Community Preservation Committee
November 19, 2012
Minutes
Members present: Chair Frederick Keator (FK), Olga Weiss (OW), Kate McNulty-Vaughan, (KMV), Albert Harper (AH), Joe G. Strauch (JS), Catherine May (CM), Eugene Chague (EC) and Channing Gibson (CG).
Absent: Albert Harper and Anthony Patella.
Also in attendance: Mary Albertson (MA), Town Planner.
FK called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM.
JS made a motion to approve the October 1, 2012 minutes. Seconded by EC and the Committee voted 6-0 to approve. KMV abstained because she did not attend the meeting.
FK asked the Committee if there were any questions regarding the FY’14 application. FK said he reviewed the website and he suggested a couple corrections. MA will coordinate the corrections with the Town Clerk.
MA distributed copies of the proposed FY’14 meeting schedule and a handout from the Community Coalition outlining implementation of the new legislation regarding recreation projects.
FK introduced Lucy Kennedy, Lenox Finance Committee, who attended the meeting to offer a presentation on the Finance Committee’s long term financial plan. Ms. Kennedy presented a power-point presentation. Copies of a handout titled “Lenox Long Term Financial Situation – 10/17/12” were distributed.
Ms. Kennedy offered demographic information. Berkshire County has a declining population. She highlighted the fact that school age (under 16) and working age (30-44) populations saw the greatest declines in the recent census. The older population cohorts increased.
She discussed the fact that state and federal regulations have increased at the same time state and federal grant opportunities have decreased. Unfunded mandates will continue to put a strain on future Town budgets.
She stressed the fact that Lenox has many strengths including: excellent schools, strong draw for tourism and recreation, and attractive environment for new residents.
Major challenges include personnel and infrastructure costs. She talked about the need to compare Lenox to other Berkshire County communities because it is important to understand the competition. She pointed to the need to look at a regional solutions to shared services.
Recommendations included: revisiting capital budget and re-activating the capital committee; implementing the Roche agreement as a way to fund the OPEB reserve plan; reviewing the cost of school choice; re-visiting recent staff additions; regionalization of fire, safety, DPW, water and sewer; and combining school and town financial operations.
The Committee discussed how to plug CPA funds into the long term financial plan. The Church on the Hill Cemetery was used as an example of a project that will need long-term funding.
The Committee discussed economic development opportunities. Tourism is a known product. Other economic development opportunities are not as easy to identify. The Committee discussed the example of how General Electric brought economic growth to the region but there were also long-term negative impacts to the environment.
The Committee encouraged Ms. Kennedy to continue offering the presentation to other groups and committees. The Committee also suggested that Ms. Kennedy give this presentation to Finance Committees in neighboring towns such as Lee and Stockbridge.
The next CPC meeting will be December 10, 2012 at 7:00 PM.
Motion by OW, seconded by JS, to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully Submitted
Mary Albertson, Town Planner
Approved: 12/10/12
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