January 26, 2024 Submitted by the Town of Hingham
Once again Hingham Town Administrator Tom Mayo is looking back on the Town’s accomplishments in the previous year. And there is a lot to be excited about.
Some of the most visible improvements came in the form of changes that benefit all Hingham residents, including establishing a new 25mph speed limit in designated areas of Town; launching new traffic calming measures in Hingham Square; installing new electric vehicle charging stations at Lynch Field, Station Street, and Town Hall; placing new voting and bill payment drop boxes at Town Hall; and a new citizen engagement phone app to make it easier for the public to notify the Town of an issue and track the response.
“The MyHingham App is our latest step in modernizing our local town government,” said Hingham Select Board Chair Liz Klein. “It will allow our Town government to be accessible to residents in an easy and straightforward manner with technology that is already in their hand.”
“One of the things I enjoy most about this job is being able to share our collective accomplishments with the community,” said Mayo. “There are also those moments of our collective pride, as when 16 Hingham Firefighters were recognized in November as Massachusetts Firefighters of the Year by the Governor for their response to the Derby Street incident in 2022.”
Other leading accomplishments from 2023 include:
• Beginning construction of a new elementary school and a new Public Safety Facility
• Adopting a new Financial Management Plan for FY 2024 – 2028. The agreement, executed by the Select Board, School Committee, Advisory Committee, Town Administrator, and Superintendent of Schools, sets a growth cap for most town expenditures, and provided a foundation for the Proposition 2 ½ override at both Town Meeting and the Town election.
• Establishing the Master Plan Implementation Committee and beginning the work of implementing the vision approved in 2022
• Establishing a Climate Action Commission to implement the Town’s Climate Action Plan
• Completing an ADA Self-Assessment and Transition Plan
• Completing construction of a new maintenance facility at the South Shore Country Club
• Implementing new municipal budgeting and procurement software
• Completing the acquisition of 30 Summer Street, a harbor front property
• Expansion of the Senior Means-Tested Tax Exemption program and doubled property tax exemptions for qualifying residents
Mayo also praised the quality of the work by the Town’s employees as being second to none. “The sheer volume of the work that comes through Town Hall is inspiring and the Town’s residents, business owners, and visitors all benefit.” Other measures of success in 2023 were:
• Our Police Department responded to approximately 25,000 calls; our Fire Department responded to 5,000 calls
• The Weir River Water System Invested over $3.2 in capital improvements, including completing over 4,100 linear feet of water main replacement in Hingham and Hull, and reducing our “unaccounted for” water by 6%
• The Hingham Public Library lent 352,448 physical and digital items to patrons, supporting 9,181 registered active borrowers while offering 465 programs.
• The Building Department issued over 3,100 permits and conducted over 5,100
building inspections
• The Hingham Recreation Department offered 200 programs serving over 4,300 participants (including 150 children’s programs).
We thank our community members for their continued support and look forward to serving you in 2024