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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-03-BOS-minSelectmen's Meeting Minutes March 19, 2001 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 19, 2001 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Krieger, Mrs. Eddison, Mr. Enrich, Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. McKenna; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk were present. Mrs. Krieger opened the meeting and announced that because of the local election the public comment period has been suspended this evening. Consent Agenda Date of Local Election Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to ratify a poll vote to postpone the local election to March 19, 2001. Release of Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to ratify a poll vote to release a portion of the Executive Session minutes of November 16, 1998. Lexington High School Science Fair Day Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to ratify a poll vote to sign a proclamation for Lexington High School Science Fair Day. Use of Battle Green - LexFest Celebration Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from Leona Martin to use the Battle Green on Saturday, June 2, 2001 for the LexFest Celebration. Use of Battle Green — Lexington Clergy Association Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from the Lexington Clergy Association to use the Battle Green on Sunday, April 15, 2001 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. for their Easter Sunrise Service. Discovery Day Plans Dick Michelson, President of the Lexington Retailers Association, was present to request permission to rent the Muzzey Street/Waltham Street parking lot on Saturday, May 26, 2001 (with a rain date of June 2) from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the purpose of hosting a community event known as Discovery Day. The event has been sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce for the past twenty -one years; however, they have decided not to continue with the event in the future because they feel it has "run its course ". Mr. White reported that both the Police and Public Works Departments reviewed the plans today and felt that the Retailers Association could be accommodated. The Retailers Association was asked to coordinate their plans with the Police and Public Works Departments. Selectmen's Meeting — March 19, 2001 Mrs. McKenna asked that the merchants be considerate of the neighborhood by not setting up too early in the day. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from the Lexington Retailers Association to go ahead with their plans for Discovery Days and using the parking lot at Waltham and Muzzey Streets. Depot Square Update Town Engineer Peter Chalpin announced that the bids for the Depot Square project were opened by Mass. Highway on February 27. The low bid came in at $637,278.90 from J. Marchese & Sons who have worked for the Town and for the Commonwealth of Mass. In Lexington before. They plan to start by July 23 and hope to start even earlier. The infrastructure will take about three months and completion of landscaping will not be done until May of 2002. We will be scheduling informational meetings with the abutters, Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Bikeway and the Meriam Hill Association. Meriam Hill Association President David Parker expressed concern about waiting to meet with the Association until the contractor was on Board. Mr. White indicated the Town is moving to proceed with scheduling a meeting within the next two weeks to present them with a plan, an inventory of issues and showing the revised traffic management plan in time for the go ahead with the project. Mr. Enrich felt the more of the work that can be done during the summer months the better. Use of Battle Green — Patriot's Day Events Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from The Lexington Minute Men, Inc. to use the Battle Green on Saturday, March 31 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. with Sunday, April 8 as a rain date for a rehearsal of the Reenactment. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to tentatively approve the use of the Battle Green on Saturday, April 7 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a Fife and Drum Tattoo with a final decision to be made 60 hours in advance of the activity based on the Public Works Department assessment of the condition of the Battle Green. Reenactment of Midnight Ride of Paul Revere — Sunday, April 15, 2001 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from the Lexington Historical Society and the Lexington Minute Men to close off Bedford Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Hancock Street and Hancock Street to Adams Street from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on April 15 and that the side streets be blocked and parking be prohibited along the entire route. Selectmen's Meeting — March 19, 2001 Appointment to Town Celebrations Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Sally Fisher, 8 Great Rock Road, to the Town Celebrations Subcommittee for a term to expire June 30, 2002. Common Victualler License Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the application and issue a common victualler license to Via Lago. Request from Lexington Field and Garden Club The Lexington Field and Garden Club requested permission to plant a tree on the Battle Green on Arbor Day, April 27. Mrs. McKenna suggested the Field and Garden Club meet with the Historical Society and the Historic Districts Commission who have had expert advice on the plantings on the common as part of a grant they received. Board members agreed that the Field and Garden Club should meet with the Historical Society, the Historic Districts Commission and the consultant before the Board gives permission to plant the tree on the Battle Green. Town Manager Evaluation The comments received from the individual Board members on the Manager's performance indicate a sharp division in expectations among the Board and a difference in opinion regarding the relationship of the Board to the Manager. This distinction is a problem recognized by this Board. A majority, 4 of 5, feels the Manager overall is doing an outstanding job. One member does not support this position and holds a vastly different estimation of the Manager's performance. Development of a composite review under these circumstances is clearly not possible. This review consists of a majority segment, supported by 4 members of the Board and a minority report, representing the views of one member of the Board. Assessment Scale: 5 — Outstanding, 4 — Exceeds expectations, 3 — Meets expectations, 2 — Below expectations and 1- unsatisfactory Management of Town Finances Majority Score 5 This is one of Rick's fortes. The majority, 4 of the 5, acknowledge and admire the effort Rick and his staff have done to foster the open, collaborative process of budgeting with the school committee and finance committees, resulting in the orderly development of the '02 budget. We appreciate his initiative in developing a framework for presentation of last spring's override, his monitoring of the secondary school projects and his skillful support of the Blue Ribbon effort, ensuring an orderly process for addressing the Town's long term operating and capital needs. His effective management of the dramatic shifts in health care costs typifies the attention and insight Selectmen's Meeting - March 19, 2001 he brings to managing continuing budget issues. By any tangible standard, Rick and his finance staff run an extraordinary program. The Town had a favorable external audit, retained its AAA bond rating, received an achievement award for budget preparation from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and just floated bonds at the remarkably low rate of 3.4 and 3.6 %, testament to the Town's sound fiscal position. Minority Score 2.8 Mr. White deserves credit for his role in working with the School department to jointly develop the budget. The largest concern this year has been the manager's failure to provide timely, accurate and detailed information to the Board, the Finance Committees and the Joint Summit regarding the shortfalls in the health insurance trust fund. The minority continues to be concerned about the Manager's cavalier attitudes towards the Selectmen's gift accounts. Last year's evaluation criticized inaccuracies and in consistencies in budget documents. Rather than addressing that problem the Manager has virtually ceased to provide the Board with any details during this year's budget development process to date. Communication with Selectmen Majority Score 4.9 The majority, 4 of 5, feels well served and well informed by Rick. He e -mails all of us on problems, personnel matters and emerging issues. Significant events are rapidly communicated and Board meetings are used to provide updates on issues. Rick's support of our liaison activities is appreciated and a testament to his willingness to share his staff s time in promoting the Board's agenda. To Rick's credit he has made efforts to manage the relationship with an oppositonal member of the Board. Minority Score 1.9 Mr. White continues to communicate only selectively with the Board. The Board is often asked to vote on issues without the manager providing documentation or answers to questions. For example, in a recent discussion of the parking plan, Mr. White failed to provide the Board with information about satellite parking until months after the Board had decided to proceed on another plan. Furthermore, Mr. White either fails to inform the Board of issues and appointments when they occur or at all. Bill Hadley's appointment and the Sherry Gordon incident are examples of this. In his evaluation last year Mr. White was asked to develop a reminder /tickler system to assist him in addressing Board requests in a more timely manner. To this date he has chosen to ignore this request. Mr. White does not fairly represent the opinions of the Board as a whole. Both his handling of the request for a planning board intern and his handling of the Space Needs Committee recommendations are examples of this. Communications with Boards, Committees and Officers Majority Score 4.8 The majority, 4 of 5, feels Rick has been highly effective in his communication with these Boards. He has established a strong working relationship with the Planning Board in addressing transition issues. He and his staff have developed a trusting dialogue with the finance committees; examples of which include: Selectmen's Meeting — March 19, 2001 • Working with the Appropriations Committee on healthcare issues and the multi- year estimate and • Working with the Capital Expenditures Committee on preparing the projects for potential fall debt exclusion. He has fostered the Comprehensive Planning process, the 20/20 initiative and the Blue Ribbon Committee. He has developed a trusting, strong relationship with the School superintendent as seen in the monitoring of the secondary school projects, the collaborative initiatives such as the print shop, the responsive approach to Medicare savings and as already mentioned the open budget process. Minority Score 2.7 Mr. White showed some improvement in this area. He collaborated well with the new superintendent, and reached out to the school administration staff The Town manager has improved his communications with the HDC and with Appropriations. However, Mr. White has yet to meet overall expectations in this area. Furthermore, there was an unacceptable and unprofessional exchange with the chair of an elected board wherein embarrassing public chastising occurred. Mr. White could also do a better job presenting the reports of committees and in reflecting these reports in his planning. The Space Needs Report is an example of a committee report that was accepted by the Board but was ignored by the Town Manager's discussions. Negotiations of Contracts with Bargaining Units & Vendors Majority Score 4.9 The majority, 4 of 5, compliments Rick on his settlement of a difficult library contract negotiation and his constructive role in almost all union relationships. He has been successful in keeping the secondary school project on time and on budget through his work with the contractors and their subs. Minority Score 3.0 Mr. White does not always handle bargaining situations with the sensitivity expected of a town manager. Negotiations with the library union are an example of this. Others include Mr. White's negotiations in handling the retirement of a key employee. It was well below expectations. It was likewise in his handling negotiations for health insurance. Community Relations Majority Score 4.8 The majority, 4 of 5, concurs with the apt observation, "response to the public can be tricky because not all requests/ demands are reasonable... When I have received complaints on this subject, it has been because someone didn't like the answer not because s /he didn't get an answer." Rick has developed good rapport with the business sector and the newspaper, which have been effective in developing community relations. His outreach on diversity issues has been exemplary. Rick has empowered his staff to reach out to the community, making his organization even more effective in their support of community initiatives. i.e. Last Night, Town Celebration activities. His involvement in the 20/20 process and Senior Siting Committee has been acknowledged as extraordinarily helpful. The restructuring of the DPW department has led to effective response to snow removal, an important and often under appreciated effort.