HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-09-28-AC-min
September 28, 2006
Minutes
Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee
September 28, 2006
Place and time: Room 111, Town Office Building, 7:30 PM
Members present: Alan Levine (Chair), Deborah Brown (Vice-Chair), John Bartenstein
(Secretary), Pam Hoffman, David Kanter, Mike Kennealy, Eric Michelson, Rob
Addelson (ex officio, non-voting)
Others present: Tom Diaz and Tom Griffiths, School Committee; John Fedorochko
The meeting was called to order at 7:40 PM.
Alan Levine provided an update on the recent Selectman’s meeting (9/25). Points from
the Selectman’s meeting included:
- Discussion of a recent Boston Globe article about post-retirement benefits and the
need to address that issue.
- The Bicycle Advisory Committee is applying for a grant from the Mass.
Department of Conservation and Recreation for trail improvement along the bike
path.
- The Communications Advisory Committee is conducting a performance
evaluation of LexMedia.
- Rob Addelson made a presentation on water and sewer rate options. There are 4
options, all of which result in a 7-8% revenue increase. There is no retained
earnings policy yet but that is in process, as the Town is getting a better handle on
actual consumption. Three of the options include taking $500,000 from water
retained earnings to mitigate rate increases.
- The 2020 Vision Economic Development Scoping Group presented their findings,
including a recommendation to define the role of an Economic Development
Officer.
- The Selectmen discussed the proposed new DPW facility including the prospect
of a joint facilities maintenance group, and the size of the proposed facility
including the size of the vehicle storage area.
Tom Diaz provided an update on a few issues that the School Committee is addressing:
- The School Committee has been in discussions about the organization chart of a
new joint maintenance group that would report directly to Carl Valente and Paul
Ash. The organization would include a new building commissioner, a
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September 28, 2006
supervisory staff for building maintenance including 5 custodians, and custodial
services. Tom will send a draft organization chart. They have not resolved what
the budget would be.
- There are two financial reporting issues: (1) special education; (2) some capital
expenses were charged to the operating budget and netted off. The business
office was not getting notified soon enough about out of district placements.
Supplies budgets will potentially be cut back because of these overruns; the
override was intended to bring supply budgets back to FY04 levels. The School
Committee is also discussing building reserves or a continuing balance account in
the school budget for special education. It acknowledges that the $260K in FY07
was inadequate and that it will need to present historical data on expenses to
demonstrate the need for a reserve. This Committee discussed whether or not that
reserve fund should be in the school budget or the general fund.
This Committee discussed the recommendations of the Financial Policy Committee.
Deborah Brown proposed that this Committee decide which of the recommendations
requires immediate recommendation for the FY2008 budget, in particular looking at
reserve levels.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Kennealy
Approved February 22, 2007
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