Sudbury Finance Committee assigns liaisons, plans rules vote for August

SUDBURY — July 22, 2024 — Sudbury Finance Committee welcomes new finance director and divides on scope of its fall agenda. Co-Chair Michael Joachim introduced Finance Director Victor Garofalo, a 20-year municipal finance veteran from Bedford and Dracut, at the July 22 virtual meeting. Members walked through annual edits to their Rules and Operating Procedures and informally agreed to split liaison commitments into "shall" assignments — Select Board, Lincoln-Sudbury, Sudbury Public Schools, CIAC, town manager — and discretionary "may" assignments, with a formal vote set for Aug. 12. Andrew Bettinelli volunteered for the Community Preservation Committee, calling it "fascinating as a dedicated revenue source." Henry Sorett pressed the committee to study eliminating the assistant town manager position, unwinding the supervisors' union, and contracting the ambulance service — citing roughly $1 million in annual ambulance losses — while Bettinelli objected that "I don't believe it is the role of the Finance Committee to be making management decisions for the town." Members approved minutes for March 11, March 18 and April 1.