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1/28/2016 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee(AC) January 28, 2016 : ParkerRoom,Town OfficeBuilding,7:30p.m. : Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Kate Colburn; Alan Levine;Eric Michelson;Richard Neumeier; Andrei Radulescu-Banu;Rob Addelson (non- voting, ex officio) Members Absent:Mollie Garberg;Beth Masterman Others Present:Carl Valente, Town Manager; Elaine Ashton, Town Meeting member The meetingwas calledto order at 7:33pm. 1.Warrant Articlesfor February 8Special Town Meetings(STMs)2016-1 and 2016-2: th Mr. Parker requested completion ofthearticlereports, as assigned at the January 19AC meeting. The articles were discussed as follows: STM-1, Article 2: Amendments to the Regional School District Agreement of the Minuteman Regional Vocational School District: Mr. Michelson addressed a concern th raised at the January 19AC meetingrelating to this article.Under the proposed new Minuteman Regional Agreement, it has now been determined that towns requesting to leave the district willnotberequired by the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide an alternative plan for students desiring access to vocational education. This eliminates any risk that a Town couldvote to withdraw and be relieved of responsibility for future capital costs yet remain a member of the District. He addedthat the communities wishing to leave the district must in any event meet the requirements of the agreement at the time of the community’s departure. There was a motion and second to support STM-1, Article 2. The motion passed. VOTE: 7-0 STM-1, Article 3: Appropriate for Hastings School Feasibility Study: Mr. Addelson stated that the request for $1.5 million in this Article was triggered by the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA’s) recent invitation to Lexington to participate in its State funding program forthe Hastings School replacement/renovation.It is expected that MSBA funding for the Hastings project will be minimally 32% of the allowable costs, although the effective reimbursement rate may be a bit lower ifthe Town adds components not approved for state funding.The $520,000 appropriatedat last fall’s STM for a Hastings feasibility study assumed the Town would not be gettingMSBA support and was for a lower amount because that study would not have beenrequired to meet MSBA guidelines. The funds previously appropriated will be rescinded or partially reallocated in the event there are increases in costs for the modular classrooms that are being purchased to help address overcrowding at the elementary level. Therewas a motion and second to support STM-1, Article 3. The motion passed. VOTE: 7-0 1