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Home My WebLink About2019-02-05-CEC-min �y w-AOR yrry. Minutes of the s \�� Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting n February 5, 2019 APRIL&", II,E XI NGT.O Location and Time: Town Office Building, Reed Room (111); 7:45 A.M. Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair; David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk; Sandy Beebee (7:50 A.M. arrival); Frank Smith; and Wendy Manz Member Absent: Rod Cole Others Present: Mark Sandeen, Chair, Sustainable Lexington Committee; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Documents Presented: • Notice of CEC Meeting, February 5, 2019 • Strawman #2 CEC Report to 2019 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), February 3, 2019 (Strawman #2) • Mr. Kanter's e-mail to the Board of Selectmen (BoS), February 4, 2019 2:09 A.M„ Re: New Policy to Update What Had Been the Sustainable Building Policy—Agenda Item at BoS' Meeting • Mr. Kanter's e-mail to this Committee's members, December 30, 2018 4:31 P.M., Re: Strawman Capital Expenditures Committee Report to 2019 Annual Town Meeting (re-distributed by Mr. Lamb's e-mail to this Committee's members, February 5, 2019 8:31 a.m., Fwd <same subject>) • Draft Minutes of the CEC Meeting, January 23, 2019 • Draft Minutes of the CEC Meeting, January 31, 2019, during the Financial Summit III Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called the meeting to order at 7:46 A.M. BoS' Meeting, February 4, 2019: Noting that the BoS is interested in this Committee's input regarding potential changes to the Town's Sustainable Building Policy, Mr. Kanter reviewed and expanded on his personal comments that he shared with the BoS via e-mail and during their meeting regarding the changes being proposed. It was agreed by this Committee that the policy needs to be resolved and approved in the near future, but it should not contain the associated procedures and specifications as they should be separate documents. Mr. Sandeen commented that the current version of the proposed policy does not include some elements supported by the Sustainable Lexington Committee—elements that had been included in an earlier version. These elements include: • A requirement for measurable goals; • A list of stakeholders; • A clear definition of the process; • A requirement for selection criteria to be used to evaluate potential vendors; • A policy that applies to all buildings with the option to approve exemptions; • A requirement for design goals that can be tracked by the Department of Public Facilities to determine performance. Financial Summit III, January 31, 2019: Mr. Kanter reported that Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, is preparing a summary of the driving forces that influence the financial modeling. This Committee needs that information to prepare its five-year plan. Pagel of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2019 There was discussion about the use of the Capital Stabilization Fund, which is currently being used to offset both within-levy and excluded debt. It was noted that on a practical basis the choice of how its funds are applied is fungible, but there are traditional practices that should be considered when shifting the mitigation allocation between those two uses. Preparation for the 2019 ATM, including CEC Report: Mr. Kanter urged the members (other than Mr. Smith who had already done so) to submit to him initial updates to the front matter of the Strawman #2 as soon as practical. After discussion it was agreed that should be done no later than February 22nd Using Strawman #2, there was a review of the Articles anticipated to be in the Warrant for that ATM to determine whether they would be included in this Committee's report to that ATM and, if so, which member would prepare the supplemental text if they were to be included. The following table summarizes the outcome: Article Article Title Include in CEC Member to Additional Comments # CEC Report Prepare Text Reduce Community Preservation Act (CPA) Surtax Rate from 3%to 1% Preliminary Vote: 0-5; Mr. Lamb 4 Yes Ms. Manz to prepare the oral presentation Pursuant to G.L. c. 44B, § 16(Citizen at the ATM. Article) CEC not ready to take a position. Appropriate for Cremation Facility at It is awaiting a report from the 6 Westview Cemetery(Citizen Article) Yes Ms. Beebee BoS-appointed Ad hoc Crematory Study Committee. Appropriate Funds for The Creation 7 of A Lexington Economic No Not in CEC purview Development Strategy(Citizen Article) Funding for Sustainability Actions CEC opposes creating designated 8 Yes Mr. Lamb (Citizen Article) "silos"for funds. Sustainability Director(Citizen 9 No Not in CEC purview Article) Use basically the same text, Appropriate to Post-Employment without a CEC position, as in last 10 Insurance Liability Fund Yes Mr. Kanter year's report on the same action. Yes, but Appropriate FY2020 Enterprise only if there If included, only with reference 12 Funds Budgets are Capital Mr. Lamb to the Capital implications implications Page 2 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2019 Yes, but Establish and Continue only if there If included, only with reference 13 Departmental Revolving Funds are Capital Mr. Lamb to the Capital implications implications Ms. Manz overall; Appropriate the FY2020 Community Ms. Beebee Preservation Committee Operating contributing on 14 Budget and CPA Projects (Multiple Yes sub-Articles Categories) related to Recreation & Community Programs Appropriate for Recreation Capital 15 Yes Ms. Beebee Projects (Pine Meadows Equipment) Appropriate for Municipal Capital 16 Yes Mr. Smith Projects and Equipment 17 Appropriate for Water Distribution Yes Mr. Smith System Improvements 18 Appropriate for Wastewater System Yes Mr. Smith Improvements Appropriate for School Capital 19 Yes Mr. Cole Projects and Equipment 20 Appropriate for Public Facilities Yes Mr. Lamb Capital Projects 21 Rescind Prior Borrowing Yes Mr. Lamb Authorizations Establish, Dissolve and Appropriate Only with reference to the 22 to and from Specified Stabilization Yes Mr. Lamb Capital implications Funds (SFs) 23 Appropriate to General Stabilization Yes Mr. Lamb Likely to be Indefinitely Fund Postponed 24 Appropriate from Debt Service Yes Mr. Kanter Stabilization Fund Page 3 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2019 Yes, but only if there are Capital Amend FY2019 Operating, implications 26 Enterprise and CPA Budgets to the Mr. Lamb (Enterprise &CPA only) Enterprise and anything on the CPA budgets 27 Appropriate for Authorized Capital Yes Mr. Lamb May be Indefinitely Postponed Improvements Addition of Capital Expenditures 32 Committee-Related Provisions to Yes Mr. Kanter Preliminary Vote: 5-0 the Representative Town Meeting and Selectmen-Town Manager Acts Amend III of Chapter 118(Citizen 35 Yes Mr. Kanter Article) 36 Implement an Outcomes-Based Yes Mr. Kanter Motion is likely to be presented Approach to Town Building as a resolution This Committee confirmed it would not comment on the Zoning Articles. Member Concerns and Liaison Report: The pre-2019 ATM schedule was reviewed again, as follows: • February 13th. Planned meeting at the Financial Summit IV • February 21St: Planned meeting • February 27th. Planned meeting; including review of all updated front & rear matter in the report (taking positions—preliminary or not) that is not dependent on the FY2020 Recommended Budget & Financing Plan (Brown Book) • March 6th. Planned meeting; Continued review of the whole report (including taking further positions) • March 13th: Planned meeting; continue review and vote on the whole report, if possible • March 15th: Planned meeting; final review and vote on the whole report if not completed with all members at the March 13th meeting • Not later than March 17th: Release the report to the Schools Print Center for printing • Not later than March 18th: Distribute the printed and electronic files of the report Mr. Kanter reviewed the process for submitting to him the front matter for the report. Mr. Kanter questioned the text, after the title, used for Article 4 in the latest version of the Town Warrant for the 2019 ATM: Reduce Community Preservation Act (CPA) Surtax Rate From 3% To 1% Pursuant to G.L. c. 44B, § 16. The petition signed by citizens said that there would be immediate tax relief, but Town Counsel had removed the word "immediate" and added additional text for the Article's description. Mr. Kanter questioned the propriety of any such changes—and had previously so advised both the BoS and the Town Manager. [Postscript: The final version of that Warrant does not include those changes.] Page 4 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2019 Ms. Beebee reported on the Ad hoc School Master Planning Study Committee's meetings. It is expected that there will be an increase of 300-400 high-school students prior to a new facility being built and that will require interim actions to accommodate them. Space mining and additional modular classrooms have been discussed. Ms. Beebee agreed to work with Mr. Cole in incorporating this information into his portions of this Committee's report to the ATM. Mr. Kanter suggested that members begin to identify which of all of the Articles that this Committee could recommend to the Town Moderator—and be considered by the BoS and the Appropriation Committee—for inclusion in a Consent Agenda that is expected to be presented to the ATM. Minutes: A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Draft Minutes for the January 23, 2019, CEC meeting. Vote: 5-0. A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Draft Minutes for the January 31, 2019, CEC meeting held during Financial Summit III. Vote: 5-0. Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 9:25 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 5-0. These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on February 21, 2019. Page 5 of 5