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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-12-07 SB-min Select Board Meeting December 07, 2021 A hybrid participation meeting of the Lexington Select Board was called to order at 4:03 p.m. on Tuesday, December 07, 2021 in person, and via Zoom meeting services. Present were Mr. Lucente, Vice Chair; Mr. Sandeen; Mr. Pato; and Ms. Barry; Also present were Mr. Malloy, Town Manager; and Ms. Axtell. Also present were Carol Kowalski, Asst. Town Manager for Development; James Kelly, Building Commissioner; Lorraine Garrett-Welsh, Office Manager; Karen Mullins, Conservation Director; Joanne Belanger, Public Health Director; Sheila Page, Acting Planning Director; Sandhya Iyer, Economic Development Director; Casey Hagerty, Economic Development Coordinator; Tim Goncalves, Director of Innovation and Technology; and Mike Cronin, Director of Facilities. Mr. Lucente stated that the meeting was being conducted via Zoom as posted, with the agenda on the Town’s website. Mr. Lucente provided directions to members of the public watching or listening via the Zoom application, regarding the procedure for making a public comment. Mr. Lucente reminded Board members, staff, and members of the public about Lexington’s Standard of Conduct regarding civil discourse during Town Government meetings. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 1. FY2023 Proposed Budget – Land Use Presentation Ms. Kowalski, Asst. Town Manager for Development, presented the Land Use FY2023 proposed Budget. Level Service Requests: Building & Zoning $659,173; Administration $564,150; Conservation $258,880; Health $427,884; Planning $521,240; and Economic Development $420,798. Total Level Service Budget $2,852,125. Departmental Initiatives: The Administration Division provides management oversight and administrative support to all divisions comprising the Land Use, Health and Development Department. The Building and Zoning Division is responsible for enforcing the State building, electrical, gas, and plumbing codes, the local zoning bylaw, and Architectural Access Board Regulations. The Conservation Division is responsible for administering and enforcing the State and local wetland protection codes and the State Stormwater Management Regulations, planning for, managing, and coordinating stewardship over 1,400 acres of Town-owned conservation land, and providing outreach and education concerning natural and watershed resources. The Health Division is responsible for enforcing State and local health codes, administering health screening and vaccination programs, evaluating community health needs, and developing intervention programs to prevent disease and disability. In addition, the Health Division is responsible for public health emergency preparedness and response activities as well as climate resilience, specifically assessing and developing policy on the risk and impact to public health of climate change. The Planning Office supports the Planning Board in the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, the administration of the Subdivision Regulations, the determination of adequacy of unaccepted streets, the granting of special permits for residential development, site plan review and granting of special permits within the CM District, and the review of planned development district proposals that go to Town Meeting. In addition, the staff engages in short and long-term planning in regard to growth and development issues in Lexington, being active participants in various committees dealing with issues of transportation, affordable housing, and economic development, as well as participating in regional and statewide initiatives. The Economic Development Division works to encourage new investment and to support local businesses. It serves as a liaison for businesses and works to address business-related issues from parking to updating land use policy. The Office also works to retain and expand local businesses by providing information, conducting research, supporting a visitor-based economy, and leveraging State economic development tools and resources designed to improve the business environment. The Economic Development Office also supports the visitor-based economy through tourism marketing and programs such as the Liberty Ride Trolley Tour, the Battle Green Walking Tours, and the Visitors Center retail operations. Program Improvement Requests:  ACROSS Lexington Brochures  Increase Public Health Nurse to Full-time  Senior Planner  Visitors Center Assistant Manager (PT to FT) FY2023 Capital Requests:  Transportation Mitigation  Hartwell District Signage  South Lexington and Forbes-Marrett Traffic Mitigation Plans  Town wide Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan FY2023 – 2027 CPA Project Requests:  Willard's Woods Site Improvements  West Farm Meadow Preservation  Wright Farm Barn Stabilization and Preservation In response to a question from Ms. Barry, Mr. Malloy explained that there are 18 new FTEs in the budget, many of them related to additional responsibilities generated by changes in bylaws and articles that have occurred at Town Meeting. He noted that the intention will be to educate the public and Board as to possible staffing needs for articles introduced at spring Town Meeting. In response to a question from Mr. Sandeen, it was noted that, if the Public Health Nurse PIR moves forward, this would need to be coordinated with the Town of Belmont. Mr. Lucente explained that Ms. Hai, who was unable to be present at the meeting, noted that she would like for the Senior Planner PIR to be paused until the organizational assessment can be completed. Mr. Lucente asked about alternate approached to the Hartwell District project. It was noted that a Lab Animal Revolving Fund was requested at Town Meeting, so that new lab businesses coming into Town will bear the costs of the inspections and monitoring for this item. Mr. Lucente noted that he will be interested in seeing the results of the organizational assessment for the Department. In response to a question from Mr. Sandeen regarding the proposed funding level for the Town-wide Bicycle Pedestrian Plan, it was noted that a lot of engineering work has already gone into the background for this plan. If the Capital Fund Request is not enough to fund the Plan, the intention is to use Transportation Network funding from the State. Mr. Sandeen stated that he is quite supportive of appropriating funding necessary to complete a Bicycle Pedestrian plan which would have the goal of increasing the number of people biking and walking in Lexington and improving the safety of biking and walking. Regarding the proposed funding for signage on Hartwell Avenue, Mr. Sandeen stated that he believes signage that is safety-related is appropriate, but he is hesitant to spend money on branding awareness. The Board took a five-minute recess. DOCUMENTS PRESENTED - Presentation - Land Use FY2023 Proposed Budget 2. FY2023 Proposed Budget – Information Technology Presentation Mr. Goncalves, Director of Innovation and Technology presented the Information Technology FY2023 proposed budget. Level Service Requests: IT Administration $2,655,889. Total Level Service Budget $2,655,889. Departmental Initiatives: 1. Maximize the value of current systems a. Laserfiche b. View Point Cloud c. MUNIS d. VISION e. Blue Beam f. Pro Phoenix g. Seamless Docs 2. Continue to invest in the Town's IT infrastructure and security posture a. Implement recommendations from the network assessment b. Implement recommendations from the cyber security assessment c. Investigate additional cybersecurity/security measures and services 3. Increase Customer Service Quality a. Emphasis on a customer-centric approach to working with the departments and staff 4. Focus on future visioning for IT a. Mobile work initiatives b. Hosting and re-platforming of core systems c. Unified communication d. Disaster Recovery (DR) planning and expansion of capabilities e. Network redundancy planning and implementation Program Improvement Requests:  Administrative Assistant (PT to FT)  Applications Administrator  Fiber Maintenance and Repair  Email Encryption/Decryption Software FY2023 Capital Requests:  Application Implementation  Network Core Equipment Replacement  Municipal Technology Improvement Program  Network Redundancy & Improvement Plan  Phone Systems & Unified Communications  Scanning-Electronic Document Management In response to a question from Mr. Sandeen regarding if the funding for the proposed Network Redundancy project could be effected by some of the issues with the Verizon contract, Mr. Malloy noted that these are separate items, and the project would not be effected. Mr. Lucente mentioned for Ms. Hai that she was surprised that cyber security is not one of the number one goals for the Department. Mr. Goncalves stated that cyber security is his Department’s number one goal. The Department holds a monthly meeting to address this. A cyber security assessment was completed a couple of years ago, and the Department hopes to complete another assessment soon. DOCUMENTS: Presentation - Innovation & Technology FY2023 Proposed Budget 3. FY2023 Proposed Budget – Department of Public Facilities Presentation Mr. Cronin, Director of Facilities, presented the Department of Public Facilities FY2023 proposed Budget. Level Service Requests: Education Facilities $8,657,461; Municipal Facilities $2,442,061; and Shared Facilities $1,365,021. Total Level Service Budget $12,464,543. Departmental Initiatives: DPF Goals for FY2023 include support the day-to-day operations of all town buildings, support the School Master Plan, review, and refine the 20-year capital plan information and incorporate into viable capital plan, and implement other capital and priority projects. Program Improvement Requests:  Update Admin Role and Make Full-time  Additional Maintenance Responsibilities  Maintenance of Empty Facilities FY2023 Capital Requests:  Public Facilities Bid Documents  Building Flooring  School Paving and Sidewalks  Mechanical/Electrical Systems Replacements  Municipal Building Envelopes and Associated Systems  Townwide Roofing  School Building Envelopes and Associated Systems  Lexington Police Station Rebuild  LHS Feasibility Study  LHS Science Classroom Space Mining  High School Equipment Emergency Funds FY2023 – 2027 CPA Project Requests:  Playground Enhancements - Pour-in-Place Surfaces  Center Recreation Complex Bathrooms & Maintenance Building Renovation Ms. Barry stated that she would like for the Town to start having conversations regarding the East Lexington Fire Station. She also noted that she believes it would be impactful to have solar panels on the roof of the pool building. In response to a question from Mr. Sandeen regarding if the MSBA application is denied again, Mr. Cronin explained that this will then need a larger conversation with the Town. Mr. Sandeen suggested going to Town Meeting with a Plan A and a Plan B for this item. Mr. Sandeen asked about staff’s progress in developing the High Performance Building Policy to ensure that capital plans for equipment replacement included addressing town goals. Mr. Cronin stated that staff was working to incorporate those types of goals in software they are using to manage these projects. Mr. Sandeen asked about plans for purchasing electric vehicles, noting that extremely long lead times for electric truck and transit vehicles might result in procurement delays. Mr. Sandeen asked if the Town could save money on the Center Bathroom project by considering a similar solution to the one used to address the budget constraints for the Old Reservoir project. Mr. Sandeen asked about the increases in the energy budget and about the Town’s long term supply agreements. Mr. Newell responded that the Town has entered into long-term supply agreements which will keep the Town’s energy supply expenses flat through November of 2023, but the budget increases in this budget are related to increases in electricity and natural gas delivery charges. Mr. Pato noted that he wants to make sure the layout area of the proposed center bathroom complex is outside of the new High School building area. Mr. Lucente addressed a question from Ms. Hai, regarding if the proposed updated Admin role will be coordinated with IT staff. Mr. Cronin explained that the hope is for this person to be more software friendly. There was discussion regarding the long-range building plan for the Town. Ms. Barry exited the meeting at 6:42pm. DOCUMENTS PRESENTED - Presentation - Facilities FY2023 Proposed Budget ADJOURN Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 3-0 to adjourn the meeting at 6:44 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kristan Patenaude Recording Secretary