Pepperell Housing Authority approves $97,270 Section 8 payment as reserves fall to $15,000

PEPPERELL -- April 16, 2026, Pepperell Housing Authority reorganizes, approves $97,270 in Section 8 payments, and warns of thinning reserves. The board elected Jim O'Donald as chair at its April 16 reorganization, then voted unanimously to approve April 2026 housing assistance payments of $97,270.24, $3,313.24 more than the HUD reimbursement of $93,957, drawing down Section 8 reserves to roughly $15,000. Executive Director Robert Brunton told commissioners a regional housing authority representative will appear at the May 14 meeting to brief the board on "decisions down the road" as the authority's 59 active vouchers reach the funding ceiling. Two recent audits returned favorable results: a CBIZ Markhum financial review found no deficiencies, while a MassHousing management review flagged only minor issues, including a recommendation to run monthly enterprise income verification reports to detect undisclosed tenant income. The board also approved a $1,847 rent write-off for a deceased tenant at 13 River Street. A lengthy public discussion over a mice infestation at the Talbot building produced no formal vote but surfaced disagreement over whether the closed community room needs a documented reopening threshold, with new Commissioner Goals warning that an indefinite closure without metrics could expose the authority to a retaliation claim.