League Supports 20 Warrant Articles at 2022 Town Meeting
The League of Women Voters of Sudbury urges Sudbury voters to attend the Annual Town Meeting and participate as citizen legislators!
Town meeting starts Monday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Details about the meeting, including suggested health protocols, are on the Town website here.
The League supports 20 articles on the Town Meeting warrant, with questions about five others. The League does not have positions that cover other articles, including the Route 20 fire station improvement, so cannot take a stand on those issues. We have not taken a stand on other articles where we felt we did not have sufficient information at this time.
The League supports:
Article 25 to enable electronic voting at Town Meeting based on our long-standing position to support measures to keep Town Meeting moving at a reasonable pace.
Article 14 to fund the Go Sudbury! and Uber transportation programs
Article 18 to transfer land to Park & Recreation
Articles 19 and 20 for Bruce Freeman Rail Trail land acquisition and easements
Article 27 to replace Noyes School sinks with ADA-compliant fixtures
Article 31 for stormwater management
Article 35 for DPW solar facility project; and articles 45 and 46 for walkway projects.
Community Preservation Fund articles 47 and 48 (Bruce Freeman Rail Trail design and construction funds)
Article 50 to monitor conservation compliance
Article 51 to update the Open Space & Recreation Plan and the Athletic Fields Needs Assessment & Master Plan
Article 52 on Regional Housing Services Office support
Article 53 on Sudbury Housing Authority; article 54 on town clock restoration
Article 55 on reversion of funds; and
Article 56, Community Preservation Act budget
Article 58 to declare a climate emergency in Sudbury, hire a sustainability director and develop a climate mobilization action plan.
The League is withholding a decision on the following articles:
Articles 16 and 57 to hire a land-use consultant to advise on short-term and long-term options for the Sewataro property. While we feel there is definitely a need for such planning, we did not have enough information to support or decide between these two articles.
Article 22: Audio-video equipment for Fairbank Community Center project. The League could support this funding under our position on open government meetings if the proposal included equipment that would allow SudburyTV to cover town board and committee meetings held in the center. The proposal does not currently include such equipment.
Article 29: Revise process for creating or changing historic districts. While we agree with the Historic Districts Commission, which proposed this article, that the HDC should be an integral part of the process for creating or changing historic districts, and that the current process which does not include the HDC should be changed, we feel the proposal swings too far the other way, putting almost all the authority in the HDC. We do not think such substantial changes that affect many aspects of the Town should be solely vested in an appointed body rather than an elected body such as the Planning Board. We would favor a process that involves both the HDC and the Planning Board equally, with ample opportunity for public input.
Article 49: Develop Historic Districts Commission guidelines. We agree that such guidelines are needed for the HDC’s work but did not feel we had sufficient information to support this article.
4/21/2022