By Carol Britton Meyer

The select board this week voted to create a parking management advisory committee to audit Hull’s current parking policies and to recommend improvements to the board, with a focus on citizens, neighborhoods, and local businesses.

The committee – which will be appointed at an upcoming board meeting – will be comprised of three local business owners or employees; four residents, possibly including one who lives in Hull during the summer only; a member of the economic development committee or chamber of commerce; and a planning board member.

There will also be a select board liaison without voting rights since the board also serves as the town’s traffic commissioners and will vote on any recommendations.

Members of the committee will talk with town staff who have been, and are, involved in numerous parking-related discussions.

The goal is to collect data related to current parking policies; the new Pay By Phone parking app and related concerns as well as positive feedback; visitor passes and the desire of some residents to be able to buy parking stickers in-person at town hall and not only online and their cost; ticket fines; a review of the municipal parking lots; and other related issues and then make recommendations in time to implement any approved changes by next spring.

While there have been some complaints about the Pay By Phone parking app, Assistant Town Manager Stacy Callahan noted that since May 2025, the monetary value to the town from the app has amounted to about $40,000.

Board member Susan Short Green presented details of what such a committee – which the board talked about during its summer retreat – might look like and its charge, and the rest of the board supported what she suggested, with a few changes. Irwin Nesoff was not present.

“The idea is to look at the whole picture and determine what’s going right and keep it, and if something’s not going right, to fix it,” Chair Brian McCarthy said.

Once appointed, committee members will serve one-year terms, with annual reappointments as long as the committee remains active.

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