Sturbridge will continue using one property-tax rate for homes and businesses in FY2027.

The Select Board also authorized the purchase of a Ventrac sidewalk-snow machine and winter attachments for $100,000, well below the $250,000 that Annual Town Meeting made available.

Those were the two largest decisions from the August 17 meeting. The Board also advanced PFAS planning, signed a new police agreement, approved studies involving Big Alum and Cedar lakes, and received updates on road work and the Route 49 safety project.

This summary is based on the August 17 Select Board meeting, the official meeting agenda and related town and state records. Approved minutes were not yet posted when this edition was prepared.

The classification hearing did not decide how much money Sturbridge will collect. Town Meeting already established the levy through the budget process.

Instead, the Board decided how that levy will be distributed among residential and commercial, industrial and personal-property classes.

Sturbridge’s total assessed value was reported at approximately $2.237 billion, and the average single-family assessment was $522,949.

The Board voted to keep one rate for all classes. The working FY2027 estimate is $15.46 per $1,000, but Principal Assessor Ann P. Murphy emphasized that the Department of Revenue had not certified it.

▶ Watch the classification and proposed-rate explanation

A split rate would have lowered the residential rate by shifting more of the same levy onto businesses and personal property. Assessors said Sturbridge’s relatively small commercial and industrial base makes that shift especially concentrated.

At the maximum example presented, the commercial, industrial and personal-property rate would have risen by $7.73 per $1,000, while the residential rate would have fallen by $1.41 per $1,000.

The Board chose not to make that shift.

▶ Watch the single-rate vote

A residential exemption would have shifted taxes within the residential class.

Assessors estimated that 3,730 properties would pay less and 401 properties would pay more. Higher-valued homes, vacation homes, non-owner-occupied residential properties and apartments could have faced increases.

Officials repeatedly focused on the Sturbridge retirement cooperative, which would have absorbed a substantial increase even though many residents there are seniors.

The Board voted not to adopt the exemption.

▶ Watch the residential-exemption explanation

Annual Town Meeting approved $250,000 for sidewalk snow-removal equipment. The article did not require the town to buy one particular model.

DPW returned with three different options:

The Trackless was the most specialized heavy-snow machine. The Ventrac was the least expensive and could accept a plow, snowblower, brine tank and other attachments.

After a lengthy discussion, the Board authorized the Ventrac.

▶ Watch DPW compare the three options

Veolia reported that the latest PFAS result associated with Well 1 was “right at the limit.”

No numerical concentration was stated during the meeting, and officials said the pending rule had not been finalized. For that reason, this edition is not attaching a parts-per-trillion figure to the statement.

The water from Sturbridge’s sources is combined before entering the distribution system; individual neighborhoods are not served only by Well 1.

Veolia plans to reduce Well 1’s share and draw more heavily from cleaner sources before the next sampling in October. Well 4 was described as having very little PFAS and not currently needing treatment.

If blending cannot keep the system below the applicable limit, PFAS removal may need to be included in a future water-treatment plant.

▶ Watch the PFAS and blending update

The Board separately authorized $58,900 from funds already approved at Annual Town Meeting for Tighe & Bond to analyze water quality and treatment alternatives for Wells 1, 3 and 5.

That vote funds the analysis. It does not approve construction of a new treatment plant.

▶ Watch the well-study vote

The Board authorized the town administrator to sign a new collective-bargaining agreement with the Sturbridge Police Association.

The publicly described terms include:

Officials said the retention provisions were intended partly to address recent turnover.

The total financial impact over the life of the agreement was not presented during the public discussion.

▶ Watch the contract terms explained

The Board authorized a $20,000 contract with Geosyntec Consultants for a limnological study of Big Alum Lake using FY2027 betterment funds.

The study will combine existing lake-testing and aquatic-survey information with additional work to assess current conditions and recommend possible improvements.

This is the contract step following the earlier funding approval covered by The Town Minute.

▶ Watch the Big Alum explanation and vote

For Cedar Lake, the Board authorized Wilcox & Barton Inc. to prepare a federal Section 604(b) water-quality grant application and authorized a town letter supporting a comprehensive watershed assessment.

Important distinction: Sturbridge approved the application work; it has not received the grant.

▶ Watch the Cedar Lake grant discussion and votes

Conservation Director Lauren Vivier also said the draft Plimpton Community Forest master plan is expected to open for public comment September 4, with a final draft scheduled for presentation to the Conservation Commission October 1.

DPW said it hoped to complete crack sealing and microsurfacing on Brookfield Road before school begins. Patch paving was scheduled on Hall Road, followed by crack sealing and microsurfacing.

Full-depth road-reclamation work was running behind after heavy rain affected the contractor’s schedule. DPW said it hoped that larger paving work would begin by mid-September.

▶ Watch the DPW road update

MassDOT’s Route 49 safety project also remains active after an August 12 design hearing.

The current proposal covers three intersections:

MassDOT lists the project at the 25% design-hearing stage, with construction planned for summer 2029 and current programmed funding of approximately $9.76 million. Those details can still change as design advances.

View MassDOT project 611967
▶ Watch the town’s Route 49 update

Meeting dates and agenda items can change. Check the town’s final postings before attending.

The Town Minute is an independent publication and is not affiliated with the Town of Sturbridge. For the official record, consult approved minutes, agendas and meeting recordings.