Pepperell Board of Health advances livestock rules, FY27 budget

Board of Health · Meeting of January 13, 2026

Pepperell Board of Health advances animal rules and confirms a tobacco penalty. Board members reviewed a near-final livestock and manure management regulation, adding a requirement that commercial farms submit proof of state licensing, before sending the draft to the Agricultural Commission. The board separately pressed for access to the reports animal inspector Nicole Landry files with the state, with one member saying, "If you're doing a job for me, and you're not reporting back to me, then you're not doing the job for me." The board confirmed a $1,000 fine and three-day tobacco suspension, January 23-25, against Cumberland Farms, its first violation in roughly three years.

On the fiscal 2027 budget, the board set landfill testing at $15,500, up from $14,150, while seeking a reduced state testing schedule, as its regional health assessment is set to rise 30 percent.

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Source: the Board of Health meeting of January 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.