HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-02-28-CEC-minMinutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting
Date, Place, and Location: February 28, 2012 8:00 A.M., Cary Memorial Building, Ellen
Stone Room
Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair; Ted Edson, Vice - Chair; Bill Hurley; David Kanter
Member Absent: Shirley Stolz
Document Presented: Draft #2 of the Capital Expenditures Committee Report to the 2012
Annual Town Meeting (ATM) & 2012 Special Town Meeting (STM), April 2, 2012
distributed electronically, February 24, 2012.
Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called the meeting to order at 8:00 A.M.
Member Report: Mr. Kanter advised that at the previous - evening's meeting of the Board of
Selectmen during the discussions leading up to that Board's approval of the FY2013 budget
(by a vote of 3 -1 -1):
The funds previously identified as unallocated — potentially for use on a capital project
(e.g., the Estabrook School off -site street - related work under the 2012 ATM Warrant Article
12(n))— remain unallocated.
Although the White House Stabilization project is in the Warrant (2012 ATM
Article 16(e)), its funding is not included with the budget. While the project had not been
recommended to that Town Meeting for funding under the Community Preservation Act, it
had been expected that Town Meeting would be asked to approve use of the General Fund.
Approval of Previous Meeting's Minutes: It was moved and seconded that the Minutes
of the Committee's February 7, 2012, meeting as reflected in the draft that had been
distributed electronically, February 23, 2012, be approved. Vote: 4 -0.
Discussion of the Committee's Report to the 2012 ATM and 2012 STM (April 2, 2012):
The Committee walked through Draft #2, tentatively agreeing to the newly input wording
and, where previously shown, the likely votes based on what is known at this time. In the
process, specific attention was given to identifying which of the Articles the Committee
didn't see the need for any supplemental text and to the Comments included in that Draft.
Where possible at this time, resolution of those Comments was agreed upon. Among other
actions included in that process:
Article 12(p) (Telephone System Replacement Townwide): Mr. Kanter noted his
concern that the plan to convert the telephone system to the voice - over - Internet (VoIP)
protocol, while a technical advance he supports, would result under the current plan in the
backbone connectivity for all of the Town's telephone (with minor exceptions) and data
being dependent on a single wide -area network (WAN) —the one currently provided under a
Town's license to RCN Telecom Services of Massachusetts, Inc., in conjunction with their
cable -TV services to the Town and its residents. The rest of the Committee acknowledged
Page 1 of 2
the circumstances, but didn't believe that common occurrence in today's communication
environment was a particular concern, that an alternate or redundant backbone was
practical for the Town to implement, or that the matter called for inclusion in its report to
Town Meeting.
Article 20 (Authorize the Establishment of a Minuteman Stabilization Fund): Motion:
Approve Indefinite Postponement based on the justification cited in the draft. Vote: 4 -0
Article 31 (Amend General Bylaws —Town Meeting Warrant): The Committee
confirmed it should take a position as, although just an administrative change with regard to
the distribution of Town Warrants, the proposed change concerns the instrument by which
the Town's voters receive early, formal, advice on actions planned for a Town Meeting —
including capital - related actions. As such, while the Committee concluded that while it can
accept the proposed opt -in for mailed copies of the Warrant to non - Town- Meeting Members
and the proposed posting of the Warrant both electronically and physically, that would only
be if the Town also took a formal, pro- active, step to advise all the Town residents of
pending availability of every Warrant, how it would be posted, and their option to opt-in to
getting a copy by mail. The Committee believed that advice could be accomplished with a
notice being included in some other to -all- residences mailing that the Town already
makes —and the Annual Town Census mailing in January was suggested as being one
such opportunity.
Motion: The Committee supports Article 31, but only with the provision that every
residence would be formally notified of a pending Warrant, how it will be available, and how
one can opt -in for a mailed copy. Vote: 4 -0
Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 9:35 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 4 -0
These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on March 13, 2012.
Page 2of2