Pepperell Select Board approves regional opioid pact, sets November Town Meeting warrant

PEPPERELL — October 8, 2025 — Pepperell Select Board unanimously approved a regional opioid abatement agreement and advanced six articles to a November 3 Special Town Meeting. The board voted 3-0 to join the Nashoba Opioid Abatement Collaborative, transferring the town's opioid settlement funds — estimated at roughly $30,000 over 15 years — to NOAC Financial as fiscal agent, with member towns' financial exposure capped at available settlement funds and no additional assessment obligation. Town Administrator Andrew Dowd also briefed the board on a proposed charter-required reorganization to reduce his 22 direct reports by creating an assistant town administrator, a finance director, and a land use manager, with a public hearing set for October 22. Treasurer-Collector Theresa O'Leary, four months into her role, presented data showing Pepperell's per-capita tax burden has declined relative to income over the past four years and that long-term debt per capita has dropped $287 per person since fiscal 2022. The board also appointed two residents — Beryl to the Climate Change Committee and Sandra to the Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate — both with terms expiring June 30, 2026, and set Halloween trick-or-treating hours for October 31 from 6 to 8 p.m.