Pepperell Warrant Committee Delegates Year-End Transfer Authority to Chair

PEPPERELL — June 16, 2026 — Pepperell's Warrant Committee voted 7-0-1 to delegate year-end financial transfer authority to its chair as the town faces a roughly $1.5 million snow-and-ice budget deficit. Town Administrator Nick Milano told the committee the town has identified savings from a prolonged vacancy in several town hall positions and reduced debt-service costs, and expects approximately $250,000 from an $80 million state snow-and-ice supplemental appropriation, with potential additional federal FEMA reimbursement still pending. All transfers must be completed by July 14. The committee also received a detailed briefing on the possible acquisition of the former Lasell College campus at approximately 303 Adam Street — a 4.7-acre, roughly 50,000-square-foot property the town's books value at around $10 million — with the town facing an August 5 deadline to decide whether to place a debt-exclusion ballot question before voters in November; cost estimates from the School Building Committee's architect are expected by late July. The meeting closed with a candid self-assessment in which members called for article-presentation templates, clearer strategic rationale behind warrant articles, and a more formal budget-handoff process with the Select Board — and departing member Grace previewed a strategic scoring framework she developed to evaluate warrant articles against town-wide priorities.