Pepperell Planning Board Pushes Back on Blanket 15 Percent Fee Hike

PEPPERELL — April 4, 2016 — Pepperell Planning Board questions 15 percent fee hike, delays action until June public hearing. The board spent the majority of its April 4 meeting debating a town administrator and town accountant directive requiring all departments to raise application fees 15 percent ahead of the July 1 fiscal year start. Multiple members objected to the blanket increase, with one arguing that fees already above $500 "should be left as it is, because all these fee increases, all they're going to do is discourage developers from coming into Pepperell." A second member called for replacing the neighboring-town comparison methodology with a data-driven match based on per capita income and average property value, citing a statewide Massachusetts municipal database that places Pepperell at roughly 168th of 360 communities by per capita income. Staff will revise the draft schedule before the May 16 meeting — the board's only May session — with a public hearing targeted for June and new fees set to take effect July 1 if adopted. The meeting closed with a board member handing in her key to Town Hall and announcing her resignation after five years of service.