Hingham Select Board Approves Police Contracts, Eyes Civil Service Exit

HINGHAM — June 24, 2025 — Hingham Select Board approves three-year police contracts covering two unions and setting the stage for a civil service exit. Acting Chair Liz Klein and member Julie Strehle voted 2-0 Tuesday to ratify memoranda of agreement with the Hingham Police Patrolman's Association and the Police Superior Officers Union MCOP Local 405, running retroactively from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027. Chair Bill Ramsey was absent and had previously indicated he would abstain because a family member serves in the department. Both contracts include 3 percent annual cost-of-living raises, restructured pay steps designed to raise starting salaries and reward longevity, and the inclusion of the state Quinn Bill educational incentive in base pay for overtime calculations — a structural change described as among the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Both unions also agreed in principle to withdraw from the civil service system, a move that would need Town Meeting approval in April 2026 and would trigger a one-time $7,500 payment to each affected officer.