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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-21-SBC-min (Finance Subcommittee)School Building Finance Sub -Committee Minutes, Meeting of Thursday, May 21, 2026 Virtual Meeting 12:00 PM This was a public meeting of the Finance Subcommittee of the School Building Committee, held via Zoom Members: Jonathan Himmel (Permanent Building Committee) - Chair, Mike Cronin (Facilities Director), Carolyn Kosnoff (Assistant Town Manager Finance), Joe Pato (Select Board), Kseniya Slaysky (Community Representative), Dan Voss (Sustainable Lexington Committee) Attendance • Mike Cronin • Carolyn Kosnoff • Kseniya Slaysky • Dan Voss joined at 12:40 p.m. Missing: • Jonathan Himmel (Chair) • Joe Pato —connected to Zoom session to record but had a conflicting meeting. Call to Order Meeting called to order by Mike Cronin at 12:22 p.m. The meeting began late due to technical issues. Summary of Discussion Prior minutes: Approval of prior minutes was deferred until later in the meeting so that Joe Pato could be available for the discussion. Dashboard status and labeling: The dashboard is live and has incorporated several requested modifications. Members discussed whether the word "Draft" should remain on the dashboard. The consensus was that because the dashboard is live, "Draft" should be removed to avoid confusion about whether the data is real or current. Members suggested replacing it with language indicating that development is ongoing and inviting public feedback through the website contact mechanism. Monthly reporting and level of detail: Members discussed the April monthly report and the appropriate level of financial detail for the public dashboard versus subcommittee review. The dashboard was viewed as appropriate for high-level public communication, emphasizing whether the project is on time, on budget, and total spending to date. The subcommittee identified a need for more detailed monthly review materials showing commitments, contract amendments, change orders, invoices, and month -over -month changes. Commitments, invoices, and public posting: Members discussed distinguishing between materials appropriate for public posting and materials needed for subcommittee oversight. There was agreement that detailed contracts and invoices should not be posted directly to the public website, although they remain public records available through appropriate channels. Public materials should summarize contract and commitment information at an appropriate level. Subcommittee reporting to the SBC: Members discussed creating a standard short summary or presentation for reporting subcommittee findings to the full School Building Committee. Such a report could summarize what the subcommittee reviewed, identify notable changes, and potentially be linked from the dashboard's resources section if appropriate. Meeting cadence: The subcommittee discussed moving away from weekly meetings and generally agreed that monthly meetings should be sufficient. Members discussed targeting the last Thursday of each month, with review materials ideally provided at least one week in advance when possible. Public communication: The dashboard will be promoted through upcoming public communication opportunities, including the May 26 abutters' meeting, the June 24 community meeting, mailers for the June 24 meeting, and a suggested inclusion in the town's weekly communication. Budget and financial controls explainer: Carolyn Kosnoff and Kseniya Slaysky are working on a budget and financial controls explainer presentation. They discussed breaking it into digestible sections, reviewing it with the committee, revising based on feedback, and recording a clean version for posting on the website. The target completion timeframe discussed was by the end of June or within the next month. Action Items Action Item Owner Notes / Timing Confirm that requested dashboard modifications from the prior meeting have been incorporated. Mike Cronin Mike will follow up with Mike Burton and Jacob. Remove "Draft" from the live dashboard and replace it with language indicating that development is ongoing. Mike Cronin Suggested language should clarify that data is current while presentation and detail may continue to evolve. Add an invitation for public feedback through the website contact mechanism. Mike Cronin To be coordinated with the dashboard update. Promote the live dashboard through public communications. Mike Cronin / project communications team Include May 26 abutters' meeting, June 24 community meeting, mailers, and town weekly communication. Discuss with Dore & Whither how to make monthly reporting more available to the subcommittee and incorporate commitments. Mike Cronin Should include current commitments and month -over - month changes where feasible. -2 Action Item Owner Notes / Timing Review the April monthly report in more detail. KseniyaS|aysk« Slaysky Focus on whether current reporting provides the subcommittee oversight. Develop a proposed standard format for the subcommittee's report to the full SBC. Kseniya Slaysky ' To be developed after reviewing the reporting rnateria|sreceivedfrornthe OPM. Continue developing the budget and financial controls explainer presentation.' Carolyn KosnofTand Kseniya S|ayskv Target completion by the end ofiune or within the next month. Consider monthly meeting cadence, generally targeting the last Thursday of each month. Subcommittee OPM timing and holiday schedules should be considered. Next Meeting Members agreed to meet on June 11 during the 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM time window. Adjournment Carolyn Kosnoff moved to adjourn. The motion carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at approximately 12:58 PM. Minutes submitted by Joseph Pato drawing on Zoom transcript CoPilot Al prompt: generate minutes of this meeting identifying attendees and action items Approved 6/24/2026 _3 _