Hingham Finance Committee Recommends Six FY27 Budgets, Advances Two Warrant Articles

HINGHAM — February 3, 2026 — Hingham's Finance Committee recommended roughly $9.6 million in combined departmental appropriations at its February 3 meeting, covering six departments and two employee benefits accounts. The committee approved budgets for the Center for Active Living at $451,800, Veteran Services at $277,789, the Health Department at $343,779, and the Accounting Department at $464,460, plus flat budgets for GAR Hall and Celebrations totaling roughly $17,600. Finance Director of Analysis Katie Eichner reported that the town's general insurance costs dropped 6.27 percent to $1,753,379 after a competitive rebid through Richardson Insurance secured coverage through Chubb — savings of close to $300,000 relative to the FY26 budget — while the contributory retirement contribution rose 4.97 percent to $7,547,646. Eichner also flagged that the town's OPEB funding schedule, which targets full funding of a $101.7 million liability by 2040, has not been updated since 2014, warning that a one-percent shift in the discount rate alone could swing the unfunded liability by $12 million. The committee voted unanimously to advance a warrant article fixing elected officer salaries and to discharge three town committees — the Energy Action Committee, the 2017 School Building Commission, and the Public Safety Building Committee — with the Center for Active Living's fourth consecutive request for a nutrition coordinator coordinator again excluded from the recommended budget.