Ayer Select Board Authorizes $15,000 for Emergency Housing and Fuel Assistance Fund

AYER — July 22, 2026 — Ayer Select Board unanimously authorizes $15,000 in UDAG funds for emergency housing and fuel assistance. The board voted Wednesday to transfer up to $15,000 from the Urban Development Action Grant fund to the town's Emergency Assistance Fund, which provides direct payments of up to $500 per household to residents facing housing or fuel crises, with checks going straight to landlords or utility providers rather than applicants. Community and Economic Development Director Katie Neville, three and a half months into her role, told the board that a permanent annual funding mechanism will be built into the FY28 budget. The board also approved three DPW change orders — a $23,603.88 addition for guardrail repairs on the West Main Street Bridge, a $55,882.94 credit on the FY2026 Sewer Rehabilitation Project, and a $7,490.20 Army-grant-funded addition at the Grove Pond PFAS treatment plant — and declined to grant a full stormwater utility fee waiver to Autumn Ridge Farm Association, an over-55 condominium community paying $3,420 annually after its existing 50 percent credit, with DPW Director Dan Van Schalkwyk citing regulatory constraints and precedent concerns across at least 25 private stormwater systems in town.