In first night of town meeting, voters approve budget, say ‘yes’ to accessory dwelling units
By Carol Britton Meyer
Voters were in a “yes” mood during the four-hour first session of Hull’s annual town meeting Monday night, approving all seven of the warrant articles that were addressed – including the $50 million FY25 town budget, accessory dwelling units (ADU) and zoning and general bylaw amendments related to marijuana establishments – with 29 articles remaining on the agenda. The meeting was continued to 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Hull High School.
THE FEDS ARE HERE. US REP. STEPHEN LYNCH ADDRESSED HULL TOWN MEETING VOTERS TO ANNOUNCE that HULL has received $850,000 in federal funds for the two-way traffic plan in the area of the Hull Redevelopment authority property.
“It’s so good to see a full house of friends, neighbors, and my parents here tonight,” Rep. Joan Meschino, a Hull resident, said at the beginning of the meeting. “This is where we come together as part of our civic duty for public discourse on matters that are important to us.”
Passage of the ADU article will allow homeowners of single-family residences to add and rent out an accessory dwelling unit within their home, subject to the special permit process. The goal is to help increase the town’s housing stock and to allow owner-occupants to generate rental income. There’s a maximum of 10 permits that could be issued annually over 10 years, for a potential 100 ADUs.
The intent of the marijuana zoning article was to rectify and clarify procedural issues in the article that passed at the 2023 special town meeting intended to allow two retail establishments at one time, but not cultivation, testing, manufacturing, or on-site consumption.
Voters also approved salaries for the select board, town moderator, town clerk, assessors, and the municipal light board; a $50 million town budget, including $17.9 million for the schools, on a vote of 333 to 62; replacing the capital outlay committee that hasn’t met for quite some time with a new capital improvement planning committee; and accepting a $3.8 million settlement resulting from the sewer plant lawsuit filed in 2013 following storm damage.
Watch for full town meeting coverage in this week’s edition of The Hull Times, in print and online.
Click below to read the full text of the May 6 town meeting warrant:
https://www.hulltimes.com/s/hull_atm_2024_final-2.pdf
Click below for the Times’ news stories about town meeting issues:
https://www.hulltimes.com/town-meeting-2024
Like what you’re reading? Stay informed with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.
Do you have an opinion on this issue? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.