Pepperell Select Board Advances Fire Chief Hire, Eyes February Appointment

PEPPERELL — January 14, 2026 — Pepperell Select Board advances fire chief search and weighs possible tax override vote. Town Administrator Andrew Pereira told the board January 14 that 12 applications have been received for the vacant fire chief position — a stronger pool than a previous failed search — and said a formal appointment recommendation could come at the February 11 meeting, with a hire potentially in place by early March. Pereira warned the board it may need to decide as early as February 11 whether to place a Proposition 2½ override question on the April 27 ballot, driven by a proposed North Middlesex Regional School District budget of $69,637,000 (a 3.06 percent increase), expected double-digit health insurance premium hikes, and a growing snow and ice deficit. On health insurance, Pereira outlined three IAC-backed strategies — reviving an opt-out incentive program, expanding use of the "smart shopper" cost-comparison tool, and increasing employee deductibles — with combined savings potential estimated at $70,000 to $125,000 annually. The board also received annual reports from the Invasive and Native Advisory Committee, whose Boynton Street phragmites treatment marked its largest-ever grant-funded project, and the Climate Change Committee, which is pursuing a composting bylaw amendment for the fall town meeting.