Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-03-12-AC-min 2014-03-12 Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee March12,2014 : Robbins Room, Cary Memorial Building, 7:30 p.m. : Glenn Parker, Chair; Robert Cohen; Mollie Garberg;Alan Levine; Susan McLeish;Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Jonina Schonfeld Members Absent:John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) The meeting was called to order at 7:37p.m. Announcements: 1.Mr. Levine reported that the Town has implemented a direct line telephone system for contacting Town employees. If one calls the old Town Office building number, the previously-used three digit extensions do not function; five digit extensions are required. Mr. Parker reported the following: th If there is time after the March 24Special Town Meeting (STM), non-financial articles for the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) will be addressed that night. st Minuteman Technical High School staff will attend the March 31ATM session to present the school’s budget request included in Article 4: Appropriate FY2015 Operating Budget. The Board of Selectmen (BoS) is not expected to take a position on the two STM articles th until its Monday, March 17meeting; the Appropriation Committee’s report to the th March 24STM is being written without that knowledge. After considerable discussion at their last meeting, the BoS voted 3-1-1 on Article 8: Appropriate the FY2015 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects; Part g): LexHAB Set-Aside Funds for Development of Community Housing at the Busa Property. At their last meeting, the BoS supported a policy regarding the funding of Other Post Employment Benefit liabilities. The amount allocated each year will vary according to the financial condition of the Town. It was agreed that the projection in the Appropriation Committee’s report to the ATM should use a conservative estimate for the amount that will be requested in future years. The funding request for the Community Center sidewalk will be for $100,000: $80,000 from Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds and the balance from the general fund. CPA funds cannot be used for the portion of the sidewalk that uses a right-of-way that crosses private property. Draft Minutes from last week are still being circulated for comments. Report(s) to the Upcoming Annual and Special Town Meetings: 2.Mr. Parker asked that all edits to the reports be submitted to him by Sunday. 1 2014-03-12 Minutes This Committee briefly reviewed and voted on the following STM articles: Article 2: Cary Memorial Building Upgrades: It was noted that the Community Preservation Committee will be making a formal request for the CPA funds identified for this project. Mr. Neumeier indicated that he will say very little at Town Meeting about this Article because it will be covered thoroughly by other committees. It was moved and seconded to support Article 2. VOTE: 8-0 Article 3: Amend Article 5 of November 4, 2013 Special Town Meeting, Renovation to Community Center: It was moved and seconded to support Article 3. VOTE: 8-0 This Committee briefly reviewed and voted on the following ATM financial articles: Article 4: Appropriate FY2015 Operating Budget: It was moved and seconded to support Article 4. VOTE: 8-0 Article 5: Appropriate FY2015 Enterprise Funds Budgets: It was moved and seconded to support Article 5. VOTE: 8-0 Article 6: Appropriate for Senior Service Program: It was noted that this program is not highly subscribed to by senior citizens. It is hoped that the program can be made more attractive inthe future. It was moved and seconded to support Article 6. VOTE: 8-0 Article 7: Establish and Continue Departmental Revolving Funds: It was moved and seconded to support Article 7. VOTE: 8-0 Article 8: Appropriate the FY2015 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects. It was noted that although the Community Preservation Committee supports Part b) Visitor Center –Design Phase, a scope for the design is not yet available, and the Tourism Committee and the Historical Society continue to have different opinions about what the scope should entail. Mr. Cohen and Mr. Michelson agreed to get additional information about Part b) before this Committee’s next meeting. Additionally, Mr. Cohen reported that he does not support Part g) LexHAB Set-Aside Funds for Development of Community Housing at the Busa Property. It was moved and seconded to support Article 8without Parts b) and g).VOTE: 8-0 Article 8,Part g): Appropriate the FY2015 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects: LexHAB Set-Aside Funds for Development of Community Housing at the Busa Property. It was moved and seconded to support Article 8,Part g). VOTE: 7-1 Article 9: Appropriate for Recreation Capital Projects: It was moved and seconded to support Article 9. VOTE: 8-0 Article 10: Appropriate for Municipal Capital Projects and Equipment: It was noted that the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) does not support Article 10, Part l) Traffic Island Renovation because the members consider the proposed to beextravagant. There was discussion about the Town’s efforts to encourage business development on Hartwell Avenue; this project is part of that goal. It was moved and seconded to support Article 10. VOTE: 8-0 Article 11: Appropriate for Water System Improvements: It was moved and seconded to support Article 11. VOTE: 8-0 2 2014-03-12 Minutes Article 12: Appropriate for Wastewater System Improvements: It was noted that the funding request in the Warrant for this Article is incorrect;the Motion at Town Meeting will be for $1.8 million. It was moved and seconded to support Article 12. VOTE: 8-0 Article 13: Appropriate for School Capital Projects and Equipment: It was moved and seconded to support Article 13. VOTE: 8-0 Article 14: Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects: It was noted that Part k) Fire Station Headquarters Design will be indefinitely postponed. It was moved and seconded to support Article 14, Parts a) through j). VOTE: 8-0 Article 15: Appropriate toPost Employment Insurance Liability Fund: It was noted that $1 million of the funding for this Article will be made available, indirectly,by use of that amount from the Health Insurance Claims Trust Fundfor the Town’s GICpremiums. The other $119,000 in funding for the Article represents reimbursements for Medicare Part D expenditures. It was moved and seconded to support Article 15. VOTE: 7-0-1; Ms. Schonfeld abstained until she has time to review this Article further; she will update her vote next week. Article 16: Rescind Prior Borrowing Authorizations: It was noted that the premium on the debt issued for Bridge, Bowman and Estabrook schools (excluded debt) can be appropriated towards the cost of the projects if the rescission is approved (thereby reducing the borrowing necessary and the associatedinterest costs). It was moved and seconded to support Article 16. VOTE: 8-0 Article 17: Establish and Appropriate to and from Specified Stabilization Funds: It was noted that this Article will include voting funds into and out of various stabilization funds. It was moved and seconded to support Article 17. VOTE: 8-0 Article 18: Appropriate to Stabilization Fund: it was noted that this Article will be indefinitely postponed. Article 19: Appropriate from Debt Service Stabilization Fund: It was noted that this is a “bookkeeping” process being used for the schools. It was moved and seconded to support Article 19. VOTE: 8-0 Article 20: Appropriate for Prior Years’ Unpaid Bills: It was noted that the Town owes $30,940 for streetlight work performed in a prior fiscal year; the Town wasn’t billed at the time. It was moved and seconded to support Article 20. VOTE: 8-0 Article 21: Amend FY2014 Operating and Enterprise Budgets: Specifics for this Article are pending. Article 22: Appropriate for Authorized Capital Improvements: It was noted that this Article will request $495,000 to supplement the $7,700,000previously authorized for installing modular buildings at Lexington High School; this will be a two phase project. This Article will also cover the appropriations of bond premiums received from the issuance of bonds for the Bowman/Bridge and Estabrook School projects. It was moved and seconded to support Article 22.VOTE: 8-0 Article 23: Amendments to the District Agreement of the Minuteman Regional Vocational School District: This is not a financial article, but this Committee is taking a position on it because it may affect the Town’s assessments. 3 2014-03-12 Minutes It was moved and seconded to support Article 23. VOTE: 8-0 . Article 24: Public Transportation in Lexington: It was noted that this article did not have financial implications and this Committee would not take a position on it. Article 25: Establish Qualifications for Tax Deferrals: This Article will be indefinitely postponed. It was noted that this Committee would not take positions on subsequent articles because they do not have financial implications.It is anticipated that this Committee will vote on the final report to the March 2014 ATM at next Wednesday’s meeting. There was a motion and second to accept the draft Report to the March 2014 Special Town Meeting with minor edits and technical corrections. VOTE: 8-0 th Future Meetings: 3.The next meeting will be held on March 19at 7:30 p.m. Starting th March 24, meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays when Town Meeting is scheduled. The meeting was adjourned at 9:26p.m. A list of documents and other exhibits used at the meetingisset forth below. Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved March 19, 2014 Exhibits 1.Meeting Agenda posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 4