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Welcome back!
Things settled down a bit this week. Probably because much of New England is stuffing itself with cider donuts and hauling 45 pounds of apples back to a parking lot that seems like it’s three miles away.
Here’s what we have for you:
Town Override Unlikely Next Fiscal Year
Roche Bros. Recognized For Sustainability Work
Voting by Mail? Do It Now
Under Construction: PBC Gets Update On Building Projects
SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup
Let’s get into it!
Town Override Unlikely Next Fiscal Year
By Kevin LaHaise
Town Manager Stresses Prioritization, Discipline, Civility In Fiscal Planning
Sudbury's Town Manager, Andy Sheehan, was at ease discussing the finer points of municipal finance with the Sudbury Finance Committee on Monday, September 30. Sheehan re-presented an update he had previously provided to the Select Board on the Town's goal to build a long-term, sustainable budget. He then fielded questions from each of the committee members.
The biggest takeaway from the conversation came early on: Sheehan made it clear that he was not expecting to go for an override in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which will be built in the coming months.
“Every time I talk about this people jump to the override question. I cannot say that an override won’t be necessary. It is, in many respects, the easiest way or the simplest way to do it, except for the political challenge of getting an override passed. It is a hard thing to do, and I don’t want to go to the voters any earlier than i have to to make that request. The approach that I’m taking is we need to make sure that we’ve exhausted every opportunity prior to going for an override. And so I’ll jump ahead a little bit and say that I do not expect that we’ll be looking at an override as we start to build the Fiscal 26 budget, which is next fiscal year’s budget.”
In his opening presentation, Sheehan called for civility as the Town works through difficult financial decisions:
“I think it’s important that we turn down the volume. The nature of public discourse lately, in the last several years, has gotten very hot. I didn’t really think that the Washington approach to public discourse, the rock throwing we see in D.C. and that we’ve seen for several decades, I didn’t think that would really come down to the local level, but unfortunately it has.”
The meeting covered a lot of ground, with each member of the Finance Committee asking a variety of questions. Here are the highlights:
Regionalization of Town Services
Sheehan noted that the Town has already regionalized several services, citing veteran’s services, public health partnerships and regional dispatch. Sheehan indicated that the Town will continue to evaluate opportunities to regionalize wherever it makes sense and whenever such opportunities arise. The idea here is to share a resource, such as a staff person, between two or more municipalities in order to either save money or improve service quality.
Privatizing Ambulance Service
Sheehan acknowledged that this does work well in some communities, but can vary by the community based on distance to hospitals and other factors. He didn’t rule out privatization of ambulance service as a way to generate greater revenue for the Town.
Eliminating Overnight Lockup
Member Hank Sorett felt overnight lockup at the Sudbury Police Station was expensive, and most of those folks are sent to Framingham the next day. He felt the Town could save money by partnering with Framingham and eliminating overnight lockup in Sudbury. Sheehan said this was an idea worth exploring, but also added that he doesn’t think there are many overnight lockup situations.
Communication
Member Ryan Lynch pointed out that Town communication around the budget and financial matters could improve. Sheehan agreed and identified some of the challenges the Town faces with communicating around the budget, going on to suggest that the Town restart its use of ClearGov as one way to improve.
Union Negotiations
Sheehan gave a quick update that there are seven union groups, two agreements are done, and negotiations are ongoing with the others. He noted that “there’s a lot up in the air” with employees, but refrained from getting into details while negotiations are ongoing.
Combined Facilities MOA and Unmet Staffing Needs
Sheehan voiced his support for the shared services model, called out that it’s “widely used in the area” and “makes a lot of sense.” He also indicated that he is open to revisiting the terms of the agreement and will be meeting with a working group in the months ahead. Notably, he reiterated that he thinks the facilities department needs more capacity, going on to say the Town needs to add a number of positions in order to meet demand for services. He said he is hoping the FY26 budget will begin to address unmet staffing needs, but didn’t know how many positions that might include.
Capital Planning and Financial Policies
Sheehan said “I think the committee will be pleased with the conversations that we have around capital planning this year. I think we’re going to have more data than we’ve ever had as a result of the facilities study that’s going on. Up to this point, all we’ve had really in terms of decent, quantifiable information was our insurance schedules. And that’s not really the level of detail we need. We are starting this year to build a 15 year capital plan. Typically we’ve done five.” He went on to add that he anticipates discussions to update the Select Board’s financial policies in the next year.
The Finance Committee members reiterated their appreciation for the time the Town Manager spent with them, and voiced appreciation that he was willing to open a dialogue on many of these issues. Long time member Eric Poch put the meeting into a broader context based on his experiences over the years: “Thanks Andy. Thanks for joining us. I think these conversations are a welcome change to many prior administrations.” (1:35:08)
Roche Bros. Recognized for Sustainability Work
By Kevin LaHaise
Roche Bros. Supermarkets has been recognized as a 2024 Climate Leader by the sponsors of Mass Save. According to the announcement:
“The 2024 cohort of Climate Leaders is helping Massachusetts lead the nation in energy efficiency and meet the Healey-Driscoll administration’s ambitious 2050 climate goals by reducing environmental impacts and lowering energy costs. Each honoree exemplifies how environmentally conscious actions drive economic success and a positive climate future for the Commonwealth.”
Roche Bros. was recognized for completing a series of sustainability projects, including at their Sudbury location, known as Sudbury Farms:
“Roche Bros. Supermarkets has been recognized for successfully completing a series of major projects at six locations: Bridgewater, North Easton, Quincy, Sudbury, Watertown, and Westborough. These projects included the installation of advanced controls and heat pumps, significantly enhancing the efficiency of their refrigeration and HVAC systems. The upgrades are expected to result in significant savings of over 50,000 therms of gas and nearly 1,000 megawatt hours of electricity, along with a reduction of almost 300 tons of CO2 emissions.”
Sudbury Farms is currently undergoing a closure due to a pest control issue that has proven difficult to get under control. During a September 11 meeting of the Board of Health, Sudbury’s Health Director, Vivian Zeng, noted that the age of the building and the design of “false floors” for refrigerator lines contribute to persistent pest control challenges. She complimented Sudbury Farms management for their efforts to get the problem under control and their cooperation with the Town. (38:00)
During that same discussion, Zeng noted that the Town is encouraging Sudbury Farms to accelerate a planned 2026 renovation of the store, as she felt a full gut and rebuild would be a better remedy to the pest issues.
Voting by Mail? Do It Now
By the League of Women Voters of Sudbury
Are you planning to vote by mail in the Presidential election? If so, time is running short to request a mail ballot with adequate time to receive and return it.
If you have requested a mail ballot for all elections in the past, you do not need to request one again. The ballot will be sent to you automatically. To request a mail ballot for this election, you can return the card sent in September by the Secretary of State’s office to the Town Clerk’s office. You can apply to vote by mail online at www.VoteInMA.com--click on Apply to Vote by Mail. You can download and print a mail ballot application and return it to the Town Clerk. Applications are also available at the Clerk’s office. Completed, signed applications should be mailed to Town Clerk, 322 Concord Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776 or scanned and sent by email to [email protected] or faxed to the Town Clerk’s office, 978-639-3340.
The Town Clerk expects to receive ballots from the state around Oct. 7, and will be sending a mail ballot to voters who have requested one shortly after that date.
After you fill out your vote on your mail ballot, put the ballot in the yellow envelope and then sign that envelope. Your ballot will not be accepted if the yellow envelope is not signed.
Put the signed yellow envelope in the white, postage prepaid return envelope. You can mail that envelope or drop it in the ballot dropbox behind Town Hall, available 24/7. Ballots must be received by the Clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, and you cannot return a mail ballot to a polling place on Election Day. You can use the ballot drop box until the deadline.
Once you have requested a mail ballot, you can track that ballot at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com.
For information on voter registration, in-person early voting and Election Day voting, visit the Town Clerk’s website or the League’s website.
Under Construction: PBC Gets Update On Building Projects
By Kevin LaHaise
Combined Facilities Director Sandra Duran joined the Permanent Building Committee meeting this week. She provided a rapid-fire update on a laundry list of facilities projects that are in progress. Here’s the recap from her update:
Fairbank Drainage Project
It began this week with the addition of a couple accessible parking spaces, which were add alternates on the project. Drainage work at the front of the building was going to start imminently according to Duran.
DPW Office Building Solar and Roof Project
They had to pause due to some complications with the roof coating and warranty coverage requirements. Duran reported that they figured out a new process, and the project resumed this week. She also noted that the project is still likely to come in within the original budget.
Fire Station 3
They’re close to making final payment to the contractor, and came in slightly under budget. They’ll give the balance back to the Town.
Facilities Condition Assessment
Sudbury Public Schools and the Town are reviewing the draft reports and providing feedback. The next version of the report will be shared more broadly according to Duran. All the equipment and assets that were inventoried are being uploaded into a new work order system, complete with order of magnitude replacement costs, allowing the Town to make a dynamic capital plan.
Fairbank EV Charging Stations
Duran said the install was going to begin in the next couple weeks. That will include two charging stations in each parking lot on either side of the building.
Atkinson Pool Renovation
The completed designs are in, as is the first cost estimate. The estimate came in high, so they’ll be looking to do some value engineering according to Duran. She cited the mechanical room as an opportunity to trim costs and keep the project moving forward. She indicated that the cost estimate was not surprising.
Parting Thoughts
The Finance Committee meeting was a bit more than just a committee meeting this week. In many ways, it was a rebuttal to political discourse that assumes bad intentions or incompetence. It also stood out as its own theory of change. What does it mean for a community if change comes from respectful, informed and thoughtful discussion, rather than disinformation, grievances and preconceived notions?
Yes, members asked tough questions, and they voiced a desire to explore ways the Town might change it’s budget strategies. But the temperature in the virtual room never rose above a very comfortable room temperature.
What stood out the most was the shared desire of the committee and the Town Manager to get more information, accurate information, out to taxpayers.
Jefferson once wrote: "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights."
For two hours on Monday evening, the discussion transcended the bizarre jargon of municipal finance and rooted itself in the first principles of self-government. The people were, once again, invited to engage in the process. And this time, the process was absent the rancor that repels those who would otherwise engage.
Is this the beginning of something new? A turn of the political page in Sudbury?
Only time will tell.
Onward!