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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-01-BOS-min Selectmen’s Meeting January 8, 2007 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, January 8, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in Cary Auditorium. Chairman Krieger, Mr. Kelley, Mr. Pagett, Mr. Manz; Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Pease, Executive Clerk, were present. Selectmen Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Pagett had three questions regarding information in the FYI packet. 1. Letter from Peter Bowman, Verizon – letter referred to double poles and how many have been removed in the last 2 months. A letter should be sent thanking them for the plan and letting them know that the Town will be following the progress. The Electric Utility Committee will be responding to the Verizon letter and plans to keep track of the progress. 2. The Dam report for Butterfield Pond Dam lists it as a significant hazard – what does that mean. Chief Middlemiss, Fire Chief, stated that if the dam failed it would affect property and lives. 3. The Transportation Management Plan regarding the Board of Appeals Permit for 191 Spring Street includes a ridership table at the end – Mr. Pagett requested that the Transportation Coordinator explain the report and provide some comparable information at a future Selectmen’s Meeting. Charged the energy committee with coming up with more information regarding DPW a th month ago, any interim report? Hear on the 29 to present findings. Jed Snyder, Precinct 5, submitted to the Selectmen questions regarding the proposed DPW facility; the questions have been forwarded to the DPW study Group for consideration. The Selectmen welcomed the new Lexington Minuteman reporter, Ian Murphy, who will be covering Selectmen’s meetings and others. Town Manager Report Mr. Valente updated the Board on the Munroe School oil spill. On January 2, 2007 the tenant notified the Town that there was a problem with the heat. The Fire Department was the initial responder and initial cleanup; it appeared there was a leak from oil line from tank to boiler. An environmental cleanup firm was called to do some cleanup of 15-30 gallons of oil in the well. During cleanup it was discovered that the boiler is insulated with asbestos, some of which was damaged. Before cleanup work could continue an asbestos abatement firm was hired to cleanup and wrap the asbestos as needed; that work was to be completed on Tuesday, January 9, 2007. Then the boiler maintenance company can come in to replace the leaking line and pressure test the old line to see where the leak was under the review of Fire Department and the Town’s insurance company. Hopefully the boiler can be restarted on Thursday and the tenants can return to the building on Friday after the repairs and the air Selectmen’s Meeting – January 8, 2007 quality has been tested. Lastly a Licensed Site Professional has been hired to manage the process and will do some coring the floor to see if any oil seeped below the cement floor. If necessary the LSP will prepare a mitigation plan. Mr. Hadley, DPW Director, and Chief Middlemiss, Fire Department, have managed the process from the start. Mr. Pagett asked about financial liability or financial exposure that the Town has with this building by allowing occupants to use it without any lease arrangement or financial return to the Town while at the same time we continue to provide these kinds of building services. There was a small group working with Munroe to develop a lease and a reasonable return to the Town, but they have not met since August 9 and the reason given is that Munroe representatives have not been available. Mr. Pagett requested that the Town Manager work to get a meeting scheduled soon and a lease finalized. Mr. Valente spoke to the Executive Director last week about scheduling another meeting. Because the Town had to act quickly on repair and cleanup, we applied to the state for a waiver for procurement and received that approval today. The asbestos work is expected to be around $10,000; cleanup work was limited to 3 or 4 hours and the LSP will have costs for services and coring. Waiting to hear from insurance whether the loss or any part of it is covered. Approve Martin Luther King Walk Sam Zales, representing the No Place for hate Steering committee, requested to use the Battle Green and walk along Massachusetts Avenue for a Unity Walk. The Police will close the eastbound side of Massachusetts Avenue to traffic during the walk and will completely stop traffic at Cary Hall to allow walkers to cross the street. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to approve the request of the Lexington No Place for Hate Steering Committee to use the Battle Green and to walk along Massachusetts Avenue to the Cary Memorial Building on Sunday, January 14, 2007, beginning at 1:45 p.m. and ending at approximately 2:15 p.m. for a Unity Walk to commemorate Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Approval of Term of Bonds Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 that the maximum useful life of the departmental equipment listed below to be financed with the proceeds of the borrowings authorized by the following votes of the Town is hereby determined pursuant to G.L. c.44, §7(9) to be as follows: Selectmen’s Meeting – January 8, 2007 Amount Maximum Purpose Vote Authorized Useful Life DPW Equipment April 11, 2005 $485,000 10 years (Article 32E) DPW Equipment April 26, 2006 $435,000 10 years (Article 28D) Fire Engine April 26, 2006 $380,000 10 years (Article 28H) School Remodeling May 2, 2005 $215,000 15 years and Equipment (Article 30A) Budget Discussion Mr. Valente presented the FY2008 General Government and Capital Budget to the Selectmen. The general government budget is a level service budget. Significant increase changes in costs include health insurance, debt service, program improvements, cash capital, appropriations to stabilization fund and appropriations to reserve fund. Revenue projections for FY2008 are $2.9 million, which includes $246,127 in new construction and school fees. Open issues include state aid, which is currently level funded; but we will have a better idea of the real number in February. Selectmen’s Financial/Budget Priorities that have been included in this budget are: reduce PILOT payments, reduce indirect water/sewer charges, increase reserves, maintain infrastructure and increase cash capital. Selectmen priorities not included in this budget, but that are being worked on for the future are: manage increase in health insurance costs and begin funding of post employment benefits. Major components of the operating budget include the following increases: health insurance for all employees - $1,701,515, program improvements for Town services - $118,094, debt service – 22,087, fire overtime - $88,092, snow/ice - $35,000, utilities for Town - $90,269, reserve/contingency accounts - $100,000, other - $1,032,860 and cash capital - $595,000. All these components add up to a $3.8 million increase. Mr. Valente recommends that the Reserve Fund be increased by $450,000; Continuing Balance Reserve by $85,000 and the Stabilization fund by $1 million to $5.266 million. Of all the program restoration and improvements requested by the departments, ($955,035), the Town Manager has recommended $118,094 in program restoration and improvements to maintain critical service demands. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 8, 2007 The Town Manager recommends the following funding for capital items: General Fund Debt of $4,005,100, Water Enterprise Fund Debt of $1,847,900, Wastewater Enterprise Fund Debt of $1,341.900, Recreation of $130,000 and Cash Capital of $1,330,000. Currently waiting for recommendations from the Community Preservation Committee. Outstanding issues include: submission of school budget, state aid, health insurance, minuteman voc-tech assessment, salary adjustment, financing of DPW facility and town- wide Facility Department. Next steps include: continue to “scrub” the budget; respond to Selectmen, Appropriations Committee and Capital Expenditures Committee questions and propose “sharing of revenues” between General Government and Schools (at January 18 Summit). Mr. Valente acknowledged the extra work of Rob Addelson, Michael Young and Steve Hodson for pulling together the budget and analysis. Mr. Pagett asked when the Town expects results of the post employment actuarial study. It is expected by the end of February and is expected to be a large number. The actuarial report will also include an overall liability and funding plan (30 year). One potential source for beginning to fund this liability is the Medicare reimbursement. These numbers will be revised every 2 years. Mrs. Krieger feels it is clear with $2.9 million in new revenue and the budget total gap at $3.8 million without the schools, that there will be lots of work to be done to reduce the budget. Regarding reserves for stabilization, the Selectmen may want to consider specific stabilization funds for Special Education, equipment and post employment, rather than generic stabilization funds. Mr. Kelley had questions regarding health insurance and how the claims are tracked; he considers it a significant budget problem. The Town Manager is reviewing expenses monthly and is starting to monitor who is enrolled. More monitoring will be done when Human Resources position is filled and we will begin to build on the data we currently have. Selectmen discussed whether they were prepared to say there would not be an override this year. It was suggested to wait for a couple of weeks to see what the School budget recommendation would be. The Selectmen would then look at possible cuts and what to put at risk. Gerry Paul, Tree Committee, asked about the Tree Committee’s request for $24,000 which did not show up on the recommended budget and whether there would be a time for the item to be reconsidered. Selectmen agreed they would schedule time to discuss the non- recommended budget items and for residents and committees input. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 8, 2007 2006 Civil Rights Recognition Award The Civil Rights Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police awarded a certificate of recognition dated October 13, 2006 to the Lexington Police department for its efforts to protect and promote civil rights through the “No Place for Hate” Program. Chief Casey, along with Captain Corr, Captain Sargent, Lieutenant O’Leary and Jill Smilow, representing No Place for Hate, all participated in brainstorming, with the help of many community groups, to come up with a way of not confronting the two hate groups that came to Lexington in 2005 to protest. Chief Casey was very proud of the way the community and public safety personnel responded. Ms. Smilow is grateful for the leadership of the Police Department and thanks everyone who volunteered to help during the hate events and the Town and the Police Department for its support. The Selectmen thanked the Police and the No Place for Hate Committee for working together to solve problems. Dissolve the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee The Selectmen thanked the committee for their recommendations and efforts regarding increasing stabilization reserves and asset management. Mr. Pagett requested that a discussion of the report take place at a Selectmen’s Meeting in the near future. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 3-1 (Kelly opposed) to dissolve the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee and rescind the designation as Special Municipal Employees. Appointments Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to appoint Linda Roemer to the Communications Advisory Committee for a 3-year term to expire on September 30, 2009. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to appoint Paul Ross and Marilyn Fenollosa to the Historic Districts Commission as Associate Members representing the Lexington Historical Society for 5-year terms to expire December 31, 2011. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to appoint Roe Rancatore to the Lexington Center Committee for a 3-year term to expire September 30, 2009. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 8, 2007 Innkeeper License – Battle Green Inn Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to approve the request to renew the Innkeeper License for the Battle Green Inn, LLC, d/b/a Battle Green Inn, 1720 Massachusetts Avenue, for 2007. Approval of Assistant Managers – Elks Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to approve the appointment of the following Assistant Managers at the Lexington Elks: Paul Christerson William Christerson Frederick Disanzo Cynthia Kaloustian Tammy Lapoote Gordon Osgood Paul Remeika th Adopt Charge and Appoint Members of Lexington’s 300 Anniversary Celebration Committee Susan Rockwell has agreed to Chair this committee. Her first effort will be to sound out the community for help and to see what they would like the celebration to include. Donna Hooper, Town Clerk, has requested that she become a member. Mr. Kelley suggests the Committee speak to the new Lexington Minuteman reporter, Ian Murphy, regarding saving the date, possibly getting contributions, and announcing the importance of the event. th Dawn McKenna, precinct 6, suggested that the 300 committee be set up as a Subcommittee of the Town Celebrations Committee per the Code of Lexington. th The process for the 300 Committee will be worked out as they go along. They are currently compiling a list of who should be involved. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to adopt the charge for Lexington’s th 300 Anniversary Celebration Committee and to designate all members as Special Municipal Employees and that the Committee will act as a Subcommittee of the Town Celebrations Committee per the Code of Lexington. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Susan Rockwell, Richard th Kollen, Cindy Savage and Donna Hooper, Town Clerk, to Lexington’s 300 Anniversary Celebration Committee. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 8, 2007 Consent Agenda One-Day Liquor License – Bowman School PTA Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve a one-day liquor license for Bowman School PTA for Saturday, January 27, 2007, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Lexington Depot for the Bowman Blizzard dinner and silent auction fundraiser. Authorize Chairman to Send Letter to MWRA Re: Debt Service Assistance Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to authorize the Chairman to send a letter to MWRA regarding debt service assistance if needed. Authorize Town Manager to Vote at MMA Annual Business Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to authorize the Town Manager to vote at the Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Business Meeting in place of the Board of Selectmen Chairman. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to approve the minutes of December 18, 2006. Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to approve the executive session minutes of December 18, 2006. Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call 4-0 to go into executive session for the purpose of collective bargaining with no intent to return to open session. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9:20 p.m. A true record; Attest: Lynne A. Pease Executive Clerk Budget Collaboration/Financial Summit 3 January 18, 2007 A joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee and Finance Committees was held on Thursday, January 18, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in Cary Hall Auditorium. Present: Chairman Krieger, Mr. Kelley, Mr. Pagett, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Manz; Mr. Valente, Town Manager, Ms. Pease, Executive Clerk; Mr. Ash, Superintendent; Ms. Dunn, Assistant Superintendent; all members of the School Committee; all members of the Appropriation Committee; all members of the Capital Expenditures Committee with the exception of Mr. Lamb. 1. FY2008 Operating Budget Mr. Valente reviewed the revenue and expense increases projected for FY2008. The total revenues are projected to be $122,836,566 (a 2.4% change from FY2007 or $2,907,910). The recommended budget for FY2008 is projected at $128,338,661, which includes Education - $71,027,605, Municipal - $26,187,036, Shared Expenses - $28,554,020, Capital - $1,330,000, and Other/Stabilization Fund - $1,040,000. The projected deficit is $5,502,095 (Education - $4,877,172 and Municipal - $624,924). Mr. Valente is recommending $1 million be put in the Stabilization Fund for FY2008. He requested discussion and consensus on the recommended amounts. Because of the gap, some felt the $1 million may be needed for reducing the gap. 2. FY2008 Capital Mr. Valente is recommending $1,330,000 be put in Cash Capital for FY2008. He requested discussion and consensus on the recommended amounts. Members of Capital Expenditures Committee felt that Cash Capital was under funded. The Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee recommended increasing Cash Capital and also recommended funding capital projects. Mr. Valente is trying not to have a spike; he also pointed out that some projects would be funded through the Community Preservation Act. It was suggested that the Capital Expenditures Committee should look at whether the Town should borrow beyond current debt. There is a proposal being reviewed by the Capital Expenditures Committee to convert the Clarke School to gas and hopefully save energy and to accomplish this by September 2008. 3. Allocation of FY2008 Revenue between Municipal Departments and School Department Mr. Valente reviewed the proposed FY2008 revenue split and asked for a consensus decision. He is recommending a split of 28.1% for Municipal and 71.9% for Schools. The allocation of revenues was calculated as follows: Total FY2008 General Fund revenues less FY2008 shared expenses, FY2007 School budget as approved by the November STM, FY2007 general government budget as approved by the November STM, FY2008 proposed Budget Collaboration/Summit – January 18, 2007 budget for cash capital ($1,330,000), FY2008 proposed budget for reserves/other town-wide articles ($1,040,000). The balance ($2,372,902) will be allocated to the General Government and Education components based on the FY2007 budget. 4. Budget Schedule Outstanding issues include: state aid (projected no change), health insurance (feel it is solid number but waiting for 6-months worth of data), Minuteman Voc-Tech assessment (preliminary numbers show an increase from $1 million to $1,236,000 because of an increase in Lexington students and an overall decrease in students attending the school and the cost being spread over the member communities), financing of DPW Facility (debt service is included in budget but will come out if override approved), town-wide facility department (continuing discussions with School Committee), status of School Administration move, consensus on Stabilization Fund and Cash Capital. The budget includes a 12% increase in Health Insurance. Waiting for additional information on health insurance that is expected to arrive in early March. Health care costs are currently tracked monthly. The staff did a complete analysis of health care costs per employee and for a new school employee $12,400 will be added to the budget and for a municipal employee $13,200 will be added. The School Committee has voted to release the White House sometime in 2008. They believe they will need Harrington for some time. In the short term they expect to spend $45,000 to move into Harrington. Long-term modernization of the entire Harrington School is estimated at $9 million. It was pointed out that Harrington could qualify for CPA funds. Mr. Kelley believes there should be a discussion about the best use for Harrington; possibly a Senior Center. Discussed the process and timing for the FY2008 Budget. The School Committee is meeting with the Capital Expenditures Committee on February 8. The Town Manager and School Superintendent need to sit down to refine the budget. Because of the possible need for an override, it is important to get all budget items completed by the end of February. The Appropriations Committee needs 4 weeks to analyze the budget. The Capital Expenditures Committee will try to be available to come to the Selectmen’s meeting on February 12. It is important to schedule a Summit meeting for mid-February to discuss gap closing. One will be scheduled for March 1, 2007. On January 22 the DPW Advisory Group will make a presentation to the Selectmen showing the changes that have been made to the plan. On February 12 there will be a final presentation. Budget Collaboration/Summit – January 18, 2007 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9:55 p.m. A true record; Attest: Lynne A. Pease Executive Clerk Selectmen’s Meeting January 22, 2007 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, January 22, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in Cary Auditorium. Chairman Krieger, Mr. Kelley, Mr. Pagett, Mr. Cohen; Mr. Manz; Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Pease, Executive Clerk, were present. Selectmen Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Cohen commended Mr. Young for the excellent job he did speaking about the budget process used in Lexington at the Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Conference. Mr. Manz attended the Martin Luther King celebration, which was revived this year and made possible to have inside because of the new sound system in Cary Auditorium. Town Manager Report The Police Department received a $15,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to expand the emergency medical dispatching capabilities. The grant will fund a computer server and software to assist the dispatchers in providing medical instructions to a caller with a medical emergency, prior to the arrival of the Rescue or Police unit. This is the nd 2 year in a row the Police Department has received this grant. Approve Sale of Bonds and Notes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 that the sale of the $7,203,000 Municipal Purpose Loan of 2007 Bonds of the Town dated February 1, 2007, to BB&T Capital Markets at the price of $7,386,511.09 and accrued interest is hereby confirmed. The bonds shall be payable on January 15 of the years and in the principal amounts and bear interest at the respective rates, as follows: Interest Interest Year Amount Rate Year Amount Rate 2008 $1,188,000 4.00% 2013 $380,000 5.00% 2009 1,185,000 4.00 2014 270,000 5.00 2010 1,185,000 4.00 2015 245,000 5.00 2011 1,185,000 4.00 2016 245,000 4.00 2012 1,075,000 5.00 2017 245,000 4.00 and to approve the sale of the $3,715,000 4.00 percent Bond Anticipation Notes of the Town dated February 1, 2007 and payable July 27, 2007 to Eastern Bank at par and accrued interest plus a net premium of $6,556.56. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 22, 2007 It was further voted that the consent dated January 9, 2007 to the financial advisor bidding for the bonds and notes, as executed prior to the bidding for the bonds and notes, is hereby confirmed. Water and Sewer Commitments Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to approve the following water and sewer Commitments: Commitment of Water/Sewer Charges for December 2006 (Cycle 9) $113,726.84 Commitment of Water/Sewer Charges for 12/1/06 to 12/31/06 (Final Bills) $2,332.15 DPW Facility Plans Mr. Himmel, Permanent Building Committee, updated the Selectmen on the proposed DPW Facility. Since the meeting on December 6 with the Selectmen, a DPW Advisory Group was created from members of the Department of Public Works, Permanent Building Committee, Energy Conservation Committee, Appropriation Committee, Capital Expenditures Committee, Design Advisory Committee, Selectmen and Town Management to review the project. This group is reviewing and analyzing program areas and adjacencies; conducting cost benefit analysis on heated vehicle storage; evaluating indoor vs. outdoor storage, size of administration area, viability of a pre-engineered garage structure; using energy modeling to explore reducing operating costs; and conducting design investigations and creating a DPW facility that reflects the comments and input received. The DPW Advisory Group met and outlined goals, developed a strategy to assess Town needs, and is reviewing the program in detail and tightening up the overall plan. The Permanent Building Committee has received sign-off of the revised facility program and plan by DPW users and will present a more complete plan to the DPW Advisory Group on th February 6. Changes to the plan include reduced number of vehicles garaged from 66 to 59, tighten up garage layout, reduce bay length in vehicle maintenance, simplify cold storage thereby reducing retaining walls, reconfigure central storage area, recommend that the Town Network remain at the Liberty Mutual Building and recommend reduction in size of conference/voting room. The changes mentioned above reduce the size of the facility from 100,883 gsf to 87,512 gsf. At the February 12 Selectmen meeting the DPW Advisory Group will present the final facility layout and design, document community concerns and questions, present cost benefit analysis for vehicle operations center, have an energy model outlining operating costs; update the cost estimate and project budget, will have sign-off from the PBC, AC, CEC, DAC, and ECC and include the DPW interim operation description with costs. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 22, 2007 If the project is approved by the Selectmen on February 12, a project advocacy will begin and continue through Town Meeting, if Town Meeting appropriates funding, construction documents will be completed after Town Meeting approval, a town-wide debt exclusion vote will take place in June 2007, bid and award of the project will take place in July-August 2007, then construction begin in September 2007 and completion 18 months later. th Selectmen requested time to look at elevation drawings prior to the February 12 meeting. th Mr. Himmel believes they will be available after the February 6 meeting when it is expected that there will be quorums of all the committees involved so that approvals are received. Mrs. McKenna requested that access to the restrooms from the outside be considered. She st also requested access be available from the outside to the 1 floor meeting room. Mr. Himmel said there was lots of discussion on the bathrooms. The group felt it was most important that they are kept clean and safe. The meeting room can be made accessible from the outside. Mr. Himmel is requesting that the Selectmen approve the plan now so that construction documents can be started. If we wait until February 12 to proceed with construction documents it would affect the construction document completion by 50 percent. There will be a better chance of getting the estimates in time for Town Meeting if the construction documents are started now. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-1 (Pagett abstained) to approve the plans and recommend proceeding with construction documents as presented. Mr. Pagett explained he supports the DPW project but is uncomfortable voting to approve a plan that was seen for the first time this evening. Solid Waste and Recycling Update Mr. Beaudoin, Superintendent of Environmental Services, presented tonnage updates for the first six months of FY2007 as compared with the same period in FY2006. There was a reduction of 325.88 tons in the trash tonnage and an increase of 100.68 tons of recycling. Mr. Beaudoin feels the news is encouraging and residents should continue to recycle more to help minimize trash disposal. LexMedia Evaluation Mrs. Krieger commented that the evaluation process has been characterized by a number of miscommunications and takes some responsibility because LexMedia was not notified about the December CAC presentation. There has also been some confusion about the availability of financial reports. LexMedia has been providing monthly statements and quarterly reports Selectmen’s Meeting – January 22, 2007 to the Town; in the future they will send the Communication Advisory Committee a copy directly. Alan Lazarus, LexMedia Board of Directors, presented information to correct misunderstandings about LexMedia and to underscore the current LexMedia activities and status. There are 3 local channels on both RCN and Comcast. One is for shows from the LexMedia ndrd Studio, the 2 is the LIFT channel for religious programming and the 3 originates at the Lexington High School and currently carries SCOLA. The LIFT and LHS channels are not controllable from the LexMedia Studio. Financial reporting procedures include quarterly statements and monthly invoices. Quarterly reports include information from 3 months of invoices and spent capital against the $150,000. Contractual obligations for production of programs includes coverage and rebroadcast of Selectmen and School Committee meetings as well as Town Meetings and associated activities; religious programming through LIFT; educational programming, which includes SCOLA for foreign language programming and LHS sports coverage; and other governmental programming like Lexington Selects, TMMA information meetings, LWV Candidate’s Night and “First Friday” meetings. LexMedia wants to expand on the education- based programming. The Committee meetings posted on the Virtual Town Hall Calendar are updated on the LexMedia website 2 or 3 times a week. A “Bulletin Board” appears on the G Channel and a schedule is sent to the Lexington Minuteman, but it is required 10 days in advance, thus the webside is updated to show the current schedule. The Library receives copies of all the meetings of the Selectmen, School Committee and Town Meetings. There is a delay in getting the tapes that are at the Library to the Library shelves. The inventory of equipment is now current for all equipment purchased since the beginning of the contract (October 1, 2005). New equipment has been tagged with barcodes. Older equipment is being stored in a locked room at Hancock Church and is being entered into the inventory as time allows. Equipment records are being stored on “FACIL”, which is a relational database in common use by local community access stations. It allows linking of members to equipment, etc. Broadcast logs are also being entered into FACIL. Mr. Valente wants to have an agreement on capital items because some of them may not meet the criteria. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 22, 2007 LexMedia has set up several training opportunities. A sequence of producer training classes will start each quarter and lesson plans exist. Plans for additional recruitment activities include the COA, Minuteman Tech, LHS and the Adult Education program. LexMedia cannot provide staff to produce all programs that are not Governmetal in nature, thus they are training people to produce and edit their own programs. LexMedia offers equipment and training to individuals and representative groups from organizations. The training classes are intended to also build a core of producers available to help groups or individuals. LexMedia has developed a prototype for “video-on-demand” of stored programs that can be accessed through a website. With the splitting of long meetings into agenda sized pieces, the resulting program is proving to be accessible and useful. Mr. Lazarus wants people to try the video-on-demand and send comments to LexMedia. Mrs. Krieger thanked LexMedia for the presentation and hopes more work can be done between LexMedia and the Communications Advisory Committee to improve the service. Bill Rogers, resident for 18 years and involved with media for the Hayden Recreational Skating Teams, thanked LexMedia for covering for the first time last year the skating teams and providing the necessary media credentials to attend World Cup. He also offered to help in any way he could. Budget Discussion Mr. Valente wanted to follow-up on the information provided at the Summit on January 18, 2007. The municipal shortfall is $625,000. He hopes to close the gap by the end of February and asked the Board what their preferences might be. The staff is looking for different ways that the gap could be closed. Possible areas to help close the gap include: Lexpress bid price is slightly less than anticipated; solid waste collection and recycling bids may save some money. After a review by the staff, the Town Manager will come back to the Selectmen with a combination of options and recommendations. The staff will look at fees, deferrals, service reductions. There was a discussion regarding the increased cost of health care. The Selectmen requested that the Town Manager provide a clear explanation regarding what the cost of health insurance is for employees and to send to the Lexington Minuteman and to the TMMA list. Mr. Cohen discussed the proposed warrant article for setting up a Liberty Ride enterprise fund. Need to have further discussions about the best way for surplus funds to remain with the Liberty Ride to augment shortfalls or additions and to allow the Tourism Committee to run the Liberty Ride over the whole year. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 22, 2007 Appointments/Resignations – Sidewalk Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to accept the resignations of Ankur Gupta, Frank Cavatora and Sue Solomon from the Sidewalk Committee, effective immediately. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to accept the resignations of Tracey Herbert and Victoria Buckley from the Sidewalk Committee, effective immediately. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Sarah Chamberlain to the Sidewalk Committee to fill the unexpired term of Tracey Herbert to expire September 30, 2008. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Francine Stigleitz to the Sidewalk Committee, representing the Commission on Disability, to fill the unexpired term of Victoria Buckley to expire September 30, 2008. Annual Little League Parade Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to approve the request of the Recreation Department and the Lexington Little League to conduct the Annual Little League Parade on Saturday, April 28, 2007, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Muzzey Field. Consent Agenda Use of the Battle Green – Lexington Minute Men Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to approve the request of the Lexington Minute Men to use the Battle Green on the following dates in preparation for Patriot’s Day activities: Sunday, April 1, 2007, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for dress rehearsal (rain date is Saturday, April 7); Sunday, April 15, 2007, from approximately 11:45 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. for the ending of the Paul Revere Ride Reenactment; and Monday, April 16, 2007, for the annual reenactment of the Battle at approximately 6:00 a.m. One-Day Liquor License – Armenian Sisters’ Academy Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to approve the request for a one-day liquor license from the Armenian Sisters’ Academy on Saturday, February 10, 2007, from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight for a Valentine Dance fundraiser. Street Betterment Assessments – Laconia Street Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to certify the list of Street Betterment Assessments for Laconia Street. Selectmen’s Meeting – January 22, 2007 Ratify Poll Vote – Letter to Department of Telecommunication sand Energy Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to send a letter to the Chairman of the Department of Telecommunications and Energy regarding removing double poles. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-1 (Cohen abstained) to approve the minutes of January 8, 2007. Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-1 (Cohen abstained) to approve the executive session minutes of January 8, 2007. Ratify Poll Vote – Letter of Support for Tree Inventory Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to send a letter of support for the Tree Committee’s efforts to complete their tree inventory this summer. Ratify Poll Vote – Response Letter regarding Storage of Vehicles Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to send a response letter to a request from Bill Dailey on behalf of Mal’s to store vehicles at the site of the former landfill on Hartwell Avenue. Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to go into executive session for the purpose of collective bargaining with no intent to return to open session. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9:55 p.m. A true record; Attest: Lynne A. Pease Executive Clerk