HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-03-29-AC-min03/29/2017 AC Minutes
Minutes
Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC)
March 29, 2017
Place and Time: Ellen Stone Room, Cary Memorial Building, 6:30 p.m.
Members Present: John Bartenstein, Chair; Alan Levine, Vice -Chair & Secretary; Ellen Basch;
Eric Michelson; Andrei Radulescu-Banu; Sanjay Padaki; Lily Manhua Yan
Member(s) Absent: Richard Neumeier; Jian Helen Yang; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town
Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio)
Other Attendees: Dawn McKenna, Chair, Tourism Committee; Charles Lamb, Capital
Expenditures Committee (CEC) stopped in briefly
The meeting was called to order at 6:40 pm.
1. Minutes:
Prior to the arrival of Mr. Padaki and Ms. Yan, a motion was made and seconded to approve the
March 22, 2017 Minutes. The motion passed. VOTE: 5-0
2. Announcements
Mr. Bartenstein reported on two pieces of information provided by Ms. Kosnoff prior to the
meeting:
• Additional material will be made available relating to Article 10 (h) Appropriate for the
FY2018 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects: Stone
Building Feasibility Study.
• Funding sources for several Articles (Article 12(k) — Townwide Signalization
Improvements and Article 17 — Hastings Design) are being re -allocated, although the total
funding requested for the projects is not changing.
Mr. Radulescu-Banu asked to change his vote from opposing to supporting Article 12 (q)
Appropriate for Municipal Capital Projects and Equipment: Highway Sign Machine because
additional material had been provided.
3. Financially Related Warrant Articles for 2017 Annual Town Meeting (ATM)
Article 18 Appropriate for Visitors Center (Citizen Article): Ms. McKenna reviewed estimated
funding needs for designing a new Visitors' Center, reporting that an estimated $150,000 is needed
to produce a schematic design, and approximately $80,000 more would be needed to get through
design development. There is $130,000 remaining from a previous, partially used appropriation. A
draft motion under the article requests that $100,000 from the tax levy be added to the $130,000
previously appropriated in order to have enough to go beyond schematic design. It is believed that
the additional $100,000 would likely be adequate for design development and would allow the
project to move forward despite the impending retirement of Pat Goddard, Public Facilities
Director. An architect would be able to work with stakeholders to design site work and a facility,
including exhibit space. The process would include value engineering and construction cost
estimates.
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03/29/2017 AC Minutes
Ms. McKenna added that there is an agreement that the Board of Selectmen (BoS) would be
required to pre -approve expenditures going beyond schematic design.
A motion was made and seconded to support a request for $100,000 under Article 18 with the
understanding that funds beyond schematic design would not be spent without BoS approval. The
motion passed. VOTE: 7-0
Article 16 (d) Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects: Facility and Site Improvements:
This Article includes three components: Building Flooring Program; School Paving Program; and
School Traffic Safety improvements. Mr. Lamb reported that the CEC would like the three
components to be voted on separately, and the Town Moderator has agreed to delay a vote on
Article 16 (d) until amendment details can be resolved.
Article 21: Appropriate to Post -Employment Insurance Liability Fund: It was agreed to caucus
during Town Meeting if an amendment to reduce the amount of the appropriation and reallocate
some portion of it to the Pension Fund or Capital Stabilization Fund is brought to the floor.
4. Next Meeting
Mr. Bartenstein reported that Matt Daggett, a Town Meeting member who has knowledge about the
Planning Board Articles, plans to attend this Committee's Monday, April 3 meeting to discuss some
of them.
5. Adjourn
The Committee adjourned at 7:12 p.m.
The documents used at the meeting are listed below.
Respectfully submitted,
Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary
Approved: April 5, 2017
Exhibits
• Agenda, posted by John Bartenstein, Chair
• Article 18 Visitors Center Citizen Article Motion, 2017 Annual Town Meeting,
March 27, 2017 DRAFT
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