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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-27-AC-min 10/27/2021 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) October 27, 2021 Place and Time: Remote Participation: in accordance with Section 20 of Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021 "An Act Relative to Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency", communication took place via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; Anil Ahuja; John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Meg Muckenhoupt; Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Member(s)Absent: None Other Attendees: Eileen Jay, Vice-Chair, School Committee; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Mr. Parker reviewed the authorization for meeting remotely, noted that the meeting was being called to order at 7:32 p.m. on October 27, 2021, stated that the meeting was being recorded for the purpose of creating minutes, and confirmed attendance by roll call. Announcements and Liaison Reports Ms. Muckenhoupt reported on efforts by the Stone Building Feasibility/Re-Use Committee (ad hoc) to prepare a report by December on potential future uses for the Stone Building. The building is owned by the Town and is under the control of the Library Trustees, who have said that they do not wish to use the building for library purposes. The deed shows that it was given to the Town and cannot be sold. Ten years ago, it was determined that renovating the building to meet then-current standards, including the Americans with Disability Act, would be approximately $1.6 million. The Community Preservation Committee would need to know the intended use of the building before it would support the use of Community Preservation Act funds for such a renovation. No Town entity or non-profit has been identified that would fund operating costs. Preparation of the Committee Report to Special Town Meeting (STM) 2021-1 Mr. Parker asked for comments on the draft report that he had distributed. Suggestions were made to clarify text, and it was agreed that additional non-substantial edits would be forwarded to Mr. Parker. Ms. Kosnoff responded to questions, with comments including the following: • Although the Town Manager wants to adopt procedures that move available funds into the Capital Stabilization Fund (CSF), he also wants to maintain flexibility regarding that effort to avoid any hardships. • Free cash has been appropriated into the CSF in the past; there was discussion of whether the current proposal is the first time recurring revenue would be used for this purpose. • Excluded debt service is not expected to increase when the police station project debt service becomes due because the debt service on other projects will be decreasing at about the same time. • The recommended $200,000 appropriation into the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Stabilization Fund reflects a reduction in the transportation operating expenses line item in the budget. A $200,000 Massachusetts Department of Transportation grant, which must be used for transportation operating expenses, will then be used for that purpose. 1 10/27/2021 AC Minutes • The reason for the recommended increase in the Fire Department Personal Services line item relates less to Covid 19 related overtime, and more to the level funding of overtime while hourly salary rates were increasing. • There will be a recommendation to indefinitely postpone Article 8: Climate Action Plan because the Sustainability Director is leaving her position and it is better to have her replacement review the request prior to bringing it to Town Meeting. During the discussion, votes on two articles were taken as follows: • A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 3: Establish, Dissolve and Appropriate To and From Specified Stabilization Funds. The motion was approved by a roll call vote. VOTE: 8-0. • A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 4: Amend FY2021 Operating and Enterprise Budgets. The motion was approved by a roll call vote. VOTE: 8-0. A motion was made and seconded to approve the report, subject to minor editorial revisions identified and made by the Chair. The motion was approved by a roll call vote. VOTE: 8-0. Mr. Parker said he expects to have the final draft of the report ready for a final review by Friday evening and the report ready for publishing by Sunday evening. It was agreed that meetings would be posted for 7 p.m. on the nights of the STM, starting November 8, 2021. Consent Agenda Mr. Parker reviewed the draft consent agenda. There was discussion about the three parts of Article 6: Appropriate for Community Preservation Projects, of which two are included in the draft consent agenda, while the third component a request that a previous appropriation be used for the installation of a new prefab bathhouse at the Old Res rather than renovating the existing bathhouse—has no monetary request but is not included on the draft consent agenda. After discussion, it was agreed that it would be logical for the third component to be included, and that recommendation will be shared with the Town Moderator. There were no other recommended changes. Minutes of Prior Meetings A motion was made and seconded to approve the draft minutes for October 20, 2021, with edits prepared by Mr. Levine. The motion was approved by a roll call vote. VOTE: 8-0. A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 8:23 p.m. The motion was approved by roll call vote. VOTE: 8-0 Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Approved: November 9, 2021 Exhibits • Agenda, posted by Mr. Parker • Draft Consent Agenda for STM 2021-1 2