HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013, To the Future Citizens of Lexington from the Board of Selectmen rU �� -V Z50WH 0f kcxingtou:
OFFICE OF SELECTMEN
DEBORAH N.MAUGLR,CHAIRMAN
PETER C.3.KELLEY
NORMAN P.COHEN TEL;(781)862-0500 x208
HANK MANZ FAX: (781)863-9468
JOSEPH N.PATO
May 6, 2013
To the Future Citizens of Lexington:
We have spent the last year celebrating the 300th anniversary of the incorporation of
Lexington. There is much to appreciate about our community. We continue to maintain a strong
financial position; our public schools are consistently outstanding; our home values remain
strong and we are continuing to develop our commercial properties with biomedical corporations
most recently identifying Lexington a desired community in which to do business. And, during
this last year, we are proud to have been able to purchase the land and buildings off of 33 Marrett
Road to be dedicated to creating a community center.
The Board of Selectmen is committed to creating policies that will strengthen our
community's health, welfare and diversity. The dedication of hundreds of community
volunteers, and approximately 1,200 public school and 350 municipal department staff, work to
support our community values, lifelong education and access to recreational and cultural
resources. Our current challenges include:
• Ensuring the property tax burden is not solely placed on residential properties;
• Maintaining a strong financial position while managing future liabilities, including
employee and retiree health care benefits;
• Developing a capital plan for our municipal and school buildings;
• Determining the goal and strategy for our affordable housing efforts; and
• Maintaining our roadways while developing transportation plans that are not centered
on single occupancy vehicles.
Our longer term challenges include:
• Managing our response to climate change;
• Developing alternative energy resources; and
• Creating alternative modes of transportation.
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE• LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
e-mail selectmen@lexingtonma.gov
Future Citizens of Lexington May 6, 2013
Page Two
As we as a community of approximately 11,000 households and 33,000 citizens of
diverse cultural heritage have celebrated our 300th anniversary, we are aware of the appreciation
we owe to the prior generations of Lexington whose dedication and work provided the
foundation for the Lexington of 2013. We hope that you,the citizens of the future, enjoy and
value Lexington as much as we do today.
Sincerely,
ov� /�I -
bora N. Mauger, Chairman
Peter C.J. Kelley'
Norman P. Cohen
Hank Manz
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Joseph N. Pato
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