Palmer Council Puts Fire District Merger Question on June Ballot

PALMER -- March 9, 2026, Palmer Town Council votes to ask voters whether four fire districts should merge. The council unanimously approved a non-binding ballot question for the June 9 annual election asking whether the Bondsville, Palmer, Thorndike, and Three Rivers fire districts should consolidate into a single district, after an attempt to convene all four districts for a voluntary consolidation meeting fell apart when not all agreed to participate. Town Manager Brad Gordon framed the vote as a way to demonstrate public demand to district boards that have questioned whether residents actually want change, noting the topic generates weekly constituent complaints about disparate fire district tax rates on top of the base town levy. Gordon also reported that Palmer's fiscal 2027 budget carries a roughly $900,000 deficit, driven largely by a 35 percent health insurance rate increase tied to a plan loss ratio of 115 percent and two subscribers generating over $1 million in combined annual claims; he said a balanced budget with staffing reductions on the town side would be submitted by week's end. The council separately approved a $7,623 appropriation to expand the local building inspector to full time, after Building Inspector Bill Fenner reported that of 80 multi-family units inspected under a mandatory 110.7 program, the first time such inspections have been conducted in Palmer, only four had passed.