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05/11/2023 AC Minutes 1 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) May 11, 2023 Place and Time: Remote participation via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; Anil Ahuja; Eric Michelson; Sean Osborne; Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Man- ager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent: John Bartenstein Other Attendees: John Livsey, Town Engineer; Emily Scerbo, Tighe & Bond; Christina Conchilla, Raftelis At 7:34 p.m. Mr. Parker called the meeting to order. Announcements and Liaison Reports Mr. Levine stated that a sub-committee of the School Building Committee recommended Dore and Whittier, out of Newburyport, MA, to serve as the Owners Project Manager. Assuming that the MSBA accepts this recommendation, the next task will be to select an architecture firm. Proposed Stormwater Utility Mr. Livsey gave a presentation about the proposed stormwater utility. Highlights from the presenta- tion follow. • Operation of the Town’s stormwater system is governed under a Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which imposes requirements on the Town to control stormwater runoff. The permit includes sections on Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) and a Phosphorus Control Plan. • Stormwater runoff in Lexington enters three watersheds, i.e., for the Charles, Mystic, and Shawsheen Rivers. Over the next 20 years, the MS4 permit mandates large reductions in the amounts of phosphorus released into the Charles River watershed and also, to a lesser ex- tent, the Mystic River watershed. • Stormwater operating costs for FY2025 are projected at approximately $1.38 million, and capital costs are also projected at approximately $1.38 million. These amounts are expected to increase annually, particularly on the capital side as the Town works to alleviate flooding and adjust to the effects of climate change. • The additional cost of complying with EPA phosphorus reduction requirements through June 2039, which could require large capital investments, is currently estimated to be $20– $33 million. The cost could be lowered once the EPA reevaulates the effectiveness of phos- phorus reduction strategies that could grant larger credits for programs such as frequent street sweeping. • Stormwater operations and capital are currently funded from the tax levy. The proposed stormwater utility would take the form of a Stormwater Enterprise Fund and would be funded using fees collected from all property owners, including tax-exempt organizations, based on a database of the impervious area on each lot. The estiamtes of impervious area are