Hingham Select Board Pulls Real Estate Transfer Fee From 2026 Town Meeting Warrant

HINGHAM — March 24, 2026 — Hingham Select Board votes 2-1 to remove real estate transfer fee from Town Meeting warrant. Chair William Ramsey and member Julie Strehle supported withdrawal of Article X, citing Advisory Committee concerns about unresolved state legislative questions, ambiguity over who would pay the fee, and uncertainty about how revenue could be used; member Liz Klein dissented, calling the fee "one of the largest potential new revenue streams" identified by the town's Sustainable Budget Task Force. In unanimous actions, the board approved a $69,745 audiovisual services contract with Boston Light & Sound for the April 27 Annual Town Meeting — up roughly 19 percent from last year's roughly $56,000 — and waived a $196,361 cash flow rent payment from the Lincoln School Apartments, redirecting it to the property's replacement reserve account, which will now total $568,361 for 2026 against an estimated $1.9 million repointing project for the 1912 building. The board also unanimously authorized the Select Board Chair to sign a grant support letter for the Hingham Harbor Coastal Resiliency Project, which Town Engineer JR Frey said could yield a decision from the state's Office of Coastal Zone Management as early as July 2026, with construction possible after permitting concludes around mid-2027.