Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board finalizes updated charter for Sudbury Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission
Summary
The Sudbury Select Board approved an updated DEI Commission charter on Jan. 20, 2026, setting a seven-member voting panel with specified advisory seats (including a Lincoln‑Sudbury representative), monthly meetings, quarterly reports to the Select Board, and compliance obligations under state open-meeting and public-records laws.
The Sudbury Select Board approved an updated charter for the Town of Sudbury Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission on Jan. 20, 2026, formalizing the commission’s mission, membership structure and reporting duties.
Under the charter, the commission will include seven voting members and up to six non‑voting advisory members. Appointments will be made by the Select Board through an open application process; voting members’ terms are staggered over three years, and members may be reappointed. At the first meeting following May 31 each year voting members will elect leadership — a chair and vice chair or co‑chairs — and may elect a clerk to manage minutes and attendance.
The document lists program goals that include providing DEI training to other town boards and commissions, gathering first‑hand experiences from residents and students, soliciting input for the Town Manager, collaborating with DEI‑focused groups, facilitating public forums and promoting community engagement around diverse experiences.
The charter specifies advisory (non‑voting) seats for the Sudbury Police Chief or a delegate, the Town Manager or a delegate, a Sudbury Public Schools or Lincoln‑Sudbury Regional High School employee, one member nominated by the Sudbury Clergy Association and one member from the Commission on Disability. The Select Board will also designate one of its members to serve as a liaison to the commission.
Meetings are to be open to the public, recorded, and include community surveys and discussion groups. The clerk is required to prepare full minutes and submit them for approval, filing with the Town Clerk, posting on the Town website and dissemination to advisory members.
The charter requires all commission members to comply with relevant state and local laws, including the Open Meeting Law, Public Records Law and Conflict of Interest Law, and to follow the Town’s Code of Conduct and the Town Email Communication for Committee Members Policy. The charter states that misuse of email communications may be grounds for removal from the commission by the Select Board.
The Select Board first approved the commission in November 2020 and amended the charter several times before the version adopted Jan. 20, 2026. The updated charter puts in writing the commission’s structure and reporting timeline; the Select Board will receive quarterly updates and oversee implementation of any recommended actions.
