HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-11-03-AC-min
November3, 2010
Minutes
Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee
November 3, 2010
Place and time: Town Office Building, Room 111, 7:30 p.m.
Members present: Glenn Parker (Chair), John Bartenstein (Vice Chair and Secretary), Joe Pato
(Vice Chair), Susan McLeish, Alan Levine, Eric Michelson, Richard Neumeier, Mollie Garberg,
Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio)
Also present: Peter Kelley, Dawn McKenna
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m.
Announcements.
1.
Moderator’s Meeting
(Glenn Parker). At this meeting, there was a discussion
regarding how much time we need for our report to the Special Town Meeting to be held
on November 15. Article 1 (Reports of Committees) will be covered under general
comments by Glenn. Most of the line items will be covered under thegeneral comments
under Article 1. Expectation is that Article 2 (Amend FY2011 Operating and Enterprise
Budgets) will be voted as one item with our oral comments split into two: 5 minutes for
healthcare (Joe) and 5 minutes on Estabrook (Alan).
Amendment to Article 2
(Peter Kelley). Selectman Kelley offered his
perspective that extraordinary expenditures for remediation of PCBs at Estabrook were
unwarranted and in any event should have been handled with existing funds.
Consequently he will present an amendment eliminating the proposed transfer of funds to
the School Department and those to replenish the Reserve Fund.
Presentation on Commercial Assessments
(John Bartenstein). Steve Foster and
Bill Jackson (Board of Assessors) would like to have Steve present his briefing on the
commercial assessment process to a meeting of the Appropriation Committee.
Minutes.
2.Minutes for October 27 were unanimously approved.Revised drafts of the
minutes for the August 26 and October 13 meetings will be disseminated andreviewed at our
next meeting as well as minutes from the Board of Selectmen summits.
3.Review of proposed budget changes for the SpecialTown Meeting (Rob Addelson).
Budget-neutral transfers:
1.Funds from healthcare line to each salary line ($500 per employee pro-rated
for part-time employees) as per new health benefits contract, totaling $684,400.
2.Transfer of $25,400 from the School budgetto the Dept. of Public Facilities
budget for school custodians.
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November3, 2010
Supplemental appropriations:
1.Transfer to school department for Estabrook PCB mitigation.
2.Transfer to facilities department for Estabrook PCB mitigation.
3.Replenish Reserve Fund for Estabrook PCB mitigation.
4.Transfer $10,000 to line 4200 (Fire & Rescue) for the cost of BLS (basic life
saving) training.
Changes in Revenue Summary (Table 1, Draft Motions)
1.Increase in new growth from property tax: $920,000
2.Decrease resulting from state aid reduction: ($508,188)
3.Decrease in investment income: ($505,000)
4.Net unallocated General Fund revenue: $247,555
The most recent estimate of FY2011 General Fund revenue: $142,992,999
Anticipated surplus: $629,688
Warrant Articles and A.C. Report.
4.The following articles were discussed:
Article 2:
Section a adjusts the General Fund budget and the other sections
adjust the enterprise fund budgets.Sections a, b, c, and d adjust salaries as per new
benefits contract. Section 2c includes a revision of the MWRA assessment from early
estimates.
Article 3:
This is an appropriation of funds received as a payment to the Traffic
Mitigation Stabilization Fund from Cubist.
Article 5:
The Committee requested additional detail on expenses associated
with the Busa and Cotton Farm purchases. It was noted that failure of this article would
require the Town to use the General Fund to cover these costs.
5.Other Business.
Mr. Parker conveyed that David Kanter and Eph Weiss requested feedback on
their proposal to change Town Meeting procedure regarding reconsideration. The
Committee expressed interest in having this integrated with a broader process review.
Mr. Pato conveyed a request from the TMMA to have portions of the A.C.
annual report produced early. The general sense of the Committee is that this would not
be feasible.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
November 10, 2010.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Pato
ApprovedAugust 18, 2011
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November3, 2010
Exhibits
Appropriation Committee Meeting
November 3, 2010
1.Agenda circulated by Glenn Parker, Chair
2.Agenda Item Summary for Lexington Board of Selectmen Meeting held on November 1,
2010 with attachments: (1) Table 1: Proposed Adjustments to the FY2011 Operating
Budget; (2) Table 2: Revised FY 11 Revenues and Proposed Financing Sources to Fund
Supplemental Appropriations; and (3) Draft Motions: November 15,2010 Special Town
Meeting
3.Spreadsheet provided by Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities, showing total actual and
projected costs for Estabrook remediation as of 10/29/2010 and Estimated Supplemental
Appropriations Needed
4.Estimated Additional Costs for Busa & Cotton Farm (dated 10/15/2010, referenced in
10/27/10 A.C. Meeting Minutes)
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