Council grants Lord Hobo charity run permit after applicant says majority of legacy taxes paid

The Woburn City Council voted Oct. 15 to grant a special‑event permit for the Lord Hobo charity 'Doom Run' scheduled for Oct. 26, 2024, after hearing from Jake Dodd of FMP Productions and a Lord Hobo representative.

Petitioner Jake Dodd described the event as an annual charity run supporting local organizations, including the Woburn Boys & Girls Club and the Connors Kindness Project, with more than 500 runners and 100 percent of proceeds going to local charities. Councilors pressed the petitioner about outstanding municipal tax liabilities and an impending business merger that the petitioner said could affect the company’s finances.

The petitioner — who identified a role consistent with finance operations and later stated he was 'director of finance' — told the council, “The majority of the legacy taxes for this year were paid today,” and estimated a remaining balance in the low hundreds (transcript statements: "a hundred" and "about 170"). Councilors said they would support the permit this time but warned that future petitions would not be supported unless the tax balance was cleared. Councilor D'Amearns moved that the treasurer‑collector’s office inform the city council once the balance is paid; the motion was adopted.

After the tax discussion and the clerk’s communication with the treasurer‑collector, the council voted to grant the special‑event permit. The petitioner thanked the council; councilors urged the applicant to keep regular communication with city finance staff and to resolve any remaining liabilities promptly.