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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-09-AC-minNovember 9, 2011 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee Meeting November 9, 2011 Time and Location: Room G15, Town Offices, 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Joe Pato, Vice Chair; Mollie Garberg; Alan Levine; Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Jonina Schonfeld; Rob Addelson (non- voting, ex officio) Not present: Robert Cohen The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. 1. Liaison Reports by staff and members. Board of Selectman (BoS) (Glenn Parker): The BoS voted at its last meeting to recommend an appropriation of $200,000 for storm clean -up. Community Preservation Committee (CPC) (Glenn Parker): The CPC is currently reviewing project proposals for FY 2013. Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) (Glenn Parker): The CEC discussed project details. The Committee discussed having a representative at the School Committee meetings. Ms. Schonfeld and Ms. Garberg will share this responsibility. Mr. Pato will take the lead in covering BoS meetings. He will attend the meetings or view them online at LexMedia. He has looked into using minutes to stay current with their proceedings but noted that BoS minutes have not been posted online since June. 2. Vote on all Articles of the November 2011 Special Town Meeting. Article 2: Bridge and Bowman School Reconstruction — A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 2. There was a discussion of cost specifics, how costs would be listed in the motion at Town Meeting as well as how the School Department would accommodate future increased enrollment. The School Committee put forward an estimate of the final cost of the Bridge and Bowman projects at $21.6 million. Vote: Approved 8 -0 -0 Article 3: Fire Communication System — A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 3. Vote: Approved 8 -0 -0 Article 4: FY12 Operating and Enterprise Fund Budgets — A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 4. The Committee discussed the process and costs related to selecting a new police sergeant. The Committee also discussed whether the current part -time veterans' agent had acquired the training necessary for the position and whether the Town will be required to have a full -time veterans' agent. Mr. Addelson reported that the current veterans' agent had undergone the necessary training. Whether the Town will be required to have a full -time veterans' agent position is still to be determined through discussions with state officials. November 9, 2011 Vote to recommend approval of all line items with the exception of that for engagement of a police sergeant Assessment Center: Approved 8 -0 -0 Vote to recommend approval of the police sergeant line item: 7 -1 -0 Article 5: Specified Stabilization Funds — A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 5. Vote: Approved 8 -0 -0 Article 6: Stabilization Fund — This article is expected to be postponed indefinitely, and the Committee did not vote. Mr. Addelson explained that the Stabilization Fund is typically used as a repository of money to address revenue shortfalls in the event of an economic downturn (for a 3 -year period) instead of as a fund for capital items. The Committee discussed appropriate uses of surplus revenue, in lieu of appropriating it to the Stabilization Fund, and the budgetary impact of allowing those funds to flow to Free Cash at the end of FY 2012. Article 7: Authorized Capital Improvements — A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval of Article 7. Vote: Approved 8 -0 -0 3. Report to the Special Town Meeting. The Committee conducted a detailed and final review of the draft of its report to the Special Town Meeting scheduled to occur on November 14 2011. The committee identified minimal changes that needed to be made. The Committee confirmed with Mr. Addelson the appropriateness of his model to estimate the impact of a debt exclusion for the Bridge, Bowman and Estabrook school projects on the average taxpayer. The Committee also discussed the report's treatment of: issues affecting the schools, including the Avalon Bay School Enrollment Mitigation Fund and changes in revenues and expenses from the last Annual Town Meeting, including the set - aside for state aid reduction; the implications of using free cash (non- recurring revenue that is not a reliable funding source) for project funding, the operating budget or reducing the tax levy; and the impact of the School Committee's decision to reduce school music fees on the annual allocation of revenue between the School Department and municipal budgets, given that such fees flow to the General Fund and are not accounted for in the school budget. The Committee determined that members who wrote Report sections related to specific Articles would speak about those Articles at Town Meeting. A motion was made and seconded to approve the report with changes as discussed. Vote: Approved 8 -0 -0 SUMMARY OF ACTION ITEMS: Tonight's minutes will be reviewed by Ms. Schonfeld. 2 November 9, 2011 Mr. Parker will have the report edited as discussed and sent to the printer this evening. Mr. Pato will review Board of Selectmen minutes and attend Board of Selectmen meetings. Ms. Schonfeld and Ms. Garberg will attend School Committee meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. A list of documents and other items used at the meeting is attached. Respectfully submitted, Andrea Yepez Recording Secretary Approved December 7, 2011 3 November 9, 2011 Exhibits Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee Meeting November 9, 2011 1. Meeting Agenda, posted by Glenn Parker, Chair.