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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-03-02-AC-min03/02/2017 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) March 2, 2017 Place and time: Parker Room, Town Office Building, 7:30 p.m. Members present: John Bartenstein, Chair; Alan Levine, Vice -Chair & Secretary; Ellen Basch; Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Andrei Radulescu -Banu; Sanjay Padaki; Lily Manhua Yan; Jian Helen Yang; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non- voting, ex officio) Members Absent: None Other Attendees: David Kanter, Vice - Chair, Capital Expenditures Committee The meeting was called to order at 7:35 pm. 1. Future Meetings Plans for meetings over the next two weeks were determined, as follows: • Either March 8 and 9 when this Committee should be prepared to vote on its report to the 2017 Special Town Meeting -1 (STM -1), which starts on March 20. • March 16 when this Committee should be prepared to vote on its report to the 2017 Annual Town Meeting (ATM); deliberation of the ATM financial articles is expected to start on March 27. 2. Announcements and Liaison Reports Mr. Neumeier reported that the February 27, 2017 Lawyers' Weekly listed a position for a part-time (21 hours per week) Solicitor in the City of Brockton for $51,144 plus medical and other fringe benefits. Mr. Michelson reported that he is meeting with Carl Valente, Town Manager, and Kevin Mahoney, Minuteman Technical High School's (Minuteman Tech) Financial Director to explore opportunities for minimizing the impact of a "spike" in the per student assessment for Lexington's Minuteman Tech students. Mr. Mahoney may be able to attend this Committee's meeting next week. Mr. Kanter discussed ATM Article 16 (d): Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects; Facility and Site Improvements, which bundles three components that Mr. Kanter does not believe should be included in one line item. He intends to introduce an amendment to the Article if he is re- elected to Town Meeting; alternatively, he will solicit another Town Meeting member to do so. Mr. Kanter discussed ATM Article 21: Appropriate to Post Employment Insurance Liability Fund, which includes transferring $1.1 million in free cash into the fund for future retiree health insurance benefits. He prefers transferring those funds to the Capital Stabilization Fund in an effort to mitigate the burden on taxpayers who are going to be asked to support significant capital projects in the near future. He may sponsor an amendment to this effect at the ATM. There was a review of the Town Moderator's recent practice of presenting a Consent Agenda to ATM for approval. The Agenda lists non - controversial articles that can be expected to pass without discussion. The finance committees are requested to submit recommendations for this agenda. 3. Minutes A motion was made and seconded to accept the Minutes for February 15, 2017 and February 23, 2017. The motion passed. VOTE: 9 -0 03/02/2017 AC Minutes 4. Report to the 2017 ATM and STM -1 ATM and STM Articles were discussed as follows: • STM Article 4: Appropriate Design Funds for Lexington Children's Place (LCP) /20 Pelham Road: Ms. Kosnoff reported that the funding request for this article is being reduced to $581,500, to be used for developing LCP designs, as described in the article. Funding for designing the Lexington Community Center side of the facility will come from FY2017 appropriations (some left over; some to be repurposed) and funds to be included in ATM Article 16 (e): Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects; Public Facilities Bid Documents. It was noted that the BoS expect to present a debt exclusion referendum to the voters in the fall of 2017 for $103,936,800. It will include funding requests for the purchase of 20 Pelham Road and renovations for the 20 Pelham Road building to accommodate the LCP and additional space for the Lexington Community Center, as well as construction of a new Hastings Elementary School; the purchase of 171 Bedford Street; renovations at 171 Bedford Street for Fire Headquarters swing space; and construction of a new Fire Headquarters building. Ms. Yang expressed her opposition to this article. In her opinion, the renovations are too expensive; a new building would have a longer life span than a renovated building; and alternatives should be pursued. A motion was made and seconded to support STM Article 4 with the reduced appropriation amount. The motion passed. VOTE: 7 -2 • ATM Article 30: Adjust Retirement COLA Base for Retirees: Mr. Bartenstein reported that the BoS is interested in this Committee's recommendation regarding this article. Using a handout, he reviewed background information and the FY2017 to FY2048 financial impacts associated with increasing the base from $13,000 to $14,000. Mr. Bartenstein noted that the Town Manager negotiates with staff by looking at the entire compensation package and evaluating how it compares with other comparable towns. It was generally agreed that this Committee would provide data to inform the BoS of the financial impacts. Mr. Bartenstein will invite Bob Cunha, Chair of the Retirement Board, to attend next week's meeting. • ATM Article 8: Accept PEG Access and Cable Related Funds: Ms. Basch briefly summarized the article. A motion was made and seconded to support Article 8. The motion passed. VOTE: 9 -0 • ATM Article 9: Establish and Continue Department Revolving funds and Special Revenue Fund: Ms. Basch briefly summarized the article. A motion was made and seconded to support Article 8. The motion passed. VOTE: 9 -0 5. Adjourn The Committee adjourned at 10:00 p.m. The documents used at the meeting are listed below. Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Approved: March 9, 2017 2 Exhibits 03/02/2017 AC Minutes • Agenda, posted by John Bartenstein, Chair • Article 30 Fact Sheet: Proposal to Adjust retirement COLA Base, $13k to $14K, prepared by John Bartenstein • Fiscal Impact of FY18 COLA Base change, prepared by John Bartenstein 3