Sudbury Board of Health tables fee schedule vote over chicken coop dispute

SUDBURY — September 26, 2023 — Sudbury Board of Health postpones permit fee overhaul after split over chicken coop charges. The board declined Tuesday to vote on a revamped fee schedule after member Linda Huet-Clayton objected to charging chicken coops the same $50 biennial fee as horse stables, calling it overinflated relative to "the actual value of the chicken." Chair Carol Bradford and member Susan Sama backed the structure on public health grounds, with Sama arguing "if it has to be inspected, then there should be a fee" because well-contamination setbacks demand staff time regardless of coop type. The health director will negotiate a revised coop fee with Huet-Clayton and possibly exempt flocks of six or fewer, mirroring Framingham. The board voted 3-0 to consolidate Great Meadows Public Health Collaborative meeting postings under 940 CMR 29.03(3), and reported $1,700 in Sudbury Foundation gift cards distributed to 18 families and a $600 Presbyterian Church donation for emergency aid.