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1/11/2024 AC Minutes 2 Mr. Parker asked if the Select Board was prepared to redirect ARPA funding to upcoming capital projects in order to free up cash for other projects like the Lex250 Celebration. Ms. Barry declined to speak for the Select Board, but she stated that they will be discussing ARPA funding on February 5, 2024. Ms. Barry noted that the Select Board had recently cancelled plans for a dog park that would have used ARPA funds. Mr. Levine asked if the Select Board would provide an itemized list of spending for the $500,000 request. Ms. Barry responded that this was their intention. Program Improvement Requests Ms. Kosnoff discussed three program improvement requests that were expected to be included in the FY2025 operating budget, all of which involved adding new staff. Two of these requests were the direct result of prior actions by town meeting that resulted in additional workload for Town staff. The first position is an Assistant Superintendent of Public Grounds (ASoPG), who will assist in en- forcement of tree bylaws. This would be a full-time position. The second position is a Code Enforcement Officer, who would more likely serve as a non-uni- formed officer under the Police Department with a mandate to enforce noise bylaws such as the new restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers. This would be a part-time position (≈0.4 FTE) with em- ployee benefits. The third position is a Lieutenant Fire Inspector, who would support the growing demand for in- spections of new commercial developments in Lexington. This position is a high priority for the Town and has been repeatedly requested over the past few years. This would be a full-time position. Mr. Bartenstein asked if the ASoPG would have any jurisdiction over trees on private land. Ms. Kosnoff responded that this position would only administer trees on town-owned land. Mr. Barten- stein asked if there was any potential to generate fees to support the cost of this new position. Ms. Kosnov responded that tree mitigation fees are fully dedicated to the Tree Revolving Fund which is used to fund tree planting. Funding a position like the ASoPG from the Tree Revolving Fund would require an update of the purpose of the fund by town meeting, but the Tree Committee is unlikely to endorse such a change. Mr. Osborne asked if it would be possible to cross-train existing staff to handle the Code Enforce- ment Officer position, rather than hiring a new staff member. Ms. Kosnoff responded that staff is already at full capacity, so a new hire will be needed. Mr. Osborne asked about part time positions that are being eliminated, but Ms. Kosnov noted those positions are not currently filled. The budget for the positions being eliminated will help to fund this new position. Mr. Michelson stated that he intends to carefully examine the fiscal impact of any proposed new by- laws with an eye towards additional budget demands that might result, and how they could be funded. Mr. Padaki asked if the Public Works and Fire Departments had any part-time positions that could be expanded to satisfy these new positions. Ms. Kosnoff noted that the Land Use, Health and Devel- opment budget had some part-time positions to handle inspections and similar tasks, but they have remained unfilled because most job applicants are seeking full-time employment. After closely re- viewing the FY2025 operating budget, which included culling positions like these, the Town Man- ager was able to reduce the operating budget by about $600,000 to $700,000, which will be used to