Lincoln Select Board approves $1.28M debt refinancing and IDEA committee charge

LINCOLN — February 22, 2021 — Lincoln Select Board locks in $1.28M in debt savings, approves anti-racism committee charge. Finance Director Colleen Wilkins reported that a Feb. 11 competitive sale of refunding bonds on the town's 2011 town office debt drew four bids, with the winning bid producing a 1.118 percent true interest cost and roughly $1.278 million in projected savings over the remaining 20 years; S&P Global Ratings affirmed Lincoln's AAA rating ahead of the sale. The board, chaired by James Craig, voted 3-0 to sign the bonds. Members also adopted a charge for a new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism committee structured in two phases, with member Jonathan Dwyer insisting the successor body be framed as the next "iteration" reporting back by 2025. Town Administrator Tim Higgins reported 155 total COVID cases with two active and said local vaccination capacity of up to 2,000 doses per week has been capped at 100 by the state's shift to mass sites. The board also approved a curb cut at 11 Hillside Road and Verizon's third school-project pole petition.