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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-02-26-AC-min 02/26/15 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee February 26,2015 Place and time- Town Office Building, Parker Room, 7.30 p.m Members present Glenn Parker, Chair, John Bartenstem, Vice Chair and Secretary; Mollie Garberg; Alan Levine, Beth Masterman, Susan McLeish, Enc Michelson, Richard Neumeier, Andrei Radulescu-Banu, Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Members absent None Other attendees Deborah Brown, Town Moderator The meeting was called to order at 7 37 p.m. 1 Announcements. Mr Radulescu-Banu noted that a recent Lexington Minuteman article that discussed the plans for addressing current and projected school capacity needs did not appear to correctly characterize plans for Harrington Elementary School Based on a situation ansmg from a recent School Committee meeting, Mr Parker urged members to distinguish clearly between personal views and positions of this Committee, and to be cognizant of the potential for the public to misunderstand what is said when misreported or heard second-hand 2. Consent Agenda for Annual Town Meeting (ATM). Ms Brown discussed a proposal to present a "consent agenda"to the 2015 ATM It would include pre-selected, non-controversial, and administrative articles for presentation as a single motion. She noted that this is done in other Towns, and that this year's long warrant provides an opportunity to introduce the idea as a pilot program this sprang. She identified articles that might be included and made the following comments • The included articles would be identified and described well in advance of being presented. • Only articles that are unanimously supported by the BoS, the Capital Expenditures Committee, and this Committee would be included. • Any article that becomes controversial would be removed, this is preferable to having extended discussion on the consent agenda item as a whole • If any of the included articles require a 2/3rds vote, the consent agenda would require a 2/3rds vote Committee member comments included the following • There should be clearly identified parameters for determining inclusion on the agenda. • Town Meeting members need to understand the process for removing an article from the agenda. • There should be time allowed at Town Meeting for questions regarding the included articles, discussion should not be curtailed. • Articles that are going to be indefinitely postponed are obvious candidates for inclusion. Ms Brown asked for additional feedback at a future meeting. She will be discussing the idea with other committees 1 02/26/15 AC Minutes 3 Report to the 2015 Special and Annual Town Meetings. • Special Town Meeting (STM) #1, Article 2, Appropriate for School Facilities Capital Projects Mr Parker reported that a draft "consensus" document [by School Committee, BoS, Capital Expenditures Committee, Permanent Building Committee, and Appropnation Committee] on the next steps associated with the School Building Master Plan is in its final iterations and will form the basis of a motion. The School Committee has agreed to consider redistnctmg for the near term as well as the long term Commitments will be flexible to allow for changes in school enrollment. It is expected that the School Committee will recommend that some projects move beyond the design stage, if so, the BoS has agreed to hold a Budget Summit before releasing funds Mr Parker acknowledged that this approach is precedent-setting, but noted that the Town has never before faced complexities comparable to the current situation. A motion was made and seconded to support STM #1 Article 2 The motion passed. VOTE 9-0 • STM#2, Article 4, Appropriate for Can,Memorial Building Sidewalk Enhancement Ms McLeish reported that the current sidewalk design includes granite pavers for the handicapped unloading zone, as requested by the Histonc Distncts Commission. The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) supported a $32,000 increase in the funding request to accomplish this This matter is expected to go to the Board of Selectmen on March 5t1' Victona Buckley, Chair of the Commission on Disability, has expressed some concern about the granite pavers being potentially slippery Ms McLeish questioned the increased cost and is reluctant to support a project that isn't supported by the Commission on Disability • ATM, Article 8, Community Preservation Act (CPA)Projects Mr Radulescu-Banu will get additional information for his write-up It was noted that the CEC currently has reservations about the requests for Streetscape Improvements and Grain Mill Alley Design Funds • ATM, Article 9, Land Purchase 241 Grove Street The request for $755,000 will be used to purchase a house and land, some of which will be used for housing and some for open space • ATM, Articles 12 and 13 (Citizen Articles), Pleasant Street Sidewalk and 13 Prospect Hill Road Sidewalk It is anticipated that these projects will be moved into Article 11 (e) - Municipal Capital Projects and Equipment—Sidewalk Improvements, Additions, Designs and Easements The funds for Pleasant Street($20,000) would support a study; funds for Prospect Hill ($100,000)would be used for sidewalk construction. Ms Garberg reported that the proponents for these projects have been working on them for years Mr Bartenstem expressed concern about the cost of continued maintenance, including snow removal, for new sidewalks A motion was made and seconded to support ATM Articles 12 and 13, as discussed. The motion passed. VOTE 8-0-1 • ATM, Article 16, Appropriate for School Capital Projects and Equipment Mr Radulescu- Banu wants more information regarding the upkeep and replacement needs associated with the program to purchase iPads for 8t1i graders He questioned whether some of these items should be included in the operating budget instead of the capital budget because of their less-than-five- year life span. • ATM, Article 17, Technical Correction to the borrowing Authorization under Article 13b (School Capital) of the 2014 ATM This article seeks to correct a typographical error and is a candidate for the consent agenda. A motion was made and seconded to support ATM Article 17 The motion passed. VOTE 9-0 2 02/26/15 AC Minutes • ATM, Article 18, Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects It was noted that $350,000 for space mining at the Diamond Middle School has been removed from this request. • ATM, Article 21, Appropriate to the Post Employment Insurance Liability Fund It is currently proposed to transfer$1 86 million transfer from the Health Insurance Fund to the OPEB Fund. It was noted that this is a substantial increase over last year's appropriation of$1.2 million, and this year the Town has fiscal challenges that may take precedence over the Town's effort to fund its liability for post-employment benefits to the extent recommended. Ms Garberg added that the state budget deficit may impact Lexington's local aid receipts It was generally agreed that the BoS should be asked to consider reducing the request to $1.2 million. Additional funds can be appropriated for this purpose in the fall if it still seems wise to do so • ATM, Article 22, Adjust Retirement COLA Base for Retirees Mr Addelson reported that neither he nor the Town Manager supports this article The adjustment would result in impacted retirees receiving an additional $30 per year and would cost the Town $8,220 per year He said that the Lexington retirement package for municipal employees is better than the package in other towns because of the greater amount Lexington contributes to the cost of health insurance for retirees It was noted that approval would increase the Town's unfunded pension liability A motion was made and seconded to support ATM Article 22 The motion failed. VOTE 3-6 • ATM, Article 23, Accept Chapter 235 of'the Acts of 1994 This proposal would allow firefighters who have been laid off and recalled within three years to continue to paying into the retirement system for up to the three years They then receive credit for those years when calculating their years of service for retirement purposes This provision would also potentially increase the Town's unfunded pension liability A motion was made and seconded to support ATM Article23 The motion passed. VOTE 8-1 • ATM, Article 24 Bonds and Notes Premiums Mr Addelson reported that a bond was recently issued that included three school projects and the Town received a premium of$138,033 It was agreed that a motion to appropriate the premium to lower the debt service on the borrowing would be an appropriate item for a consent agenda A motion was made and seconded to support ATM Article 24 The motion passed. VOTE 9-0 The meeting was adjourned at 10 07 p.m The documents used at the meeting are listed below Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved July 9, 2015 Exhibits 1 Agenda, posted by Glenn Parker 3