Palmer Select Board reviews $44.35 million FY2026 budget with Council on Aging cuts

PALMER — April 14, 2025 — Palmer Select Board hears $44.35 million FY2026 budget proposal and refers three zoning petitions unanimously. Town Manager Brad presented a recommended operating budget representing a 5.1 percent increase over the current fiscal year, funded by roughly $25 million in tax revenues, $15.4 million in state receipts, and $3.7 million in local receipts; the wastewater treatment plant budget was separately set at $4,670,402, with the EDU rate rising 5.6 percent from $720 to $760. The proposed budget includes a $30,000 cut to the Council on Aging, achieved by closing the facility on Thursdays, and a $91,000 reduction to the school budget; $450,000 in cost avoidance came from a union agreement to incorporate health insurance deductibles. Residents Ken Dolan Del Vecchio and Jenica Huff, co-organizers of Citizens for Fair Energy Pricing, urged the board to sign a letter to Governor Healey calling for a new DPU commissioner, an end to delivery charges, and a cap on kilowatt-hour rates, citing Palmer residents receiving National Grid bills of up to $1,500 per month; no action was taken. The board voted 5-1 to adjourn into executive session for police, dispatch, and DPW union negotiations.