Pepperell panel debates $700,000 to $1.5 million repair request

Capital Program Committee · Meeting of February 10, 2026

Pepperell's Capital Program Committee debated a debt exclusion of $700,000 to $1.5 million for building repairs, undecided on size or timing. Town Administrator Andrew McLean told the panel the town's roughly $1 million budget deficit could shrink to $500,000 to $700,000 by spring, helped by a health insurance increase of 10.7 percent instead of a feared 20 percent. Committee member John Lattuck put his priority list at "about $700,000," while others argued for asking voters for more rather than less, warning a modest request invites pressure to just use reserves.

The group trimmed a police cruiser and small community-center items from its capital list and discussed a generic accessibility fund instead of itemizing every ADA fix. McLean said he'll ask the Select Board this week to hire a collection agency for unpaid ambulance bills, potentially recovering $150,000 to $200,000. A $1.5 million bond was estimated to cost taxpayers roughly $10 a month.

The panel plans to firm up numbers before its February 23 meeting and target a fall special election if a debt exclusion moves forward.

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Source: the Capital Program Committee meeting of February 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.