Concord Select Board Endorses Plan to Restructure Municipal Light Plant Governance

Select Board · Meeting of July 27, 2026

Concord Select Board receives proposal to restructure Municipal Light Plant governance and clears four unanimous votes. Municipal Light Plant Director Jason Bulger presented a working group recommendation to pursue special state legislation creating a blended five-member light board — three members elected by voters, two appointed by the town manager — to resolve a longstanding conflict between Concord's town charter and Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 164. The light plant's annual budget is nearing $40 million, against $34 million in general government.

Select Board member Cameron McKennett, who served on the working group, called the current structure one in which the town manager holds "unchecked power" and full liability over a utility operating under 30-year power supply contracts. No vote was taken on the governance proposal; a public education campaign is underway and a town meeting vote would be needed before any legislative petition. The board also voted 4-0 to approve a letter to MassDOT urging safety improvements at the Route 2 rotary, and Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Barrett reported that the town has already identified $1.4 million in projected surplus revenue for FY27 — enough to cut the tax rate by roughly 8.8 percent, or about $215 per household, if directed to the tax levy.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,958 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.