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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-14 SB-minSELECT BOARD MEETING Friday, February 14, 2025 A meeting of the Lexington Select Board was called to order at 9:00a.m. on Friday, February 14, 2025, via a hybrid meeting platform. Mr. Lucente, Chair; Mr. Pato, Mr. Sandeen, Ms. Barry, and Ms. Hai, were present, as well as Mr. Bartha, Town Manager; Ms. Axtell, Deputy Town Manager; and Ms. Katzenback, Executive Clerk. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approve and Sign Eagle Scout Commendation Letters – Sam Beebee & Joshua Liu To approve and sign a letters of commendation congratulating Sam Beebee and Joshua Liu of Boy Scout Troop 160 for attaining the highest rank of Eagle in scouting. DOCUMENTS: Eagle Letter - Sam Beebee, Eagle Letter - Joshua Liu VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted by roll call 5-0 to approve the Consent Agenda. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 1. SELECT BOARD WORK SESSION - Senior Tax Relief Program Discussion Dana Bickelman, Human Services Director, made a presentation on solutions and suggestions for the proposed Senior Tax Relief Program.She explained that some of the suggestions include increasing the maximum earnings for the Property Work-Off Program. This would raise the maximum earnings for the program to $2.000 which other municipalities have done. Currently, Lexington is capped at $1,755 and that cap could be adjusted to match or to exceed the new limit. This would provide participants with greater tax relief and offer a meaningful opportunity for increased financial support. The other suggestion is to update the income eligibility limits for the Property Work-Off Program to better align with the Massachusetts threshold for the 2024 tax year. The updated limits would be $72,000 for single filers who are not heads of household, $91,000 for heads of household, and $109,000 for married couples filing jointly. Mr. Pato noted that, regarding the proposal to increase the threshold for income limits, at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting, the Town tied the qualifications for tax deferrals to the income limits for the Mass Circuit Breaker, and it would be appropriate to do the same thing for this request. Also, the Governor's Municipal Empowerment Act, which is currently before the legislature, includes a section for a means-tested residential exemption for property taxes for seniors. This would provide a statewide program that does not currently today which would allow those seniors in need to receive the exemption. It would behoove everyone to call their legislators to express how important this section is. Mr. Sandeen suggested that the Lexington Select Board’s Residential Exemption Policy Study Committee Report, issued in April 2019, be reviewed. Ms. Barry suggested that the Board could empower a group of individuals who could be trained with the help of Town Staff to help spread the word in the community. DOCUMENTS: Senior Tax Relief programs 2. Waste Reduction Task Force Update Maggie Peard, Sustainability and Resilience Officer, explained that, following the completion of a Zero Waste Plan and a graduate student research project that made recommendations on the future of Lexington’s waste collection system, the Waste Reduction Task Force has been meeting regularly to discuss changes to the waste collection system that would protect the Town from rising waste costs and protect the environment through waste reduction. The Task Force is ready to propose a series of steps the Town could take to reduce waste and save money, along with an implementation timeline. The Task Force is seeking feedback from the Board on the proposal and for direction on how to proceed. The three main strategies the Task Force is putting forth include continuing to grow the curbside program for composting to be a Town-wide program, moving to automated collection and a hybrid pay-as-you- throw system, and establishing fees for bulky items. This year, the Task Force would like to consider reviewing the Town’s waste regulations, exploring fees for bulky items, and potentially looking into the trash bin limit. Lexington currently has a bin limit of six bins, which is far more than any other community, and which is limiting some of the Town’s ability to get grants from Mass DEP. Next year, the Task Force would like to look into the goal of moving to standardized waste bins and automated collection and comparing this with this hybrid pay-as-you-throw suggestion. This move would require bringing an amendment to Town Meeting. Dave Pinsonnault, Director of Public Works, noted that the costs for trash and recycling, both collection and disposal, continue to rise. Also, DEP continues to put bans on certain things from going into the trash, which leads to an additional fee for disposal of those items. Mr. Pato explained that this is not an attempt to transfer the burden of the Town reducing its waste. It is an attempt to create incentives that are individually monitorable, so that the total cost either goes down or is contained. Ms. Barry suggested translating the information on this topic into different languages for ease of public engagement. She also suggested an app, similar to a Lex Trash app. She asked about the current contract with the hauler. Mr. Pinsonnault stated that this is a five-year contract, and the Town is moving into year three. This hauler has the capacity for automatic pickup, if agreed to by the Town in the future. There may be an additional fee to the Town if this type of pickup is moved towards. DOCUMENTS: Waste Reduction Strategy Memo 3 Vote on the FY2026 Budget Recommendation Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, explained that the request is for the Select Board's approval of the FY2026 Recommended Budget and Financing Plan as proposed by the Town Manager (the Brown Book). The Preliminary Budget (White Book) was released on January 24th and presented to the Board at Budget Summit III on January 30th. This proposed budget maintains the same Revenue estimates and Operating Expenses presented at the White Book Summit, and staff have incorporated just one change to the Capital budget. As discussed during Summit III, the appropriation of $2,000,000 from the General Fund for the Harrington Field project will be deferred until after the Debt Exclusion vote for the High School in the Fall of 2025. This amount is shown as a set-aside in the "Other" section of the Program Summary and is not incorporated into the list of Capital Projects as it will likely be deferred until the 2026 Annual Town Meeting. This budget still proposes to appropriate $1,197,904 in CPA funds for the Harrington Field project at the upcoming Annual Town Meeting. It should be noted that, when presented at Town Meeting, the Public Works budget will include the Shared Expense of $112,128 for Municipal and School Refuse and Recycling costs and the one-time expense of $200,000 for removal of hazard trees (this amount will not carry forward to future budgets). Lastly, the Town's final free cash estimate has not been certified by the Department of Revenue as of publication. The final certified number is expected to be available within the week and before the budget is voted by Town Meeting. Management expects to add any additional free cash to the "Unallocated" line item in the budget which will not change any of the expense appropriations proposed this evening. Surplus free cash will carry forward into the next fiscal year. Ms. Kosnoff noted that this version of the Brown Book had 10% placeholders for the MWRA water and sewer. The MWRA just released their preliminary assessments, although the final numbers will not be released until June. The program summary has been updated with the newly released assessments, which shows a proposed water increase of 2.6% over last year, and a sewer increase of 2.3%. The excess will be placed into the unallocated amount to be used in the next fiscal year. Also, this morning the Department of Revenue certified the Town’s free cash. Mr. Lucente stated that he fully supports this balanced budget as presented. However, he would like to recognize that he has continued reservations and concerns about the High School project. Patrick Mehr, 31 Woodcliffe Road, noted that 80% of the budget is going toward the Schools. He stated that he would like to make sure this amount is being reviewed as highly in detail as the nickel and diming that is being done to the municipal side. Deepika Sawhney, Town Meeting Member Precinct 6, School Committee Member and Finance Subcommittee Chair for the Schools, stated that she believes going into operating overrides, given the affluence of the town and the amount of funds it generates annually, is sloppy management. The Town can live within its means. This may mean paring back on some on both sides and reducing what each resident consumes in terms of services. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted by roll call 5-0 to approve the FY2026 Recommended Budget and Financing Plan as shown in Column D of the Program Summary and authorize staff to make non-substantive changes in preparing and finalizing the full Brown Book. DOCUMENTS: FY2026 Recommended Budget & Financing Plan 4. Presentation - 2025 ATM Warrant Article - Local Voting Rights for Lawful Permanent Residents (Citizen Petition) Nathalie Huitema presented an overview about the article that is being brought to Annual Town Meeting. She explained that this proposal is to advocate for the local voting rights of Green Card holders or lawful permanent residents. Mr. Lucente suggested that any potential budget implications for this proposal be made clear. Ms. Huitema stated that she spoke with the Town Clerk who estimated that the cost of training on this item would be approximately $2,000-$3,000 and the cost for ballot adjustments would be approximately $200- $300. Mr. Pato explained that there are approximately five communities in Massachusetts that have petitioned the legislature for this capability; none of which have moved forward. He stated that he believes Town Meeting should discuss moving this to the legislature to indicate there are more communities that believe all people should have that equal representation for local issues. DOCUMENTS: Art 26 LOCAL VOTING RIGHTS FOR LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENTS (Citizen Petition), Art 26 Presentation 5. Discussion - 2025 ATM Select Board Article Presenters, Discussion and Positions The Board members discussed their positions on the Articles. Regarding Article 26, Ms. Hai, Mr. Sandeen, and Mr. Pato were all ‘yeses.’ Mr. Lucente was a ‘wait.’ Regarding Article 5, all four Board members were ‘yeses.’ For Article 6, all four Board members were ‘yeses.’ Regarding Article 28, Mr. Lucente and Mr. Pato were ‘yeses,’ and Mr. Sandeen and Ms. Hai were ‘waits.’ For the Cary Lecture Series, under Article 2, all four Board members were ‘yeses.’ DOCUMENTS: Art 28 revised motion 2.5 2pm, Art 23 Vine St motion, Art 23 Vine St memo presentation, Art 27 16 yo voting motion. 2.13.25, Select Board Working Document - Positions 2025ATM 6. Approve Conservation Restriction - Busa Farm Lowell Street Carol Kowlaski, Assistant Town Manager for Development, explained that the Busa Farm Conservation Restriction has been in process since 2014. The Conservation Restriction has been updated with the following: change “Board of Selectmen” to “Select Board” throughout, add to section III. B. 14, Allowable New Structures, an allowance for up to 9,000 square feet of growing structures that are not buildings, in addition to the 1,500 square feet allowed for additional buildings, add to Active Outdoor Recreation, section III. B.18 a. ii the Board’s requested phrase “which shall not be unreasonably withheld”, change a signatory for the grantee to the grantee’s new Treasurer’s name The Board is being asked to approve the updated Busa Farm Conservation Restriction for execution. Pamela Tames, 26 Bertwell Road, acknowledged the tireless efforts by Ms. Kowalski and her team, and the citizens of Lexington Conservation, who will serve as the grantee of the land. She noted that drafting a conservation restriction for a working farm is far different than for open land. The team understood those differences and are making it possible for this farm to continue to serve as a community resource in Lexington. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted by roll call 5-0 to approve the updated Conservation Restriction for Busa Farm Lowell Street for execution DOCUMENTS: Memo to Select Board revised Busa Conservation Restriction, Conservation Restriction - Busa Farm 7. Vote of Approval for Draft Bill HD4384 - An Act authorizing the Town of Lexington Ten Additional Licenses for the Sale of Wine and Malt Beverages Mr. Bartha explained that the Board is being asked to take a formal vote in support of House Bill HD.4384, An Act Authorizing the Town of Lexington Ten Additional Licenses for the Sale of Wine and Malt Beverages, as written and to provide said vote as a supportive document to the Legislative Petitioner, Representative Michelle Ciccolo, as she takes this Bill through the 2025 Legislative processes. Ms. Iyer explained that this request includes a fourth location, and it also specifies Article 34’s overlay district map, dated March 24, 2023. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted by roll call 5-0 to vote in support of draft Bill HD.4384, An Act authorizing the Town of Lexington Ten Additional Licenses for the Sale of Wine and Malt Beverages, written and filed in the House on February 7, 2025. DOCUMENTS: Draft Bill HD4384 8. Discuss Means of Publication Jonas Miller, Director of Communications, explained that, with the passage of House Bill 4560 (Print- Free Digital Legal Notices in Lexington) in January 2025, staff began reviewing various new options available to the Town as a result of the law and is looking for feedback and guidance from the Board as options become recommendations. He explained that, currently public hearing notices are sent to the Town Clerk's Office. The onus is on the person or group holding the hearing to submit that notice in a timely manner. Once submitted to the Town Clerk's Office, this is posted to the Town website in two wats. First, this is posted as an agenda onto the public meeting calendar and, separately, to the calendar as an agenda item. It is currently a bit difficult to access the public hearing notices and there may be other efficiencies to consider. Mary De Alderete, Town Clerk, explained that this is a wonderful opportunity to use the website to get information to the public. It is imperative that this information is kept up to date and that people can find the information effectively. Mr. Pato noted that the intention as voted at Town Meeting was that there would be two mechanisms enabled, one of those being the Town website, and a second one, which could be another statewide website, or one of four different categories. Ms. De Alderete stated that she believes there is a statewide website to which postings could possibly uploaded to. Mr. Sandeen asked that priority be given to a local publication over a statewide website. Mr. Pato agreed that the Board should encourage engagement with a local media outlet, while still satisfying its requirements by using the two governmental organizations. Ms. Barry exited the meeting at 11:34a.m. DOCUMENTS: Print-Free Digital Legal Notices (Lexington) 9. Discussion - Special Town Meeting 2025-1 - Select Board Article Discussion and Positions Mr. Lucente noted that the Board is waiting to hear the Planning Board’s report on this item. DOCUMENTS: Art 2 STM Reduce MBTA motion 1.22.25 ADJOURN VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 4-0 to adjourn at 11:55a.m. A true record; Attest: Kristan Patenaude Recording Secretary