Pembroke Select Board Backs $78.8 Million Budget, Strips Three Warrant Articles

PEMBROKE -- April 23, 2025, Pembroke Select Board unanimously cleared a $78.8 million operating budget and $16.5 million capital plan for the May 13 annual town meeting while stripping three articles from the warrant. Town Manager Bill Chenard disclosed that water enterprise debt service will jump from $807,000 to $2.7 million in the coming fiscal year, producing a total water enterprise budget of approximately $4.9 million and triggering what he called a "large" rate increase for residents, with the water commissioners retaining authority to set actual rates. Veterans Agent David McPhillips urged the board not to delay a local-option doubling of veterans' property tax exemptions, from $400 to $800 for disabled veterans and from $1,000 to $2,000 for 100 percent disabled veterans, warning that a fall postponement would cost eligible veterans the benefit for fiscal year 2026; the board removed the HERO Act article anyway, citing a cost estimate of roughly $113,000 and a desire to study a broader exemption increase covering all qualifying groups. The board also advanced three zoning articles, including an accessory dwelling unit bylaw update conforming to 2024 state law, and approved permits for an outdoor concert at Soundcheck Studios on July 19 and a new ice cream truck vendor.