Pepperell Select Board Slashes Town Meeting Quorum to 30 Under COVID Law

PEPPERELL — June 16, 2020 — Pepperell selectmen cut the town meeting quorum to 30 residents, citing COVID-19 safety concerns. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 Tuesday to invoke Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2020, which allows Massachusetts towns to temporarily reduce their quorum as low as one-tenth of the normal figure; Pepperell's standard quorum is 75. Town Administrator Andrew Keefe noted the auditorium can seat roughly 55 people under six-foot social distancing rules, and that the warrant had already been reduced to 11 items — nine of them budget-related — to shorten the time residents spend in proximity. Town Moderator Scott Blackburn, attending by video, said that even counting officials and board members, organizers could reliably count on around 35 to 50 people, making 30 a safe floor. The board also voted 3-0 to direct town counsel to draft a letter of reprimand for an elected Board of Health member who, Keefe said, had posted false accusations of fraud and bribery against named town officials on social media; Keefe added that the official may automatically lose his seat under the town charter if he has not reestablished Pepperell residency by July 1.