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Home My WebLink About2017-11-BOS-min 71-71 Selectmen's Meeting November 6, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:12 p.m. on Monday, November 6, 2017 in Estabrook Hall of the Cary Memorial Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; Ms. Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Present for the School Committee: Mr. Alessandrini, Chair; Ms. Steigerwald; Ms. Jay; and Ms. Colburn. Present for the Planning Board: Mr. Canale, Chair; Mr. Creech; and Ms. Corcoran- Ronchetti.Pre sent from the Lexington State Legislative delegation: Senator. Barret; Senator Friedman; Representative Kaufman. Public Comment Judy Crocker, 5 Currier Court/ Safe Routes to School (SRTS) coordinator for the Town of Lexington, provided an annual update on behalf of the Transportation Safety Group (TSG). School bus ridership is at 53%, a growth rate of 71% since 2012; walking and biking to school has also increased; safety measures have been implemented such as flashing School Zone lights; and sidewalk connectivity has improved. Lexington has received five State SRTS awards and three grants totaling nearly $500,000. Looking ahead, the TSG/SRTS plans to: partner with Michelson's Shoe Store for centennial activities; continue work with the Police around bike and helmet safety; continue to promote carpooling, pedestrian and bike safety through collaboration with the PTOs and physical education classes; further define a job description for a Coordinator's position; and develop program materials. Ms. Crocker noted that vehicle idling in excess of five minutes is against Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 90, section 16A. Selectman Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Pato, in his role as liaison to Sustainable Lexington, reported the Hancock UCC Church is coordinating a relief effort called "Lexington Unites for Puerto Rico". Donations of specific items, plus contributions of funds and volunteer hours to sort and pack donations, are most welcome. More information is available on the Hancock Church website. Mr. Lucente, liaison to the Human Rights Committee, reported that a conversation about race will take place on the morning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January, 15, 2018. Town Manager Report A debt exclusion vote for three Capital items will take place on Monday, December 4, 2017. Debt modeling to date has assumed passage all three projects. In an attempt to understand the impact of each project individually, Town staff has broken down the scenarios into three separate illustrations. The new analysis takes into account mitigation provided by a portion of the $30M Capital Stabilization Fund; Mr. Valente noted that some of the mitigation fund will be held back to cushion the impact of the upcoming Police Station project. The highest impact year (2019) would yield a tax bill increase of 3.2%, including the baseline 2.5% allowed by law. This debtanalysis document can be accessed on the Town's website. 71-72 Selectmen's Meeting—November 6, 2017 Meeting with Lexington's Statehouse Delegation Mr. Canale called the Planning Board to order at 7:24 p.m. Mr. Alessandrini reconvened the School Committee from a recess at 7:24 p.m., following the earlier joint Executive Session with the Board of Selectmen. Ms. Barry welcomed Representative Kaufman and Senators Barret and Friedman, saying the assembled boards had created a list of topics to be discussed with the legislators. After initial opening words from Mr. Kaufman, Mr. Barret, and Ms. Friedman, each board posed questions in turn. • Opening words: Mr. Kaufman: In 2018, Massachusetts citizens will vote on a proposed amendment to the State Constitution called "The Fair Share Amendment." If passed, the amendment would provide an additional $213 revenue to the State through an increased tax on annual incomes over $1M. A total of 18,000 individuals/households would be affected. Mr. Kaufman supports the amendment, saying the funds would be earmarked for education and transportation initiatives. Ms. Friedman: The Senate has been immersed in Criminal Justice issues but recently turned its attention to Health Care. Challenges to the Affordable Care Act are driving the focus. Potential 2018 ballot initiatives include Paid Family Leave; $15/hr. minimum wage; and sales tax reduction, which, if passed, would have a profound effect on how Fair Share funds are apportioned. Mr. Barrett: A"catch-all" heath care bill is coming up for a vote in the State Senate to address secondary cost drivers, such as ambulance charges. Massachusetts retailers intend to introduce a sales tax reduction ballot initiative that, if successful, would offset much of the beneficial effects of the Fair Share initiative because sales tax is now partially earmarked for mass transit. A Senate subcommittee is attempting to address retailers' concerns in hopes that the desire for a ballot question is quelled. • Board Questions: Selectmen: Is there hope that the State's Community Preservation (CP) match will stabilize and/or increase? Mr. Kaufman: So far, attempts to stabilize the CP match have failed and communities such as Lexington are experiencing the downside of the CPA's success, with lower match percentages, as additional cities and towns jump into the pool. Mr. Kaufman, Mr. Barrett, and Ms. Friedman are co-sponsors of a bill that would increase the motor vehicle surcharge at the Registry to provide a larger revenue stream. Ms. Friedman: A bill before the House Ways and Means Committee would increase the fees on deeds if the CPA match is less than 50% of community contributions. 71-73 Selectmen's Meeting—November 6, 2017 Selectmen: The Board of Selectmen's highest fiscal responsibility goal is to balance the residential tax burden so that seniors are less burdened. Lexington hopes the State will lead the way with a means-tested relief program. Mr. Kaufman: A House revenue committee that Mr. Kaufman chairs has passed two elements pertaining to senior tax relief that are now priority issues before the House Ways and Means Committee. A goal of Mr. Kaufman's is to remove any reference to "seniors" from the Property Tax Bill and instead address all low-income residents regardless of age. When the Property Tax Bill law was first enacted, the budget impact of comprehensive low-income tax relief was thought to be too large and therefore the beneficiary cohort was narrowed to low-income seniors. Mr. Barrett: Mr. Barrett said he feels ambivalent about tax relief that specifically targets the senior population. The communities he serves have widely differing populations and incomes but none of these towns are eager to welcome more school age children because of associated financial impacts. To address concerns, some communities have made it more viable, through tax relief, for seniors to remain in their homes, thus slowing down housing turnover rates. Mr. Barrett would prefer that tax mitigation be available to all low-income households. He noted there would be far less stress on seniors if there were more downsizing housing options available. Ms. Friedman: All five of Ms. Friedman's constituent communities have the same top two issues: transportation and housing. Living in the region costs too large a portion of seniors' fixed incomes. She asked about Lexington's Senior Tax Mitigation program. Mr. Pato replied that Lexington's program has increased the threshold for residential mitigation eligibility but it does not allow, as Sudbury's program does, for house value adjustment. Mr. Valente: Municipal procurement bidding laws pertaining to "vertical construction" preclude using vocational ed students to perform construction work, even though Lexington once had a mutually beneficial partnership with Minuteman High School for on-the-job construction industry training. Is it possible Lexington might be granted an exemption that would allow for renewal of this collaboration? Ms. Friedman: Ms. Friedman has had several conversations with the Minuteman High School principal and with her other constituent communities and is happy to collaborate on a solution. She asked if the Town has had its understanding of the law verified. Ms. Valente said Town Counsel confirmed the interpretation of the statute. Mr. Kennedy, Chair of LexHab, noted larger projects are subject to the sub-bid procurement rules but smaller projects that don't require sub- bidding appear to be outside the law's purview. Planning Board: Lexington has started to update its Comprehensive Plan which includes an extensive effort to gather public input. Mr. Canale asked the delegation if there is a way to modify land use, housing, and transportation legislation so it is not one-size-fits-all. Mr. Barrett: There has been almost no discussion this year regarding zoning reform, although the topic was very hot during the previous two years. Mr. Barrett does not believe there will be new 71-74 Selectmen's Meeting—November 6, 2017 zoning or land use mandates in 2018/19. Ms. Friedman: There is been discussion around bringing back last session's bill called"Improving Housing Opportunities in the Massachusetts Economy" but that bill won't come forward quickly because the current focus of effort is on transportation. Mr. Kaufman: In his 23 years in the House, the State has done disappointingly little in the way of zoning reform. As Mr. Canale points out, the vast differences between communities is a main reason nothing has been done because the solutions are complex. Local Boards need to engage to get things going; regional subcommittees of the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPA will also be an important force for change and reform. School Committee: Is there any hope that the reimbursement calculus for METCO students will improve? Mr. Kaufman: METCO funding has been a top priority throughout Mr. Kaufman's tenure. Funding has probably kept up with inflation and made minor additional headway, but it is not as good as it should be. This year, increases in transportation costs will be fully funded. Last year, the program's budget was increased until cuts had to be made. This year, there will be a significant request from both the House and Senate. Additionally, METCO, Inc is undergoing a program overhaul, hiring a new CEO, and embarking on a fundraising initiative that could make large and much needed differences. Mr. Alessandrini said the Lexington School Committee stands ready to help in any way that would be useful. School Committee: The Foundation Budget Review Commission made recommendations in 2015 to adjust the Foundation budget formula to acknowledge for things like Special Education and Health Care. Communities, like Lexington, that are able to make up the difference between funding and actual have seen a high rate of enrollment growth which puts pressures on taxpayers, particularly seniors. What are the prospects the State will address Foundation budget deficiencies and what might the effects be of Fair Share funding? Friedman: The Fair Share amendment would have a direct impact on this. Despite notions that the State budget has fat to trim, Massachusetts simply does not have enough revenue. Every program we fund, the money has to come out of another. If health care costs are not reined in, it will eat everything else up and transportation and education, particularly, will suffer. Education is why people come to Massachusetts. All 351 communities in the Commonwealth want more money to fund their schools. Legislators must advocate for additional revenue, like the Fair Share amendment and internet sales tax, and they must do a better job of explaining why the State sales tax should not be cut, as retailers would like. Mr. Barrett: Instability about health care at the federal level makes it impossible to commit serious additional money to the Foundation budget. The Legislature may be called upon to rescue Mass Health. If the Federal government passes a deep tax cut, it will eventually lead to sharply decreasing federal revenue. Medicaid and Medicare may go on the chopping block. Healthcare is 45% of what the State does, when you add MassHealth to State public employee health insurance costs. The second-tier tweaks the Senate is taking up, such as ambulance costs, 71-75 Selectmen's Meeting—November 6, 2017 will help but not enough to fully address the problem. We may have some painful choices to make in the future. School Committee: The Board of Selectmen, Human Resources, and School Committee are working together to try to address student mental health concerns such as suicide and depression. Parents from all income levels report it difficult to access care, particularly urgent care. When the Legislature tackles health care, including mental health care, should it be considered mandatory for all providers to accept some form of insurance? What can be done to help municipalities contract with outside agencies for mental health services? Ms. Friedman: Ms. Friedman's office has introduced 12 amendments to the health care bill that directly address mental health care accessibility. More money should be directed to preventive services rather than crisis management. The State should facilitate the formation of behavioral health service databases to help those in need find providers with openings. Insurance companies should pay for out of network services if in network services are unavailable in emergencies and this coverage should continue until crises pass. Decisions of this nature should not be made by insurance companies. Lexington should share its observations and concerns with the delegation so that they can advocate for the right solutions. Ms. Friedman pledged the delegation's continued support in this critical matter. Selectmen: In the next two years, 1,000 jobs will be added at Hanscom and many of those employees will get to work via a structurally deficient bridge and roadway on Hartwell Avenue that requires a $6M repair project. Chapter 90 funding does not come close to covering Lexington's road maintenance needs. How do we identify more funding sources? Can we partner with Mass Development or the federal government? Is it possible to acquire funding from large employers that do not pay local taxes, such as Hanscom AFB and MIT Lincoln Labs? Mr. Kaufman: We should brainstorm how to reopen former discussions with the State and the federal government about traffic patterns on the approach to Hanscom AFB. The same entities that have actively advocated for greater investment in public education and public transportation (Massachusetts High Tech Council, Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, Associated Industries of Massachusetts) are also actively against the Fair Share effort, which is the only way to increase funding without adding to the burden of an inequitable tax system. We need to fight to get this Constitutional amendment passed because there is no other source of serious revenue and it goes a long way toward making the tax system less unfair. Mr. Barrett: The modest surcharge on incomes over $1M (i.e. Fair Share)is a good solution and, at the moment, polls well. The public agrees that an additional 4% on higher incomes is reasonable. Lexington should draw up a short list of priority road and transportation projects in the event Fair Share is passed. There is an enormous amount of legislative interest in these regional concerns. Ms. Friedman: We can work together to identify all the funding resources. Call us and keep us informed; this is the sort of thing we want to know about. Include Katherine Clark and the two US Senators in this collaboration because of the expanded activity at the Base. 71-76 Selectmen's Meeting—November 6, 2017 Mr. Canale: The Metropolitan Planning Organization may have funding for this but it will take time. This is the exact time to pull all the resources together. Selectmen: Lexington recently joined the Compact of Mayors to reconfirm the commitment to the Paris Agreement, climate action, renewable energy, and sustainability goals. However, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is currently reviewing Eversource rates that, if changed, would significantly alter the return on investment formula upon which communities calculated their sustainable energy investments. This could not only make past projects less viable butinhibit future investment. We do not want to invalidate the past financial incentives Lexington acted on and we do not want to see the elimination of State incentives for future projects. Mr. Barrett: We are pushing back hard on the DPU. Mr. Barrett has been impressed by Lexington's initiative in renewable energy and sustainability. Some initiatives, such as the community solar program, are in legislative form already. The Eversource issue is beyond the immediate control of the Legislature but there are ways to influence the outcome. In closing, Mr. Valente noted that he, as Town Manager, speaks to the delegates frequently and finds them to be very accessible and their staffs are extremely responsive and capable. He deemed the partnership between the Town and its delegates to be strong. The Planning Board and the School Committee both voted unanimously to adjourn at 8:40 p.m. The Board of Selectmen recessed for 5 minutes before continuing with the remaining agenda items. The meeting was reconvened at 8:45 p.m. Accept Terms of the Howard A. and Elaine L. Smith Scholarship Fund Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to accept the terms of the Howard A. and Elaine L. Smith Scholarship Fund that will be managed by the Trustees of Public Trusts. Establish Town Meeting and Town Election Dates Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to establish December 27, 2017 at 4 p.m. as the date and time to close the warrant for citizen petition articles for the 2018 Annual Town Meeting. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to establish Monday, March 5, 2018 as the date for the Annual Town Election. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to establish Monday, March 26, 2018 as the date for the opening session of the 2018 Annual Town Meeting. It was noted that this date is one week later than usual. 71-77 Selectmen's Meeting—November 6, 2017 Selectmen - Committee Appointments Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Kevin Falcone to be appointed to the Bicycle Advisory Committee to the unexpired term ending September 30, 2018 Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Louis Savarino to be appointed to the Bicycle Advisory Committee for a term to expire September 30, 2020. Approve Draft Letter Regarding MassPort/Hanscom Environmental Planning and Status Report Ms. Kowalski said the draft letter was to comment on the proposed scope of Hanscom Field's environmental review. The report is updated every 5 years; unless contiguous towns offer input within the comment period as to the review criteria, Hanscom would use its 1974 Master Plan and 1980 noise rules as its review framework. The Town's comment period was brief and closes tomorrow. The draft letter asks Hanscom to consider the impact of future Hanscom activity on the navigation easement granted by the Town. This is of particular concern given Lexington's initiative to increase allowable development in the Hartwell Road/Hanscom corridor. The Town understands that Stantech has prepared updated information for Hanscom but this data has not been released to the public. Of particular concern are any environmental impact and historic resource impacts. Ms. Ciccolo commented that the letter drafted by Ms. Kowalski was thorough, detailed, and thoughtful. The Status Report update is an obscure and expensive undertaking but the resulting document provides valuable information the Town can use to guide a variety of decisions. Mr. Pato also praised Ms. Kowalski's efforts and added that the commercial district of Hartwell Avenue area is of critical importance to the Town. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign the letter(as amended by the Board)to the MEPA Office of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs regarding the Proposed Scope 2017 L. G. Hanscom Field Environmental Status & Planning Report Bedford, MA, EEA Number: 5484/8696. Adj ournment Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adjourn at 8:56 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary 71-78 Selectmen's Meeting November 13, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was held at 7:00 p.m. on November 13, 2017 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Public Comment Patrick Mehr, 31 Woodcliffe Road, introduced himself as the leader of the"No Campaign" for the upcoming debt exclusion vote on December 4, 2017. He spoke specifically about the $16.5M Massachusetts School Building Authority grant approved on August 23, 2017 for the Hastings School project, noting the award letter specifies a 120-day deadline by which the Town is required to demonstrate support to fund the cost of the project via Town Meeting and town-wide votes. Mr. Mehr urged the Selectmen to call a Special Town Meeting to re-vote the Hastings School appropriation within the levy limit rather than risk losing MSBA funding if the town- wide vote rejects the debt exclusion question. Street Acceptance - Vote to Layout Mr. Valente reported there are no street acceptance requests before the DPW at this time. The item was therefore postponed. Water/Sewer Abatement Appeal • Review analysis for Water/Sewer Abatement: Sal Serio, 166 Lowell Street Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, said this request for abatement was heard by the Water/Sewer Abatement Board last summer. The issue revolves around an account charged at a single-family rate that is, in actuality, a two-family dwelling. The original Water& Sewer Board abatement calculation went back three years, as policy specifies. The homeowner has requested that the abatement go back to 2002. The full abatement request is $2,756.05; the Water/Sewer Abatement Board approved $1,330.70. Selectmen noted the fault in this matter was the Town's, not the homeowner's, and that the three- year policy was adopted for a different set of circumstances. Ms. Kosnoff agreed that the error was one of billing; the dwelling is correctly categorized by the Assessors' office as a two-family home. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to refer the Water Sewer Abatement appeal back to the Water/Sewer Abatement Board in the matter of 166 Lowell Street with direction to refund back to 2002. • Consider Water/Sewer Abatement: Rita Clark, 51 Spring Street. Ms. Kosnoff said the homeowner in this case is also looking for a greater abatement than one 71-79 Selectmen's Meeting—November 13, 2017 approved by the Water/Sewer Abatement Board. The circumstances involved outside watering/irrigation via an indoor residential meter. In order to calculate the difference, the Water/Sewer Board looked back at the same time of year for three billing periods and calculated the use average. Anything over the average was considered excess, for which policy states that 70%will be abated. The homeowner is asking for 100%. Rita Clark, homeowner of 51 Spring Street, stated she was not looking for 100% abatement but would instead describe it as a request to pay in full for all of the water at the irrigation rate, rather than the residential rate, and not pay for the sewer charges associated with the excess. Ms. Clark does not have an irrigation system; she and her husband were attempting to adequately water a newly-sodded yard. They have since set up a rain barrel system because of the cost to install an irrigation system. The difference between Ms. Clark's calculation and the Town' calculation was noted. Ms. Kosnoff reported the 70% abatement policy is frequently applied to similar appeals cases when people water outside on their domestic meters. If an abatement is granted to an address, it can occur only once; the homeowner is advised to install an irrigation meter and not to rely on being granted an appeal a second time around for the same issue. Selectmen expressed sympathy for the circumstances, however support for consistent application of the 70%policy was also expressed. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to take under advisement the matter of 51 Spring Street. Outdoor Skating Rink Request 2017 - 2018 Season Lisa O'Brien and Charles Teague presented information regarding a request to operate an outdoor ice skating rink at Fletcher Park for a third winter season. Changes made last year were based on observations during the pilot year and on a poll of participants. Rubber mats and lights for evening skating were added in year two. This year, the major change is a later start date due to the need for colder temperatures. Ms. O'Brien said the public/private partnership with the DPW has allowed the program to operate smoothly. The Selectmen enthusiastically reached consensus in support of the third year of the outdoor skating rink initiative. Ms. Ciccolo asked if usage could be tracked gain understanding of the popularity of the program. FYI Tax Rate Presentation Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Greg Johnson, Chairman, Board of Assessors; Casimir Groblewski, Board of Assessors; Greg Johnson, Board of Assessors; Rob Lent, Director of Assessors presented the first of three presentations that will lead to four tax classification votes: 1)Establish a residential factor; 2)Determine whether to adopt the Open 71-80 Selectmen's Meeting—November 13, 2017 Space Discount; 3)Determine whether to adopt the Residential Exemption and, if so, at what percentage; and 4)Determine whether to adopt the Small Commercial Exemption. The next two meetings will be held on November 27, when the Selectmen are scheduled to conduct a tax classification public hearing, and on December 4° when the Board will take the four votes described above. The first decision point, establishing the residential factor, involves determining whether a shift of tax burden will occur from residential property owners to commercial/industrial property owners. The shift is intended to mitigate residential tax impacts up to a maximum of 1.75%. The maximum has been applied for the last 4 years; about 1/3 of the communities in the Commonwealth take advantage of the shift. As for Open Space discounts, the second decision point, the Town has not identified any properties that would be eligible.The third decision, a residential exemption, is under review by an ad hoc committee. Adoption of a policy is not anticipated this year.The last decision point, the Small Commercial Exemption, is defined as a shift of tax burden from those businesses valued at less than $1M and employing no more than 10 people. Mr. Johnson said the numbers being presented are preliminary and that some may change over the course of the three presentations. The residential valuation of Lexington totals $9,361,100,630; the commercial/industrial/personal property valuation totals $1,229,648,980. The combined total is $10,589,705,610 or a 6.02%increase over FY17. The maximum allowable levy limit over FY17 is $178,659,377 or an increase of 4.91%. Mr. Johnson also presented a history of residential valuations noting that the average value of a single-family dwelling in Lexington in FY18 is $990,751, a 6.28%increase over FY17. Mr. Pato cited that commercial property valuation has increased only 4 times in the same period as residential values have increased 10 times. It was further noted that the commercial value increase was lower than expected because 125 Hartwell Avenue sold to Eliot Community Human Services, a tax-exempt organization, causing it to be transferred to the exempt property category. Ms. Ciccolo said she wants to understand how a residential exemption might shift the burden of the tax rate. Mr. Kelley asked what the practical challenges are to administering a residential tax exemption. Mr. Lent said homeowners who believe they are eligible would need to apply annually to the Assessors' offices and bring documents that demonstrate eligibility. Mr. Lucente noted that only 11.63% of total real estate value is commercial. He asked if there are ways to influence behaviors by adjusting tax rates. Mr. Johnson said he has heard of so called business "friendly communities" but he does not have any hard data. 71-81 Selectmen's Meeting—November 13, 2017 Mr. Valente said the peak year for business percentages Lexington was 1986, after which commercial value dropped, largely because Lexington changed zoning so that it discouraged redevelopment by creating a tripwire to compel transportation improvements if changes to the property occurred. In 2006, the Board of Selectmen recognized the problem and created a working group that recommended zoning changes. This made some improvement but the recession hit shortly afterward, shutting down commercial development for a number of years. Meanwhile, residential values continue to increase. Now there is another effort to rezone the commercial areas to promote redevelopment but the initiative has not had the chance as yet to bear fruit. Mr. Lucente said he would like to be kept apprised of how Town policies affect behaviors. Mr. Valente reported that, more than municipal incentives, economists cite transportation, access to markets, and access to skilled employees as more significant business decision drivers. Getting to Net Zero Task Force Update Mark Sandeen, Sustainable Lexington, presented findings from the Getting to Net Zero Task Force. Town Meeting has twice enthusiastically endorsed the work of the Task Force, the goal of which is to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from all buildings in Lexington over the next 25 years. A baseline audit by Peregrine Energy has been conducted to establish a starting point from which to measure. The audit shows that homes account for 55% of emissions; labs and offices 34%; municipal emissions 4%; retail and "other" 4%. The age, efficiency, and square footage of buildings are important factors. Only about 75 new homes are built each year in Lexington, despite the teardown phenomenon, so retrofitting will be an important component of achieving net zero. Task Force recommendations include: choosing 100%renewably sourced electricity; enable commercial "property assessed clean energy financing" (PACE)for efficiency and renewables projects; conducting public information sessions for residents and commercial property owners; scheduling Board of Selectmen reviews as certain key points and as needed. Mr. Sandeen said commercial property stakeholders on the Net Zero Task Force report the need for higher and more reliable electricity; to address this, Mr. Sandeen said he would like to put together a plan to develop microgrids which can also serve municipal needs for emergency back- up. Ms. Ciccolo and Mr. Kelley expressed enthusiasm for the Net Zero report. Mr. Kelley said energy source sharing by groups or neighborhoods could make for a more advantageous economy of scale. Ms. Barry asked about the viability of fuel-switching retrofits if the utility company says it cannot service your location. Mr. Sandeen said there is a possibility that the $9.513 the State has allocated to extend gas networks might be able to be used for electrification from green sources instead of for oil-to- natural gas conversions. 71-82 Selectmen's Meeting—November 13, 2017 Ms. Barry recommended Mr. Sandeen contact Hanscom AFB to learn about Base sustainability initiative. She offered to connect Mr. Sandeen to the relevant officials. Mr. Lucente said Lexington will need to be aggressive to achieve Net Zero by 2025. Ricki Pappo, Town Meeting Member Precinct 2, spoke in support of building green and the critical need to move away from fossil fuel use. Life cycle costs, health, and a sustainable built environment are important factors in addressing the climate change challenge. Mr. Sandeen noted the launch of a peer-to-peer electric/hybrid car effort called LexDrive Electric will take place from 12-2 p.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at Depot Square. Vote to Accept Website as Primary Meeting Posting Site Mr. Valente said that changes to the Open Meeting Law require the Board of Selectmen to determine the official Town posting location. The Town Clerk recommends the Town Website for that purpose. Dawn McKenna, Town Meeting Member Precinct 6, asked how residents will know to go to the website. She has received comments that public meeting schedules are hard to find and believes access should be as transparent as possible. Mr. Valente said the alternative would be the bulletin board outside the Town Clerk's office; he is unaware of any complaints that public meeting access information is difficult. He suggested the Town could include a notice in the tax bills, pointing residents to the Town website. Mr. Pato noted that, if the Selectmen chose the website as the official location, there would have to be a notice on the bulletin board to that effect. Mr. Kelley asked if a public flat screen in the Town Office Building and/or Library could display the web address for Town government meeting postings. Ms. Barry noted that the public meeting schedule is now posted on a flat screen at the Town Office Building, the Police Station and the Public Works building. Mr. Valente said there is also a QR code posted for Smartphone users but it only shows the meetings of the day because there are so many meetings to include. Ms. Ciccolo encouraged the use of the tax bills as a venue for spreading the word on an array of Town messaging needs. Mr. Lucente said that he and Ms. Barry are working with Town staff on better communication with residents. He supports the website and tax bill notification concepts. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adopt, as provided by M.G.L. c. 4, § 7, the municipal website as the official method of posting public meeting notices. Review and Approve FY2017 Board of Selectmen Annual Report Submission This item was postponed until November 27, 2017. 71-83 Selectmen's Meeting—November 13, 2017 Approve and Sign Proclamations Ms. Barry read each Proclamation in its entirety into the record. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and sign a Proclamation in honor of the 100th birthday of Mary Casey. Saturday, December 9, 2017 was declared Mary C. Casey Day. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and sign a Proclamation in honor of the 100th birthday of Miriam McCue. Saturday November 4, 2017 was declared Miriam McCue Day. Selectmen - Committee Appointment Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Joseph Blatt to the LexMedia Board of Directors to a 3-year term to expire September 30, 2020. Consent Agenda • Approve One-Day Liquor License -Brookline Bank/LCA Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and sign a one-day liquor license for Brookline Bank/LCA to serve wine for the Art Walk Community Event on Thursday, November 16, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The event takes place at 1793 Massachusetts Avenue. • Water& Sewer Commitments Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve the following Water $ Sewer Commitments: Water& Sewer commitment Section 2 $2,534,421.65 Water& Sewer commitment Cycle 9 August 2017 $343,173.50 Water& Sewer commitment Cycle 9 October 2017 $282,651.08 Water& Sewer commitment Final Water Bills July 2017 $ 12,490.90 Add ourn Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adjourn at approximately 8:39 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary 71-84 Budget Summit Meeting 2 Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Appropriation Committee, and Capital Expenditures Committee November 14, 2017 A Budget Summit was held Thursday November 14, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the Samuel Hadley Public Services Building Cafeteria, 201 Bedford Street. Board of Selectmen (BOS): Ms. Barry, (Chair); Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato and Ms. Ciccolo were present along with Mr. Valente, Town Manager; Ms. Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager Finance; Ms. Hewitt, Budget Officer; and Ms. Katzenback, Executive Clerk. Also present: School Committee (SC) members: Mr. Alessandrini (Chair); Ms. Steigerwald, Ms. Colburn; Ms. Lenihan, Ms. Jay; along with Dr. Czajkowski, Superintendent of Schools; Appropriation Committee (AC) members: Mr. Bartenstein (Chair); Mr. Michelson, Mr. Neumier, Mr. Padaki, Mr. Radulescu-Banu, Ms. Yan and Ms. Yang; Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) members: Mr. Lamb (Chair); Mr. Cole; Mr. Kanter; Ms. Manz and Mr. Smith. Ms. Barry called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. and the other committees followed suit. Ms. Barry explained that, due to the nature of the meeting, no public comment would be taken. FY2019 Revenue Projection Mr. Valente gave an overview of revenue projections for FY2019. Mr. Valente reported that for FY19, Gross General Fund Revenues are projected to increase by approximately $9.2 million or 4.3%. Mr. Valente recommended setting aside about$17 million of gross revenues in FY19 for designated purposes. Mr. Valente reviewed a list of revenues set aside for designated purposes, either from free cash or the tax levy. He pointed out that he is also recommending that$3.7 million of free cash be used for the operating budget. Mr. Valente compared revenues set aside for designated purposes in FY16 thru FY19 and pointed out that$1,000,000 is proposed to be set aside for yet unidentified needs in FY19. Second, he noted that in FYI the Town appropriated almost $7.7 million into the Capital Stabilization Fund, but for the coming year, it is likely to be $2.5 million. And third, in FYI the Town had to draw down $324,500 from the Capital Stabilization Fund to offset within levy debt service and in FY19 it is believed that approximately $2.1 million will need to be drawn down from the capital stabilization fund for within levy debt service, although this is a worst case scenario at this early stage of the budget process. Mr. Valente explained there will be minor changes to the FY2019 projections, which will come from the use of reserve accounts, capital articles balances, change in fees and charges, use of capital stabilization fund based on the February bond sale, and the final amount transferred from the capital stabilization fund . The substantive revisions to the FY2019 projections will result from post Town Meeting actions including any tax levy growth and the final state aid received. Mr. Valente noted the following policy issues to be addressed when working through the FY19 budget: • Financing Plan for Increasing School Enrollments (Limiting Program Improvement Requests) • Financing Plan/Property Tax Impact for School and Municipal Capital Projects 71-85 Budget Summit#2 —November 14, 2017 • Planned Use of Capital Stabilization Fund • Community Priorities -Pedestrian, Bicycle and Vehicle Safety on Town Roads, Intersections and School Properties; Sidewalk Betterments (BOS Goals 7, 10) • Financing Options—Stormwater Management Mandates • Implementation of 20/20 Subcommittee Report/Diversity Advisory Task Force (BOS Goal 18) • Community Center Expansion Options (BOS Goal 7) • Staffing for Public Information/Citizen Outreach Activities (BOS Goal 9) • Community Mental Health Programs (BOS Goal 13; SC Goal) • Managing Within-Levy Debt Ms. Kosnoff gave an overview of the revenue projections, highlighting property tax levy, state aid and free cash. Updated Analysis-Taxpayer Impact of Debt Exclusion Questions Ms. Kosnoff provided a projected analysis of the median residential tax bill after mitigation showing the impact to the taxpayer if the Debt Exclusion questions regarding the new Fire Station, Fire Station swing space, Hastings School, Lexington Children's Place are approved. Update - School Committee's Visioning Process for High School Dr. Czajkowski provided an overview of the School Committee's visioning process for Lexington High School. She explained that with the assistance of a consultant, a series of planning workshops are being developed to discuss best practices in teaching/learning and the needs for Lexington High School for the upcoming years. She noted workshops will be set aside for the following defined groups: 1-high school staff, 2-representatives identified from Boards/Committees, Parent Groups and Student population and 3-public community forum. Ms. Barry noted that Summit 3 will be held on Thursday, December 7, 2017 in the Samuel Hadley Public Services Building. Documents Presented 1. FY2019 Revenue Projections 2. Analysis-Taxpayer Impact of Debt Exclusion Questions Add ourn Upon motions duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at approximately 9:05 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Katzenback Executive Clerk 71-86 Selectmen's Meeting November 20, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was held at 6:05 p.m. on November 20, 2017 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Ms. Barry recused herself because her husband is an employee of the Town of Lexington. Ms. Ciccolo chaired in Ms. Barry's absence. Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 at 6:05 p.m. to enter Executive Session under Exemption 3 to discuss strategy with respect to collective and coalition bargaining related to Municipal and School unions. The Board of Selectmen will reconvene in Open Session. Further, it was declared that an open meeting discussion may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the Town. Upon motion duly made and by a 4-0 roll call vote, the Board of Selectmen exited Executive Session at 7:35 p.m. and reconvened in Open Session. A recess was called for several minutes and the meeting recommenced at 7:38 p.m. at which point Ms. Barry rejoined the meeting and resumed the role of Chair. Pole Relocation Marrett Rd. - Verizon/Eversource Mr. Pinsonneault, Director of Public Works, reported that this is the seventh pole of eight to be approved for this project. Staff has met with the State, the contractor, the Utilities, and the abutter and come to a resolution of concerns. The project can commence once the final pole is approved. The Board, having no questions or comments, reached consensus to allow the project to move forward now that concerns had been addressed. Adj ourn Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adjourn at approximately 7:43p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary 71-87 Selectmen's Meeting November 27, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was held at 7:00 p.m. on November 27, 2017 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley (late arrival); Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Selectmen Concerns Ms. Barry and Ms. Ciccolo attended the annual tree lighting on Friday, November 24th at Depot Square. Ms. Barry extended thanks on behalf of the Board of Selectmen to the Lexington Retailers Association, sponsors of the event. Liquor License Change of Manager/Corporate Director—Aloft Lexington All the necessary paperwork has been submitted for a request to approve a change of manager and new corporate director on the All-Alcoholic Innholder Liquor License for Lixi Hospitality Lexington FB MGT, Inc., d/b/a Aloft Lexington. Proposed manager, Matthew Blanchette has submitted an Alcohol Awareness Training Certificate and completed the required CORI check. Jennifer Aioli, attorney with Sheraton Lodging/Aloft Lexington and Mathew Blanchette were present to answer questions. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve the amendment application reflecting a Change of Manager and a New Corporate Director and issue an All-Alcoholic Innholder Liquor License to Lixi Hospitality Lexington FB MGT, Inc., d/b/a Aloft Lexington. FYI Tax Classification Hearing Ms. Barry opened the Public Hearing at 7:08 p.m. Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Greg Johnson, Chairman, Board of Assessors; Casimir Groblewski, Board of Assessors; Greg Johnson, Board of Assessors; Rob Lent, Director of Assessors presented the second of three presentations that will lead to four tax classification votes: 1)Establish a residential factor; 2)Determine whether to adopt the Open Space Discount; 3)Determine whether to adopt the Residential Exemption and, if so, at what percentage; and 4)Determine whether to adopt the Small Commercial Exemption. The first presentation took place on November 23. On Wednesday, December 6, the Board will take the four votes described above. The majority of the agenda tax classification document is unchanged from the November 23rd meeting but Ms. Kosnoff noted one minor change to the debt exclusion increment which, in turn, changes the maximum allowable levy limit number in Exhibit A to $178,383,988. Mr. Kelley arrived at the meeting. 71-88 Selectmen's Meeting—November 27, 2017 Mr. Johnson reviewed the additional information provided in the tax table document. Ms. Kosnoff noted two potential moving pieces: 1)while unlikely to change, valuations have not yet been certified by the State; until they are, the Town cannot set the final rates; 2)the outcome of the December 4, 2017 town-wide debt exclusion vote will have an impact on outstanding short- term debt. The numbers as presented assume that all three of the debt exclusions will pass; if one or more of them fail, the numbers would have to be modified and the debt for the item(s) moved to within levy. Mr. Kelley asked how the Assessors were able to determine how many homes were not owner- occupied. Mr. Lent said one of the ways to identify them is if the tax bill is sent to another address. Mr. Lent believes the number may be different from the initial estimate and that further investigation will help refine the identification process. Mr. Kelley asked why there was a small drop in the total number of one-family homes. Mr. Lent said that of the eight houses in question, some moved from one-family to two-family by design and others were discovered to be incorrectly categorized. He does not see the drop as significant and noted there is a distinction between condominiums/units in a home owners' association and single-family houses. Mr. Lent said the number of condominiums had increased a great deal. Ms. Barry asked that the number of condominiums/HOA units be included in the next analysis. Ms. Barry asked why the Propostion 2.5 %increment is listed as 2.38%instead of the allowable 2.5%. Ms. Kosnoff said this is due to adjustments that have been made. Mr. Valente said the increment figure is often not exactly 2.5% and the differential is considered Unused Levy capacity. Ms. Barry closed the public hearing at 7:31 p.m. Accept Terms of Michelson's Shoes 100th Year Scholarship Fund In deference to the Michelson family and their recent loss of Dick Michelson, this item was postponed until a future meeting date to be determined. Approve Worthen Road Pump Station Easements Mr. Lucente recused himself because he owns property directly across the street from the pump station. The Worthen Road pump station at 32 Worthen Road is being replaced near the existing location. Dave Pavlik, Senior Civil Engineer for the Town of Lexington, reported that the replacement requires both permanent and temporary easements. The abutting parcel commonly referred to as the 'Battle Green Apartments' has agreed to donate these easements to the Town. Town Meeting authorized the Board of Selectman to act on this donation. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to accept the easement from Hamilton Battle Green, LLC, as described on the attached document entitled 'easement 71-89 Selectmen's Meeting–November 27, 2017 agreement for the property identified as Lot 4C on the Town of Lexington Assessor's Property Map 57 and located at 32 Worthen Road. Recording of the easement at the Registry of Deeds will be coordinated by the Engineering Division. Update—Presentation of Debt Exclusion—Taxpayer Mitigation Plan Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff said that following the discussion regarding the Capital Financing Plan/Taxpayer Mitigation for the December 4 Debt Exclusion at the recent Summit, participants unanimously agreed that the flow of numbers was hard to follow because the presentation was confined to a one-page. Working with Mr. Pato, Ms. Kosnoff has revised the analysis. Mr. Valente emphasized that only the presentation format has changed in the revision; the numbers, methodology, and approach have not. Ms. Kosnoff took the Board through the new eight-chapter narrative. The Selectmen agreed that the revised format made the information easier to follow. Mr. Kelley asked how, after the $18.8M to be used over time to cover the cost of purchasing 173 Bedford Street and 20 Pelham Road, the remainder of the $30M in the Capital Stabilization fund will be deployed Ms. Kosnoff said some of the remaining $12M will be used for within levy debt to hold debt totals to within a 5% annual increase; another portion is being held aside to mitigate the impact of future Capital project debt, such as the Police Station. David Kanter, Capital Expenditures Committee, asked whether the terms for prior excluded debt had been 20 years rather than 30 as in the latest round of projects. Mr. Pato replied that the Diamond and Clarke Middle School projects both had 30-year terms but projects before them were 20 years. John Bartenstein, Appropriations Committee, said, based on the tax classification material just presented, a 2.5%tax increase is not a certainty. He asked the Town to consider making clarifications on this point. Mr. Valente said that Mr. Bartenstein is correct in this point but also noted that the model does not include an expanding tax base. Because it will expand, the full impact will be spread over more taxpayers. Additionally. The Town used last year's median home value of$831,000 in the model but the average value for FYI is actually closer to $890,000. The tax rate will also slightly decrease from $14.49 to $14.36. Dawn McKenna, Chair of the Tourism Committee, asked if any of the Capital Stabilization Fund might be used to pay cash for the Visitors Center project. Ms. Kosnoff said the intention of the Stabilization Fund is to mitigate the debt service and not to use it to pay outright for Capital projects. Further, Ms. Kosnoff believes it is not possible to apply Capitalization Stabilization Funds voted for exempt debt to a different use, such as a within levy project. Stabilization Funds not yet allocated can be voted for future projects, such as the Visitors Center. Ms. McKenna asked that the running total of available funds in the Capital Stabilization Fund be made accessible. 71-90 Selectmen's Meeting—November 27, 2017 Mr. Kelley asked what interest rate was used in the modeling. Ms. Kosnoff replied that the rate is 4%, although it will actually be lower and borrowing will be done incrementally. Ms. Kosnoff intends to issue a short term note at a lower rate for the start of the projects and renegotiate the loan the following February. Mr. Valente thanked Mr. Pato for his assistance on revising the document. Pine Grove Village Condo Conversion and CPA Grant Approvals Liz Rust from the Regional Housing Services Organization has been working on the Town's behalf to negotiate the conversion of Pine Grove Village from a co-op to condominiums, securing perpetual deed restrictions on 11 units plus Town ownership and capital renovation of the remaining 5 rental units. The conversion will keep the units in the Affordable Housing subsidized housing inventory. The process is nearing completion and the closing could be this week if the banks for two final owners process the mortgage papers in time. Because this portion of the process is delayed, Board's approval will also be required to authorize the Town Manager to approve the financing of the outstanding two mortgages. The Town was able to use Community Preservation Act Community Housing funds to buy the 5 units and to compensate the 11 owners for the deed restrictions. This conversion process was particularly complicated; Ms. Barry noted 60 documents to be signed. Included are two regulatory agreements, one between the Town and the Lexington Housing Authority to restrict the 5 rental units in perpetuity and another with the Town and MassHousing on the 11 ownership units, restricting those in perpetuity as well. There is also a CPA funding agreement between the Town and the Lexington Housing Authority that lists the Lexington Housing Authority's obligations. Ms. Rust said she would meet with all of the owners to have them sign their deed restrictions and make sure they understand how the deed restrictions work. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and authorize the Town Manager to sign the grant in the amount of$1,032,000 for support of community housing and community housing preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of sixteen affordable units on the land known as Pine Grove Village-Judges Road, Town of Lexington Assessors Map 57/9C. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and authorize the Town Manager to sign the: (a)Escrow Agreement; (b)Regulatory Agreement with the Lexington Housing Authority; and (c) Affordability Monitoring Services Agreement. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to authorize the Town Manager to sign and approve any mortgages that are outstanding. 71-91 Selectmen's Meeting–November 27, 2017 Review and Approve FY2017 Board of Selectmen Annual Report Submission Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 approve the Board of Selectmen's FY17 Annual Report, pending non-substantive edits. Sign Eagle Scout Letter-Matthew T. Stevens Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to send a letter of commendation congratulating Matthew T. Stevens of Troop 160 for attaining the highest rank of Eagle in Boy Scouting. Town Manager Appointment Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve the Town Manager's appointment of James Athens to the Youth Commission for a term to expire April 2018. Selectmen—Committee Appointments/Resignation Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Robert Avallone to the Communications Advisory Committee for a term to expire September 30, 2020. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Anne Eccles as the Historic Districts Commission representative to the Historic Districts Commission Ad Hoc 40C Study Committee. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Marilyn Fenollosa as the Historical Commission representative to the Historic Districts Commission Ad Hoc 40C Study Committee. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Susan Bennett to the Historic Districts Commission Ad Hoc 40C Study Committee. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Dan Fenn Jr. to the Historic Districts Commission Ad Hoc 40C Study Committee. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to appoint Lester Savage to the Historic Districts Commission Ad Hoc 40C Study Committee. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to accept the resignation of Richard Crogan from the Town Celebrations Committee. 71-92 Selectmen's Meeting–November 27, 2017 Consider draft charge for Ad Hoc Residential Exemption Policy Committee Mr. Pato has created a draft charge for the ad hoc residential exemption policy study committee, as directed by the Board. The charge includes a description of the committee's goals plus a series of questions that focus on fairness and how any proposed changes might affect subgroups within the community, such as owners, renters, property buyers and sellers. Implementation of an exemption program will also be examined by looking at communities that already have one. Mr. Pato said he included an eligibility clause in the draft that places a limitation an owner of rental property becoming a member of the committee. He also recommended that, of the five- member committee, two be seated Selectmen. Ms. Barry questioned the length of the committee term, saying the wording makes it appear as though the group will not be disbanded until the Selectmen accept all the recommendations presented. Mr. Pato said he would revise the wording to say "receive" rather"accept." The number of Selectmen to serve on the committee was discussed, It was determined that just one member as a liaison was adequate. Ms. Ciccolo questioned whether excluding a landlord in the membership was prudent if the goal is for the committee to be balanced. Mr. Lucente said the proposed committee process is broad and he is uncomfortable with restricting landlords from serving. Mr. Kelley agreed that landlords should have representation. He also hopes to include representation from those struggling to stay in their homes, although identifying someone with those qualifications might be difficult. Mr. Lucente said he hopes to include a representative senior who is looking for affordability. Ms. Ciccolo said it might be best not to call out seniors, since they are not the only group looking for affordability. Ms. Barry thought that in order to recruit applicants for the committee, the specifications should be clear. Mr. Pato said he wants to include at least one listening session in the committee's process. Mr. Kelley suggested holding a listening session before the committee is configured to help identify willing and interested stakeholders. Based on the Board's feedback, Mr. Pato will make changes to the draft so that a second draft can be reviewed at the Selectmen's meeting on December 4. A target a date for the report to be presented is June, before the date of the Selectmen's Goal Setting exercise. Consent Agenda • Approve Use of the Battle Green—Lexington Minute Men Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve the request of the Lexington Minute Men for permission to use the Battle Green on Sunday, December 10, 71-93 Selectmen's Meeting—November 27, 2017 2017 from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The event is a re-enactment of the Lexington tea burning protest of 1773. There will be a first musket drill (non-firing) at 10:00 a.m. At 12:15 p.m., there will be a second musket drill (and firing demonstration). The Minute Men will conclude by firing one volley for every Lexington man lost(total of 10) on April 19, 1775. • Waive ZBA Comprehensive Permit Fee—LexHab's Lowell Street Housing Project Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to waive the ZBA Comprehensive Permit fee for the Lowell Street affordable housing project. • Approve One-Day Liquor Licenses Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve requests by Spectacle Management for approval for three (3) One-Day Liquor licenses to serve Beer and Wine at Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue on the following dates/times: -Dec 2 - Gin Blossoms 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. -Dec 8 - Vienna Boys Choir 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. -Dec 15 - Judy Collins 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. • Water& Sewer Commitments Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve the Water and Sewer Commitment Section 1 for a total of$ 2, 267,230.77. • Approve Minutes and Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve the minutes of: August 2, 2017 Summit 1; August 14, 2017 Open Session; August 28, 2017 Open Session; and September 11, 2017 and further to approve but not release the executive session minutes of August 28 2017 and September 11, 2017 • Approve and Sign Letters to Comcast Requesting Single Quarterly Direct Deposit Payment Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to approve and authorize the Chairman to sign two letters to Comcast formally requesting Comcast to remit its quarterly payments to the Town as a direct deposit of a single check. Remembering Dick Michelson The Selectmen and Mr. Valente spoke in turn of the loss of long-time resident and community leader, Dick Michelson, owner with his sons of Michelson's Shoe Store in the Center. Mr. Michelson was remembered with gratitude and affection for his many contributions, and for his devotion to the Town of Lexington. His funeral service was held yesterday. 71-94 Selectmen's Meeting–November 27, 2017 Executive Session: Exemption 3—Collective Bargaining Update LMEA Ms. Barry recused herself because her husband is employed by the Town. Ms. Ciccolo will serve as Acting Chair. Upon motion duly made and by roll call vote, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 at 9:04 p.m. to enter Executive Session under Exemption 3—Collective Bargaining Update LMEA and to reconvene in Open Session only to adjourn. Further, it was determined that an Open Session discussion could have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the Town. Ad,ourn Upon returning to Open Session and upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to adjourn at approximately 9:25 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary 71-95 Selectmen's Budget Meeting November 28, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was held at 9:02 a.m. on November 28, 2017 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Mr. Valente provided an overview of the coming three days of municipal department budget presentations on November 28, 29, and 30, 2017: As part of the overall budget process, three versions of the budget will be prepared. The preliminary version, presented during these three days, is the most detailed and gives the Board the opportunity to ask questions about departmental operations, program improvement requests (PIRs)for the coming fiscal year, and Capital projects. The second version, the so-called White Book, will be produced in January. The third and final version, the Brown Book, is the Board's approved version that goes to Town Meeting. Over the course of these three preliminary budget meetings, each department's presentation will contain four components: • Department operations, including FY19 goals; • A level-service budget exhibit, i.e. what it will take to provide the same services in FY19 as are being provided in FYI 8. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff have reviewed the departments' submissions to ensure they meet the guidelines; • Program Improvement Requests (PIRs)that go beyond level services. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff have not made any determinations yet as to which PIRs they will eventually recommend; • Capital requests. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff are asking specifically for Board feedback on PIRs and Capital requests to inform their thinking as they prepare the White Book. Land Use, Health, and Development(LUHD)Budget Presentation Staff present: Carol Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development; Aaron Henry, Planning Director; Gerry Cody, Director of Health; Melisa Tintocalis, Economic Development Director; Karen Mullins, Conservation Administrator; and Bruce Dempsey, Acting Building Commissioner. Ms. Kowalski stated that the Land Use, Health and Development Department includes Building and Zoning, Administration, Conservation, Health, Planning, and Economic Development. FY19 LUHD department goals include: Implementation of the 9th edition of the Building Code; update of the Comprehensive Plan; implementation of an economic development initiative for the northern half of Hartwell Avenue; completion of the laser fiche scanning project; improvement of staff coordination and other initiatives to streamline permitting; implementation of View Permit and an upgrade to Viewpoint Cloud software for online permitting. The total All Funds level services budget for FY19 is $2,865,734 or $1,230 over FY18 (+ .04%). Personal 71-96 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 Services are increasing $27,670, or 1.35% and expenses are decreasing $26,440, or 3.23%. The General Fund budget of$2,324,385 is a $40,327, or 1.71% decrease from FY2018, with Compensation increasing 1.17% and Expenses decreasing 12.53%, primarily due to removing one-time expenses. Selectmen questions about the Conservation division budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked if there is a need to hold another community forum about a Conservation division goal to plan for and acquire Open Space parcels. Ms. Mullins, Conservation Administrator, said she would bring the suggestion back to the Conservation Commission, although the sensitive nature of land purchase negotiations makes them difficult to discuss publicly. Ms. Barry asked if the Laserfiche backlog could be remedied with a temporary hire to complete the task. Mr. Valente said that the department is "working backward" from most recent to oldest documents and the documents are sent out to be scanned, not done in-house. Selectmen questions about the Board of Health budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked what engagement the BOH has on mental health issues in Lexington. Mr. Cody said the Health office works collaboratively with Human Services, Police, and Fire and offers a Mental Health First Aid class to School staff and the community at large. The department has recently received a mental health grant from Community Health Network Area 15 (CHNA15)to implement these classes through June 2018. Mr. Kelley asked for more information about the proposed medical discard kiosk Mr. Cody said the kiosk would be available 24/7, and looks similar to a freestanding post box. The box is a collection point for used syringes and unwanted medications and is under video surveillance. The Lions Club medical discard drop-off events would continue to take place. Mr. Pato asked if the Board of Health tracks opioid overdoses in Lexington and if there is a sense of how numbers are trending. Mr. Cody stated the State Department of Public Health tracks the cases and sends reports to Lexington. So far, he has seen no changes in the numbers, although it has been reported in the press that numbers are declining state-wide. Mr. Cody said Lexington's incidents are consistent with similar communities. Mr. Lucente asked how the medical drop-off kiosk would be advertised. Mr. Cody said the department would submit a press release to the town's newspapers and send out a blast email to Town notification subscribers. Announcements will also be made through the School system. Ms. Barry asked if the Town could potentially partner with local pharmacies to tell customers about the kiosk Mr. Cody said the DPW trash/recycling schedule mailed to all households lists special collection days; information can be added about the free-standing kiosk. Selectmen questions about the Planning budget: 71-97 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 Ms. Ciccolo asked about the department's role in transportation matters, the effects of staff turnover, and received grants. Mr. Henry said Assistant Planner David Kucharsky plays a central role in facilitating the coordination between multiple Town departments with regard to Lexpress, economic development, and parking. Mr. Kucharsky assisted Ms. Rodgers, Human Services Director, with applying for a grant to coordinate Lexpress with other community ride programs. Ms. Ciccolo asked about the Safe Routes to School (SRTS)program and how to improve the Town's interactions with the Schools on this front. Mr. Valente said SRTS currently does not report to any department directly; the program is largely under parent association administration. He is discussing SRTS with Superintendent Czajkowski and believes the program will eventually be overseen by the School department with a liaison to the Transportation Safety Group (TSG). SRTS has proposed several Capital projects in the past, mostly sidewalk-related, which tie into the TSG. However, TSG's workload is currently too large to add oversight for SRTS. Mr. Kelley asked if the Planning Board has created expectations for when land comes up for development so that residents are not alarmed by what is being proposed, specifically in terms of density or affordable housing. Mr. Henry said the current composition of the Planning Board supports any housing density that exceeds the by-right yield but the bylaws, as they stand, do not reflect the same philosophy. Mr. Henry expects discussion of this issue to continue as the update to the housing element of the Comprehensive Plan unfolds. The Planning Board does not anticipate presenting revisions to this aspect of the zoning bylaw at Annual Town Meeting 2018. Mr. Pato encouraged more regional transportation collaboration. Mr. Henry stated Planning already coordinates some regional transportation efforts with Bedford and Burlington as well as with private corporate entities on Hartwell Avenue and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. He hopes to address "responsible regionalism" in the Comprehensive Plan process. Ms. Barry said she understands that, within two years, there will be another 600-1000 employees at Hanscom AFB and that the Base is very interested in discussing transportation solutions. Selectmen questions about Economic Development: Ms. Ciccolo asked Ms. Tintocalis if the department has determined where to locate a temporary Visitors Center while a new one is being constructed. Ms. Tintocalis stated that a couple of options had been modeled, such as using a recycled School modular building but nothing definite has been decided. Ms. Ciccolo asked if special legislation would be needed to secure permanent funding for the Rev Shuttle. Ms. Tintocalis said a permanent revenue stream is preferred over the current arrangement whereby the Town contributes $50,000 of the $200,000 cost and private property owners voluntarily contribute the remainder. The 128 Business Council has submitted an RFP for a 3 to 5-year contract which will allow business owners to have a solid understanding of costs in the near term. Lexington would like to reduce its subsidy but also recognizes that private contributions might evaporate in an economic downturn. 71-98 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 Mr. Kelley asked where the additional 25 parking spaces would be that are listed in the division's goals. Ms. Tintocalis stated the on-street spaces have been identified throughout the Center and could potentially be as many as 50 spaces once they are approved by the Town's Traffic Engineer. The department has six PIRs: • $63,696 for an Administrative Assistant to support the LUHD department head and managers; • $8,116 for department interns for Conservation and Economic Development divisions; • $12,000 for a marketing budget increase (Tourism and Economic Development); • $20,290 for an Assistant Building Commissioner based on the possible reclassification of the existing Local Inspector position; • $50,000 for Hartwell Gateway Signage; • $41,400 for General Fund Support of the Visitors Center Revolving Fund. Regarding the Hartwell Gateway, Mr. Kelley asked about the status of the initiative to improve signalization on Bedford Street near the bus stop and hospital. Ms. Tintocalis said she believes improvements are in progress and that crosswalks at the jug handle intersection will be installed in the spring. Mr. Valente confirmed that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has approved the project and the Town has approved funding. Ms. Tintocalis added that the Town is talking to Hanscom AFB and Lincoln Labs about the Hartwell Avenue Gateway signage. Mr. Pato said he is in favor of private funding for the gateway signage. Ms. Tintocalis said there are multiple stakeholders and buy-in from private partners has not yet taken hold. She believes if the Town were to start the design process, support would be easier to attract. Mr. Lucente said he likes the idea of the signage but wants to determine the overlay district parameters before the signage is designed. Ms. Barry believes that businesses already in the district will want action sooner than zoning revisions can be passed. Mr. Lucente and Mr. Kelley supported the PIR for the Assistant Building Commissioner, noting how crucial and intensive the work can be and how it must be done in a timely manner. Mr. Lucente asked if a comparative analysis could be done to see if other communities have such a position or if Lexington's model would be unique. Ms. Barry and Ms. Ciccolo supported the staffing PIRs. Ms. Barry wondered if the intern positions could be coordinated through an educational co-op program for those interested in public service. For the non-staff PIRs, she requested more information. Ms. Ciccolo encouraged the Town to proceed with the Gateway signage design in order to expedite private support. There are six Capital requests with impact of only two of the six in FYI 9: 1) Parker Meadow Assessible Trail Construction (placeholder) 2) Transportation mitigation (FYI 9 and yearly= $100,000) 71-99 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 3) Parking Lot consolidation and repaving (starting in FY21) 4) Hartwell area TMOD (FY19=$50,000) 5) Stone Building analysis (scheduled for FY20) 6) Conservation Land Acquisition (placeholder) Ms. Ciccolo and Mr. Pato supported the transportation mitigation request for $100,000, saying traffic is an issue Lexingtonians care about. About the Hartwell area TMOD, Ms. Ciccolo said she is concerned that the FY19 PIR for $50,000 may be "too little, too late." She encouraged forward movement to the 10% design threshold in order to move the project forward quickly, especially in light of the additional 600-1000 employees expected on Hanscom AFB within two years' time. Ms. Barry fully supported the $100,000 PIR for transportation mitigation, saying TSG does a tremendous amount with limited resources. Ms. Barry is also comfortable with the $50,000 PIR. Town Clerk Budget Presentation Staff present: Nathalie Rice, Town Clerk; Tom Case, Chief Information Officer. The FY2019 requested budget of the Town Clerk's Office is $508,838, representing a increase of$22,352 or 4.59%from the FY2018 appropriation. Compensation increases by $19,802 or 5.41%, and expenses increase by $2,550 or 2.12%. Both are primarily linked to an increase in the number of elections from 2 to 3, plus 11 days of Early Voting. The Town Clerk's office budget consists of four elements: Administration, Board of Registrars, Elections, and Archives and Records Management. FY19 goals for department include: • Administration - Continue to provide important administrative services, including vital records, records requests, voter registration, outreach to all board and committee members, meeting postings, OML and Ethics outreach, business licensing, and recording and archiving of decisions from the Board of Appeals, Planning Board and Historic District Commission. • Elections Administration - Administer Town/State/Federal elections in compliance with statutory requirements and regulation changes. Transition to new voting tabulation system. Continue to refine Early Voting services in Fall 2018. Successfully relocate voters in Precinct 9 to alternate location while Hastings Elementary school is under construction. Strive to relocate polling areas from schools to municipal buildings. • Vital Records - Continue effective use of Commonwealth of MA Electronic Vital Records Systems for Births and Records. • Records and Archives - Complete the migration of historic documents to Town's Laserfiche repository for public access. Expand use of Laserfiche for public and office documents. Ms. Rice noted that the Elections portion of the Town Clerk's budget is the most variable and depends on circumstances, year-to-year. 71-100 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 Ms. Rice said that the FYI increase in hours for the Municipal Assistant has worked out well and the extra support has been important to both the Town Clerk and to the IT department. There are no PIRs for the Town Clerk's FYI budget. There is one FY19 Capital request: 1) $20,000 for archival work, devoted this year specifically to military records for years 1799 to 1915 and town papers from 1722 to 1923. The work will be supervised by Lee Yates, the Town Archivist. Ms. Rice anticipates applying for these Community Preservation-eligible funds on a yearly basis. Information Technology Budget Presentation Staff present: Tom Case, Chief Information Officer and Dorinda Goodman, IT Director. The FYI budget request for the IT Department reflects an increase of$290,702 or 14.79% over the FY2018 budget. Compensation is increasing $23,077 or 2.86%, which reflects step increases and approved cost of living adjustments. Expenses are increasing $267,625 or 23.11%. The major factors driving the increase in the expense budget are software and hardware maintenance contracts, an increase in network core support and an increase in contractual services scheduled for FY2018. Department goals include: Maximize the value of current systems; Continue to invest in the Town's IT infrastructure. Implement recommendations from the network assessment. Implement recommendations from the cybersecurity assessment; Focus on future visioning for IT. Embrace "cloud first". Hosting and re-platforming of core systems (VOIP, ViewPermit, MUNIS,Vision, Laserfiche). Unified communication. Disaster Recovery (DR) planning and hosting. Selectmen questions about the budget: Ms. Barry asked if the second goal: "implement cybersecurity assessment", is part of the Community Compact. Mr. Case replied that it is. Mr. Pato and Mr. Lucente noted undesirable inconsistencies in archived document formatting. Mr. Case said major steps were taken to address that this year. There are two PIRs for the IT department: • $39,000 Gartner Professional Services subscription for"unmetered access" to IT support and training materials; • $7,950 Unmanned Aerial System/drone to assist mapping and inspection as part of Town operations. Selectmen questions about IT PIRs: 71-101 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 At Ms. Ciccolo's request, Mr. Case confirmed that the Town did not intend to use drones for data collection. Mr. Valente said, if this PIR is approved, the Town would need to create a drone policy. Ms. Barry asked if IT training across departments is budgeted in individual departments or under the IT budget alone. Mr. Case said that IT does run some training programs for employees, such as Power Point or Excel. Training for new software products is built into the cost of the product. Mr. Pato is interested in ways that the Town can better share information with the public for improved outreach and for information data analysis within staff operations. He would like to plant the seed of putting these kinds of systems in place. Mr. Case said the Town IT and School IT departments meet regularly but progress was interrupted last year by staff turnover. Mr. Lucente echoed Mr. Pato's comments and added that improved communication with the public needs to include discussions of mobile-friendly access and website functionality. Ms. Barry asked Mr. Valente if this budget would be the right place to introduce the concept of a Communications Coordinator. Mr. Valente agreed this would be the place but two Selectmen have already been meeting with IT about this topic but their proposal is not yet ready to present. Ms. Barry said she would follow up on this topic with Mr. Valente after the meeting. Mr. Lucente asked which departments would use the drones. Mr. Case said drones would be used in instances that would otherwise require putting employees up on roofs or other dangerous places. Licenses to operate the drones would be required by staff. Mr. Lucente said he is favor of the request. Ms. Goodman presented the five Capital requests, although two do not request funding during FY19: 1) Phone Systems and Unified Communication (FY21= $150,000); 2) Network Core Equipment Replacement(multi-year; FYI 9= $350,000); 3) Municipal Technology Improvement Program (multi-year; FYI 9= $200,000); 4) Network Redundancy and Improvement Program (FY20=$330,000); 5) Application Implementation (multi-year; FY19=$340,000). Selectmen questions on the Capital requests: Ms. Barry asked if the vehicle tracking system under Application Implementation would require the creation of a policy. Mr. Valente said it would require that an agreement be reached in the collective bargaining process, although the tracking is intended to assist with snowplowing logistics, not to regularly keep track of employee whereabouts. Mr. Pato asked that at a future time, the Board be updated on the status of current Capital projects. Ms. Barry asked that the phone system be included in this update. 71-102 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 Library Budget Presentation Staff present: Koren Stembridge, Cary Library Director, and Emily Smith, Assistant Director. Ms. Stembridge reported that the Cary Memorial Library is the second busiest in Massachusetts, after Newton. The Library is comprised of three divisions: 1) General and Technical Services includes the administrative staff as well as the supply, equipment and network membership costs; 2) Adult Services includes all adult library, technology and bibliographic services staff as well as adult, teen, and audiovisual materials. It was noted that streaming and downloadable content demand is growing faster than the Library can provide it; 3) Children's Services includes all Children's and Teen library staff and materials for children. This is the fastest growing part of the Library. The Library's FY2019 level-service budget request is $2,578,502 to be supported from Town funds. This request reflects an increase of$44,358 or 1.75% over FY2018. Expenses are increasing by $19,387 or 4.45%. The Library staff contract expired at the end of FY2017 and contract negotiations are underway, therefore this request does not reflect any potential contractual increases for FY2019. Anticipated increases are captured in the Salary Adjustment account within the Town Manager's budget. In January, the Library will gather survey responses from the community to gauge how well it is meeting the needs of both users and non-users. The Library's strategic plan is in need of an update and the survey will guide thinking around how to improve services in the coming years. There will also be an"idea wall" in the Library to collect comments and a series of topic-specific public forums. Ms. Stembridge and Ms. Smith intend to hold open office hours for those who prefer one-on-one dialog. The Library will celebrate its 150th anniversary on January 27, 2019. Multiple events are envisioned, including a gala. Selectmen questions on the budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked for a report on the use of e-readers. Ms. Smith said e-readers are very popular. Overdrive and Hoopla are the current platforms. Canopy, a video platform, is being rolled out. Demand continues to grow in this area but the Library finds the cost can be prohibitive. Ms. Barry asked if there are areas of service that are seeing decreases. Ms. Stembridge said most areas are stable, although there has been a small slip in print content for adults, particularly magazines. Also, physical DVDs or music CDs are now preferred On Demand rather than through the Library but the trend changes when the economy experiences reversals. There is one PIR for FYI 9: • $3,000 for additional travel funds for conference attendance. The Board unanimously supported the PIR. There is one placeholder Capital request for renovations to the Children's Room. 71-103 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 Human Services Budget Presentation Staff present: Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services Director; Melissa Interess, Assistant Director of Senior Services; Gina Rada, Veterans Services District Director; Hemali Shah, Senior Services Coordinator; Philip Boyle, Interim Social Worker for Youth and Family Services; Michelle Kelliher, Transportation Services Assistant. The Human Services Department is comprised of four divisions: Administration and Outreach; Senior/Youth and Family Services; Veteran Services; Transportation Services. The FY2019 All Funds budget is $1,579,631 which reflects an increase of$53,280, or 3.49%, from FY2019. Compensations increases by $22,881, or 3.56%, and expenses increase by $30,399 or 3.44%. The All Funds budget includes funding from a Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) grant, the MBTA Suburban Transportation grant, and the Senior Services Revolving Fund. The General Fund budget request(All Funds less the revolving fund and grant-supported spending)is $1,327,284 and reflects a $26,726 or 2.05%increase, with a $20,838, or 3.81% increase in compensation and a $5,888, or 0.78%, increase in expenses. Department Initiatives: • Participate in mental health review in collaboration with Town and School staff and the Human Services Committee (in cooperation with the Selectmen and the School Committee); • Improve overall department functioning and communication, both internal and external, through the implementation of Laserfiche, standardization of forms and processes, and updates to the Human Services Database; • Formation of crisis intervention and prevention team with Human Services, Police, Fire, Health, Schools, Library, Recreation and community stakeholders to align response and communication protocols, and develop education and support for Lexington residents of all ages around at risk and mental health issues; • Move forward on collaboration with UMass Boston on Age Friendly designation process, secure funding and begin outreach to community to conduct a needs assessment; • Collaboration with Recreation and Community Programs staff to continue best practices in programming and shared customer service and develop robust volunteer program at the Lexington Community Center. Selectmen questions about the Transportation Services budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked why the Lexpress ridership numbers are down among adults and youth. Ms. Rodgers said there was a clear change in student ridership in 2015 when the cost of a school bus pass was reduced by 50%. Also, the adult ticket, that must be on par with an MBTA bus fare, increased to $2.75. However, Ms. Rodgers noted there are now more pass options and the after- 71-104 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 school flex pass has sold briskly. The department is working with the Schools to increase Middle School-age ridership. Ms. Barry asked if LexConnect tickets are tracked after the ticket is sold so that it is known who uses them and how vehicle availability is working out. Ms. Rodgers said the tickets are tracked because the voucher/ticket comes back to the Town when the vendor sends its bill for services. Checker Cab of Woburn has been very flexible about adding vehicles as needed. Ms. Kelliher said that for the Wednesday LexEat program, participants sometimes share a cab but at most other times, a second cab is made available. There are five PIRs: • Undetermined cost placeholder for Youth and Family Services Additional Supports. The intent is to increase the capacity to plan and implement prevention, mental health and wellness education, and suicide prevention programs. • $35,000 for Age Friendly Lexington in collaboration with UMass Boston Gerontology Institute and the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging; • $25,000 for a Transportation Strategy Consultant to study and advise on the Lexpress service; • $25,976 for a Senior Services Nurse to meet demand; • Placeholder ($1,500) Credit Card Fees to allow Lexpress riders to use payment other than cash. Selectmen questions about Human Services PIRs: Ms. Ciccolo asked how the Transportation Services strategic plan would coordinate with the recent grant the department wrote and the Comprehensive Plan update. Ms. Rodgers said the PIR funding would not be needed if the grant application is successful. Ms. Barry asked how other departments handle credit card fees. Mr. Valente said a previous attempt to charge consumers for the fees was unsuccessful and therefore discontinued. The department that accepts the most credit card payments is Recreation and the cost is absorbed in the program fee. Selectmen questions about Youth and Family Services: Ms. Ciccolo asked how the $20,000 CHNA15 grant for suicide prevention programming would be used. Mr. Rodgers said the department is in the process of writing the grant now; the initial planning year of the four-year grant would seek to hire a consultant to develop a crisis prevention team and protocols. The cost of the placeholder Youth and Family Services PIR hinges on the outcome of the mental health discussions now taking place between the Selectmen, School Committee, and Human Services. Mr. Valente noted that some funds have been held aside in the budget for"Board and Committee priorities" but the timing is challenging in terms of the budget cycle. Ms. Barry said 71-105 FY2019 Budget Presentation#1 —November 28, 2017 she was supportive of the need expressed by the placeholder but would prefer that a dollar figure be attached to the PIR. Mr. Kelley noted discussion at the most recent Summit about staffing at the Community Center for the purpose of addressing mental health concerns. He asked if the position would fall on the Municipal side or be shared with the Schools. Mr. Valente said the answer to the question is largely of policy, as in"What is the role of Town government in mental health services?" Once the role is decided, placing it within the Town's organizational chart will be easier. Ms. Barry asked if the grant and the suicide prevention symposium are two separate things. Ms. Rodgers said both are funded by CHNA 15. Four staff from the Lexington Public Schools are also taking part in the symposium, along with Ms. Rodgers. As part of the symposium curriculum, each team will create a suicide prevention and education program and implement that program with the grant funding. Mr. Lucente asked whether a referral program should be put in place while the symposium and program implementation take place, since residents are having trouble now accessing the mental health services they need. Ms. Rodgers said the referral program under consideration is an internet-based referral service called Interface which would, in part, duplicate some of the same services provided by Human Services staff, such as identifying care providers accepting new patients and the right insurance. Ms. Rodgers will present more information about Interface at the next joint meeting with the Selectmen, School Committee, and Human Services. The Town also calls on the Riverside Crisis team as needed, free of charge. Interface requires a two-year commitment and the cost is $28,000 per year. After hearing the presentations of Senior Services and Veterans Services, the Board of Selectmen thanked the Human Services staff and concluded day one of the annual department budget presentations. Add ourn Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adjourn at approximately 11:55 a.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary 71-106 Selectmen's Budget Meeting November 29, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was held at 1:04 p.m. on November 29, 2017 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Mr. Valente provided an overview of the municipal department budget presentations to be provided on November 29, and 30, 2017: As part of the overall budget process, three versions of the budget will be prepared. The preliminary version, presented during these three days, is the most detailed and gives the Board the opportunity to ask questions about departmental operations, program improvement requests (PIRs)for the coming fiscal year, and Capital projects. The second version, the so-called White Book, will be produced in January. The third and final version, the Brown Book, is the Board's approved version that goes to Town Meeting. Over the course of these preliminary budget meetings, each department's presentation will contain four components: • Department operations, including FY19 goals; • A level-service budget exhibit, i.e. what it will take to provide the same services in FYI as are being provided in FYI 8. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff have reviewed the departments' submissions to ensure they meet the guidelines; • Program Improvement Requests (PIRs)that go beyond level services. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff have not made any determinations yet as to which PIRs they will eventually recommend; • Capital requests. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff are asking specifically for Board feedback on PIRs and Capital requests to inform their thinking as they prepare the White Book. FYI Proposed Budget—Department of Public Works Staff present: Mr. Pinsonneault, Director of Public Works; Mr. Valenti, Operations Manager; Mr. Livsey, Town Engineer; Mr. Beaudoin, Environmental Services Superintendent; Mr. Gitshier, Highway Superintendent; Mr. Pecora, Water and Sewer Superintendent; Ms. Vella, Office Manager. The Department of Public Works FY2019 All Funds budget of$10,941,712 is comprised of four subprograms (DPW Administration/Engineering, Highway Maintenance, Public Grounds, Environmental Services). The FY2019 request represents an overall increase of$586,501 or 5.66%. The All Funds budget is inclusive of the Compost, Minuteman Household Hazardous Product(NIHFIl'), Burial Containers and Tree revolving funds. Less these revolving funds, the General Fund budget request is $9,879,877, which is a $486,190 or a 5.18%increase over the FY2018 budget. Personal Services are increasing $78,443 or 1.81%in the All Funds budget, and $68,634 or 1.69%in the General Fund budget. The personal service budget in the General Fund includes 71-107 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 —November 29, 2017 contractually obligated step increases and COLAs, but costs for unsettled contracts will be carried in the Salary Adjustment Account in the Town Manager's Budget. Actual and projected COLAs are reflected in the Non-General Fund (Compost Revolving Fund)portion of the budget. Departmental Expenses are increasing $445,856 or 7.68% in the All Funds budget, and by $417,556 or 7.82%in the General Fund budget. The clothing and safety lines in all operations budgets have increased due to contractual obligations. Department initiatives include: Finalize the reaccreditation process through the American Public Works Association. (Lexington is one of two communities in Massachusetts and one of 170 public works agencies in the country to be accredited); Continue the stormwater initiatives in preparation for the new NPDES permit; Support the implementation of People GIS asset management and work order system, adding sidewalk maintenance and fleet tracking to the scope; Work with Energy Committee and Sustainability Committee to improve energy efficiencies (LED street lights, Quiet Communities partnership.) Public Works has four PIRs: • $22,500 Sidewalk data collection using PathMeT; • $15,000 Landscaping improvements at Town buildings; • $8,000 Vehicle inspections in-house.; • $40,533 Heavy equipment operator. Selectmen questions about DPW Administration division budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked if the department has the capacity to help the Town move up from bronze to silver in the Bike Friendly Community rankings. Mr. Livesey said in the years since Lexington received the bronze designation, there has been a significant increase in the number of bike accommodations and sharrows. With the wayfinding project, these improvements should result in the higher ranking. Selectmen questions about the Engineering division budget: Ms. Ciccolo expressed enthusiasm about the sidewalk data collection PIR that would provide more complete infrastructure information. She asked if the NPDES revision implementation would be delayed and if residents would have access to the new PeopleGIS software. Mr. Livesey confirmed the EPA's NPDES implementation date has been postponed until July 1, 2018 due to concerns expressed by a number of organizations. Amendments to the regulation are now being made. The new standard will require the Town to host stormwater management public education sessions to specific groups, such as residents and contractors. Mr. Livesey said the PeopleGIS system would be available to residents on the Town website but the deeper levels of the program would be available to staff only. Ms. Barry said she fully supports the PathMeT PIR and asked what percentage of the sidewalk system would be assessed each year. Mr. Livesey said about a third of the sidewalks would be covered annually, up from one fifth using the current system. Mr. Pato and Mr. Lucente said they also support this PIR. 71-108 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 —November 29, 2017 Selectmen comments/questions about the Streetlighting division budget: Mr. Kelley asked about response times for non-functioning streetlights. Mr. Pinsonneault said, depending on the problem, a repair can take 1-3 weeks. The department encourages residents to call the dedicated phone line to report broken streetlights. If the repair is expected to take longer, staff tries to follow up to let residents know. Ms. Barry asked if a fillable form could be made available on the website to facilitate reporting. Mr. Pinsonneault said he hopes this feature will be available on the new PeopleGIS system but he noted that the report hotline is staffed during business hours. Police and DPW staff also take note of lights that are not working as they make their rounds through town. Mr. Lucente asked that a list of lights undergoing repair be posted on the website to verify those that have been identified. Questions/comments about the Highway division budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked for a crosswalk painting status update. Mr. Gitshier reported that most of the crosswalks were repainted this year in the spring. Mr. Kelley asked the division to consider piloting a"stop, wait, and wave" decal program. He also noted that the salt and sand mixture that was made available to residents is now merely sand and asked that the sand barrel be covered so the salt could be added back into the mixture. Mr. Livesey confirmed that a cover would need to be constructed for this to occur. Mr. Pinsonneault reported he has been looking into this matter Ms. Barry stated that, for the sake of safety, the turning lanes on Hartwell Avenue need to be clearly defined and repainted. Mr. Gitshier replied that Hartwell Avenue is on the Engineering department's list for attention. Questions/comments about the Road Machinery division: Ms. Barry and Mr. Pato voiced support for the in-house vehicle inspection PIR. Questions/comments about the Snow Removal division: Ms. Barry asked for an evaluation of the new snow removal system that was introduced last year. Mr. Pinsonneault said the new system was successful from an operational standpoint. The biggest challenges for snow removal are cars parked on the street and people shoveling snow into the roadway; Mr. Pinsonneault asked for help from residents and private contractors to police these occurrences. Mr. Pato asked if there are issues on the bike path pertaining to snow removal. Mr. Pinsonneault said a private contractor deals with the bike path and, so far, the contractor has worked well with the Town. 71-109 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 —November 29, 2017 Comments/questions about the Parks/Public Grounds division: Ms. Barry and Mr. Lucente applauded division for the amount of work done with few resources. Mr. Lucente suggested the $15,000 PIR might be funded by the Fund for Lexington. Mr. Pato supported the PIR. Questions/Comments about the Refuse Collection and Refuse Disposal divisions: Mr. Pinsonneault noted that the status quo refuse collection system would continue for another year. Ms. Ciccolo said input gathered about proposed changes to the refuse collection system included a belief that the automated system bins are too large for easy storage and handling. She encouraged the division to provide another round of information sessions so residents can look at the actual range of bin sizes. Ms. Ciccolo asked if the new refuse collection contract might also include compost collection. Mr. Beaudoin said the Town did not include composting in the contract but there are private services available locally. Mr. Kelley supported continuation of the current manual system. He asked that information about recycling be published in The Colonial Times periodical. Mr. Pato recommended that an educational video be made to help people understand which materials can be recycled. Ms. Barry approved wholeheartedly of the $40,533 PIR which aims to transition the Heavy Machinery Operator from part-time to full-time, noting that 2000 staff hours a year have been "borrowed" from other divisions to cover the workload at the Hartwell Avenue facility. Mr. Pato is also in favor of the PIR. Capital Request comments questions: Ms. Ciccolo asked if the Town is preparing roads for autonomous vehicles and if newly installed signals can be retroactively modified. Mr. Livesey said department staff have attended several conferences on autonomous vehicles but the concept is still in development. Mr. Lucente strongly supported the signalization improvement capital request, saying the Worthen Road intersection is very dangerous. (Multi-year; FY19= $1.1M). Mr. Kelley said he does not believe the Town should encourage use of the Pelham Road/Massachusetts Avenue intersection. Mr. Pato encouraged continuation of the sidewalk along Massachusetts Avenue at this location. (FY19=$1.4M). Mr. Kelley asked that the Selectmen first review a schematic design-level for the Westview Cemetery Building before moving ahead with full construction. (FY19= $3.04M)Mr. Lucente hopes to make this particular project revenue neutral and asked for a breakout of public vs. non- 71-110 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 –November 29, 2017 public costs. Mr. Pinsonneault stated that the building will be funded by cemetery fees and that staff is currently reviewing/revising the building's layout, after which the design will be forwarded to the Selectmen. FYI Proposed Budget—Water& Sewer The FY2019 budget request for the Water Enterprise Fund is $11,517,514. This is an increase of $794,855 or 7.41% more than FY2018. Compensation is increasing $75,671 or 10.79%from FY2018, and is primarily due to the shift of the Utility Billing Manager from Finance to Water/Sewer. The expense request of$494,025 is $67,000 or 15.69% more than FY2018. A preliminary FY2019 assessment will be issued in February by the MWRA Board of Directors to be followed by the final assessment in June 2018. For now, an increase of 10% has been projected. Indirect payments to the General Fund are preliminarily shown with a slight decrease, with final numbers pending the completion of an Indirect Cost Study by the Finance Department. OPEB and Debt service numbers are preliminary as well. Division Goals include: Continue with the Hydrant Maintenance Program; Develop educational material for water conservation; Implement a backflow/cross connection program; Reduce the amount of Pit Meters in Town and change out the manual reads on the ones that cannot be eliminated; Continue to update all the water connection "paper tie cards" for GIS implementation; Continue the reaccreditation process with the American Public Works Association. Ms. Ciccolo asked if a public education campaign about back flow is advisable. Mr. Pecora agreed it would have a positive effect. Mr. Kelley asked when the current agreement to provide water to the Town of Bedford is at an end. Mr. Pinsonneault said the contract expires in 2018 but Lexington has already started working with Bedford to improve flow and pressure for Lexington customers. FYI Proposed Budget—Police Department Staff present: Chief Corr, Police Chief, Captain McLean, Captain of Operations; Ms. Downey, Office Manager. The FY2019 Police Department level-service request of$7,175,225 reflects a $300,190 or 4.37% increase (compensation increased $279,962 or 4.69% and expenses increased $20,228 or 2.25%) from the FY2018 budget. Police Department goals: Assist the Board of Selectmen with planning, budgeting and constructing a new police station and improvements to Hartwell Avenue outdoor firing range; Begin the reassessment of Department policy for reaccreditation in January 2019; Achieve full staffing with a Sergeant assessment center(2 supervisory vacancies and hiring 6-10 officers). 71-111 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 —November 29, 2017 Selectmen questions about the Police department budget: Ms. Barry asked if other communities are also struggling to fill department vacancies and if lateral recruitment has been considered. Chief Corr said Lexington's experience with vacancies is part of a larger trend and very few officers from other departments are interested in making a lateral change. Mr. Pato asked for a status report on enforcement of the new town wide speed limit. Chief Corr stated the department has not yet issued citations for driving over the new limit because doing so might jeopardize a more significant discovery made during a generic traffic stop. The department is going to great effort to educate the public about the change and expects to start enforcement after the holidays. Ms. Barry asked if the department has seen changes in opioid use. Chief Corr reported that the region has recently experienced a decline in overdoses. Lexington residents are becoming aware of the issue and of the services provided in the community. He believes the "curtain of secrecy" is coming down. Ms. Ciccolo asked about dispatch personnel training for mental health crises. Chief Corr said the Police meet monthly with Fire and Human Services to discuss residents at risk. The Police also meet monthly with the Schools. When incidents occur, the Police have access to a strong service network. Chief Corr has signed a pledge that every member of the department will receive 16 hours of mental health training within the next three years and between 10% and 20% of the department will be trained in crisis intervention. This training will require overtime pay but the Chief believes this matter merits the expense; funding can be absorbed within the department budget. Ms. Barry asked that all such training across departments be accounted in the Town's assessment of how it addresses mental health issues. Mr. Lucente asked if splitting the position of Animal Control Officer with Bedford still makes sense for Lexington. Chief Corr stated the arrangement continues to work well. Ms. Barry asked how often alcohol compliance checks are made. Chief Corr said the State had been conducting these checks but kept getting delayed; the Town asked to take them on and has been doing them twice a year at restaurants and package stores. All Selectmen supported the sole Police department PIR for $5,000 for the Domestic Violence Service Network membership. Ms. Barry asked if Lexington participates in the Restorative Justice program. Chief Corr said the Town does participate with 8-10 other towns. The number of cases is between 10 and 12 and is "situational" because both parties a case must agree to this form of mitigation. Ms. Ciccolo asked if accident reporting software has been able to capture bicycle accident information to help the Town make informed choices about roadway and intersection 71-112 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 –November 29, 2017 improvements. Captain McLean said the department has added codes to the reporting system that improves the usefulness of reports related to pedestrians and/or bicyclists. Ms. Ciccolo said residents should be encouraged to report all levels of pedestrian or bicycle incidents, even if they consider them to be minor. Selectmen questions on Capital requests: Ms. Barry asked why the $370,000 replacement communications console was slated for 2020 if the need was urgent. Chief Corr said, in discussion with the equipment salesman, it appeared the current console could be serviced for another year, given the availability of parts but the software is no longer supported by the developer. Selectmen indicated support for the request and were not averse to moving it up to FY19 if the Town Manager deems it advisable. FY9 Proposed Budget—Fire Department Staff present: Chief Wilson. The FY2019 budget for the Lexington Fire/EMS Department is $6,869,493 which is a $295,644 or 4.43%increase from FY2018, which has been restated to reflect cost of living increases which were approved subsequent to the adoption of the FY2018 budget at the 2017 annual town meeting. Compensation is increasing by $261,096, or 4.34%, which is attributed to the settlement of the firefighters' contract through FY2019. Expenses are increasing by $34,548, or 6.19%, due to a request for a replacement vehicle. Fire Department goals include: Additional training and professional development for fire officers; Continue to build on community outreach efforts for opioid education and prevention.; Develop an improved employee recruitment process to address diversity and retention; Complete new station design and plan for move to temporary facility. The department has one PIR: $189,904 for two FTEs to allow both ambulances to be staffed 24/7. Ms. Ciccolo asked how often simultaneous medical calls occur. Chief Wilson said it happens frequently but the frequency cannot be predicted. Lexington will always need to avail itself of mutual aid services from other towns, even if the second ambulance is completely staffed. The income stream to be able to assist other towns is equally unpredictable and cannot be budgeted for. Ms. Barry asked what percentage of the staff are trained paramedics. Chief Wilson said about 60% are certified. Ms. Barry, Mr. Pato, and Mr. Lucente voiced support for the PIR. 71-113 FY2019 Budget Presentation#2 —November 29, 2017 Adi ourn Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adjourn at approximately 4:25 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary 71-114 Selectmen's Budget Meeting November 30, 2017 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was held at 9:00 a.m. on November 30, 2017 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Kelley; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo; and Mr. Lucente were present as well as Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Mr. Valente provided an overview of the municipal department budget presentations to be provided on November 30, 2017: As part of the overall budget process, three versions of the budget will be prepared. The preliminary version, presented during these three days, is the most detailed and gives the Board the opportunity to ask questions about departmental operations, program improvement requests (PIRs) for the coming fiscal year, and Capital projects. The second version, the so-called White Book, will be produced in January. The third and final version, the Brown Book, is the Board's approved version that goes to Town Meeting. Over the course of these preliminary budget meetings, each department's presentation will contain four components: • Department operations, including FY19 goals; • A level-service budget exhibit, i.e. what it will take to provide the same services in FYI as are being provided in FYI 8. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff have reviewed the departments' submissions to ensure they meet the guidelines; • Program Improvement Requests (PIRs)that go beyond level services. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff have not made any determinations yet as to which PIRs they will eventually recommend; • Capital requests. Mr. Valente and Ms. Kosnoff are asking specifically for Board feedback on PIRs and Capital requests to inform their thinking as they prepare the White Book. FYI Proposed Budget—Department of Public Facilities Staff present: Mr. Cronin, Facilities Director; Mr. Newell, Assistant Director; Ms. Lucibello, Administrative Assistant, Building Rental Administrator; Mr. DeMango, Facilities Engineer; Ms. Rossi, Office Manager; Susan Lusk, Facilities Coordinator; Ann Marie Ponzini, Administrative Assistant; Lisa Rozzi, Office Manager; Ray Drapeau, Facilities Superintendent and Manny Cabral, Superintendent of Custodial Services The Department of Public Facilities (DPF)FY2019 budget consists of three divisions: Educational Facilities, Municipal Facilities and Shared Facilities. The DPF FY2019 level-service All Funds budget is increasing by $105,961 or 0.95%. The General Fund budget is increasing by $98,042 or 0.93%. Overall Utility costs are decreasing by $95,234 or 3.11%, which includes a reduction of$67,205 or 8.69%in natural gas, and a decrease of$38,729 or 1.76%in electricity. Both rates are based on assumptions of contracted rates for electric supply. Electric costs are net of$126,500 in solar 71-115 FY2019 Budget Presentation#3 —November 30, 2017 credits for rooftop installations. Revenues from building rentals remain strong, and support a $7,762 or 1.48%increase in the Rental Revolving Fund budget. Department goals for FYI include: Support the operation of the Community Center, support the School Master Plan, and implement other capital and priority projects. The Facilities department has one FYI PIR: $25,000 for an Owner's Agent Solar Design and Contracting to conduct feasibility studies with site-based designs. Selectmen questions about the Facilities budget and PIR. Ms. Ciccolo asked how changes in State regulations will affect Lexington's solar program. Mr. Newell said the former credit program is no longer something the Town can count on for future investments in sustainable energy. New state regulations are being drafted, which will likely apply to the Hastings Elementary School, and will be evaluated to help the Town to understand the costs and benefits of the proposed rooftop and parking lot solar arrays at that location. The new regulations will be used as a basis on which to calculate cost/benefits for future projects. Mr. Kelley asked if the Town can be confident in previous cost/benefit expectations in the shifting solar credit landscape. Mr. Valente said the Department of Public Utilities (DPU)is expected to rule in December on whether completed solar projects will be grandfathered. Mr. Newell said the department is watching what is going on with the DPU and the B5 rate for solar energy generation. His hope is that any installation already operating under a B5 rate will be grandfathered. Ms. Barry asked about facilities rental revenues. Mr. Newell said that many of the buildings are experiencing increased use, particularly Battin Hall in the Cary Memorial Building as well as various Recreation department-related rentals. Ms. Barry asked that data about rentals be shared with the Board. Ms. Barry asked if the free solar array the Town was granted has been installed. If not, she suggested the pool building be considered. Mr. Valente said it has not yet been constructed. Ms. Barry asked if the Westview Cemetery would be a DPW or DPF project. Mr. Valente said the decision has not yet been made. Due to workload constraints, Facilities may take on an advisory role to the DPW on that project. Mr. Pato asked if the cited energy cost avoidance total includes all of the current arrays or only the rooftop portion. Mr. Newell said the amount is only for the rooftop generation. Mr. Lucente voiced his support for the PIR. Selectmen questions about Facilities Capital requests: 71-116 FY2019 Budget Presentation#3 –November 30, 2017 Ms. Ciccolo asked about the status of the town wide sustainability policy for buildings. Mr. Cronin said Facilities and the Sustainable Lexington and the Permanent Building Committee are close to presenting a fully-refined policy. The Board of Selectmen would be asked to adopt the policy. Ms. Ciccolo asked if the Town would receive outside funding for any projects, such as high definition upgrades for town government meeting broadcasts. Mr. Valente affirmed that PEG access/LexMedia would fund the hi-def upgrade and that the Bridge Elementary School will also be eligible for funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the future roof replacement project. Staff are also working to identify outside funding for the proposed new Visitors Center. It is anticipated that Visitors Center project, at least at construction document level, will go before Annual Town Meeting 2018; it is possible that construction funding will be requested in 2019 but that will depend on the ability to fund the project within the tax levy. Ms. Ciccolo expressed concern that further delay would increase the final cost of the project. Mr. Kelley said the Board should commitment to fully funding the Visitors Center project before requesting Town Meeting support. Mr. Pato said he is concerned about within levy debt and is glad the Town is pursuing alternative funding sources. FYI Proposed Budget—Recreation and Community Programs Staff present: Ms. Battite, Recreation and Community Programs Director; Ms. Dean, Community Center Director; Mr. Coleman, Assistant Recreation and Community Programs Director. The Department of Recreation and Community Programs consists of three divisions: Recreation, Pine Meadows Golf Course and the Community Center. The requested FY2019 operating budget is $3,113,266. The significant changes include: Personal Services is increasing by 8.29% due to contractual obligations, contract settlements, an increase in the number of seasonal employees & program instructors, and a proposed increase in minimum wage for seasonal employees; Expenses are increasing by 8.95% due to an increase in contractual services (vendor programs and credit card processing fees) and the printing costs associated with the Department's newly reformatted full-color seasonal program brochures; Debt is decreasing by $100,000 as the last Lincoln Park debt payment is February 2018; The preliminary Indirect contribution to General Government is $261,826. Department goals include: Pursue and obtain Parks & Open Space opportunities to increase the Park and Recreation inventory of playing fields and pocket parks; Expand Community Center program opportunities; Hold quarterly stakeholders meetings with town and community-wide service organizations that offer educational, social, cultural, and recreation programming, classes, special events, and activities to the citizens of Lexington; Pelham Road Property & Master Plan of the Community Center Property and Development; Update the Work Plan as outlined in the Recreation and Community Programs Department's 2014-2016 Strategic Plan; Develop a plan for instituting an ID membership system for use by participants at Recreation and Community Programs Department programs and facilities; Research potential local, state and federal grants that could assist with program costs and capital improvement projects. 71-117 FY2019 Budget Presentation#3 —November 30, 2017 Selectmen questions about the Recreation and Community Programs budget: Ms. Ciccolo asked if there are has been pressure to increase the Community Center's hours of operation. Ms. Dean said that patrons frequently say they want the Center to be open later at night and on Sundays. Mr. Kelley said the Community Center is tremendously valuable to the townspeople; he urged the staff to consider how to support segments of the population that might be "left behind" because of financial constraints, perhaps by tapping the Fund for Lexington. Ms. Barry commended the department's collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders. She asked about the difficulty of juggling athletic field availability, given the level of demand and asked how new sports, such as cricket, are being accommodated. Mr. Coleman agreed it was a challenge to provide equitable access. The Hastings Elementary fields will come offline for two calendar years if construction proceeds as hoped. Groups such as the cricket group, with about 50 participants, have increased the number of teams vying for playing space. The lighted field at Lincoln Park has been a positive addition. Ms. Barry asked if the town pool renovation is on schedule. Ms. Battite said it should be back in use by the traditional opening date in June. The department website updates the project's progress weekly to keep the community informed. Mr. Lucente asked for data on unique visits made to the Community Center in a given time period. There are two FYI PIRs: • $ 12,661 for a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist; • $ 6,330 for a year-round Recreation Municipal Assistant Recreation. The Selectmen unanimously voiced support for these PIRs that would be funded solely by the Recreation Enterprise Fund without additional fees. Selectmen questions about the department's Capital requests: Ms. Ciccolo asked if, in the future, the projects that are Community Preservation Act eligible could be designated as such in the budget report. Mr. Kelley asked whether the subsurface would need to be addressed in the Center Track reconstruction project. Ms. Battite replied that the subsurface will have to be re-evaluated. The proposed project includes pulling together all track and field elements in the effort to create a track complex. Discussion about the track has been in the Capital process for the last five years but the potential to use the area for staging during the future Lexington High School renovation project means that this discussion has become more complicated. Ms. Barry agreed that the condition of the track is substandard. Mr. Pato agreed as well but suggested, given the uncertainty LHS project needs, a potential temporary solution be found. 71-118 FY2019 Budget Presentation#3 –November 30, 2017 Mr. Lucente said he is supportive of the track refurbishment but also apprehensive of how the space will be used during the future LHS project. Ms. Barry asked if the athletic facility lighting would be LED. Mr. Coleman said there would be a mixture of LED and non-LED lights and the tower height would remain the same will little spillover into the surrounding neighborhood. Mr. Lucente asked if there is a town that is already using a hybrid natural/artificial turf field of the type being recommended. Ms. Batitte said she will forward a list of local fields to the Selectmen. Mr. Pato asked if the Capital request for golf course equipment would focus on low-emission, low-noise options. Ms. Battite said her department has been working with the DPW and the New England Golf Corporation to identify appropriate equipment. FYI Proposed Budget—Finance Department Staff present: Ms. Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Mr. Lent, Director of Assessing; Mr. Lovering, Tax Collector/Treasurer. The requested FY2019 Finance Department budget reflects a $37,776 or 2.00% decrease from the restated FY2018 budget. This includes a $56,376, or 4.03% decrease in compensation, which reflects the transfer of the Utility Billing Manager to the Water and Sewer enterprise budgets. Expenses are increasing $18,600 or 3.83% due to additional legal and consulting costs. The Finance Department is comprised of the following divisions: the Comptroller's Office, the Treasurer/Collector's Office and the Assessor's Office. Department goals/initiatives: Department-wide: Munis software training and a potential upgrade of the Munis application. Assessing: Administer a 6-year, cyclical annual inspection program for interior and exterior inspection to comply with requirements of the DOR; Embark on cross-training program among Assessing Department employees to promote staff capacity at all times, possibly including re- organizing staff functions; Activate GIS functionality in Vision software and train staff in its use; Enhance productivity through adoption of new technology to support data collection and input activity; Reduce annual paper mailings to taxpayers where possible, as permitted by MGL. Comptroller: Continue to implement general billing for miscellaneous receivables. Treasurer/Collector: Bid Bill Printing Services; Continue tax foreclosures and evaluate new accounts to add to process. Selectmen questions on the Assessing budget: Mr. Pato asked if the division's budget includes funding for the additional workloads associated 71-119 FY2019 Budget Presentation#3 –November 30, 2017 with implementation of policies to 1) assess properties from when a certificate of occupancy is granted; and 2) approval of a residential tax exemption. Mr. Lent said the budget does not include these costs but the department remains responsive to the Board's direction. This being the case, Mr. Pato asked for an analysis of expenses for these additional duties. Ms. Ciccolo concurred, saying the Town should understand costs prior to implementation. Ms. Barry agreed, saying that adequate staffing was cited as a reason not to move forward with either initiative at this time. Mr. Lucente said he supports the certificate of occupancy policy change. The department presented one PIR: $7,597 to pilot a college intern program to supplement department staff and train potential future municipal finance candidates. All Selectmen voiced strong support. FYI Proposed Budget—Town Managers Office Staff present: Ms. Axtell, Assistant Town Manager; Ms. Graglia-Kostos, Director of Human Resources; Mr. Hudson, Management Fellow. The Town Manager's Office is comprised of the following elements: Organizational Direction and Administration - 8210, and Human Resources - 8220. Organizational Direction and Administration funds staff and expenses for the Manager's Office including organizational development funds and some office equipment. Human Resources funds staff and expenses for managing the personnel and benefit functions of the organization. The FY2019 budget reflects an increase of$9,224 or 1.14% from FY2018. This is comprised of a decrease of$18,474 or 3.17%in Compensation due to retirements, and an increase of$9,250 or 4.12%in Expenses due to funding a firefighter assessment center. Department goals/initiatives: 1)Begin implementation of recommendations of 20/20 Task Force on Asian Communities with the creation of the Diversity Advisory Task Force (see PIR); Develop implementation protocol for hate crime activities with the Superintendent of Schools; Work to support the high-performance culture in the organization by providing directed team building to the newly constituted Senior Management Team. Develop new revenue sources to support the budget, particularly the capital budget, by looking at stormwater revenue and sidewalk betterments; Continue the initiative to develop organizational sustainability by passing on institutional knowledge, engaging mid-level managers in organization decision-making and selecting and training qualified individuals. Continue the work on internal controls by revising existing policies and developing new policies that may be necessary to ensure the protection of assets that are vulnerable to abuse. The department requested one PIR: $15,000 for the creation of a Diversity Advisory Task Force/ This request is a match to the funding proposed within the School department. All Selectmen supported this PIR. 71-120 FY2019 Budget Presentation#3 –November 30, 2017 FYI Proposed Budget—Town Committees Staff present: Mr. Hudson, Management Fellow; Ms. Axtell, Assistant Town Manager. The Town Committees Budget is expected to decrease overall by $4,000 or 6.91% due to the Dance Around the World program not being held in FY2019. Also requested is a 2.5% increase in Supplies for the Town Celebrations' Committee to account for increasing costs for Patriots' Day. FY19 Proposed Budget—Board of Selectmen's Office Staff present: Ms. Katzenback, Executive Clerk/Office Manager. The Selectmen's All Funds budget inclusive of the Selectmen's Office, the Legal budget, Town Report and the PEG Special Revenue Fund is increasing by $49,148, or 4.12%. General Fund compensation is decreasing $4,376 or 3.49%to capture changes in personnel, and General Fund expenses are increasing $500 or 0.13%. The Legal and Town Report components of the Selectmen's budget are level-funded. At the conclusion of the budget presentations, Mr. Valente noted one more budget—Shared Expenses—remaining to be reviewed during a regularly scheduled Board meeting. The Shared Expenses budget includes elements such as debt and insurance. Mr. Valente recognized Ms. Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, and Ms. Hewitt, Budget Officer for the level of work and detail they performed in their first complete budget cycle. In addition, he noted that these budgets were compiled without the assistance of a Town Accountant, an important role that has proven difficult to fill. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to adjourn at approximately 11:13 a.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary