HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-24-2020-min
Town of Lexington
Lexington 20/20 Vision Committee
Minutes of Meeting of October 24, 2014
20/20 Vision Committee
A meeting of the was held on Friday, October 24, 2014 at 7:45 a.m. in the Parker Room in the
Town Office Building at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue.
Members Present:
Fernando Quezada, Dan Krupka, Joe Pato, Ginna Johnson
Staff:
Melissa Jones
Others Present:
Marian Cohen
Members Absent:
Saatvik Ahluwalia, Alan Wrigley, Andrew Dixon, Bhumip Khasnabish, Peter Enrich, Margaret
Coppe, Peter Lee, Carroll Ann Bottino,Matthew Pronchik
Action Items:
Invite Donna Hooper to attend November or December meeting (Melissa)
Submit outline for study of community models of multicultural integration to Town Manager (Melissa)
The meeting was called to order at 7:55 a.m. and acted on the following items:
Approve minutes from September 26, 2014:
Tabled due to lack of quorum.
20/20 as a learning process: ‘next generation’ initiatives:
Fernando referenced the ‘What Makes a Good Citizen’
handout, written by Dr. Peter Levine, that Candy had previously shared with the Committee. He noted that this write-up
addresses civic culture and mentality, and that the Committee can incorporate these concepts into its discussions. Melissa
shared some information on her background, and how she got into the field of local government. She noted that her
fellowship program is part of the ‘next generation’ initiatives coordinated by the International City/County Management
Association (ICMA), which seek to engage students, early career professionals, and career-changers in the field of local
government management. Melissa noted that e-government (online services, engaging with government online) and
livable communities are two examples of topics that are relevant to millennials.
Potential new 20/20 focus areas:
Issues of diversity beyond race and ethnicity:
Tabled.
Future of e-government:
Fernando said that at the last meeting, Joe noted that some initiatives related to e-
government are already happening within Town government, so there is short-term progress on this issue. The
group discussed how the Committee’s role in this area may focus not on what we can do to keep up with digital
advancements, but rather what the consequences of those changes might be. Fernando noted that these
advancements might spark an increase in the ‘digital divide.’ Although items such as legal notices and public
meeting agendas are still required to be printed for the public (physically posted or included in the newspaper),
access to public information is becoming more electronic. Marian said that several studies have shown that
digital advancements have had a significant impact on social relationships, and that we should keep that in mind
as we move toward more digitized citizen engagement.
Capital planning and fiscal challenges:
The group reviewed Peter E.’s write-up, which outlines the challenges
that the Town is facing with planning for and funding large scale capital projects. Joe said that over the next ten
years, the Town will face significant challenges in addressing its capital needs. The group discussed both the
municipal facilities that need to be reconstructed, as well as the School enrollment issues that are driving the need
for additional space. The group noted that it will be important to set expectations and educate the community on
why the Town needs to fund these projects and the level of financial investment that this will require. This issue
is characterized as one that is deliberate and non-incremental; rather than addressing each project one-by-one,
these large scale projects should be seen as a ‘sea change’ that needs to be tackled in the coming years.
Discuss and finalize write-up for study of community models of multicultural integration:
The group reviewed Dan’s
draft write-up. Fernando noted that while this will be submitted to the Town Manager to support a project funding
request, the outlined scope is not set in stone. The specific deliverables will need to be teased out, and the budget line
item will serve as a placeholder for external consulting services. There was consensus among the group that the current
draft should be submitted to the Town manager.
Discuss updates to 20/20 web page:
Postponed until November meeting.
Meeting adjourned:
9:05 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted: Melissa Jones, Scribe
Next meeting:
Friday, November 21, 2014 in the Parker Room