Kingston — A citizen petition would have required voter approval before the select board could allow Kingston to join the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH). The select board voted to not recommend the petition and discussed a need for more study and documentation before the town would sign any membership agreement.

Petitioner Dana Acres spoke in favor of the petition, saying the substantive question was the single opening sentence that would require voter approval; she argued that signing the initial membership agreement could allow CPCNH to speak on behalf of the town before the Public Utilities Commission and other forums.

Board members and several residents urged caution and recommended more evaluation by the town’s energy committee. Speakers cited the two-step nature of aggregation under state law and noted that any actual plan that implements electricity aggregation typically must go to voters; however, they also said the initial membership agreement contains legal language and potential obligations that warrant detailed review. Several residents said they wanted clearer cost estimates and supplier information before membership.

Rick Westman and other speakers recommended not recommending the petition to allow the energy committee and the select board more time to evaluate CPCNH documents, pricing scenarios, and public outreach. The meeting record includes comments that other towns have delayed or reversed membership after reviewing additional documents.

Motion and vote: A board member moved to not recommend the citizen petition; the motion was seconded and carried according to the meeting transcript (the transcript records the board’s voice vote and roll-call-style response during the vote sequence).