HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-29 BOS-min November 29, 2018
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SELECTMEN'S MEETING
Thursday, November 29, 2018
A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was called to order at 2:01 p.m. on Thursday,
November 29, 2018 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Present
were Selectmen Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Pato; Mr. Lucente; and Ms. Hai; as well as Mr. Malloy,
Town Manager; Ms. Axtell, Assistant Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary.
Ms. Ciccolo was absent.
Proposed FY20 Budget—Department of Public Facilities
Mike Cronin, Director of Public Facilities; and Shawn Newell, Assistant Director of Public
Facilities reported that the Department of Public Facilities FY20 level-service All Funds budget
is increasing by $812,083 or 7.21%. The General Fund budget is increasing by $798,569 or
7.44%. Overall Utility costs are increasing by 423,738 or 14.3%, which includes an increase of
$16,750 or 2.4% in natural gas, and an increase of$306,488 or 14.1% in electricity. Electric
costs are net of$126,500 in solar credits for rooftop installations. Natural Gas and Electric
supply rates are based on newly procured utility contracts. Contractual obligations for step
increases and COLAs under the SEN and AFSCME contracts that will extend until June 30,
2021. Two additional custodians will be hired for new educational space at both Lexington
Children's Place and Hastings Elementary School. Revenues from building rentals remain strong,
and are reflected in a $13,515 or 2.55% increase in the Rental Revolving Fund budget.
Department goals: support the operation of the Community Center; support the School Master
Plan; implement other capital and priority projects.
Public Facilities Program Improvement Requests: School Painting Maintenance $105,000;
Town Painting Maintenance $45,000; Contracted Service—Security Systems $46,000.
Education Facilities: The level-service budget reflects an increase in Compensation of$231,165
or 6.70% from FYI 9, which is comprised of two main drivers: Compensation for two additional
custodians to service Lexington Children's Place and coverage for the Maria Hastings
Elementary school; and Contractual Obligations for a labor agreement settlement under the SEN
contract that expires June 30, 2021.
Operating expenses are projected to increase by $376,145 or 10.14%. A higher projected rate for
natural gas in FY20 results in an increase of$37,070 or 6.44%;the Electricity supply rate has
also increased with a new contract for 100% green energy by $76,629 or 4.85%, and incorporates
an offset of$122,000 in solar credits for solar panels on school roofs. Both utility rates are based
on FY20 contracted rates for gas and electric supply. Landscaping expenses are increasing by
$78,400 due to state MS4 requirements for bio-retention basins, catch basins as well as parking
lot sweeping with third party reporting.
The Rental Revolving Fund will increase spending by $5,372 or 1.69% for FY20,
driven by a projected increase in overtime costs.
Education Facilities division goals: continue to develop capabilities of Town-wide
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maintenance staff with lower costs and improved service; support implementation of School
Master Plan with services extending to new school building construction at Maria Hastings
Elementary School and Lexington Children's Place.
Municipal Faculties: The recommended FY20 General Fund budget reflects an increase of
$151,993 or 7.53% from FY19. This level-service budget includes an increase in Compensation
of$11,700 or 2.04%, which provides sufficient funding for a labor agreement settlement under
the AFSCME contract that expired June 30, 2021.
Expenses are projected to increase by $140,293 or 9.70%. In FY20, Electricity usage and rate
will increase due to new contracted supply rates and, in part,to new building construction and
swing space. The new temporary Fire Station apparatus structure heated by propane will add
$100,000 in annual operating expenses while in operation. Natural Gas costs have decreased by
$30,135 or 16.75% less than FY19 and Electricity increased by $37,900 or 6.43%. The electric
budget also includes $4,500 in solar credits for solar panels on Cary Memorial Library. Both
utility rates are based on FY20 contracted rates for both natural gas and electricity. FY20 Rental
Revolving Fund Compensation is maintained at $83,000 to reflect additional staff from more
frequent rental activities, particularly at the Cary Memorial Building. Expenses remain at
$20,000.
Division Goals: support operation of the Community Center, Cary Memorial Building Events
and prioritized projects.
Mr. Lucente said he supports the PIR request for School painting maintenance, noting that
classroom painting at the high school is very much needed.
Mr. Lucente asked about the cause of the $306,000 (14.42%) increase in electricity costs. Mr.
Newell said additional building square footage drives the increase and noted there will be no
solar offset at the all-electric Lexington Children's Place when it comes online in FY20. Mr.
Lucente and Mr. Pato asked that it be clarified that the cause of the increase is not due to
choosing 100% green energy. Mr. Lucente asked Facilities to consider retrofitting school and
town buildings with motion detectors so lights would turn off when rooms are not in use.
Mr. Pato asked if space rental fees are high enough to help recapture Capital investment. Mr.
Cronin said the department is highly supportive of reviewing the fees. Mr. Pato noted that
maintenance painting appears in both the PIR and Capital request lists. Mr. Cronin said the
department is unsure which option is more appropriate. Mr. Malloy said his preference is to
include it in the PIR category, rather than in Capital, so the funds are not borrowed.
Mr. Pato asked if the same MS4 requirements that apply to the Schools also apply to Town
buildings. Mr. Cronin said that MS4 work for Municipal sites appears in the DPW budget. Mr.
Pato said a plan for overall coordination of sustainability tasks is needed, both operationally and
for reporting.
Ms. Barry asked that the renter usage list for Cary Memorial Building be forwarded to the Board.
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Ms. Hai asked that the reason to deploy additional staff at the new Lexington Children's Place be
made clear so as not to be confused with staff already added at Central Administration/the
current LCP location.
FY20 Public Facilities Department Capital Requests:
306 Lexington Police Station Rebuild $25,651,792
562 School Building Envelopes and Associated System $233,448
647 Municipal Building Envelopes and Systems $203,865
653 Building Flooring Program $125,000
698 School Paving and Sidewalk Program $326,740
699 5-year Interior and Exterior Painting Program $150,000
749 Public Facilities Bid Documents $100,000
939 Public Facilities Mechanical/Electrical System Replacement $605,000
1047 Playground Replacement Program Bowman-Bridge $302,000
1073 LHS Field House Track Resurfacing $250,000
Mr. Pato asked if the Police Station is eligible for Community Preservation funds. Mr. Malloy
will look into it.
Ms. Hai asked that incorporating the use of Hosmer House in the Police Station project be
considered.
Ms. Barry asked if the Community Center will need to close when the building envelope/systems
work is being done. Mr. Newell said the building can remain open; work can be done on nights
and weekends, if necessary.
Mr. Lucente asked about the life expectancy of school-based sidewalks and parking lots. Mr.
Cronin said that salt treatment can erode surfaces but both should last longer than 10 years.
Because of premature surface damage, the Department has changed its salt application practices.
Ms. Hai said that Facilities should consider limiting access to the Bridge School playground
from the Old Res so dogwalkers do not encroach on the playground area.
Proposed FY20 Budget—Finance
Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Jennifer Hewitt, Budget Officer; Skip
Lovering, Tax Collector/Treasurer; Rob Lent, Assessor (late arrival); requested FY20 Finance
Department budget reflects a $(40,874) or(2.17)% decrease from the FYI budget. This
includes a $(40,689) or(2.94)% decrease in compensation, which reflects staff turnover in all
three finance divisions. Finance expenses are mostly level-funded compared to prior year, though
some departmental line items have shifted to align with staff initiatives.
Comptroller: The requested FY20 budget is a level-service budget which is
decreasing by $(4,671), or(0.68)%. Compensation is decreasing by $(7,171) or(1.29)%, and is
due to staff turnover. FY20 Compensation does not include any estimate of prospective cost of
living increases for contracts expiring on or before June 30, 2019. Funds for prospective
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increases are captured in the Salary Adjustment account within the Town Manager's budget.
Expenses for FY20 are increasing $2,500 or 1.96% compared to FY19, which reflects a slight
increase in professional services and catering, both of which will be allocated for staff training of
the new MUNIS modules and chart of accounts which are anticipated to go live on July 1, 2019.
Comptroller goals: Implement a new chart of accounts in the MUNIS general ledger application
to align with state reporting requirements and improve departmental reporting, workflow and
internal controls; Implement new MUNIS modules for employee self-service, document
management and archiving; Continue to refine budget development, including data collection
and compilation for operating and capital budgets in the Wdesk platform, as feasible.
Treasurer/Collector: The requested FY20 budget reflects a $(1,564) decrease from FY19 due to
staff turnover. FY20 Compensation does not include any estimate of prospective cost of living
increases for contracts expiring on or before June 30, 2019. Funds for prospective increases are
captured in the Salary Adjustment account within the Town Manager's budget. Requested
expenses are level-funded compared to FY19. The contractual services line continues to include
$5,000 for anticipated legal expenses to continue foreclosure process on existing accounts that
was started in FY 17. In FY 18, the Town collected over $1 million in delinquent taxes and
interest through this initiative.
Treasurer/Collector goals: Bid Bill Printing Services; Continue tax foreclosures and evaluate
new accounts to add to process; Explore online access to individual property tax accounts;
Explore an online portal for accepting gifts and donations for the Town's trust accounts.
Assessor: The requested FY20 budget represents a $(34,639) or (4.47)% decrease
from the FY19 budget. Compensation is decreasing by $(31,954) or(6.35)% due to staff
turnover and realignment of responsibilities. FY2020 Compensation does not include any
estimate of prospective cost of living increases for contracts expiring on or before June 30, 2019.
Funds for prospective increases are captured in the Salary Adjustment account within the Town
Manager's budget. Expenses are decreasing $(2,685) or(0.98)%, which is a net decrease driven
primarily by a $37,000 reduction in Professional Services for cyclical property inspection
services which are now performed by Town staff. This decrease is partially offset by an increase
in legal services to support a new staff initiative to address commercial abatements without
litigation
Assessor goals: Administer a 5-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; Implement supplemental
property tax assessments as permitted by adoption of MGL 59, section 21); Develop procedures
for addressing and resolving commercial abatements without litigation; Enhance productivity
through adoption of new technology to support data collection and input activity.
Ms. Barry asked if the Department is now fully staffed. Ms. Kosnoff said that there are several
new staff and several in-house promotions. Vacancies have almost all been filled. The part-time
position in the Finance Office, no longer needed, has been eliminated in the FY20 budget.
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[Mr. Lent arrived.]
Mr. Lucente said he is happy that past due taxes are being addressed and that an online gift portal
may be established. He asked that a mechanism to generate thank you messages be researched so
that administration of timely donation acknowledgement is facilitated.
Ms. Barry said an online portal for tax payments and payment history, as other towns have
adopted, would be beneficial.
Ms. Barry called for a 5-minute recess until 3:20 p.m.
Proposed FY20 Budget—Town Manager Department
Rajon Hudson, Management Analyst; and Ann Kostos, Human Resources Director; reported that
the FY20 budget reflects an overall increase of$36,927 or 4.10% from FY19. This is comprised
of an increase of$36,927 or 5.53% in Compensation due to new hires and step increases,
combined with level-funded Expenses.
Department Initiatives: Continue to support the Diversity Advisory Task Force in coordination
with the School department; Initiate implementation protocol for hate crime activities in
coordination with the School department; 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.
Town Manager's Office Program Improvement Request: Consultant Services: General
Liability Insurance $25,000.
Organizational Direction and Administration: Overall, the recommended FY20 budget
reflects a $26,078 or 4.09% increase from FY19. This is due to a increase of$26,078 or 4.92% in
Compensation attributed to new hires in the department. Expenses are level-funded.
Human Resources: The requested FY20 budget reflects an increase of$10,849 or 4.12% from
FY19. Compensation increases by $10,849 or 7.92%. Expenses are level-funded. Professional
Services will remain level funded due to anticipated assessment centers, which are used to
evaluate candidates for promotion.
Ms. Kostos noted that a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington was used to
implement a translation initiative for which five tablets were purchased and downloaded with
Google Translate. The software will help Town staff and residents with limited English
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communicate. The tablets are kept in the busiest Town offices; staff have been trained to use the
software.
Proposed FY20 Budget—Town Committees
Rajon Hudson presented the FY20 Budget on behalf of the 80+ Town Committees. The FY20
budget is expected to decrease overall by $(11,119) or(16.84)%. This a net decrease, which is
due to one-time funding for Community Cultural programming in FYI 9, and the fact that the
Dance Around the World event will not take place in FY20. Those decreases are offset by a
2.5% increase in Supplies for the Town Celebrations Committee to account for increasing costs
for Patriots' Day.
Financial Committees: The FY20 $8,130 budget request funds the production of both the
Appropriation Committee and Capital Expenditure Committee reports to Town Meeting and
attendance at an annual finance committee conference.
Miscellaneous Boards and Committees: In FY2019, $6,900 was appropriated for a one-time
Dance Around the World program improvement and to support a wide variety of cultural
community programs for the Lexington Council for the Arts. The FY20 budget request is less
this amount and totals $4,500.
Public Celebrations: Town funding accounts for only a portion of the total cost of these
celebrations. Expenses are decreasing by $(4,219) or(9.07)% from FYI 9. This is a net decrease
due to the Dance Around the World event not being held in FY20, offset by an increase of 2.5%
or $1,057 to reflect the rising costs of supplies. Miscellaneous other costs are covered through
citizen contributions, corporate sponsors and private donations.
Town Committees Program Improvement Request: Vision 2020 Futures Panel $10,000. Mr.
Hudson noted that the amount may change and should be considered a placeholder at this time.
Mr. Pato supported the PIR and noted that, if funded, the Futures Panel would take place in the
20'h anniversary year of the formation of the Vision 2020 Committee. He believes the Committee
and the Futures Panel are complementary to the Comprehensive Plan work.
Proposed FY20 Budget—Board of Selectmen's Office
Kim Katzenback, Executive Clerk, reported that the FY20 Selectmen's All Funds budget
inclusive of the Selectmen's Office, the Legal budget, Town Report and the PEG Special
Revenue Fund is decreasing by $(19,379), or(1.52)%. This decrease in the All Funds budget is
due to the removal of one-time funding of$40,000 for consulting and related expenses for
bringing Special Permit Residential Development Zoning Bylaw Amendment Article to a future
Annual Town Meeting. General Fund compensation is increasing $6,547 or 5.85%to capture
step increases, and General Fund expenses are decreasing $(25,926) or(2.23)%. The Legal and
Town Report components of the Selectmen's budget are level-funded.
Selectmen's Office: The Board of Selectmen's General Fund budget is decreasing $(32,953), or
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(13.08)%. This decrease is driven by removal of one-time funding of$40,000 for consulting and
related expenses from bringing a Special Permit Residential Development Zoning Bylaw
Amendment Article to a future Annual Town Meeting. Wage increases include in-lieu-of-step
increases for Selectmen's office staff. Expenses include yearly memberships in MMA and
MAPC.
Legal: The FY20 budget request of$410,000 represents a 0% increase over FY 19.
Town Report: The FY20 budget request of$13,688 represents a 0% increase over FY19. A new
Town Report Coordinator and a new Town Report Layout Designer have been hired.
PEG Access: The FY20 budget request of$614,476 represents a 2.26% increase over FYI due
to the contract with LexMedia.
Ms. Hai noted a large jump in printing costs for the Town Report. Ms. Katzenback said that
$6,000 is budgeted every year but the actual cost has always been lower.
Adjourn
Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selection voted 4-0 to adjourn at 3:43 p.m.
A true record; Attest:
Kim Siebert
Recording Secretary