Pepperell Board Eyes June Override Election to Close Nearly $1 Million Budget Gap

PEPPERELL — March 7, 2019 — Pepperell faces a nearly $1 million structural budget gap heading into fiscal year 2020, with a Proposition 2.5 tax override election targeted for June. Town Administrator Andrew Dowd presented a joint session of the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee on March 7 with a projected shortfall of approximately $996,000 between available revenues of about $27.2 million and desired expenditures of roughly $28.2 million, even after more than $800,000 in departmental cuts. An override of $1.3 million to $1.5 million — which would raise the average tax bill on a $331,555 home by between $323 and $373 annually — would eliminate the town's reliance on free cash for operations; without it, Dowd said the consequences include the loss of at least two police officers, reduced library hours and potential loss of state certification, elimination of Council on Aging programming, and highway department reductions. "These cuts mean people's lives," said COA Director Susan McCarthy. The board is set to adopt a balanced budget with a department-by-department impact statement at its March 11 meeting, with likely override election dates of June 3 or June 10.