HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-08-RESPC-min Residential Exemption Policy Study Committee (Ad Hoc)
1 Minutes of Meeting
j Friday, June 8, 2018
. Hudson Room, Cary Memorial Building
Attendance
Vicki Blier, acting Chair; Sara Bothwell Allen; Howard Cloth; Katie Cutler; Thomas
Whelan; John Zhao; Joe Pato, Selectman Liaison. Absent, Mark Andersen, Chair. No
members of the public attended.
Ms Blier called the meeting to order at 8:33.am.
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the June 1, 2018 meeting were reviewed and, after minor
clarifications, approved as corrected.
Discussion of Meeting Start' Times and Scheduling of Future Meetings
After discussion, it was agreed the start time of the Committee's future meetings
would be rolled back to 8:OOam and that, going forward thru the summer, the
Committee would try to adhere to a bi-weekly schedule with a few of exceptions. The
following dates constitute the tentatively scheduled meetings thru the end of August,
all to be held in Hudson Room, Cary Memorial Building:
• June: 6/22, 6/29
• July: 7/13, 7/20, 7/27
• August: 8/3, 8/17, 8/24
An availability survey will be sent by Ms Blier and future dates confirmed at our next
meeting.
Planning Ongoing Work
a. Surveys: Sara Bothwell Allen reported on the work she and Howard Cloth had done
regarding the formulation of the goal or objective of the proposed survey
(determining the factors that motivate emigration from Lexington), the designation
of the survey's target population (Lexington residents in the 60+ age
demographic), a set of 9 potential survey questions, a proposed procedure to 'test'
its wording and efficacy to yield the data we need. The various methods of
dissemination of the final product were also covered as were the comments of
Mark Andersen emailed prior to the meeting to Ms Bothwell Allen and Mr. Cloth.
Copies of the Draft Report and Mr. Andersen's comments were distributed to the
committee.
A lengthy and comprehensive discussion ensued regarding the elements of the
report as well as:
• the potential access to or availability of data from other surveys that might
be relevant to the Committee's mission;
• anecdotal survey experience of the Committee's members;
• the desirability of mining 'age', gender' and 'precinct';
• the availability of funds to assist the dissemination of the survey;
• the willingness of realtors and or developers to share data they may have
regarding migration factors;
• the possibility of targeting residents whose homes are for sale (both listed
with a broker and for sale by owner);
• potential input from and support of Human Services Director Charlotte
Rodgers (Ms Blier said she would speak to Director Rodgers).
The discussion concluded with the consensus that implementation would not occur
until after the Committee's interim report to the Board of Selectmen on June 25th
and that taking the survey is one of the reasons the Committee will ask the Board
for an extension of the term of its mission. In the interim, Committee feedback
and suggestions should be directed to Ms Bothwell Allen.
b. Interviews with Experts/Panal Discussion: Ms Blier then asked for the committee's
thoughts about a proposed format for questioning 'experts' (e.g., real estate
brokers, developers, small landlords, economists). A consensus emerged that one
or more roundtable' discussions might be ideal and that our goal should be to elicit
information that would help the Committee grasp both anecdotal data-driven and
economic/public policy considerations.
c. Illustrations: John Zhao reported on his concept for how best to illustrate or
portray the Committee's findings in its final report. He said that our goal should be
two-fold: 1) simplicity so that it will be easy to understand and, 2) multiple
methods of presentation - text, graphics, formulae, etc. - so that it can be easily
grasped regardless of one's preference. Two key example are the illustration of the
"break-even" mechanism, the calculation of the "owner/occupied residence" rate
and their implications. Ms Blier and Mr. Zhao agreed to collaborate on this aspect
of the report.
Plan for meeting with Selectmen
The balance of the meeting consisted of a discussion of the proposed content of the
Committee's upcoming presentation to the Board of Selectmen on June 25th and the
identification of the presenters: Mr. Andersen; Ms Bothwell Allen, Ms Cutler. Key
elements will include: a summary of the public hearing; identification of what we've
accomplished and what we'd like to achieve, going forward (roundtable, survey and
budget [$500-$1k], expansion of our charge to include means-testing').
Ms Bothwell Allen and Ms Cutler departed the meeting at 9:30; the meeting was
adjourned by Ms Blier on behalf of the Committee at 10:06 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Howard Cloth, acting Secretary