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Sudbury finance review shows enterprise funds relying on retained earnings; pool budget to draw $110,000
Summary
Assistant Town Manager Victor Garofalo told the Park and Recreation Commission the Field Enterprise Fund and Atkinson Pool Enterprise Fund are using retained earnings to cover operating shortfalls in FY27, with the pool budget expected to draw $110,000; fee updates and a possible vendor review were proposed.
Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director Victor Garofalo presented a March 23 review of Sudbury’s recreation finances and told the Park and Recreation Commission that several recreation enterprise funds are drawing on retained earnings to balance operations.
Garofalo said the Field Enterprise Fund has a proposed FY27 budget of $254,000 and retained earnings of $72,868 that are being used to cover operating costs when field permit revenue falls short. He said the Department of Revenue recently noted the town is using retained earnings not just in the field fund but also in the Pool and Trash Enterprise Funds and that relying on retained earnings can raise questions about long‑term sustainability. Garofalo said increasing fees for FY27 should add roughly $20,000 in field revenue.
On the Atkinson Pool, Garofalo presented a proposed FY27 budget of $579,697 and said $110,000 in retained earnings will be used to balance the fund because recent closures for renovations have made pool revenues hard to predict. He said pool staff and Recreation leadership visited the Beede Center in Concord to study operations, staffing and maintenance models and that the town intends to emulate aspects of that model and expand aquatics programming, including options such as water aerobics and specialty classes. Garofalo said the pool fee structure has not been updated in years and will be reviewed; any future fee proposals will be brought before the Recreation Commission.
Garofalo also described the Recreation Revolving Fund, noting it is not yet fully self‑sufficient because indirect costs and a portion of staff salaries are borne by the general Town budget. He said a goal is to modernize fee structures and ensure programs cover their costs more fully.
Commissioners asked for Garofalo’s presentation to be posted online; Ben Carmel requested a PDF, and Garofalo agreed to provide one for the meeting record. The commission discussed the possibility of hiring a third‑party vendor to review operations and agreed staff will research fees and programming before bringing formal proposals back to the commission.
