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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-09-BOS-min Selectmen’s Meeting September 18, 2006 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, September 18, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room. 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 The Selectmen reminded the audience that Tuesday, September 19, is the primary election. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and noted that Precinct 1 and 5 should vote at Cary Hall. Commitment of Water and Sewer Charges Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 to approve the following commitments of water and sewer charges: Commitments of Water/Sewer Charges for August 2006 (Cycle 9) $289,407.97 Commitments of Water/Sewer Charges for August 2006 (Finals) $44,488.34 Financial Policy Recommendations Mr. Valente presented the staff observations regarding the report of the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee. The staff concurs with the Committee’s conclusions, but make the following recommendations: Capital Financing Policies – Asset Renewal and Replacement Fund The primary concern is the recommended transition from debt-funded capital to cash-funded capital because of the Town’s ability to maintain existing services without requiring an operating override. The staff concurs with the Committee’s recommendation to conduct an analysis of town assets and the cost of replacing them. The staff recommends continuing to fund a portion of asset renewal with cash, e.g., roads, extraordinary building/facility maintenance and technology; that the Selectmen defer endorsement of the level of cash funded asset renewal and replacement as proposed by the Committee until an analysis of town assets is completed; and that funding for an analysis of town assets be requested at the next town meeting. A lot of the analysis can be performed by Town staff, with the exception of town and school buildings and facilities, which will require review by consulting engineers. It is recommended that enough funds to analyze a couple buildings a year be requested of Town Meeting. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 Reserve Policies Stabilization Fund - Propose that the fund be built to the recommended 7% target balance over a 5 to 7 year period and that the primary source of funding be significant one- time revenues (e.g., NESWC payments, arbitrage proceeds, etc.). Also propose that a policy guiding the use of stabilization funds be developed that specifies permitted uses of the fund. Appropriation Committee Reserve Fund - In addition to the recommendation to analyze historically volatile accounts, should also assess the newly enacted general law allowing the Selectmen to make year-end interdepartmental transfers and its implication for establishing the annual appropriation for the reserve fund. Mr. Valente feels more analysis of the budget is needed to look at what is at risk. The staff has better data this year because of the changes to account numbers and will have the ability to better track different accounts. Free Cash - The rationale for a proposed target balance of free cash at fiscal year end of 0.3% to 0.5% is unclear; need to ask the Committee to clarify recommendation. Continuing Balance Accounts - Endorse the Committee’s proposal to create continuing balance accounts. Propose that over time the Town build the balances in these accounts to levels sufficient to meet the Town’s needs, particularly in the workers’ compensation account and the building maintenance account. Long Range Financial Planning and Modeling Endorse the proposal for long-range financial planning and modeling but are reluctant to endorse a 5 to 15 year plan. Projecting beyond 5 years can be too speculative, which would undermine the credibility of the analysis. Recommend no more than a 5-year horizon. A 3- year plan will be presented at the Summit on September 21. The Selectmen want to receive comments from the Appropriation Committee, Capital Expenditures Committee, and the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee regarding the staff’s recommendations prior to accepting the Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Financial Policy Committee’s report and the staff recommendations. Discussion of Water/Sewer Rates – Cost Analysis This discussion will be the first of three steps leading to the Selectmen establishing FY2007 water and sewer rates. The three steps are: 1) review direct and indirect cost analysis as approved at the 2006 Annual Town Meeting and review updated indirect cost analysis; 2) review proposed water/sewer rates for FY2007; and 3) hold rate hearing. Mr. Addelson presented to the Selectmen a summary of expenditures for FY2007 for the water and sewer operations and a comparison to FY2005 and FY2006 actual spending. The FY2007 revised budget includes final MWRA assessments, which accounts for the decrease in total costs; so the revised budget should be the basis upon which FY2007 rates will be calculated. FY2007 revised water and sewer costs are increasing a total of 6.04% compared Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 to FY2006 actual costs. Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) are decreasing by 25%, which reflects the Board’s phase-out of PILOTs adopted last year. Mr. Addelson also presented a comparison of consumption estimates used last fall to calculate the FY2006 water and sewer rates to actual FY2006 consumption, which shows actual consumption to be 10% higher than estimated for water and 3% higher for sewer. Mr. Addelson then presented an updated indirect cost analysis for the water and sewer operations that showed sewer indirect costs at $383,838 and water indirect costs at $657,279, which is a decrease from budgeted FY2007 indirect costs of $390,462 for sewer and $261,334 for water. Selectmen requested that information regarding water and sewer rate setting be made available to the public prior to when discussed at a Selectmen’s meeting. Mrs. Fournier requested that the cost analysis increases and decreases be broken down by department. Staff will try to accommodate this request. DPW Facility Update Phil Poinelli, Permanent Building Committee, and Janet Slemenda, HKTArchitects, Inc., presented the Selectmen with an update for the proposed new DPW facility. They reviewed the existing conditions, presented the proposed design, reviewed the cost of the project, and discussed proposed schedules. Mr. Manz requested information on old and new energy costs that could be reviewed by the Energy Conservation Committee. Mr. Poinelli will have information prior to a November Special Town Meeting and he plans to meet with the Energy Conservation Committee. Mr. Pagett was concerned with the cost of the project and asked if the size and scope should be reduced. A majority of Selectmen believe the project should move forward as is. There have been many meetings with the senior staff, school and DPW workers to plan out a facility that meets the needs of the Town. Mr. Kelley wants to see a combined school/municipal facilities maintenance group established before he will approve of moving the building project forward. Mr. Hadley pointed out that there has been some steps taken to combine the two operations in the building and they are still working toward a combined group. There is space on the second floor set aside for school maintenance and the feeling was there was enough space to accommodate a combined school/municipal maintenance group whenever it is established. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 Mr. Diaz, School Committee, believes the School Committee is in favor of exploring a combined maintenance group located at the proposed new DPW facility. Mrs. McKenna would like a policy decision on whether the rest rooms at the new proposed DPW facility would be available to the public. She asked that the architect make sure the Emergency Operations Center and lunchroom can be separated from regular operations if needed for night meetings. She was also concerned with the look of the building and asked that it look more colonial. Selectmen discussed having a Special Town Meeting in November and whether it should be for construction document costs or the full amount of the project. There will be further discussion at the Summit on September 21. If there is to be a Special Town Meeting, Selectmen will need to set the date at its meeting on October 25. Selectmen Annual Appointments/Reappointments 2020 Vision Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Peter Lee and Fernando Quezada to the 2020 Vision Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Board of Appeals Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Nyles Barnert to the Board of Appeals for a 5-year term to expire September 30, 2011. Board of Appeals Associates Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint John Gilbert, Daniel Lucas, Leo McSweeney, David Williams, Carolyn Wilson and Martha Wood to the Board of Appeals as Associates for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Communications Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint David Becker, Maria Kieslich, and John Rommelfanger to the Communications Advisory Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Design Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Parker Hirtle, Virginia Johnson, Bahig Kaldas, Timothy Lee, Alenka Slezak, Colin Smith and Gregory Zurlo to the Design Advisory Committee for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Design Advisory Committee Associates Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Bruce Creager, John Frey and Elizabeth Whitman to the Design Advisory Committee as Associates for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 Fence Viewers Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint David Buczkowski, William Simmons, and Robert Warshawer to the Fence Viewers for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Gamel Legacy Trust Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Lillian MacArthur and Jacquelyn Ward to the Gamel Legacy Trust for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Housing Partnership Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Kenneth Kreutziger, Paul Linton and Iris Wheaton to the Housing Partnership Board for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Human Services Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint William Blout, Sarah Conklin and Robert Dentler to the Human Services Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Lexington Scholarship & Education Fund Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Paul Ash, Thomas Fenn, Stana Gnatocvich, John Miller, and David Williams to the Lexington Scholarship & Education Fund Board for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Harvey Bingham, John Frey and Jerrold Van Hook to the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Lexington Center Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Elisabeth Harvey, Jerold Michelson and Joan Zahka to the Lexington Center Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Noise Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint John Maloney and Theodore Page to the Noise Advisory Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Personnel Advisory Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Scott Burson to the Personnel Advisory Board for a 3-year term to expire September 30, 2009. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Richard Evans to the Personnel Advisory Board for a 3-year term to expire September 30, 2009. Police Manual Policy Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Chief Chris Casey, Cleveland Coats, Edith Flynn, William Hays and Gerald McLeod to the Police Manual Policy Committee for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Tourism Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Susan Bennett, Mary Jo Bohart, Kerry Brandin, Bernice Fallick, Dawn McKenna, Paul O’Shaughnessy, John Ott and Lou Sideris to the Tourism Committee for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Town Report Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint John Ayvazian, Robert Morrison, Audrea Simpson, Zelda Sokal and David Tabeling to the Town Report Committee for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Traffic Safety Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Stephen Ades, David Crump, Steve Frymer, Sudhir Murthy, Charlie Sargent, Stefan Schatzki, and Gail Wagner to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee for 1-year terms to expire September 30, 2007. Transportation Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Sara Arnold and William Levison to the Transportation Advisory Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. Tree Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Karen Longeteig and Nell Walker to the Tree Committee for 3-year terms to expire September 30, 2009. The following citizens have served on a committee and do not wish to be reappointed: Connie Rawson, Communications Advisory Committee Marjorie Weerts, Condo Conversion Board Eric Brown, Design Advisory Board Thomas Montanari, Fair Housing & Human Relations Committee David Burns, Housing Partnership Board Kathryn Fields, Lexington Center Committee Charles French, Tourism Committee Jeri Zeder, Town Report Committee Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 Historic Districts Committee The current Selectmen appointment to the Historic Districts Commission’s term will end December 31, 2006. Mr. Kelley and Mr. Pagett agreed to do some outreach to try and locate a replacement candidate. Resignation – Legal Services Review Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the resignation of Marilyn Kolb from the Legal Services Review Committee II, effective immediately. Theatre License Renewal Mr. Kelley requested the Town Manager check to make sure the theaters are in compliance with current code requirements. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the application and issue two theatre licenses to Marble Rock Cinema Corporation for Cinema 1 and 2 to show movies on weekdays and Sundays, contingent on code compliance. Insert for October Tax Bill Mr. Valente requested the Board’s approval to insert an on-line bill pay information sheet and a LexPress Schedule into the October property tax bill. The inserts will not increase the postage cost. The Selectmen requested clarification of the routes on the LexPress insert map. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve of inserting the LexPress Schedule and an On-Line Bill Pay information sheet into the October property tax bill, subject to clarification of the map in the Lexpress insert. Future Meetings The Selectmen agreed to schedule meetings on the following dates: September 25, October 6, October 16, October 30, November 13, November 20, December 4, December 11, and December 18. Consent Agenda One-Day Liquor License – Armenian Sister’s Academy Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request of the Armenian Sister’s Academy for a one-day liquor license for Saturday, October 14, 2006, from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight for an annual spring concert at the Academy, 20 Pelham Road. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 18, 2006 Ratify Poll Votes – Lower the Battle Green Flag Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to ratify a poll vote to lower the flag from Tuesday, August 1 through Friday, August 4, 2006, in honor of Betty Eddison, a prior Selectmen who died on July 31, 2006. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to ratify a poll vote of September 6, 2006 to lower the flag on September 11, 2006 in remembrance of the attack on September 11, 2001. Ratify Poll Vote – Letter of Interest to MAPC Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to send a letter of interest to MAPC to participate in a grant program to assist in revising storm water drainage policies. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of August 28, 2006, as amended. Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the executive session minutes of August 28, 2006. Letter of Recognition for Eagle Scout Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign and send a letter of recognition to Eagle Scout David Johnston. Mr. Manz will attend the Eagle Ceremony on September 24, 2006 and present the letter to David Johnston. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11:00 p.m. A true record; Attest: Lynne A. Pease Executive Clerk Budget Collaboration/Financial Summit 1 September 21, 2006 A joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee and Finance Committees was held on Thursday, September 21, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in the High School Commons II. Chairman Krieger, Mr. Pagett and Mr. Cohen; Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Pease, Executive Clerk were present. The Chairs of the School Committee and Appropriation Committee called their members to order. No one from the Capital Expenditures Committee was at the meeting. Finance Department Budget and Finance Overview The format for the meeting was to be a discussion of data in three parts: an evaluation of Lexington, revenue and expenses for FY2008-FY2010 and an outline of key policy issues to consider. Key Financial Trends in Lexington Mr. Young presented information on where Lexington stands financially. Information on the following indicators was presented: 1. Revenues per Household 2. State Aid 3. Revenues Related to Economic Growth 4. Property Tax Revenues 5. Uncollected Property Taxes 6. Expenditures per Household 7. Salaries and Wages 8. Employee Benefits 9. Unfunded Liabilities 10. Retirement Participants 11. Pension Liability 12. Debt Service 13. Long-Term Debt 14. Reserves and Fund Balance 15. Population FY2008-2009 Revenue and Expenditure Projections Mr. Addelson presented revenue and expense projections for the period FY2008 to FY2010 to be used as a planning tool to help facilitate discussions in putting together the FY2008 budget. Lexington’s strengths are: stable labor costs, strong retirement of debt and the reasonableness of debt service. Lexington’s financial concerns include: state aid, revenues from economic growth, and employee benefit costs. In summary, a basic level service budget would be a wash, but a troublesome piece is the cost of settling bargaining agreements. Information was presented on the cost of COLA increases at various percentages over time. Summit 1 Meeting – September 21, 2006 Policy Issues Related to FY2008 Budget Mr. Valente discussed FY 2008 Budget Policy Issues: 1. Wages/Benefits; 2. Capital Plan – cash vs. debt (Financial Policy Committee Recommendation); 3. Funding of Reserves (Financial Policy Committee Recommendation); 4. Water/Sewer Indirect Cost Reduction; and 5. Service Restoration or Enhancement. The Appropriation Committee is working on reviewing the Financial Policy Review Committee’s report and plan to give Selectmen feedback this fall. Mr. Valente discussed briefly the proposed schedule. Dr. Ash, Superintendent of Schools, th will not be able to meet the deadline for budget decisions by February 16. He will need until the end of February. Special Town Meeting (November 29-30) The Selectmen will be continuing discussions regarding the proposed new DPW Facility at its meeting on September 25. Other possible issues for a fall town meeting include: school budget adjustments and CPA funded projects. The School Committee requested a copy of the financial analysis of debt if the DPW facility goes forward. Selectmen will need to see the School building analysis that was recently completed for the School Department. Establish Date for Next Collaboration-Summit 2 Meeting Suggested date for next meeting that will include revenue projections is November 15 for a summit and November 16 for an information meeting. It will be considered whether an additional summit is needed after the DPW Facility decision is made and prior to the November 15 summit. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. A true record; Attest: Lynne A. Pease Executive Clerk Selectmen’s Meeting September 25, 2006 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, September 25, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room. Chairman Krieger, Mr. Kelley, Mr. Pagett, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Manz; Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Pease, Executive Clerk were present. Public Comment Mr. Goell was pleased with the news from the School Committee’s consultant that there will be a ¼ to 1/3 drop-off of school enrollment over the next 10 years and by 2010 there will be two schools available for other uses, such as a new Senior Center. Selectmen Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Pagett passed out an article from the Boston Globe entitled “Public retirees’ benefits adding up” that he found worrisome because of the total amount of unfunded post- employment health care obligations, which would mean a significant annual contribution. He feels Lexington should think about beginning to fund the liability in FY2008 budget. Town Manager Report Mr. Valente announced that the Town had received its first payment from Brookhaven for $50,000 to be used for future affordable housing projects. There will be another $50,000 payment next year. There will be a meeting for Board and Committee chairs on October 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. that will focus on ethics law. Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Mr. Tabaczynski, Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee and Lexington Conservation Stewards, requested a letter from the Board supporting the trail improvements in the Lower Vine Brook and Meagherville conservation areas to alleviate environmental damage to wetlands and provide safe passage to visitors year round. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to send a letter of support to the Department of Conservation and Recreation for the trail improvement work in the Lower Vine Brook and Meagherville conservation areas proposed by the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee in their 2006 Recreational Trails Program grant application. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 25, 2006 Communications Advisory Committee – LexMedia Performance Evaluation Ms. Canale, Communications Advisory Committee, presented the Selectmen with a proposed timeline and suggested criteria to evaluate LexMedia, as required on a yearly basis by the contract. Mr. Pagett would like the criteria to include quality of production and programming. The Selectmen asked the Communications Advisory Committee to continue moving forward with the proposed schedule. 2020 Vision Economic Development Scoping Group Mr. Zurlo, 2020 Vision Economic Development Scoping Group member, presented the groups finding on economic development in Lexington. The Scoping Group recommends focusing on the following items within the next year: ?? Engage the community in education about the existing businesses and potential for further commercial development in Lexington, and elicit community opinion on these issues; ?? Conduct a modeling exercise, perhaps like the Lexington Center Collaborative, through which community members could explicitly examine the tradeoffs associated with various commercial-development choices vs. the affordability of current and expected public services; ?? Examine with the public various regulatory issues affecting prospects for the current business sector in town and for future commercial development, and the structure of Lexington’s complex regulatory and advisory system bearing on development decisions; ?? Coordinate work with the 2020 Vision Task Force on sustainability and incorporate considerations of sustainable development in work and recommendations; and ?? Based on the previous steps, work with town officials to arrive at an effective, workable mission for Lexington’s economic-development officer. The Scoping Group also suggests some elements of the composition of the 2020 Vision Task Force, with an eye toward making tangible progress on the agenda outlined below: ?? Recommendation for information gathering and community education; ?? Recommendation to evaluate what commercial development means for Lexington: modeling and simulations; ?? Recommendation to examine regulations and enforcement; ?? Recommendation to define the role of the Economic Development Officer; ?? Recommendation to address issues of sustainability; and ?? Task force membership. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 25, 2006 There were many questions regarding when an Economic Development Officer should be hired. The 2020 Committee felt the job description was too broad and they would like to refine the job description. Mrs. McKenna is concerned about the committee’s conclusions regarding the hiring of an Economic Development Officer. She feels that the money appropriated at Town Meeting should not be used for a consultant and that the Economic Development Officer should be hired as soon as possible. Ms. Watson, Co-Chair of the Lexington Center Committee, stated that the Lexington Center Committee had voted that they support the recommendation of the 2020 Group and the process, but felt strongly that the Economic Development Officer should be hired as soon as possible. The person hired could help define the job description and also help figure out what the town needs going forward Mr. Pagett is concerned with waiting another year to hire an Economic Development Officer. He recommends opening the process now to include the appointee in the Task Force process. Mrs. Krieger believes there are sufficient funds to hire a consultant for data analysis and then hire the appropriate person for the Economic Development Officer position. Mr. Cohen would like to see a compromise by starting the process and seeing what applicants would be interested in the position. It was suggested that a consultant could be hired as a temporary Economic Development Officer. Discussion of Water/Sewer Rates Mr. Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, presented to the Selectmen four options for the FY2007 Water and Wastewater Rates: Option 1 1. increase water rates by 17%; 2. no use of retained earnings; 3. increase all wastewater blocks by 3.5 percent; and 4. no increase in rates to build wastewater retained earnings. Option 1 would generate an annual increase in costs for the average user (120 HCF per year) of $89.33 or 7.6%. Option 2 1. increase all water blocks by 6.6% 2. use $500,000 of water retained earnings to finance water budget; and 3. increase all wastewater block rates by 6.5%. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 25, 2006 Option 2 would generate an annual increase in costs for the average user (120 HCF per year) of $76.58 or 6.5%. Option 3 1. increase water blocks 1, 2 and 3 by 4.9%, 6.9% and 8.1% respectively; 2. use $500,000 of retained earnings to finance the water budget; and 3. increase wastewater blocks 1, 2 and 3 by 5%, 7% and 8.2% respectively. Option 3 would generate an annual increase in costs for the average user (120 HCF per year) of $68.49 or 5.8%. This option could stimulate water conservation. Option 4 1. increase water blocks 2 and 2 at same rate (7.7%) and block 3 at a lower rate (5.5%); 2. use $500,000 of retained earnings to finance the water budget; and 3. increase wastewater blocks 1 and 2 at same rate (7.2%) and block 3 at a lower rate (5.2%). Option 4 would generate an annual increase in costs for the average use (120 HCF per year) of $85.58, or 7.3%. Option 4 moves toward the Water and Sewer Rate Study Committee’s recommendation that “the rate for the highest block should ultimately not be more than 20% over the average”. Other considerations that need to be discussed are evaporative cooling towers, non-rate revenue recommendations and establishment of a Water/Sewer Abatement Review Board. There are 20 facilities that have been identified that operate evaporative cooling towers. Changing the way these facilities are billed could potentially result in a shift of significant amounts of wastewater charges to other customers. It was recommended that the Water/Sewer Committee be asked to review and make recommendations on this matter to the Selectmen. Mr. Pagett wanted to make sure that abatements are factored out of what money is collected and to check historical figures to see what has been abated. He is also concerned that the municipal rate does not cover the MWRA charge. Mr. Pagett likes Option 4 because it narrows the gap between blocks 2 and 3. Since block 3 is primarily commercial business users it is really a mechanism for shifting costs from homeowners to businesses. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 25, 2006 Ms. Fournier, member of the Water/Sewer Committee, asked what the cap would be on reserves and what the increase from MWRA would be for this year. Staff will come up with a reserves policy and provide information. MWRA rates are increasing 6.81 percent for water and 7.17% for wastewater. Ms. Fournier also discussed the unfair taxation to people with larger families and wants the Selectmen to approve a flat rate. Mr. Wood, Chair of the Water/Sewer Committee, stated that the committee was meeting tomorrow to review the options. The Selectmen will set the water/sewer rates on October 16. DPW Facility Discussion The Selectmen discussed whether they were prepared to bring the proposed new DPW Facility to the voters and to a Special Town Meeting. Mr. Kelley is not prepared to move the project forward until there is a proposed structure for a combined facilities maintenance group and understanding of certain site functions and the need to become efficient with flow of work. A majority of the Selectmen feel the project meets all current standards and is well thought out for optimum work flow and that the project should continue with design and development. Questions were asked about what generated the increase in area needed from 55,000 square feet to 90,000 square feet and also what the reason is for moving the shed to Hartwell for added storage is. Mr. Hadley answered that the vehicle storage area increased from 15,000 square feet to 48,000 square feet and the administration area is proposed to increase by 13,000 square feet to make room for the DPW Administration group, Engineering and Facilities Maintenance. The additional space for storage of vehicles will be more efficient and eliminate noise and confusion by coming in one door and going out another. Some Selectmen felt financing options should be discussed and that this is a favorable time to bring the project before the voters. The architect is also looking for any possible grant money. A majority of Selectmen would like to see the project continue to design development and do not want to have to release the architect while waiting for an additional appropriation. They are not clear on what Mr. Kelley’s issues are besides the joint facilities maintenance issue. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 25, 2006 The Selectmen would like to be unanimous in moving the project forward. The DPW Facility will be discussed at the October 16 meeting, including finance options and what cost would be to citizens. The Selectmen will try to help resolve Mr. Kelly’s issues between now and October 16. Auctioneer License Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request of Robert Cohn, Beacon Liquidators & Appraisers, for an Auctioneer License for Wednesday, September 27, 2006, beginning at 11:00 .m. at McCabe’s Home Specialties, 153 North Street. Special Municipal Employee Designation Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to designate the BSC Group as Special Municipal Employees for the limited purpose of consulting work with the Conservation Commission on the Blueberry Lane project. Appointment – Lexington Council for the Arts Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Jackie Hawkinson to the Lexington Council for the arts for a 3-year term to expire September 30, 2009. Senior Service Program Update Ms. McSweeney, Social Services Director, updated the Board on the Senior Service Program. There are 42 residents interested in participating; 25 are currently working and there was enough money appropriated for 29 to participate. She would like to find funding of approximately $11,000 for the remaining 13 residents that are interested in participating. The Selectmen discussed the options: increasing appropriation at a Special Town Meeting, using Trust Funds, limiting the number of participants or reducing the number of hours the residents can participate. Selectmen do not want to limit number of participants or the hours they can work. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to recommend that the Town Manager try to find funds for the Senior Service Program to cover the residents who are interested in participating. Selectmen’s Meeting – September 25, 2006 Consent Agenda One-Day Liquor License – The Lexington Players Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request of The Lexington Players for a one-day liquor license for Friday, October 27, 2006 from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight at the Depot Square Building. Use of the Battle Green – Lexington Preschool PTA Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request of the Lexington Preschool PTA (LPPTA) to use the Battle Green on Saturday, October 28, 2006 (rain date is Sunday, October 29), for the annual Halloween Parade from 8:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Use of the Battle Green/Walk – Masonic Learning Center Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request of Masonic Learning Center to use the Battle Green on Sunday, October 1, 2006, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to pass out water and for a walk along Massachusetts Avenue. Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote to go into executive session for the purpose of potential litigation and contract negotiations, with no intent to return to open session. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11:00 p.m. A true record; Attest: Lynne A. Pease Executive Clerk