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Home My WebLink About2015-07-09-AC-min 7/09/15 Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee July9,2015 : Parker Room, Town Office Building, 7:30 p.m. : Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Alan Levine;Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Members Absent:Mollie Garberg;Beth Masterman;Andrei Radulescu-Banu; Rob Addelson, AssistantTownManagerforFinance(non-voting, ex officio) Other attendees: Susan McLeish; Margaret Coppe, School Committee; Patricia Moore, Budget Officer The meeting was called to order at 7:43p.m. Committee Membershipand Officers: 1.Mr. Parker reported that Ms. McLeish’s term of membership on this Committee was ending,and she did notseek reappointment. He thanked her for her participation, andshe thankedCommitteemembersfor theirsupport during her tenure. Town ModeratorDeborah Brownwill be appointing a new member.It was agreed to postpone the annualelection of officers until more members are present. Announcements: 2.Mr. Michelson reportedonthe following events relating to Minuteman Technical Institute (Minuteman Tech): The Town of Wayland passed an article requestingapproval toleaveMinuteman Tech as a member-community.A unanimous Minuteman Tech Board (Board) vote is requiredfor approving the request. A previous effort by the Board to change the regional district agreement that regulates the governing functionsof the member communitieshas been abandoned. The Board is focusing on the need for a new facility, which would beconsiderably less expensive than renovating. The project has been approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), triggering the need for approvalby the District within the MSBA’s timelineeither by: (1)an affirmative Town Meeting vote ofall member-communities, or (2) a majority district-wide vote in a single referendum held in allmember-communities on the same day. Ifapprovalfails, the future of the school is uncertain. It was noted that the State controls the tuition charged forout-of- district students, butthe State recently agreed thata capital funding fee can be added to the tuition. Mr. Bartenstein reported that MWRA water usage reportsfor Lexington indicated an unusual spike duringApril and May, raising concerns about a leak in the system. It now appears that there was a problem in the Town of Bedford,which has had several wells down. Bedford is incurring the costs for the necessary repairs as well as for the consumed water. 1 7/09/15 Minutes Minutes: 3.There was a review of eight sets of minutes for which technical and clarification-related edits were recommended. A motion was made and seconded to approve minutes ofmeetings on the following dates, as amended: February19,2015; February 26, 2015; March 5, 2015;March 30, 2015; April 1, 2015; April6,2015; April 8, 2015; and April 15, 2015. The motion passed. VOTE: 5-0 Adjustments to the FY2015budget 4.:Ms. Moore reported thattwo avenues are being pursued tobalanceline items in the Fiscal Year 2015(FY15)budget: Salary Adjustment Account: The Board of Selectmen(BoS)recently approved the transfer of $549,000 from the Salary Adjustment Account for allocation to the appropriate line items, as identified on a handout. When the FY15 budget was adoptedat the 2014 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), many salaries, particularly those associatedwith union contracts that were being negotiated at the time, had not been finalized. Also, buy-back policies associated with unused sicktime and vacation time resultedin the need for adjustments.The Salary Adjustment Account is a continuing balance account. At the 2015 ATM,$878,000was appropriated to the account for use during FY16. A motion was made and seconded to endorse the transfer as approved by the BoS.The motion passed. VOTE: 5-0 Reserve Fund: The Appropriation Committee controls the use of funds in the Reserve Fundto cover unanticipated expenses. FY15 legal fees exceeded those anticipated by $24,000 because of costs associated with the solar panel installation at Hartwell Avenue \[AL1\] and warrantyissues associated with an artificial turfinstallationon Lincoln Field. The current Reserve Fund balance is $634,380; the fundstartedFY15with $900,000. A motion was made and seconded to approve the transfer of $24,000 from the Reserve Fund to cover legal fees,as discussed. The motion passed. VOTE: 5-0 5.LiaisonReports: Mr. Parker reported on recent events associated with the April 2015 Special Town Meeting(STM)#1, Article 2: Appropriate for School Facilities Capital Projects. Prior totheSTM, the BoS adopted a consensus document, which outlined the anticipated approach to the project and aplan to allocate the appropriated design funds to two phases. The documentspecifies that the BoS should seek input from the school and finance committees before issuing approval to releasefunds for workbeyond Phase 1.Phase 1 includeda design and feasibility study to determine the most feasible,cost effectiveand educationally desirable approach for addressing space needs associated with increasing school enrollment. DiNisco Design Partnership was hired in the spring, and there is a summitmeetingscheduled fortwo daysnext week to review the Phase 1work. This is being done in anticipation of a requestto release thefunds reserved for the tasks that go beyond the Phase 1 effort. There was discussion about a number of alternatives for addressing enrollment increases at the elementary schools, the middle schools, and the pre-kindergarten program. It was noted that the enrollment increases at Fiske Elementary School are at the high end of projections and overcrowding is already a problem. 2 7/09/15 Minutes A number of questions about the project were identified, and Ms. Coppe agreed to forward those to the School Committee Chairin advance of the summit.This Committeestressed the need for a clear understanding of how much money has been spent, what has been accomplished withthat money, and how future project monies will be used, including a review of any aspects of the consensus document or project concepts that have changedsince last spring. Miscellaneous. 6.Mr. Neumeier discussed the financial advantages of having in-house counsel. Adjournment: 7.The meeting was adjourned at 9:13p.m. A list of documents and other exhibits used at the meeting is includedbelow. Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved September10, 2015 Exhibits 1.Meeting Agenda posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 2.Table: FY2015 Proposed Year End Transfers, presented by Ms. Moore 3