Sudbury Select Board opposes walkway petition, advances school roof articles

SUDBURY -- November 18, 2025, Sudbury Select Board opposes $11.8 million walkway petition and projects multi-year budget gaps. The board voted 5-0 against citizen Article 9, brought by resident Ralph Tyler of Deacon Lane, after Town Counsel Lee Smith called the article "fatally flawed" without specific dollar amounts and individually identified easements. Town Manager Andy Sheehan told a joint meeting with the Finance Committee that the fiscal 2027 level-service budget is balanced at a 3.75 percent operating guidance to all three cost centers, but fiscal 2028 carries a $1.4 million projected deficit and fiscal 2029 a $2.9 million projected deficit, with a potential $3 million override adding roughly $460 a year to the tax bill on the average $1.1 million home. Finance Director Victor Garofalo reported certified free cash of $9.39 million, a $6.6 million stabilization fund, a $2.5 million capital stabilization fund and an $18 million OPEB trust; the town remains AAA-rated. Sen. Jamie Eldridge said the federal budget bill and Trump administration cuts have removed about $3.4 billion in funding from Massachusetts, with a projected $650 million direct hit to the fiscal 2027 state budget. The board also approved a change of manager for the Oak Barrel Tavern from Rich Lanza to Jeff Charloff.