Power Shift: Hull Voters Strip Town Manager of Light Plant Control

Hull Approves $4 Million Town Hall Relocation

HULL - May 4-7, 2026 - In a historic move that upends over 30 years of governance, Hull residents voted overwhelmingly to remove the Town Manager from the direct oversight of the Hull Municipal Light Plant (HMLP). The decision, passed during the second night of a marathon Annual Town Meeting, restores full statutory authority to the elected Municipal Light Board, signaling a deep desire among residents for increased accountability and a separation of utility rates from the general town budget. Hull voters continued the third and fourth nights of the Annual Town Meeting by authorizing a $4 million bond to move Town Hall operations and authorizing $11.3 million in combined sewer infrastructue repairs.

The Full Story

The debate over Article 40, a citizen’s petition brought by Light Board Commissioner Jake Vaillancourt, served as the focal point of the two-night meeting. The article sought to amend the town charter—a change that must now be petitioned to the state legislature—to end the 1993 arrangement where the Town Manager serves as the utility’s general manager.

“Article 40 once passed... restores accountability. This isn’t personal about any particular person. It’s a governance issue. The structure is what results in these bad outcomes for the town.” [1:18:48] — Jake Vaillancourt