HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-04-26-AC-minApril26, 2010
Minutes
Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee
April 26, 2010
Place and time: Room 111, Town Office Building, 6:30 p.m.
Members present: Alan Levine (Chair), Glenn Parker (Vice - Chair), John Bartenstein
(Vice -Chair and Secretary), Rick Eurich, Mollie Garberg, Susan McLeish, Eric
Michelson, Joe Pato, Rob Addelson (ex officio, non - voting)
Also present: Micah Niemy, Charles Hornig, Jeff Crampton
The meeting preceded the eighth session of the annual town meeting. It was called to
order at 6:35 p.m.
1. Amendments to Current Year's Budget (Article 24). Micah Niemy made a
brief presentation on proposed amendments to the current year's budget (FY2010), to be
addressed in Article 24, as detailed in a supporting spreadsheet. The most significant
change proposed was the appropriation of $200,000 of the free cash balance certified as
of July 1, 2009, and set aside for unanticipated needs in 2010, to partially fund the
FY2010 snow and ice deficit of approximately $700,000. (It is anticipated that the
remaining snow and ice deficit will be funded by a combination of surpluses in the Public
Works budget, reserve fund transfers, and /or transfers under the 3% rule.) Additional
minor changes to the FY2010 budget involved the transfer of funds between personal
services and expenses in the Community Services Department and the Human Services
Department to fund temporary clerk and part-time nurse positions and the appropriation
of $23,703 of insurance proceeds to cover the cost of repairing one of the two boilers at
the Cary Memorial Library (under state law, insurance proceeds in excess of $20,000
must be formally appropriated). The Committee voted to recommend approval of the
budget amendments proposed under Article 24 by a vote of 8 -0.
2. Town Office Building Renovation (Article 8(1)). The Committee discussed
the vote of the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) on April 12 to fund only
$1,185,000 of the total $1,825,000 cost for renovation of the Town Office Building with
CPA funds rather than the $1,500,000 previously voted on March 22. Rob Addelson
explained that the Town could make "room" to borrow the $640,000 in additional funds
that would have to be supplied from the General Fund to finance the entire project by
deferring the expenditure of funds previously appropriated for certain storm -water and
wastewater system upgrade projects. Although certain members of the Committee
expressed concern about the consequences of this "forced re- prioritizing" of previously
approved storm -water and wastewater system projects, the Committee voted to reaffirm
its support of Article 8(1), as revised, by a vote of 8 -0.
3. Approval of First Supplemental Report to Town Meeting. The Committee
voted to approve Supplement No. 1 to its Report to the 2010 Annual Town Meeting,
containing three -year budget projections and a discussion of the assumptions underlying
those projects, by a vote of 8 -0.
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4. Possible Cotton Farm Acquisition (Article 9). The Committee was given a
brief update on the status of discussions regarding the possible acquisition of the Cotton
Farm property located on Marrett Road, currently under consideration by the CPC. Rob
Addelson advised that the owners had proposed to accept payment for the property under
a three -year, interest -free installment arrangement that would be treated, in effect, as a
private sale bond and obviate the need for issuance of a municipal bond. Alan Levine
advised that the matter had been scheduled for consideration by the Annual Town
Meeting on Monday, May 10, and that further discussion by the Committee would be
scheduled if the CPC voted to advance this article.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
John Bartenstein
Approved September 22, 2010
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