Lexington's Appropriation Committee takes up the high school construction project and spending questions behind the Nov. 9 Special Town Meeting (STM) at a remote session Oct. 15.

The committee's agenda lists an LHS construction status report, a review of the financial articles in the STM warrant, capital requests for fiscal year (FY) 2028 and a follow-up discussion from the first FY2028 budget summit. The meeting runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. No public comments will be taken.

All five financial articles in the STM warrant, signed Oct. 5 by the Select Board, list their requested funding as "unknown at press time." The articles cover prior-year unpaid bills, stabilization fund transfers, amendments to the current FY2027 operating and enterprise budgets, supplemental capital improvement appropriations and changes to departmental revolving fund spending limits.

A sixth article on the warrant, Article 1, is a procedural item for receiving reports from town boards and committees.

LHS project carries DEP appeal risk

The high school construction project has faced a regulatory hurdle since summer. At the Select Board's Aug. 17 meeting, Bartha said the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) accepted an appeal on Aug. 7 filed by ten citizens. The appeal asked DEP to issue a superseding Order of Conditions on top of the Conservation Commission's June 29 order.

Bartha told the board the appeal "met the procedural bar to move forward but this is not a signal of the merits." No construction activity had occurred within the fencing marking jurisdictional wetland boundaries, and none could proceed until DEP issued a final order, he said.

In August, Bartha warned that a delay past Oct. 1 could add $2.5 million to $5 million to the project. A start delayed to Nov. 1 could add $20 million and push completion from June 2029 to September 2029, he said. Oct. 1 has passed, and no public update on the appeal's resolution appears in available town records.

Select Board Chair Joseph Pato said at the same Aug. 17 meeting that the School Building Committee's value-design process had identified additional savings. He did not specify an amount.

$125 million bond tranche planned

Also at the Aug. 17 meeting, Assistant Town Manager for Finance Carolyn Kosnoff said the town planned to issue a first bond tranche of $125 million that month. The tranche was expected to cover spending through June 2027, with a second tranche planned for June to cover the following year. Whether the August issuance proceeded as planned is not confirmed in available records.

Kosnoff noted that 30-year debt was expected to come in above 4% interest. Shortening the term to 25 years could save on interest but would increase the annual burden on taxpayers, she said. An interest payment is due in FY2027. The first principal payment is not due until FY2028.

Zoning article also on STM docket

Beyond the financial articles, the Planning Board has proposed Article 7, which would amend Section 6.9 of the Zoning Bylaw governing Special Residential Developments. The changes would add requirements for site coverage, perimeter landscape buffers and historic preservation of historic structures, according to the town's Planning Board page. The article would also modify gross floor area limits and expand open space standards.

The Special Town Meeting is set for Monday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue, with remote participation available. Residents can email the Appropriation Committee at [email protected]. The committee's next meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 21.