Pepperell Select Board Places 2026 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles, Splits on Immigration Petition

PEPPERELL -- March 25, 2026, Pepperell Select Board splits 2-1 to place immigration enforcement petition on Annual Town Meeting warrant. The board met Wednesday, March 25, and cleared nine other warrant articles unanimously, including a Community Preservation Act slate covering cemetery restoration, library repairs, affordable housing trust funding, and PFAS remediation financing for the Jersey Street water project. Town Administrator Andrew reported a $235,000 fiscal year 2027 budget deficit on a roughly $40 million budget, with the 3.31 percent spending increase driven by a nearly 11 percent jump in health insurance costs and snow and ice spending already exceeding $550,000 against a $257,000 appropriation. The Fitzpatrick Collaborative reported achieving operational self-sufficiency in 2025, with gross profit of $350,000 on a $327,000 budget and a contribution of nearly $15,000 to the town's Peter Fitzpatrick School capital fund, ahead of projections. Select Board member Chuck cast the lone dissenting vote on the citizen petition, stating it "creates confusion within the town of Pepperell and with the police force" and "puts our citizens in harm's way."