Palmer Select Board Approves $125,900 Sewer Engineering Contract, Adopts 2027 Retiree Insurance Change

PALMER -- June 8, 2026, Palmer Select Board approves sewer engineering contract and advances electricity aggregation program at June 8 meeting. The board voted unanimously to transfer $125,900 from sewer surplus to fund engineering and design for the Shearer Street sewer replacement project, a 32-week effort by Tighe and Bond that will include geotechnical borings and a capacity analysis of the adjacent Longview Street sewer line. Separately, the board heard a presentation from Justin Kearney, managing director of Titan Energy, on a proposed municipal electricity aggregation program that would pool Palmer residents and small businesses into a collective supply contract, with no cost to the town and an average projected savings of $200 per household annually; Town Manager Brad Gordon said the 30-day public review period is expected to open around July 1. The board also voted to adopt a 50-50 retiree health insurance cost split effective July 1, 2027, for new retirees, and approved a $428,221 free cash transfer for snow and ice deficits. A budget public hearing drew Palmer School Committee member Sandy Noonan, who challenged the school department's 0.87 percent budget increase and the cuts to the world language program it required, prompting board members to publicly float high school regionalization as a long-term fiscal solution.