Hull Light Board Votes to End Winter Generator Program After Six Seasons

Other Committee · Meeting of July 16, 2026

Hull ends its six-year emergency generator program and authorizes a rival garage study. The Hull Municipal Light Plant Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 at its July 16 meeting to discontinue the town's winter diesel generator program, ending a $4.8 million, six-season backup power program that was activated only twice — for a combined seven hours. The proposed 2026-27 contract would have raised the annual cost from roughly $860,000 to $1.3 million and lifted the residential monthly project surcharge from $10.43 to $17.60, or $211.20 per year per customer.

Chair Tom Burns and Commissioner Jacob Valancourt argued the program no longer delivered best value; Commissioners Stephanie Landry and Cohen voted with Valancourt against renewal while Commissioners Chicarello and Valancourt backed renewal. The board separately voted 4-1 to fund a feasibility study of up to $110,000 at the existing 15 Edgewater Road facility — a study explicitly required to compare in-place redevelopment against the town's $60-to-$65-million joint DPW-HMLP facility proposal — with the September billing cycle the first to reflect the now-eliminated generator surcharge.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,328 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of July 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.