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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-02-09-AC-minFebruary 9, 2011 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee February 9, 2011 Place and time: Town Hall, Room 207,730 p.m. Members Present. Richard Neumeier; Joe Pato, Vice Chair; Susan McLeish, Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Alan Levine; Eric Michelson; Robert Cohen; Rob Addelson (non- voting, ex officio) The meeting was called to order at 7:39 p.m. 1. Announcements. Mr. Neumeier brought up the issue of snow removal and referred to a piece in the Globe describing an experiment by the City of Quincy to pay contractors by the inch rather than by the hour, which has resulted in a 10% savings. The Committee discussed briefly whether a similar strategy might be pursued in Lexington, the impact on contractors and the possibility of insurance. Rob Addelson advised that Lexington, like most other communities, uses a combination of town personnel /equipment and outside contractors to help manage costs. 2. Minutes. The Committee discussed how much detail to include in the minutes as well as corrections to be reflected in final approved versions. Minutes of the January 13, 2011 and the February 3, 2011 meetings were approved, subject to minor edits, by a vote of 8 -0 -0. 3. Reserve Fund Transfer. Mr. Addelson presented a request for a transfer of $50,000 from the Reserve Fund to supplement the FY2011 budget for unemployment insurance. He explained that monthly payments from July 2010 through December 2010 have been unexpectedly high, ranging from $24,000 to $40,000, largely due to the departure of several teachers who have not achieved required certifications. A total of $189,302 was paid out during the first six months of 2010, leaving a remaining balance for that line item of only $8,101. It is hoped that the $50,000 requested will be sufficient to carry us through the next two months. Claims activity will be monitored and additional funds will be requested under Article 24 (Amend FY2011 Operating and Enterprise Budgets) at the annual Town Meeting if necessary. Funds transferred from the Reserve Fund are not expected to be replaced. Mr. Bartenstein moved to approve this transfer. Mr. Neumeier seconded the motion. Approved 8 -0 -0. 4. OPEB Liability Funding Policy: Mr. Levine distributed notes entitled "On the Funding of Future Liabilities" and reviewed them with the Committee. His presentation raised the question whether the Town Manager's proposed FY2012 budget may be allocating more resources than is necessary or desirable toward the elimination of unfunded liabilities in the pension fund and for Other Post - Employment Benefits (OPEB), and whether there might be more compelling uses of at least some portion of those funds. In particular, he asked the Committee to consider whether certain long -term capital needs, in particular the preservation and maintenance of buildings and roads, might also be viewed as unfunded or inadequately funded liabilities of the Town, and whether the expenditure of additional resources to address such liabilities might be a more cost - effective use of funds given that capital maintenance work foregone today may be considerably more costly in the future. 1 February 9, 2011 Mr. Levine outlined the reasons that have traditionally been advanced for fully funding future pension and health insurance liabilities and questioned whether those rationales apply with equal force to the public sector. Mr. Addelson discussed the concepts that underlie the actuarial valuation of the Town's OPEB liability now required to be performed and disclosed under GASB 45. He said that the bond rating agencies typically do inquire what steps the Town is taking to fund these unfunded OPEB liabilities, even though not at this point legally required to do so, and he believes the funding actions the Town has taken to date, though nominal in relation to the total OPEB liability, have been viewed favorably by the rating agencies. There was a consensus that the policy questions raised by Mr. Levine are important ones that are worthy of more extended review, analysis and discussion. However, there was also general agreement that the Committee does not have sufficient information about or understanding of the issues at this point to recommend changes to the amounts contained in the Town Manager's recommended FY2012 budget for contribution toward unfunded liabilities in either the pension fund (approximately $2 million) or the OPEB account (approximately $500,000). Accordingly, it was agreed to continue the discussion some time after the 2011 Annual Town Meeting. 5. Schedule for Report to Annual Town Meeting. The Committee discussed the scheduling of future meetings and what needs to be accomplished to complete the Committee's report to the Annual Town Meeting in a timely fashion. The goal is to have a preliminary draft done by Wednesday, March 9 and a complete draft done and ready for final editing by Wednesday, March 16, a week prior to the start of Town Meeting on Monday, March 21. As financial articles will not be taken up until Monday, March 28, the report can be placed on the table as late as Wednesday, March 23. The Chair urged Committee members to think about and get back to him promptly on what issues need to be clarified and what presentations would be useful so that invitations can be made and meetings planned accordingly. 6. Miscellaneous. The Committee briefly discussed CPA projects that are pending. Ms. McLeish will obtain an update on the status on these projects. Mr. Parker will check with Mr. Lamb, Chair of the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC), to see if there are any controversial capital issues. The Committee expressed interest in sharing meeting minutes with the CEC as they are approved so that both committees can stay better informed of each other's activities. A suggestion was made that if someone attends a meeting of another board or committee as a liaison, but cannot attend the next meeting of this Committee, it would be helpful to circulate a brief written report by email that could then be included with the minutes. A list of documents and other exhibits used at the meeting is attached. The meeting was adjourned at 9:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Andrea Yepez Recording Secretary Approved February 16, 2011 2 February 9, 2011 Exhibits Appropriation Committee Meeting of February 9, 2011 1. Agenda posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 2. "Quincy's Snow - Removal Program Adds Ward 4, "Boston Globe, December 16,2010; "Paying Plows by Inch, Not Hour, Can Save a City's Snow Budget," Boston Globe, December 28, 2010 3. Reserve Fund Transfer Authorization Form, signed by Glenn Parker, February 9, 2011 4. "On the Funding of Future Liabilities —Notes," Alan M. Levine, dated February, 9, 2011 5. Town of Lexington, Required Disclosures [for OPEB Liability] for FY2009, prepared by Financial Risk Analysts (undated)