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RECEIVED11/09/2021 AC Minutes 2021 23 IIMov, 4,M pi7"i TOWN CLERK Minutes LEXINGTON MA Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) November 9, 2021 Place and Time: Remote Participation: in accordance with Section 20 of Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021 "An Act Relative to Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency", communication took place via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; Anil Ahuja; John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Meg Muckenhoupt; Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Members)Absent: Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair Other Attendees: Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Mr. Parker reviewed the authorization for meeting remotely, noted that the meeting was being called to order at 7:03 p.m. on November 9, 2021, stated that the meeting was being recorded for the purpose of creating minutes, and confirmed attendance by roll call. Preparation for Special Town Meeting (STM) 2021-1 Mr. Parker and Ms. Kosnoff reported that the Select Board plans to present a revised motion for Article 5: Appropriate For Police Station Architectural Design and Swing Space Construction that would split the funding request into two parts, as follows: • Part (a)to fund renovations for swing space that is needed during construction of a new police station. • Part (b)to fund the design of a new police station. This change is in response to concerns about appropriating funds for the swing space construction before the police station design and debt exclusion votes are approved. The article will not be taken up tonight to allow committees time to discuss the issues. Discussion points included the following: • The current schedule for this project has bids going out early in the new year, with the debt exclusion vote likely occurring in May 2022. This would allow construction of the new station to start shortly after the debt exclusion vote, assuming it passes. This schedule is only possible if the swing space is prepared in advance. • Construction costs are likely to increase with delays, particularly if bid documents are issued in the summer. It is not financially prudent to wait to approve the swing space portion of the project. • The current police station is sub-standard and needs to be replaced. Whether it is replaced with funds approved during a debt exclusion vote now or at some future date, the swing space will be needed at some point in time. Preparing the swing space will not be a wasted expenditure. • The $32.8 million price tag for a new station reflects the need for a public safety facility and emergency center, not just an office building. Ms. Kosnoff added that there also may be a proposal to make the approval of the funds for the swing space contingent on approval of the debt exclusion. There was general opposition to that scenario. 1