Conservation Commission unanimously opposes CPA surcharge cut at Town Meeting

SUDBURY — April 28, 2025 — Sudbury Conservation Commission votes unanimously to oppose Article 54 cutting the CPA surcharge in half. After Goodman's Hill Road resident Janie Dretler told the commission Sudbury has collected more than $35 million in surcharge revenue, drawn over $15 million in state match and earned over $2 million in investment income since the early 2000s, member Jeremy Cook moved opposition to the May 5 Town Meeting citizen petition, which would cut the surcharge from 3 percent to 1.5 percent. Chair David Henkels — the commission's representative on the Community Preservation Committee — estimated the average annual CPA bill on a $1.13 million home at roughly $480 and cited acquisitions at Broadacre, Cutting Farm, Dickinson and Pantry Brook Farm. The commission also approved a notice of intent from Philip and Michelle Burke at 5 Lakeshore Drive for a 22-foot garage extension and mudroom, conditioned on Japanese knotweed stem-injection treatment, straw-wattle erosion controls and a bar on new gutter tie-ins, and reappointed Henkels as chair and Kenneth Holtz as vice chair.