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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-09-23-AC-min 9/23/14 Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee September 23,2014 Place and time- Parker Room, Town Office Building, 7 30 p.m Members present Glenn Parker, Chair, John Bartenstem, Vice Chair and Secretary; Alan Levine, Beth Masterman, Susan McLeish, Eric Michelson, Richard Neumeier, Andrei Radulescu-Banu, Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent Mollie Garberg Other attendees Ada Wong, Vice-Chair, Chamber of Commerce, Pam Shadley, Secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Melisa Tintocalis, Economic Development Director, Dawn McKenna, Chair, Tourism Committee The meeting was called to order at 7 35 p.m. 1 Visitors' Center. Mr Addelson reported that, at last Monday's Board of Selectmen (BoS) meeting, the BoS took positions on two proposals that will assist the Town in assuming responsibility for operating the Visitors' Center, starting immediately • The BoS approved a recommendation asking this Committee to transfer $35,000 from the reserve fund into the Economic Development Department's budget for use in Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) The funds, half of which are intended for personal services (i e , personnel) and the balance for expenses, to be used pnmanly for purchasing gift shop merchandise, will serve as a bridge loan. • The BoS approved the establishment of a Visitors' Center revolving fund with a spending limit of$100,000 in FY15 The creation of a new revolving fund also requires the approval of this Committee Mr Addelson said that the Chamber of Commerce has assisted the Town in analyzing the Visitors' Center financial needs through June 2015, and the transition has been orderly In response to questions, he, Ms Tintocalis, Ms Wong, and Ms Shadley explained. • The current Visitors' Center staff(one fulltime, four part-time)will become Town employees with benefits, including participation in the retirement system or a deferred compensation program under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA), depending on the number hours for which they are hired. The latter does not involve any Town obligations • A Visitors' Center staff member with merchandising experience recently retired. Remaining is a full-time employee who acts as the supervisor Ms Tintocalis will be overseeing the operation, and she is consulting with the Tounsm Committee • The unemployment issues, if the Town eventually decides to hire a contractor to operate the Visitors' Center, have not been fully identified, although the unemployment insurance for those employees is not significant. • The value of the current inventory in the gift shop is being assessed at wholesale • It has not yet been determined how the Chamber's financial obligations to the Town, which are currently in arrears, will be handled. 1 9/23/14 Minutes • Visitors' Center renovations, as discussed last spring, have been put on hold and are part of the current discussions • Technical equipment and capabilities, such as copying machines and the ability to accept credit cards, are being discussed. The current cash register will continue to be used. • The largest gift shop vendors have agreed to work with the Town. • Stock for the gift shop has not been replenished recently, and this is a necessary first step Orders are being placed this week. • Even if the Visitors' Center wasn't selling merchandise, it would still serve an important role in the Town, and it would still need to be staffed. • If the gift shop can't cover the costs of operating the Visitors' Center, additional funding will be requested at the Annual Town Meeting, which will provide this Committee with an opportunity to revisit the undertaking in March. Concerns and comments expressed by members of this Committee included the following • Before paying the Chamber for the gift shop inventory, the Town should consider offsetting the amount the Chamber owes the Town. • Both short term and long term Visitors' Center needs should be identified. • To be successful, this enterprise needs input from a merchandiser with retail expertise • Information from other Towns that operate Visitors' Centers could be useful • The Town should evaluate the pros and cons of operating the Visitors' Center with and without a gift shop • The Visitors' Center is a valuable resource with or without the gift shop • An update on this matter should be brought to this Committee no later than April 2015 Ms McKenna explained that Carla Fortman, a founder of the gift store Crafty Yankee and volunteer for the Histoncal Society, shares her retail expertise for the gift shops in Lexington's historic houses Ms McKenna believes the Town and the Histoncal Society can work collaboratively and recommended there be joint discussions about the long term roles to be played by each. A motion was made and seconded to approve the transfer of$35,000 from the reserve fund to the Economic Development budget for the Visitors' Center, with $17,500 going to personal services and the balance for expenses of operating the facility The motion passed. VOTE 8-0 A motion was made and seconded to approve the creation of a revolving fund, with a FY 15 spending ceiling of$100,000, for use in operating the Visitors' Center The motion passed. VOTE 8-0 2. Budget Process. Mr Addelson reported that he expects the budget planning schedule, including the dates for staff presentations to the BoS, to be available by the end of the week. Mr Parker suggested that having Appropriation Committee coverage at the BoS budget presentations would be valuable, it is unlikely that these sessions are recorded. They are usually held over a period of several days It was noted that the first budget summit is planned for October 8t11 Mr Addelson reported that Theo Kalivas, Budget Officer, is leaving Lexington and joining the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services It is anticipated that it will take two months to fill the position. 2 9/23/14 Minutes 3 Liaison Reports. Ad hoc School Master Planning Committee (AhSMPC) Mr Levine reported that he reviewed the two reports that were presented to the School Committee last week. one from the Enrollment Working Group (working group) and one from Symmes, Maini, and McKee Associates (SMMA), consultants for the school master planning project. Mr Levine developed school enrollment projections that suggest an increase of approximately 600 students between now and 2019, whereas the working group projects 672 new students In either case, the increases need to be addressed. Mr Levine added that Clarke Middle School will need additional space in three to four years, but the immediate demand is at the elementary level in 2015-2016 Although Estabrook Elementary School (Estabrook)has four extra classrooms, the other five elementary schools are currently at or exceeding capacity, and the anticipated student increases in 2015-2016 create a situation that challenges Lexington's educational policies Redistricting alone will not resolve the problem The SMMA report suggests using general classroom space for art and music programs until a long term solution is implemented at the elementary level, but the School Committee has traditionally expressed strong support for separate art and music rooms Mr Levine concluded his report by saying that the Ad hoc School Master Planning Committee has asked SMMA to provide costs and pros and cons for addressing the 2015-2016 elementary school capacity needs by adding modular classrooms and/or by moving pre-kindergarten students from the Harrington Elementary School into the School Administration Building. The latter is complicated because, although the School Administration Building has some available space, the building will need to be upgraded to meet current school building codes Water/Sewer Rates Mr Bartenstem reported that the BoS had recently set the Town's Water and Sewer rates for FY2015, and that there would be a 2%increase in combined water/sewer rates for the average consumer He hopes that, in the future, the BoS will consider his suggestions with respect to the water usage projections that are used to determine the rate changes and the management of surplus revenue 4 Next Meetings. Mr Parker will arrange for meeting space on October 22 and October 29 The meeting was adjourned at 9 00 p.m The documents used at the meeting are listed below Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved November 20, 2014 Exhibits 1 Agenda, posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 3