HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991-01-14-AC-MIN.pdf APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE MEETING
JANUARY 14, 1991
Minutes
In attendance were the following:
John Curry Michael O' Sullivan Ron Levy
Marilyn Mairson George Burnell Alan Lazarus
Richard Perry Ruth Souza Jane Pagett
John Ryan
The following materials were distributed :
* Correction sheets for Town Manager 's FY92 budget
* FY86-91 Cherry Sheets and Recap Sheets
* Town Manager 's revenue estimates projected to FY93
* Meeting agenda packet; Moderator 's timetable for distributing
Finance Committees ' Reports; copy of letter to Moderator re
remembrance of Lloyd Gilson; Minutes of 11/26/90
Appropriation Committee meeting
* An announcement was made of a meeting of the Minuteman-Nashoba
Valley Finance Committee Association on February 2, 1991 in
Lincoln. Appropriation Committee members expressed concern about
--r whether the group of towns in this association had issues similar
to Lexington 's, the fact that none of the association members
belonged to MWRA, and that Lexington was a more mature town than
those in this group. It was decided to postpone taking a vote to
join as a charter member, but that individuals may attend the
February 2 meeting if they wish . J . Pagett will check with
Selectmen to see what regional groups they belong to .
* An announcement was made of the annual meeting of the
Massachusetts Municipal Association in Boston on January 25 and
26, 1991 . Anyone wishing to attend a part of this meeting should
check with John Ryan regarding the possibility of funding .
* The Town Moderator 's schedule for distributing Finance
Committees ' reports was discussed . Final budget numbers from the
Selectmen and the School Committee should be given to the
Appropriation Committee by February 18 . There are then two weeks
during which the Committee Report to Town Meeting has to be
written and given to the printer by March 4 . J . Pagett will send
out whatever preliminary warrant information she can obtain.
George Burnell and Jane Pagett will work on the introduction;
Alan Lazarus and Jane Pagett will work on the School Department;
George Burnell will write about DPW and revenue . Other Committee
members should be ready to highlight key issues in their own
budget areas .
* George proposes showing an upper and lower revenue projection
level, creating a range of possible estimates . He thinks that
Rick White is on the high side for income, which has historically
been projected low. An alternative projection would probably show
reduced interest income and reduced motor vehicle excise tax
revenue . Michael O' Sullivan reported mixed messages from the
state regarding local aid, whether it will be level-funded or
decreased .
Other budget issues discussed were the following:
* Ongoing labor negotiations for the town, and the difficulty of
negotiating separately for the town and the school;
4-o
• the postponement of capital expenditures for the town of
of one-time override;
* the fact that capital postponement is a bad strategy for
maintaining physical plant;
* school counseling and language arts cuts that will probably be
controversial in the school budget;
* the controversial lighting changes proposed;
* the appropriate level and the renaming of free cash ( in a 1987
study, 20 towns ' levels of free cash were examined; we will try
to secure a copy) ;
* in the Town Manager 's budget, the use of water enterprise funds
in the general budget; and
* the possibility of Pine Meadows making d payment in lieu of
taxes to the town .
In the final few minutes, George Burnell discussed general
strategy, saying that our fiscal responsibilities have to be
undertaken with a knowledge of the political realities . The
schools need to examine the demographics, and project extra
classrooms needed as well as per capita student costs and
student/teacher ratios . Budget constraints must take into account
both staffing levels and wage increases . Our Committee does not
have definitive solutions; rather, Town meeting must demand from
town and school managers their solutions to how to operate in the
current economic reality.
Future Meetings Scheduled :
(All Mondays ) January 28
7 : 30 February 11
Comptr . Office February 25
Department Representatives who may be invited :
Lois Coit, Chair, School Committee Dick Speirs, DPW
-- . Phil Geiger, Superintendent Niles Barnert, Minuteman
Rick White, Town Manager Joan Halverson, Recreation