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The Sudbury Select Board met on Tuesday, December 3. Here are the highlights:
Tax Classification
- They classified the taxes! The main thing residents need to know is that they did not add any burden on residential property owners relative to commercial or industrial property owners.
- According to theĀ meeting packet, the net impact on the average single-family residential tax bill is a $577 annual increase.

Camp Sewataro Financials
- Years ago, the Town acquired a camp property for about $11 million. The property was the home of Camp Sewataro, a longtime summer day camp business. After the acquisition, the Town entered into an agreement with a private camp operator to continue to run a private summer camp on the property and maintain the property throughout the year. (1:52:00)
- The current agreement sets terms for revenue sharing with the camp operator. The Town gets 25% of the first $1,000,000 of the camp operatorās profits.
- For 2024, the revenue share to the Town improved over 2023. The Town is getting a bit more than $112,000 in revenue share (Page 56). The exact number in the document is getting updated because there was an error spotted in the report from the camp operator. The Town of Sudbury got about $92K last year.
- The Town also received $206,000 this year in rent from the camp operator. (That base rent increases 3% per year under the third amendment in the original contract. Page 56) This is roughly equivalent to the property taxes paid to the town when the land was privately owned.
- The Town is paying $743,362 for the debt on the property in the current fiscal year. (Page 66) If the Town can continue to squeeze out $100K per year in revenue sharing, it will offset the total debt and interest paid in just shy of 130 years.
Select Board Code of Conduct
- The board members rehashed their grievances about a variety of past incidents and disagreements and then passed a new code of conduct policy by way of a 4-1 vote. Member Carty was the ānoā vote. (2:13:20)
Combined Facilities Department
- Chair Jennifer Roberts provided an update on the ongoing discussions between the Town and Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) about their shared facilities department. SPS has been seeking a basis for terminating the agreement that established the department with a goal of enhanced efficiency and service delivery. The latest from the SPS side is here.
- Town Manager Andy Sheehan was more blunt in his comments to the board this time:
āThe bigger picture really is around the financial implications of a divorce of combined facilities. At the last meeting I gave the financial condition of the Town, to say that itās a fairly bleak outlook I think is an understatement. And I donāt see how adding another 150,000 dollar burden to the Town budget in fiscal year 2026 and then adding another four to six positions in SPS for facilities helps us in the long-run when weāre facing the financial challenges that weāre facing.ā
3:31:10
- Sheehan went on to cite that peer communities use the combined facilities approach, then added that he doesnāt think the terms of the memorandum of agreement are the issue, but the implementation is.
- Sheehan concluded: āAnd I think we have to be honest that trust in government at all levels has probably never been lower. I donāt ever remember it being as low as it is now. I didnāt think it was going to seep to the local level in the way that is has, but it has. And I think, especially as weāre looking ahead to an override, or a potential override in a couple of years, we have to do everything in our power to manage our costs. And so going in the direction of separating facilities, I think, is really not telling a good story to the residents.ā
- On the SPS side, focus has recently shifted to the shared electrician position. SPS leadership has changed their story about their electrical needs.
- In September SPS said they were outsourcing electrical work rather than using the in-house electrician. (1:41:00)
- In November SPS said they were not outsourcing electrical work and had no electrical needs in their five school buildings. (1:36:20)
- In the meeting packet for that meeting, SPS leadership reported that they had used the Town electrician for about three-dozen jobs since June of 2024. (Page 66)
- In the same packet the Director of Business and Human Resources stated: āOur analysis has concluded that the District does not require an electrician nor can we warrant the expense.ā (Page 47)