HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-03-17-CEC-min
Town of Lexington
Capital Expenditures Committee
Draft
Meeting Notes
March 17, 2003, 7:30 p.m.,
Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Offices
Committee members present: Bhatia, Burnell, Hornig,
Rosenberg, Stolz
Meetings Schedule
Wednesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m., Clarke Middle School,
before TMMA briefing on budget/capital issues
Thursday, March 20, 8:00 p.m., Town Offices, Room 105,
with Appropriation Committee (attempt to reconcile budget,
reports)
Monday, March 24, 7:00, National Heritage Museum,
before first session of Town Meeting (and Wednesdays and
Mondays hereafter)
The Selectmen, meeting on the budget and other Town Meeting
articles, were joined by the School Committee,
Appropriation, and Capital Expenditures.
The Selectmen reviewed the Town Manager’s proposed
gap-filling measures to overcome the anticipated $884,000
reduction in state aid; one means of doing so was taking
into the operating/program budget the $103,000 savings vs.
anticipated from the costs of issuing nonexempt debt; a
similar administration proposal was to take the $69,000 in
savings from the as-issued vs. extimated costs of temporary
borrowing. [See exhibits distributed by Hornig; printed
copies attached to the minutes permanently on file.]
Because Capital Expenditure and Appropriation both
endorsed the notion that those $172,000 of funds, plus
$14,000 from the recap sheet not in the Town budget, ought
to be used under the 5 percent cash capital policy (thereby
reducing borrowing for capital items), Hornig presented the
committee’s cash estimate ($699,000, after the Selectmen
already diverted $100,000 from cash capital to the
operating budget, vs. the Town’s budget $512,000), and
requested that the Selectmen budget accordingly, to
accomplish two goals: to restore the integrity of the cash
capital policy, and to minimize borrowing (in a tight
fiscal period, preserve options and funding for future
identified and unknown critical needs by funding only
critical items this year; do not fund attractive, but
noncritical, items such as playgounds, traffic
improvements, skae park). During on-and-off discussions
during the evening, the Selectmen finally voted 3-2
(Kennedy, Krieger, McSweeney vs. Kelley, McKenna) to uphold
the budgeted number and take the savings into the operating
budget, rather than allocating it to cash capital or free
cash. That has implications for borrowing, of course.
Bhatia reviewed the project discrepancies between the
committee’s recommendations and the Town budget. In brief,
the committee favored replacing the DW Skyworker equipment
($110,000 before salvage) but not the building envelope
study ($100,000), the Town Offices lighting project
($350,000), the Visitor Center rewiring ($97,000) or the
ADA enhancements ($50,000). Selectman Kelley suggested
having a Town volunteer committee do the building study
work. Two substantive surprises emerged:
1. The Town suggested that the ADA project,
instead of consisting of small items, should
be the large single item of making the fire
station entrance handicapped accessible.
2. The Town noted that NSTAR is now surveying the
Town Office Building (and other Town
buildings); the audit, which is free, will
lead to engineering recommendations for
rewiring, energy conservation, and relamping,
with possibly 80 percent of the cost borne by
NSTAR, and prospectively significant energy
cost savings (and more to come at other Town
buildings).
In this light, of course, these are different projects from
those presented to, voted on, and prioritized by the
committee, as Rosenberg pointed out to the Selectmen, who
also pointed out that given the constraint on operating
funds, Town departments are trying to set up capital line
items (accessibility, traffic signage and safety
improvements) for small expenditures they are finding
difficulty accommodating otherwise; but they are not
capital.
Bhatia also pointed out that the Hastings roof repair
($88,000) no longer seemed necessary, and the School
Committee voted formally to withdraw the request.
Before voting on these items, the Selectmen heard
discussion on the High School acoustical modification
($1,500,000) which will be 59 percent SBA reimbursable if
begun soon. They also reviewed at length small program
additions equivalent to the $56,000 in additional savings
(over the state aid cut) identified by the Town Manager,
and agreed to restore weekly recycling, weekend landfill
operation, and support for the Town website.
On Warrant Articles of interest to the committee:
Article 13 (electric utility study) will be no funding
request, but a request to reaffirm earlier Town interest in
exploring a municipal utility;
Articles 12, 14, 25 (DPW operations facility, senior
center, 201 Bedford St. disposition): the disposition
committee continues its work, having voted 6-1 in favor of
moving DPW to Hartwell Ave.; given its ongoing work, the
study committee asks the Selectmen not to take a position
now, but to be prepared to get a sense of Town Meeting on
the idea of partial private redevelopment of 201 Bedford
Street, possibly partial private development at Hartwell
Ave. No funds for DPW or senior center planning sought now,
since neither is definitively sited. Hornig restated the
Capital Expenditures position, that discussion and a
resolution on disposition are fine, but if there is
proposed legislation to actually dispose of land, the
committee needs to be so advised NOW, to take a position.
One issue might be a study of soil contamination on the
site;
Article 16: private sponsors of the skate park want to
present information on revenue-raising proposals (clinics,
etc.), and Recreation now appears to favor action, with
Recreation enterprise and tax funds;
Article 23: the Selectmen deferred voting on the three
proposed conservation parcels.
Returning to the capital funding items, having voted NOT to
restore the interest and recap savings to cash capital, the
Selectmen then voted to:
DELETE Visitor Center electrical work (CEC concurs)
DELETE building envelope study (CEC concurs)
RETAIN the ADA work as now described (CEC had opposed
on old program proposal; will have to formulate position on
new proposal; $50,000)
AWAIT DECISION/FURTHER INFORMATION on Skyworker and
Town Offices electrical/rewiring recommendations,
forthcoming from NSTAR
The joint meetings adjourned at approximately 11:20
p.m.
John S. Rosenberg