2020-05-07-AC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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05/07/2020 AC Minutes • Projections indicate that the Town will be in a reasonable position financially at the end of FY2020. Revenues prior to the pandemic were strong enough to counterbalance current losses. Ms. Kosnoff added that the following steps are being taken: • Revenue and expenses are being carefully tracked. • Non-essential spending on both the school and municipal sides has been stopped; flat percentage cuts are not currently under consideration. • FY2021 capital projects are being put on hold unless they are critical and no new hires are being pursued until further information about impacts is available. This will remain in place, even with passage of the proposed budget until there is further evaluation. • A summer financial summit is being considered; the Town needs to prepare to make additional adjustments to spending plans. • Employees are being paid their salaries; there have been no furloughs or layoffs. Ms. Sawhney noted that the School Department is facing similar issues. Access to personal protective equipment, as well as supplies that may be in short demand, will need to be evaluated when considering when the schools should re-open. She plans to forward School Department summary reports pertaining to pandemic-related issues to this Committee. Updated AC Report to the FY2020 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Mr. Parker reported having made some clarifications and minor corrections to the AC Report to the FY2020 ATM. Mr. Bartenstein noted that the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority had finalized its assessments for water and sewer fees, resulting in a net increase of 4.32% for Lexington rather than the 6.64% originally estimated and referenced in this Committee's report. There has also been a change in Community Preservation Act fees. Ms. Kosnoff said that there is too much uncertainty in the whole budget to start changing motions for each financial update as they become available. She said that all adjustments will be made at a fall town meeting. Mr. Bartenstein agreed to tweak language in the updated report to reference the changes in estimates while recognizing a delay in addressing them. Other small edits/corrections were identified. Mr. Parker agreed to include text and change bars in the report to identify where changes had occurred. It was agreed that he would publish the updated report electronically on May 11, 2020. A motion was made and seconded to approve the discussed updates to this Committee's FY2021 report to the FY2020 ATM. There was a roll call vote. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 Warrant for Special Town Meeting 2020-1 Mr. Parker noted that there is one article on this warrant—a petition to the General Court for special legislation that would ratify any action taken by Lexington at a virtual ATM in the event that general legislation authorizing towns to conduct a virtual town meeting is not timely enacted. Minutes A motion was made and seconded to approve the April 9, 2020 minutes, with suggested edits, as distributed by Mr. Levine. There was a roll call vote. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 Procedures for Virtual Town Meeting Mr. Parker reported that, after this meeting is adjourned, Mr. Pato would lead a training session for participating in the virtual town meeting scheduled to begin June 1. Mr. Pato reviewed the process for joining the new Zoom session. 2