HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-12-30-Recreation Study Committee charge Selectmen's Meeting December 30, 1974
Mr. O'Connell: If the State grants, on the Cherry Sheet, more
money that the School Department spends on Chapter 766, the Town
doesn't receive the money. It can't be used for anything else.
Mr. Busa There is not much we can do as they are autonomous
but in reading the newspaper about the Minuteman Regional School,
their budget should be equal to last year. I don't know how the
school committee will justify an increase of over $1 million;
there is a decrease of 350 to 400 students (attending Minuteman
Regional) . Unfortunately, we have no recourse, but this Board
has to justify and stabilize the General Government budget
Chairman Kenney I find this extremely disturbing. It is
a proposed increase of $9.00 on the tax rate With 300-400 less
students, their teacher number go down. I do hope the School
Committee would seriously consider reduchlig~ the number of teachers
to the number of students they have this year.
Minuteman Mr. O'Connell: For public information, we have just re-
Regional ceived the proposed budget from the Minuteman Regional School
School I assume that Lexington will furnish its full quota of students.
Budget The capital assessment will remain substantially the same but
operating expenses will double; we will see a sharp, additional
burden there.
Chairman Kenney: We have one voting member on the committee.
Does the Appropriation Committee intend to go into their budget
in great detail?
Mr. O'Connell: Yes, I believe Don White is the representative
of the Towns' Finance Committee.
Chairman Kenney Would you convey to the Appropriation
Committee that if, after they review it, they feel the budget is
out of line, then we will meet with them?
Mr. O'Connell.agreed.
Mr. Irving Mabee, Mrs. Judy Zabin, Mrs. Margot Tutun, and
Recreation Mr. Daniel Busa, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, met with
STudy the Board to discuss the establishment of a Recreation Study
Committee Committee.
Mr. Mabee The reason that I am here this evening( is to
assist the League of Women Voters in presenting a suggestion
to the Selectmen for a change in the Town by-laws Because I was
approached by the League to do this and because I wholeheartedly
approve of the proposed change, I am glad to make this presentation.
The suggested changes are in reference to the Town Recreation
Committee.
First of all, let me state emphatically that the suggestions
for a change do not in any way relate to --the individuals who make
up the membership of the Recreation Committee, either in the past
or in the present. It is my conviction that past and present
chairman, members of -the Recreation Committee, the Director, and
the many part-time employees of the committee have served the
Town conscientiously and with imigination and innovation. How-
ever, I think we should ask ourselves the question, "Who is
responsible for Town Recreation Policy?"
Selcetmen's Meeting December 30, 1974
Presumably, the Board of Se16-ct3n73n is ultimately responsible
for the recrnational policy, but the Town Manager Act places an
embarrassing burden on the Town Manager, as it required him, and
him alone, to appoint a Recreation Committee, who either makes
policy or recommends policy to the Board of Selectmen, who in
turn, expects the Town Manager to implement this policy. So
we currently have a delicate situation, in whibh the top admin-
strative employee of the Town, the Town Manager, is unreasonably
burdened with the requirement of appointing a quasi-policy making
Board, from whteh the policy is formulated and, once formulated,
is directly or indirectly held responsible for implementing that
policy. The present method, although it involves in some:.
capacity the Selectmen, theTown Manager, and the Recreation
Committee, goes all the way around "Robin HooMs" Barn" and
still leaves the question as to who is responsible for recreation
policy
The League of Women Voters of Lexington, after a study of
town recreation in 1969-70 and a more recent study of the function-
ing of the Selectmen/Town Manager Act from 1972-74, has. reached a
consensus that the Town By-Laws should be changed to make the
Recreation Committee responsible for setting recreational policy
and that the Manager Act be also changed to make the Selectmen,
and perhaps the Manager as well, responsible for appointments to_
the Recreation Committee As a step in the direction of accomplish-
' ing this, the League is seeking to have the Selectmen appoint a
broad-based committee of townspeople to investigate this proposition and
to make receommendations to the Selectmen and the town as to
what changes should or could be effected.
Hopefully, this bto ad-based study committee would investigate
the function, the powers, the responsibility, the structure, and
the method of appointment of the Lexington Recreation Committee;
and report to the Selectmen in time to incorporate any recommended
By-Law changes the Selectmen deemed desirable in an Article for
the 1976 Annual Town Meeting. The League of Women Voters suggests
the study committee be composed of one member of the Board of Select-
men, Planning Board, Recreation Committee, School Committee, League
of Women Voters, Friends of Recreation, and three members of the
community at large
When one considers the problems of the Town as a whole, the
problem that I present to you now, if you agree that there is a
problem at all, must seem insignificant indeed However, the
activities and programs of the recreation committee affects a
great mumber of our citizens and has become an increasingly im-
portant part of the services expected by our community While we
could continue under our present system satisfactorily, in my
opinion, there is room for improvement I do hope, therefore, that
you as a Board will appoint the committee suggested and follow
through on any recommended changes such a study committee may
make
172
Selectmen's Meeting December 30, 1974
Mrs. Battin I would like to endorse this. As I worked on
the Selectmen/Town Manager Act, I feel this is tidying up some-
thit$ that is long oveddue. I think hhe people involved are
good, too.
After discussion, the Board agreed to examine the charge and
make-up of the committee, and to make. a decision as to the appoint-
ment of such a committee
Mr Mabee, Mrs Zabin, Mrs. Tutun, and Mr Daniel Buse retired
from the meeting
Chapter 90 Chairman Kenney requested the Board to sign the form from the
Reimburse- State Department of Public Works for reimbursement of $6,000, as
ment submitted by Mr McSweeney.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the
application to the State Department of Public Works for reimburse-
ment in the amount of $6,000 for Chapter 90 maintenance of various
Chapter 90 roads in Lexington
Mr Willard Grush, Chairman, Mr William Potter and Mr. F.
Bd. of William Smith, members of the Board of Assessors, met with the
Assessors - Board to discuss revaluation of real estate
Revaluation Mr Grush It has been pointed out to us_ that we should be
prepared for revaluation at some time in the future Obviously,
it cannot be in the near future because we could not enter into
a contract with a revaluation firm during the fiscal year if no
monies were to be appropriated at the March 1975 Town Meeting.
Until then, it would be subject to an early date of July 1, 1976.
In /gadding the court decision, updating would result in the ex-
pansion of the capabilities of the Bureau - and this applies to
Corporation and Taxation A reasonable estimate of time for this
approach is four years As you are aware, the State Tax Commission
is required to set every even year bi-annual equal ratio for 350
cities and towns On the list of January 1, 1974, the Lexington
ratio was established at 55 per cent. I don't think it would be
physically possible to have complete evaluation in effect to be
used on January 1, 1976, so I must obviously agree with the court
that the four year period is probably the optimum, namely January
1, 1978 I think it is advisable to consider putting into the
budget an appropriation for the next three or four years one-third
or one-fourth of what we might anticipate a revaluation cost to be
Our Board favors putting in $30-$35,000 in anticipation of what
revaluation would cost the Town something within the next three or
four years
Mr O'Connell I am in general agreement and think the oily
current problem facing the Town is whether or not the money should
be provided in the upcoming budget If it is to be provided with-
in the next three to five years, I think it would be a good time
to start This is a good illustration of where stabilization fund
comes in handy If faced with $100,000, we would be advised to
ask Town Meeting to put it in