town Meeting. Road improvements associated with the new Estabrook School received an appropriation of $1,500,000 (Article 5, 2012 STM). The Retirement Fund was supplemented with $1,000,000 in re- sponse to a significant update of the Town's pension funding schedule by the Retirement Board (Article 2, 2012 STM). Town Meeting appropriated $1,600,000 into the Debt Service/Capital Projects/Building Renewal S.F. (Article 3, 2012 STM)which will be used to mitigate the increase in debt service associated with the new Estabrook School construction combined with the Bridge and Bowman school renovations. Against the recommendation of this Committee, Town Meeting did not approve an additional $500,000 for the Post Employment Insurance Liability (OPEB) Fund (Article 4, 2012 STM), but $500,000 had al- ready been appropriated into the Fund at the 2012 Annual Town Meeting(Article 18, 2012 ATM). Up to $2,800,000 in increased construction costs for the new Estabrook School were authorized as part of the Town's excluded debt for this project(Article 6, 2012 STM). Weather-related expenses have had a small but noticeable impact on the Town budget, requiring an addi- tional appropriation for cleanup from Hurricane Sandy, and we anticipate larger than average snow and ice expenses for FY2013. Construction of the new Estabrook School proceeds ahead of schedule and the School Committee has stated that the building should be ready for occupancy shortly after the beginning of 2014. Town Meeting's approval of a Citizen's Article (Article 17, 2012 ATM) requesting an appropriation of municipal funds to reduce the cost of school bus transportation in FY2013 was followed by a campaign to encourage greater use of school buses by students. The resulting increase in ridership has been gratifying, and the Committee is pleased that the School budget has been adjusted so that the annual single-rider fee can be maintained at$300 without the need for a municipal subsidy. The $561,518 appropriated for Phase 3 of the Muzzey Senior Center Upgrades (Article 8(c), 2012 ATM) will not be spent now that the Town has reached an agreement to purchase the property at 33 Marrett Road,where it is anticipated that the existing Senior Center will be relocated. A study funded under the CPA (Article 8(d), 2012 ATM) examined suggested upgrades to the Cary Me- morial Building and has recommended spending roughly $8,000,000 on renovations to complete an major 5