HULL — Oct. 28, 2026 — The Hull Select Board last Wednesday voted 2-3 to finish a state-funded resilient facility study with the Hull Municipal Light Plant still included, a vote on the study’s scope rather than any building. The board also kept a single property tax rate for fiscal 2027 and filled a new parking advisory committee.
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Facility study. The board revisited whether to drop light plant structures from a Coastal Zone Management resilience grant study covering the light plant and the DPW barn. Town Manager Jennifer Constable said the grant has totaled just shy of $800,000 for planning and design, and that consultants recommended a joint facility. An Oct. 22 town memorandum in the packet lists a rough total project cost of $56,406,600 for a combined facility and $73,426,000 for separate facilities; those are estimates, not adopted budgets.
Irwin Nesoff said the consultants’ figures suggest a combined facility would cost $17 million less than two separate ones. Jerry Taverna, who has opposed the combined plan, said public safety buildings should come first and questioned the site. Greg Grey then moved to stay with the original scope, saying the board was finishing a study, not spending money on a building. The motion failed 2-3 on a voice vote, with Nesoff and Grey supporting (2:00:19). Constable stated that she heard the board’s vote when asked about getting clarity from CZM.
A light board representative, speaking as a citizen, said the board was not involved in the grant phases and wants only a new garage, estimated at $1 million to $2 million.
Tax classification. The Board of Assessors presented the fiscal 2027 classification. The packet slides estimate a $40,343,687 levy, a $10.30 tax rate per $1,000 and an average single-family valuation of $779,500 with an annual tax of $8,029; residential property makes up 96.31% of value. These figures are estimates until state certification. The board voted by voice on the residential factor of 1 and declined a residential exemption and a small business exemption. The written memo recommends a factor of 1, a single rate for residential, commercial, industrial and personal properties. Constable said the classification hearing remains open until the state Department of Revenue certifies the rate.
