Hingham Finance Committee unanimously recommends $70 million HMLP borrowing authorization

HINGHAM -- March 12, 2026, Hingham's Finance Committee voted 14-0 to recommend a $70 million borrowing for the Municipal Light Plant while spending most of a marathon March 12 session debating whether to build, shrink, or delay a proposed Center for Active Living. The unanimous HMLP vote would authorize the town treasurer to borrow under MGL Chapter 44, Section 8B to expand transmission and substation infrastructure, with repayment expected from light plant rates rather than the property tax levy. A Finance Committee liaison's cost analysis found that a scaled-down 20,000-square-foot senior center, after delay inflation estimated at $2 million and reduced contractor competition, would cost roughly $32.3 million, slightly more than the $31.95 million current proposal for the 25,950-square-foot building at Beal Cove Park Drive. The committee also heard that projected out-of-district special education costs under the town-school memorandum of understanding could reach $2.1 million in fiscal year 2027, up from $738,000 tracked for fiscal year 2026, with members divided on how to disclose that figure in the town warrant. The committee continued the Center for Active Living warrant article and reserve fund transfer discussions to a March 23 meeting.