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06/03/2020 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) June 3, 2020 Place and Time: Remote Participation: in accordance with the Governor's March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law; communication took place via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Meg Muckenhoupt; Nick Nichols; Lily Manhua Yan Member(s)Absent: Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Other Attendees: None Using the Remote Meeting Prologue as a guide, Mr. Parker confirmed attendance by roll call and read the section entitled Introduction to Remote Meeting, noting that the meeting was being called to order at 6:51 p.m. on June 3, 2020, that the meeting was being recorded, and that the meeting format would not include opportunities for public comment. He also reviewed the section entitled Meeting Protocol and noted that materials for the meeting were available on-line. Announcements and Liaison Reports Mr. Levine reported that on May 28th, there was a virtual meeting of the School Master Planning Committee, during which a draft of a shortened version of the full report, called the compendium, was reviewed. Although enrollment at the elementary schools is stable, and enrollment increases at the middle schools have slowed, recommendations include continued monitoring of enrollment at these levels. Meanwhile, replacement/renovation of Lexington High School (LHS) continues to be recommended. LHS already struggles with overcrowding, and pandemic-related restrictions are expected to add additional challenges. It is not yet clear how construction demands would also be incorporated into the functioning of the school. Mr. Levine plans to assist in editing the compendium and writing a summary for inclusion therein. That committee's next meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2020. It was noted in an earlier meeting that, in December 2019, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)reported that it did not approve Lexington's application for funding assistance for the LHS project for that proposal cycle. The application met all MSBA requirements and was resubmitted for consideration in the next MSBA cycle. It is anticipated that the project would eventually be approved by the MSBA. The funding process will require a debt exclusion referendum. Updates Related to the FY2020 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Article 11: Appropriate for Recreation Capital Projects: Mr. Parker reported that the Select Board (SB)voted to recommend to the ATM that this article for $180,000 be referred back to the SB for consideration at a later date. This is because recreation programs, including golf at the Pine Meadows Golf Course, have been pared down, cancelled, or restricted so that the Recreation Enterprise Fund is not currently receiving adequate income to pay for the projects. Payment could be stretched over three years, but a conservative approach is preferred. A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of referring Article 11 back to the SB. There was a roll call vote. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 1