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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-06-26-AC-minTune 26, 2012 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee June 26, 2012 Place and time: Town Office Building, 7:30 p.m. Members present. Glenn Parker, Chair; Joe Pato, Vice Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair; Alan Levine; Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Jonina Schonfeld; Rob Addelson (non- voting, ex officio) Members Absent: Robert Cohen, Mollie Garberg Also present: Andy Friedlich, TMMA Executive Committee member Recording Secretary: Sara Arnold The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. 1. Minutes: Sara Arnold was introduced as the new Recording Secretary. The committee will continue to follow the past practice of having one person, in rotation, review draft minutes before they are distributed to the committee. In the case of summit meetings, including summit executive sessions, the committee will continue to rely on and incorporate minutes that are prepared by the Board of Selectmen's office. ACTION ITEM: John Bartenstein will complete his review of draft Appropriation Committee meeting minutes from February 29, March 13, March 21, and May 1 and circulate revised drafts prior to the next meeting. He will also prepare and circulate drafts of summit meetings held on October 12, November 2, November 17, December 21, February 15, April 2 and April 11 that incorporate minutes of the Board of Selectmen, to the extent those minutes are available. He will speak with Lynne Pease about the documentation of summit meetings held in executive session for which Board of Selectman minutes have not yet been posted. 2. Cost of Legal Counsel: Richard Neumeier reported that a position for Assistant City Solicitor in the City of Waltham was advertised in a recent Lawyers' Weekly publication. The salary is listed at $82,336 with excellent benefits. Mr. Neumeier suggested that this should be considered when reviewing the cost of outside legal counsel in Lexington. 3. Liaison and Other Committee Reports: • Minuteman Tech Committee: Eric Michelson discussed the issues surrounding expansion of the Minuteman's facilities. Minuteman administrators believe that more robust programming is needed to maintain relevancy and this, in turn, will trigger the need for additional facilities to support the resulting increase in student population. Legally, tuition payments from non - member towns cannot be used to cover capital expenses, thus increasing the burden on member towns. Lexington has supported an effort to reallocate capital costs among the participating towns. Tune 26, 2012 The Town of Belmont has written a demand letter to Minuteman administrators to delay pursuit of the expansion; Belmont believes it is necessary to complete two studies, an enrollment study and a study of alternative methods for covering capital expenses, before the project can move forward. ACTION ITEM: Eric Michelson will consult with Carl Valente and Dave Horton to get an update on this issue. TMMA Record Voting Committee: Joe Pato and Andy Friedlich discussed plans for a by -law amendment proposal that would allow electronic voting during Town Meeting. It is anticipated that the amendment will be proposed at a 2012 fall special town meeting and, if it is approved, that a request for funding will go to the 2013 spring town meeting. The committee will work with the Moderator and Town Clerk to draft a by -law. Eight towns in Massachusetts, some with representative and some with open town meeting formats, have made substantive progress toward the change to electronic voting of which three have implemented a system. Typically, town meeting members receive a hand held device. Lexington will need to decide whether to purchase or lease devices. The cost for devices is anticipated to be less than $25,000. ACTION ITEM: If the total exceeds $25,000 the project needs to go to the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) no later than October. This should be discussed with the CEC sooner rather than later if there is any question about the cost exceeding $25,000. Additionally, associated maintenance costs should be budgeted. The next TMMA Recorded Voting Committee meeting will be held on July 9. Facilities Committee: According to an email from Mollie Garberg, private funding has been solicited over the past ten years for a project to replace porta- potties at Lincoln Field with permanent facilities. It isn't possible to mix private and public funding to support the capital project, but it is anticipated that the town will assume maintenance responsibilities. ACTION ITEM(S): This project needs to be reflected in the Facilities operating budget. It was noted that if the project affects the landfill cap it may be necessary for it to be taken to the Conservation Commission. School Committee: The School Committee increased student parking fees to $150. It was noted that signboards indicate the signup for bus passes is currently at about 35 %. The deadline for being ensured a seat on the bus was June 15, but later signups will be permitted until the commencement of the new school year so the current numbers are not final. 2 Tune 26, 2012 4. End -of -Year Transfers: Rob Addelson distributed documents describing his end of the year transfer recommendations, including Salary Adjustment Account transfers and 3% Rule Transfers. Salary Adjustment Account Transfer. The Salary Adjustment Account is a continuing balance account that is used to fund anticipated but as yet indeterminate salary costs, such as the costs to fund unsettled contracts, incremental overtime costs, and vacation and sick leave buy- backs at retirement, to the extent they are not otherwise absorbed by departmental surpluses resulting from unfilled vacancies. Transfers from the Salary Adjustment Account are approved by the Board of Selectmen but they have traditionally been submitted for review by the Appropriation Committee as well. Mr. Addelson explained: • There is a carry - forward balance of $1.8 million in the Salary Adjustment Account from prior fiscal years, as discussed at earlier Committee meetings. • In addition, there is $541,000 in the Salary Adjustment Account that was appropriated for FY2012 [and an additional like amount for FY2013 ?] • A transfer of just $30,000 from the Salary Adjustment Account is being recommended to cover FY2012 salary settlements, vacation buybacks, unused vacation time for recent retirees, and payments to LMEA and Police Superior employees related to the October 2011 storm. • The contract with the fire department is not yet settled, creating a need to hold some additional funds to cover potential settlement obligations. • In view of the substantial carry - forward balance, it is anticipated that there will be a close -out of a significant amount of the funds in the Salary Adjustment Account cumulative balance to the General Fund balance at the end of Fiscal Year 2012; this will result in a one -time addition to the Free Cash balance this year. VOTED: Recommend to the Board of Selectmen approval of the Salary Adjustment Account transfers as recommended in the documents prepared by Rob Addelson. Passed: 7 -0 3% Rule Transfer. The 3% rule, enacted by the State legislature several years ago, allows cities and towns to balance their budgets administratively at year -end, by transferring appropriated but unexpended amounts of up to 3% of any line item to any other line item. These transfers require approval of both the Board of Selectmen and the Appropriation Committee. Mr. Addelson advised that: • A transfer of $8,000 under the 3% rule option is being recommended to cover additional staff hours in the Selectmen's Office and in the office of Human Resources. VOTED: Approval of the three percent rule transfer as presented on the sheet presented by Rob Addelson. Passed: 7 -0 Tune 26, 2012 Mr. Addelson also reported the following: • There is $860,000 remaining in the Reserve Fund. • A substantial Free Cash balance is anticipated as of the end of FY2012; the Free Cash report with the actual amount will be prepared and submitted to the State of Massachusetts in September. • Although not yet available, it is anticipated that there will be an additional $400,000 in health care savings beyond the amount budgeted. • It is not anticipated that the recently realized savings can be repeated annually. 5. Selectmen's Goal Setting: Glenn Parker reported that the Selectmen will be holding their annual goal setting session on June 28. Mr. Pato reported that he had sent comments to Deb Mauger, Chair of the Board of Selectmen, asking that the Selectmen focus on the following: • Land use and acquisition process: making sure there is a clear model • Town infrastructure maintenance • Center Business District vitality • Clear identification of Selectmen goals and results, i.e. more transparency Other questions or comments included: Determining the future use of land purchased by the town has been a difficult process. When should the Selectmen ask for the Appropriation Committee's opinion on land acquisition? ACTION ITEM: If other members of the Committee have suggestions for the Selectmen to consider as part of the goal- setting process, they should be forwarded directly to Deb Mauger. 6. Future Agenda Items: The following topics were proposed for future discussion: • Funding models for Other Post - Employment Benefits (OPEB) • How to use the savings from the Town's conversion to the G.I.C. • Research on pricing strategies versus municipal employee benefits utilization • Pay scale of the Town's tax work -off program for seniors • Installation of solar panels on municipal buildings (Solar Energy Task Force) • Committees policy for participation in political campaigns • ATM /STM scheduling • Minutes • Election of Officers ACTION ITEM: Glenn Parker will poll the members as to availability and set up dates for future meetings through the summer and into the fall. in Tune 26, 2012 7. Liaison Assignments: • Ad Hoc Town -wide Facilities Master Planning Committee (AHTFMPC or TFMP): Alan Levine and Joe Pato • Sustainable Lexington Committee, Solar Energy Task Force: Joe Pato and Alan Levine • Cary Hall Planning Committee: Richard Neumeier, with Eric Michelson covering on July 11. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. A list of documents and other exhibits used at the meeting is attached. Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved August 2, 2012 Tune 26, 2012 Exhibits Appropriation Committee Meeting June 26, 2012 1. Meeting Agenda posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 2. Document titled FY2012 Proposed Year End Transfers: Recommended Salary Adjustment Account Transfers and 3% Rule Transfers, with approval forms, distributed by Rob Addelson I