HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-10-CEC-min-AM 01:9 00
n
't Corrected Minutes of the
M n Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
APAP, November 10, 2014 (Morning)
Location and Time Town Office Building, Reed Room (111), 8.00 AM
Members Present Jill Hai, Chair, David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk, Elizabeth Barnett,
Wendy Manz
Member Absent Rod Cole
Others Present Joe Pato, Chair, Board of Selectmen (BoS), Bob Pressman, Community
Preservation Committee
Documents Presented
• Notice of Public Meeting/Agenda for November 10, 2014
• CEC Report to the 2014 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) & 2014 Special Town Meeting,
March 24, 2014 (STM), Released March 17, 2014
• Draft #2 Minutes of the CEC Meeting, October 28, 2014 (distributed by Mr Kanter's
e-mail to all CEC members, November 1, 2014 11 45 P M )
Call to Order Ms Hai called the meeting to order at 8.04 A.M
Welcome of New Committee Member Ms Hai welcomed Ms Barnett to her first meeting
of the Committee since she was sworn as a member on November 7, 2014 She fills the
vacancy created by the resignation of Bill Hadley after the August 26, 2014, meeting of this
Committee when he took out papers to start his ultimately successful campaign for election
to the Town's School Committee
Discussion of CEC Matters Relevant to the Budget Collaboration/Summit Meeting II
This Evening
Mr Pato provided information on the results of the re-valuation of the property values in
Lexington that had been accomplished by the Board of Assessors in response to direction
from the State's Department of Revenue This process required, in addition to the usual
valuation efforts, that all single-family residential properties had to have at least a desk
audit (i e , a review of all the information on the Assessors' records) and with 50% also
having at least a drive-by review of the property The findings reflect a 9 19% overall,
average, increase in the residential values without considering increases due to
enhancements made [A review of the permits pulled for enhancements in the last 10 years
was done to ensure none had been missed in the prior assessments.] But the increases
are not uniform across all values, they are skewed with, in general, the lower-end property
values increasing more than at the upper-end values While the change in values doesn't
affect the total, allowable, FY2015 tax levy—which will be set by the Board of Selectmen
next month—it does affect how that total tax burden will be distributed across the
properties
Mr Pato then discussed with the Committee that the School Committee, after evaluating
the latest information on projected enrollment it has received from the School Enrollment
Working Group and on the schools capacities from its consultant's Phase 1 report, is
expected to request that the BoS schedule a January 2015 Special Town Meeting (STM)
for the purpose of requesting appropriations for modular classrooms at the Bridge,
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Corrected Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
November 10, 2014 (Morning)
Bowman, and Fiske Elementary Schools by this September so as to be available for the
next school year There is also a companion need to address the at-capacity situation of
the pre-Kindergarten program at the new Harrington School The matter will be discussed
at the Budget Collaboration/Summit Meeting II this evening The BoS expects to have a
request for that STM on the Agenda for its November 17, 2014, meeting
While this Committee took no formal vote as to its position on either the holding of that STM
or what projects might be presented to it (e g , the School-Committee-recommended
modular classrooms) because the matter had never been discussed by the Committee,
there was general concern that any such project was being proposed on such extremely
short notice, without the benefit of a still-pending all-schools Master Plan, and without the
opportunity for the review otherwise routinely afforded by the finance committees, and
others, so Town Meeting would receive sufficient and well-based advice
Mr Pato left the meeting at 8.33 A M
Review of the Assigned Committee Member Town Department and
Committee-Liaison Responsibilities
With the addition of Ms Barnett to the Committee, the Committee discussed reassignment
of the previous assignments made when there were only 4 assigned members As
Ms Barnett expressed an interest in accepting responsibility for being the liaison with the
Department of Public Works (DPW)—previously assigned to Ms Hai—it was moved and
seconded that assignment be transferred to Ms Barnett. Vote 3-0-1 (Ms. Barnett
abstained as the matter related to her responsibilities.)
The Committee deferred any further reassignments until Mr Cole was present at the
Committee's meeting
Discuss Scope & Format for the Committee's Report to the Annual Town Meetings
Using the Committee's Report to the 2014 ATM as the example, Mr Kanter explained his
understanding of the intent—both scope & format—for each element of that report. With
that information, all the members present agreed to continue to use that scope & format.
The Committee then discussed all of the elements of the report to ensure there was a
common understanding regarding them
Mr Kanter then discussed how he approached his role as the editor of the Committee's
reports While the Committee acknowledge the enormity of the editor's role, the quality of
the resulting reports, and their value to Town Meeting members, Town Staff, other
committees and board, and the Committee itself, Mr Kanter was asked to make as much
use as he could accept of the original inputs to him by the other Committee members
Discuss How the Committee Members Should Approach Their Review of the
FY2016—FY2020 Capital Improvement Projects (CIPS) from Town Departments and
the Applications by Non-Town Entities to the Community Preservation Committee
Mr Kanter explained his own approach which included, among other matters, how this
year's CIP correlated with any prior-year input for the same project/program and, most
significantly, with any entry on this Committee's most-recent Five-Year Capital Plan
submitted to Town Meeting, whether there was adequate description of the scope of work
contemplated throughout the 5-year span, and whether the proposed timing and general
levels of funding throughout the 5-year span appeared reasonable The Committee
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Corrected Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
November 10, 2014 (Morning)
discussed how the purpose of the presentations to it and the questions the members would
have of the presenting Department or entity are to ensure the Committee fulfills its
responsibility to vet the proposals before making its report to the Town Meeting
Approval of Minutes Consideration of the Minutes for the October 28, 2014, meeting was
deferred until a future meeting
Member Concerns and Liaison Reports
Mr Kanter reported that he had advised the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) at
its November 6, 2014, meeting of this Committee's position (taken at its November 4, 2014,
meeting) that the Lower Vine Brook Paved Recreation Trail (CIP #931) should be fully
funded for FY2016, rather than the current proposal that the total amount needed would be
split between FY2016 & FY2017 The CPC, after having heard the presentation of that CIP
and discussed it, took a straw vote also to endorse, if the funds were available, fully funding
that project in FY2016
Ms Hai asked that each member's pre-presentation questions and comments regarding the
DPW CIPS that will be presented at this Committee's next meeting on November 18, 2014,
be sent to her by noon, November 14, 2014 She will them assemble them for distribution to
that Department and to Mr Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, so they
have them early on the 17th
Adjourn A Motion was made and seconded at 9 53 A.M to adjourn Vote 4-0
These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on December 9, 2014
(Clerical error corrected on December 12, 2014)
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