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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-03-AC-min 06/03/2020 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) June 3, 2020 Place and Time: Remote Participation: in accordance with the Governor's March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law; communication took place via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Meg Muckenhoupt; Nick Nichols; Lily Manhua Yan Member(s)Absent: Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Other Attendees: None Using the Remote Meeting Prologue as a guide, Mr. Parker confirmed attendance by roll call and read the section entitled Introduction to Remote Meeting, noting that the meeting was being called to order at 6:51 p.m. on June 3, 2020, that the meeting was being recorded, and that the meeting format would not include opportunities for public comment. He also reviewed the section entitled Meeting Protocol and noted that materials for the meeting were available on-line. Announcements and Liaison Reports Mr. Levine reported that on May 28th, there was a virtual meeting of the School Master Planning Committee, during which a draft of a shortened version of the full report, called the compendium, was reviewed. Although enrollment at the elementary schools is stable, and enrollment increases at the middle schools have slowed, recommendations include continued monitoring of enrollment at these levels. Meanwhile, replacement/renovation of Lexington High School (LHS) continues to be recommended. LHS already struggles with overcrowding, and pandemic-related restrictions are expected to add additional challenges. It is not yet clear how construction demands would also be incorporated into the functioning of the school. Mr. Levine plans to assist in editing the compendium and writing a summary for inclusion therein. That committee's next meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2020. It was noted in an earlier meeting that, in December 2019, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)reported that it did not approve Lexington's application for funding assistance for the LHS project for that proposal cycle. The application met all MSBA requirements and was resubmitted for consideration in the next MSBA cycle. It is anticipated that the project would eventually be approved by the MSBA. The funding process will require a debt exclusion referendum. Updates Related to the FY2020 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Article 11: Appropriate for Recreation Capital Projects: Mr. Parker reported that the Select Board (SB)voted to recommend to the ATM that this article for $180,000 be referred back to the SB for consideration at a later date. This is because recreation programs, including golf at the Pine Meadows Golf Course, have been pared down, cancelled, or restricted so that the Recreation Enterprise Fund is not currently receiving adequate income to pay for the projects. Payment could be stretched over three years, but a conservative approach is preferred. A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of referring Article 11 back to the SB. There was a roll call vote. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 1 06/03/2020 AC Minutes A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of including Article 11 on the Consent Agenda that would refer items back to the SB. There was a roll call vote. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 Article 10: Appropriate the FY2021 Community Preservation Committee Operating budget and Community Preservation Act(CPA)projects; m) Lexington Housing Authority Board LexHAB) – 116 Vine Street Design Funds: Mr. Parker noted that this Committee had caucused during the June 1 ATM to consider this item, but wanted to reconfirm this Committee's position during a regular meeting. He reported that there would be two votes on Article 10(m) at the ATM: 1) $75,000 for design work at 116 Vine Street—to include meeting with neighbors to discuss plans; 2) $25,000 for a feasibility study to look at moving the Hosmer House, potentially to 116 Vine Street. Mr. Levine expressed his concern relating to whether the size of a 6-unit development would be close to that of nearby houses, as presented in an earlier report on the use of the Leary property for affordable housing, because analysis of the concept suggests a 6-unit development would be more like twice the size of the larger nearby houses. Although there is the possibility that this could change during the design process, Mr. Levine lacks confidence that such changes would be given adequate consideration. That said, he supports the need for additional affordable housing. A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 10(m)-1. There was a roll call vote. The motion passed. VOTE: 6-2 A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 10(m)-2. There was a roll call vote. The motion failed. VOTE: 0-8 Mr. Parker reported that the SB had taken Article 10(k): Parker Meadow Accessible Trail Construction off of the Consent Agenda. This Committee had unanimously supported this article, and no one expressed interest in re-voting. Mr. Michelson reported that he has proposed an amendment in the form of a non-binding resolution to Article 19: Establish, Dissolve and Appropriate to and From Specified Stabilization Funds; b) appropriate funds into the Affordable Housing Stabilization Fund. The resolution would be a request that the SB change the wording on the Affordable Housing Stabilization Fund to address, among other things, the issue of whether funds from Brookhaven should be used for affordable housing repairs. Mr. Michelson believes that this should not allowed under the spirit of the agreement with Brookhaven. He does not plan to challenge the legality of doing so. A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Mr. Michelson's resolution related to Article 19 (b). There was a roll call vote. The motion failed. VOTE: 2-6 The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Approved: September 2, 2020 Exhibits • Agenda, posted by Mr. Parker, Chair • Remote Meeting Prologue 2