Select Board sets flat tax rate for FY27

Select Board · Meeting of October 28, 2026

PEPPERELL — The Pepperell Select Board voted unanimously to set a flat 1.0 tax factor for fiscal year 2027, rejecting three optional exemptions during its annual classification hearing. Town Assessor Jonathan Bloom projected a tax rate of $13.40 per $1,000 of valuation, down from $15.14 in 2023, with an average single-family tax bill of $7,702.92 on an average assessed value of $574,845. The board also approved a National Grid pole installation on Lowell Road and voted 2-1 to accept a consent agenda that included a letter from the Agricultural Commission disputing comments made by a board member and the town administrator at an earlier meeting, with one official stating a farming-related cease-and-desist order "did happen" and had since been resolved.

Pepperell Plus Director Jenny Ingress updated the board on the Community Heart and Soul initiative, which has drawn more than 1,000 resident responses on priorities including housing options, sidewalks and activities for teens, with a final action plan expected to come back to the board for adoption.

In the full story:

• Consent agenda and agricultural commission dispute
• National Grid pole petition, Lowell Road
• Tax rate classification hearing
• Pepperell Plus Community Heart and Soul presentation
• Financial reserves update and town administrator reports
• Liaison updates and future agenda topics
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,642 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.