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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-01-28-AC-min 1/28/2016 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) January 28, 2016 Place and time- Parker 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, Andrei Radulescu-Banu, Rob Addelson (non- voting, ex officio) Members Absent Mollie Garberg; Beth Masterman Others Present Carl Valente, Town Manager, Elaine Ashton, Town Meeting member The meeting was called to order at 7 33 pm 1 Warrant Articles for February 8 Special Town Meetings (STMs)2016-1 and 2016-2. Mr Parker requested completion of the article reports, as assigned at the January 19th AC meeting. The articles were discussed as follows • STM-1,Article 2. Amendments to the Regional School District Agreement of the Minuteman Regional Vocational School District: Mr Michelson addressed a concern raised at the January 19th AC meeting relating to this article Under the proposed new Minuteman Regional Agreement, it has now been determined that towns requesting to leave the district will not be required by the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide an alternative plan for students desiring access to vocational education This eliminates any nsk that a Town could vote to withdraw and be relieved of responsibility for future capital costs yet remain a member of the Distnct. He added that the communities wishing to leave the distract must in any event meet the requirements of the agreement at the time of the community's departure There was a motion and second to support STM-1, Article 2 The motion passed. VOTE 7-0 • STM-1,Article 3. Appropriate for Hastings School Feasibility Study: Mr Addelson stated that the request for $1.5 million in this Article was triggered by the Massachusetts School Building Authonty's (MSBA's)recent invitation to Lexington to participate in its State funding program for the Hastings School replacement/renovation. It is expected that MSBA funding for the Hastings project will be minimally 32% of the allowable costs, although the effective reimbursement rate may be a bit lower if the Town adds components not approved for state funding. The $520,000 appropriated at last fall's STM for a Hastings feasibility study assumed the Town would not be getting MSBA support and was for a lower amount because that study would not have been required to meet MSBA guidelines The funds previously appropriated will be rescinded or partially reallocated in the event there are increases in costs for the modular classrooms that are being purchased to help address overcrowding at the elementary level There was a motion and second to support STM-1, Article 3 The motion passed. VOTE 7-0 1 1/28/2016 AC Minutes • STM-1,Article 4. Establish, Rename and Appropriate to and from Specified Stabilization Funds. Mr Addelson reported that the funds proposed to be appropriated under this article came pnmanly from Cubist Pharmaceuticals and will go into the Transportation Demand Management Stabilization Fund and the Traffic Mitigation Stabilization Fund. There was a motion and second to support STM-1, Article 4 The motion passed. VOTE 7-0 • STM-2,Article 2. Land Purchase—20 Pelham Road. Mr Parker shared wntten responses he had received from Joe Pato, Chair, Board of Selectmen, to questions submitted, pnmanly by Mr Bartenstem. Mr Valente reported that because negotiations for purchase of the Pelham Road site are still ongoing, the Board of Selectmen plan to open STM-2 and then adjourn it until a later date, potentially as late as March 23rd, after the start of the Annual Town Meeting. Purchasing 20 Pelham could alleviate some of the space needs of the school department. Mr Valente provided additional information in response to questions, as follows The Muzzey Condominium space that was previously used for the senior center is not large enough to accommodate the school administrative offices Efforts to repurpose that space are under way but require the Town to renegotiate the deed restriction (which requires approval by 75% of the unit owners), and to address any fire code issues that would be triggered by renovations The space could be sold for condominiums Survey work for the 20 Pelham Road access study has begun. In letters of intent the Town enters into for the purchase of land, there is typically a 60- day due diligence penod. If material problems are discovered dunng this penod, the Town is not obligated to proceed to a purchase and sale agreement and/or closing. The source of funding for this proposed purchase is still under discussion. There are funds in the Capital Stabilization Fund, and excluded debt financing could be sought even though the purchase would not be contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion override This may be discussed at the February 10th budget summit. School uses are considered the highest pnonty for 20 Pelham, the gymnasium and cafeteria could be used by the Community Center Because the matter will not be ready for consideration at the February 8 STM, the Committee determined not to take a vote at this time and to defer its report on the article until a later date 2. Techniques and Technology to Enhance Budget Visualization. Mr Radulescu-Banu discussed some "visuals"he has been working on that might be simple to use and understand when presenting Town and School Department budgets Mr Valente observed that simple models tend to leave out detail that Lexington residents want, but if this is requested by the Town Meeting Members Association (TMMA), it would be considered. He added that the School Department budget is extremely complex and includes a lot of fluctuations, and the Town budget has some stnct reporting requirements that work for control purposes but don't always help with policy discussions Mr Radulescu-Banu will talk further with the TMMA and begin testing some of his ideas for Town Budget presentations 3 Minutes. Three sets of Minutes were presented for approval, as follows 2 1/28/2016 AC Minutes • A motion was made and seconded to approve the Minutes of November 12, 2015 The motion passed. VOTE 7-0 • A motion was made and seconded to approve the Minutes of November 30, 2015 The motion passed. VOTE 7-0 • A motion was made and seconded to approve the Minutes of January 19, 2016 The motion passed. VOTE 7-0 4 Liaison Report: Mr Parker discussed a draft memo he has been working on with Jill Hai, Chair, Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC), Mr Cole, CEC, and Ms Colburn (members of the Town Manager's "chairs-plus-one" group) in an effort to improve the evaluation and analysis of school capital projects proposed in response to enrollment growth. The memo, which would be directed to the School Committee and/or Dr Mary Czajkowski, Supenntendent of Lexington Public Schools, identifies evaluation cntena for large building projects and would serve as a framework for evaluating building proposals from a system-level view One of the goals is to be able to evaluate a senes of projects as a total plan, not just lots of pieces This analytical framework is envisioned as a tool to assist the finance committees in taking positions and wntmg their reports to Town Meeting. AC members expressed support for efforts to enhance communications with the School Committee, but there were reservations about the memo, as written, being the nght tool to use toward that end. A vanety of concerns were expressed, including the opinion that the draft memo is asking too much of the School Committee and/or Dr Czajkowski, particularly at this stage in the process for the projects that are being considered at the STM There were differing views about how the memo might be perceived or interpreted. Mr Parker said that he would attend the CEC meeting scheduled for January 29t1i and report on this Committee's response The Committee adjourned at 9 32 p.m The documents used at the meeting are listed below Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved March 3, 2016 Exhibits 1 Agenda, posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 2 Joe Pato Email Responses to Questions Re Pelham Road Purchase, January 28, 2016 3 Draft Evaluation of School Capital Projects Memorandum prepared by Mr Parker, Ms Hai, Mr Cole, and Ms Colburn, January 27, 2016 3