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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-09-30-AC-min 9/30/15 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee September 30,2015 Place and time- Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, 7 30 p.m Members present Glenn Parker, Chair, John Bartenstem, Vice Chair and Secretary; Kate Colburn, Alan Levine, Eric Michelson, Richard Neumeier, Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent Beth Masterman, Mollie Garberg; Andrei Radulescu-Banu Other attendees Joe Pato, Chair, Board of Selectmen (BoS), Elaine Ashton, Town Meeting member The meeting was called to order at 7 36 p.m. 1 Announcements. Mr Bartenstem and Mr Parker reported having attended a recent Conflict of Interest training session provided by the Town. They urged committee members to complete the required on-line training if they are not currently in compliance It was noted that if an ethics violation is pursued for such non-compliance, the individual member will be held personally accountable 2. Committee Reports for the Two Fall Special Town Meetings (STM). Mr Pato reported that he expects two warrants to be signed by the Selectmen on Monday for STMs, as follows • November 2nd STM. This will be for non-school related articles, including the following Wayland's request to leave the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School distract, which must be approved by all of the member communities to be accepted. A transfer of land at Busa Farm to Lexington Housing Assistance Board. A funding request for water system improvements under Massachusetts Avenue in areas east of Lexington center, this timing allows for summer of 2016 improvements to be completed pnor to the 2017 State traffic improvement projects that are anticipated. Mr Addelson commented that this will likely be paid using cash and debt. A request for Community Preservation Act(CPA) funds for improvements to the affordable housing planned for Wright Farm A funding request (approximately $25K) for a fire station site study to determine how the current site could be used to meet fire station needs An update to the Fiscal Year 2016 operating budget to reflect the financial settlement associated with a prior purchase of a fire engine CPA adjustments based on the amounts that will be allocated by the State • December 2nd STM. The warrant for this STM, which will be opened on November 2 but then adjourned to a later date, tentatively December 2, to permit additional preparation by the boards, committees and staff, will be for school-related articles, including the following A funding request for design development for Clarke and Diamond Middle Schools, and possibly for Fiske Elementary School, based on plans that have been developed over the past year A funding request for a Hastings Elementary School feasibility study to meet Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) guidelines 1 9/30/15 AC Minutes A funding request for purchasing and renovating the Armenian Sisters' Academy on Pelham Road in Lexington to accommodate elementary public school students A required second access road would most likely be through the Lexington Community Center site Target dates associated with preparing the STM reports were identified. • October 5t1i The BoS expect to finalize the two warrants The motions will not be available until later • October 7t1i John Livsey, Town Engineer, and Fire Chief John Wilson will be invited to this Committee's meeting. • October 14t1i Mr Addelson will provide preliminary financial impact analyses, these will be subject to change, but changes should be relatively minor • October 15th-26t1i Mr Parker is traveling; Ms Masterman has agreed to play the lead role in preparing the report for the November 2nd STM • October 22nd This Committee approves its report for the November 2nd STM • October 26t1i This Committee publishes its report for the November 2nd STM • November 19t1i This Committee approves its report for the December 2nd STM • November 23rd This Committee publishes its report for the December 2nd STM Mr Parker agreed to create a spreadsheet with proposed committee member assignments for the vanous sections of the reports Background material for some sections of the report can be started now It was noted that there are also two Budget Summits scheduled in preparation for the spnng 2016 Annual Town Meeting October 8t1i and November 12th Discussion included the following comments and answers to questions • Town Meeting needs to receive a broad review of the financial impacts on taxpayers of the vanous school projects, including the high school heating, ventilation, air conditioning needs, coupled with the town requirements, including a new fire station and police station. • Any financing for vanous school and town facilities that doesn't come from excluded debt would impact the capital stabilization fund, regularly scheduled capital projects, and/or services • The impact of seeking 30 year bonds versus 20 year bonds is being reviewed. • A previous analysis involving most of the projects being contemplated indicated that the impact on the taxpayer in 2021 would increase to levels of concern. • Opening another school, such as on Pelham Road, would impact the operating budget; those impacts need to be identified and understood. • The Lexington Community Center does not add appreciably to the operating costs in the near future • Lexington should know in December whether the MSBA approves the renovation/rebuilding of Hasting Elementary School, it is expected that the Town would save $20-30 million with MSBA assistance 3 Minutes. Some minor edits were recommended for the Open and Executive Session Minutes for September 9, 2015 A motion was made and seconded to approve this Committee's Open Session and Executive 2 9/30/15 AC Minutes Session Minutes for September 9, 2015, with edits, as requested. The motion passed. VOTE 6-0 4 Liaison Reports. • Mr Michelson reported on plans to rebuild the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School (Minuteman Tech),which will cost approximately $145 million. MSBA has approved the project with a maximum reimbursement plan of 40%, current MSBA approved projects are for no more than 31% Lexington's share, based on enrollment, which can fluctuate, would be approximately $475,000 per year for 30 years It was noted that this results in a 50% increase in the Town's annual Minuteman Tech obligations If funding isn't approved and the school closes, Lexington students who want to attend a technical school would need to go to an out-of-distract facility for which the Town pays tuition and transportation costs It can be challenging to find space in out-of-distract technical schools • Ms Colburn reported that there are plans to lease space for three years that will accommodate the pre-kindergarten program starting in the fall of 2016 A new/renovated facility for pre-kindergarten needs to be available by the fall of 2019 if the lease is not extended. • Ms Colburn reported that the School Committee discussed using a portion of the $4,080,000 appropriated for school projects at the March, 2015 Special Town Meeting to further the design of standard modular buildings, which could be used at overcrowded schools in fall 2016 if the purchase of the Pelham Road property does not materialize • Ms Colburn shared concerns expressed by citizens at a recent School Committee meeting about spending $15 million to renovate the Pelham property, which would allow only 5 years of useful life before more investment would be needed. • Mr Bartenstem reported on the current status of FY2016 water and sewer rate-making proceedings, which are due for a final determination by the BoS on Monday, October 5 and the feedback he has provided to Town Staff and the BoS dunng the process There was discussion of the usage estimates on which the rates are based,usage trends, the availability of Section 1 irrigation readings from the summer as a proxy for anticipated town-wide usage in the coming fiscal year, and the management and use of fund surpluses Mr Addelson noted that the final staff recommendation is still under consideration and emphasized that to the extent there is conservatism in the usage projections, the primary concern is to protect the mtegnty of the Town's finances 5 Adjournment: The Committee adjourned at 9 33 p.m The documents used at the meeting are listed below Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved October 7, 2015 3 9/30/15 AC Minutes Exhibits 1 Agenda, posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 2 Historical Water and Sewer Usage and Projections, FY2015 Projections, prepared by Mr Bartenstem 4