Palmer Board Seats Realtor on Planning Board, Advances Battery Storage Moratorium

PALMER -- January 12, 2026, Palmer Select Board unanimously appointed realtor Laurie Walder to a vacant Planning Board seat and advanced a temporary moratorium on large-scale battery energy storage systems at its January 12 meeting. Walder, a 35-year Palmer realtor, was appointed to the term through June 30, 2026, under Section 2 of the town charter; board members advised her to contact the State Ethics Commission given potential conflicts with her real estate work. The BESS moratorium, presented by planning staff member Heidi, targets commercial-scale lithium-ion battery installations associated with solar projects and would pause new applications for six months while the town drafts safety regulations; a second reading is required before enactment. Town Manager Brad warned of a projected FY27 budget shortfall, noting that a 16 percent health insurance increase is already budgeted and that every 1 percent move in health costs equals $40,000 to the town. Palmer Fire District No. 1 Deputy Chief Fitzgerald reported the district went live with advanced life support service January 1 and is collecting approximately 80 percent of allowable EMS billings through billing company Comstar, which charges 5 percent of receipts; the district is the second-fastest community in the Commonwealth to advance from EMR to BLS to ALS status, according to a DPH inspector.