Finance Committee outlines FY24 budget process, previews SPS capital asks

SUDBURY — October 17, 2022 — Sudbury Finance Committee maps FY24 budget process and previews $1.6 million in school capital requests. The Oct. 17 working session featured a walk-through from Town Finance Director Dennis on the revenue forecast due Oct. 31, the historically flat two-and-a-half to three percent guidance distributed across cost centers, and a capital-spending target of roughly six percent of the prior year's general fund. Co-Chair Michael Ferrari pressed whether pronounced needs — a police officer and a fire inspector flagged last year — could justify uneven guidance; member Henry P. Sorett pushed on whether redundant positions get scrutinized. Sudbury Public Schools is expected to seek $480,000 for a Curtis Middle School outdoor space, $200,000 from the town manager's capital article, and three articles totaling about $920,000. The reserve fund has held at $300,000 since 2019, with Dennis noting any reduction should "correspond" with a higher snow and ice budget. The committee will vote its budget pressures letter Nov. 7.