April 8, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer
The dates for the Annual Town Meeting and town election are fast approaching.
The 2024 Hingham Annual Town Meeting — featuring 40 warrant articles, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at Hingham High School. A second session will convene the following evening at the same time if business doesn’t wrap up in one night.
The town election is set for Saturday, April 27. There are no races. Ten incumbents are running for re-election. Mark Lundin is running for the open Board of Health seat and Stephen Melia for the open seat on the Recreation Commission. Health Board member Peter Bickford and Rec Commissioner Ryan Lynch are not running for another term.
Town Meeting articles relate in part to the proposed Fiscal 2025 $158.9 million town budget — including $68.9 million school budgets (see the warrant for full details); the naming of the new elementary school; a cell tower lease on DPW property; and Community Preservation Act funding for a new community playground ($1.06 million), affordable housing, and other requests.
Another article asks voters to approve a borrowing of up to $21 million to cover the costs of designing, engineering, constructing, reconstructing, repairing, and improving the Weir River Water System.
Municipal and school budgets
Municipal departments — including general government, public safety, public works, human services, and culture and recreation — as well as the School Department — were held to the 3.5% growth rate stipulated by a 2023 memorandum of understanding among the Select Board, Advisory Committee, and School Committee.
Within the school budget, out-of-district special education tuitions and special education contracts (transportation and specialized services) are considered separately for growth calculation due to the unknown/uncontrollable nature of these expenditures.
If the projected annual increase for OOD tuitions and special education contracts is above 2%, the referenced special education items are budgeted at 2% within the school budget. Any variance in costs above that amount will be paid through the reserve fund (rainy day fund) process at the end of the fiscal year.
Self-supporting departments (water, sewer, and South Shore Country Club) and shared services (employee benefits, debt service, capital outlay, property/liability insurance) are not subject to the 3.5% cap.
The MOU document outlines the maximum operating budgets for the municipal and school departments assuming the full amount is budgeted each year. Given the limitations in adhering to a 3.5% growth rate, certain programs and services may be required to be funded at lower levels than desired, or not funded at all.
The Fiscal 2025 municipal level-services budget request was $36,314,311, which resulted in a required reduction of $367,129 in expenses, as outlined in the MOU commitment.
That commitment was achieved through reductions and reallocations to the municipal budget by the town administrator.
Budget cuts, reallocations on municipal side
These included eliminating the part-time animal control support line ($2,876); allocating a portion of harbormaster department salary costs to the Municipal Waterways Fund ($105,580); eliminating two fulltime vacant Tree & Park positions and one fulltime vacant transfer station position and shifting some related expenses ($217,878), among others, for $512,867 in total reductions on the municipal side. — in addition to $149,205 in total reallocations — leaving a $0 deficit.
Still other warrant articles center around the purchase of a new fire engine ($1.2 million); authorizing but not requiring the Select Board to sell the town-owned property and buildings at 8 Short St. (the former Tree & Park Barn) where Dick Orr currently operates a cabinetmaking business; creation of a groundwater protection overlay district to protect the town’s drinking water; amending the zoning by-laws related to personal wireless service facilities; and zoning parcels of land to meet the new state MBTA Communities as-of-right multifamily housing requirement; among others.
Go to https://www.hinghamanchor.com/town-meeting-voters-will-consider-mbta-communities-by-right-multifamily-housing-zoning-article/ for more information about the MBTA Communities article.
Cell wireless facilities
Article 28 relates to creating allowances for small cell wireless facilities located within or on non-residential structures, to permit cell towers to be located in the Official and Open Space District, and to clarify that cell towers are permitted in the
Personal Wireless Services Overlay District.
The intent of this article is to encourage improved wireless connectivity, particularly on the 5G network, throughout the town by expanding the allowed types and locations of personal wireless services facilities.
If the article passes, personal wireless services facilties other than towers may be permitted in all zoning districts upon issuance of a special permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals, provided that the facility is completely concealed within — or installed on — a non-residential host structure.
Approval of this Article requires a two-thirds vote by Town Meeting.
Article 32 relates to creating a new use for brew pubs and farmer breweries, wineries, and distilleries that would be allowed by special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals in the Business A, Business B, and Industrial Park districts. (See pps. 71-73 of the warrant for details.)
Voters are encouraged to read through the entire 121-page Town Meeting warrant that is mailed to every Hingham household in its entirety before heading for Town Meeting.The warrant includes the Advisory Committee’s recommendations for each article.
Voters have the final say on all warrant articles.
For full details about Town Meeting and the town and other upcoming elections, go to https://www.hingham-ma.gov/241/Town-Meeting and https://www.hingham-ma.gov/428/Election-Voter-Information.
To view the Town Meeting warrant online, visit https://www.hingham-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19659/2024-Warrant-PDF?bidId=.
A Citizen’s Guide to Hingham Open Town Meeting prepared by the Hingham League of Women Voters is available at https://my.lwv.org/massachusetts/hingham/town-meeting/town-meeting-resources.