By Carol Britton Meyer

Voters at the third and final session of the 2025 annual town meeting addressed the remaining 16 warrant articles, ranging from transferring money to the stabilization and capital stabilization funds to increasing the property tax exemption for qualifying veterans, all of which were approved.

During the three nights of meetings, 42 warrant articles were addressed during more than 11 hours of discussion. At some points, voters became restless as multiple substitute motions and amendments were introduced from the floor, and technical issues with the electronic voting system caused delays.

Attorney and former school committee member James Canavan, who served as moderator Tuesday night during a discussion on an article proposed by Town Moderator George Boylen – and has filled in for Boylen in the past – asked to speak to attendees at the start of Wednesday’s meeting.

ATTORNEY AND SUBSTITUTE MODERATOR JIM CANAVAN ADDRESSED THE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY AFTER SENSING VOTER FRUSTRATION DURING THE PREVIOUS SESSIONS: ‘Let’s accept the fact that mistakes will be made, and let’s treat others with kindness. Make your point, try not to use names or to repeat information that has already been spoken. Be brief, be good, and be seated!’

“After I left last night, I felt a little bit off, so entering into tonight’s meeting, [I ask] that you don’t make your remarks personal against board members or the town moderator,” he said. “None of these roles is easy.

“It’s not easy to coordinate 42 warrant articles and to facilitate discussion about that number of articles, and it’s no small task to keep track of all the motions and substitute motions and tracking how long people are speaking for, and then the vote,” Canavan said. “Let’s accept the fact that mistakes will be made, and let’s treat others with kindness. Make your point, try not to use names or to repeat information that has already been spoken. Be brief, be good, and be seated!”

Click here for The Hull Times 2025 Town Meeting page

Voters also supported:

⦁ Allocating $1.5 million for a new fire department ambulance and pumper truck;

⦁ The creation of a Hull Community Housing Trust Fund to help create and preserve below-market-rate housing for low- and moderate-income households and to fund community housing;

The trust will have access to the $500,000 in Community Preservation Act funds allocated to the affordable housing “bucket” and can act quickly to take advantage of affordable housing-related opportunities;

⦁ Amending the zoning bylaw to better regulate signage that has evolved into often-distracting flashing messages, blinking and changing colors, and video screens since the current bylaw went into effect;

⦁ Transferring $150,000 to the town’s stabilization (rainy day) fund for a balance of $2.46 million, thus achieving the town manager’s goal of holding and maintaining 3% to 5% of the annual budget in reserve;

⦁ Transferring $206,541 to the town’s capital stabilization fund created at the 2024 town meeting to allow more effective planning for future capital needs;

⦁ Increasing the local room occupancy excise tax from the current 4% to the state-allowed 6% maximum to raise additional revenue for the town;

⦁ Increasing the property tax exemption for qualifying veterans from $1,000 to $1,500 annually; and

⦁ Rescinding the general bylaw of the town adopted at the 2018 special town meeting that prohibited all types of marijuana establishments except for the sale, distribution, manufacture, or cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes.

“Town meeting approved the sale of retail marijuana last year, so this is a housekeeping article,” Town Manager Jennifer Constable explained.

Voters said “no” to the citizen’s petition submitted by Lisa French to amend the town’s inclusionary housing bylaw and require developers of new private multi-family developments, redevelopments, or conversions with four or more units to set aside 100% of the units for eligible low-income households.

Select Board Chair Irwin Nesoff opposed this change due to the “unintended consequences” that could result.

“If there are no market-rate units to offset the affordable ones, a project wouldn’t be economically feasible,” he said. “It’s questionable whether such a change would be approved by the Attorney General’s office, because you can’t force private developers to provide 100% affordable housing on private land.”

Voters also did not approve the repeal of the town’s Flexible Plan Development from the town’s zoning bylaw. Cindy Borges, who submitted this citizen’s petition, explained that doing so would in part eliminate the allowance of buildings of up to 70 feet high under the FPD.

Before the vote, Building Commissioner Bartley Kelly opposed the article, noting that there are other parts of the FPD that he considers to be beneficial to the town.

A substitute motion by a citizen to send the inclusionary housing article to a study group and would report back in a year did not pass, nor did a citizens’ petition submitted by Ann Marie Papasodero asking voters to approve increasing the annual town meeting and special town meeting quorum from zero to 150.

“The dates of our town meetings are well known around town, and it’s up to citizens to do their civic duty and show up,” said resident C. Anne Murray in opposing this proposal. The advisory board said it did not support the article because if a quorum weren’t met, the business of the town meeting would be delayed.

Just before the final article of the night – and the meeting – was addressed, Boylen quipped, “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for!”

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