Hingham Residents Vote at Town Meeting for Higher Taxes to Save School Sports, Local Services

At their annual town meeting Monday night, residents of Hingham, Massachusetts, verbally passed a majority vote to pay more in property taxes to avoid a cut in town and school services.

The issue will now go to voters once more during Saturday's local election.

Among the services on the chopping block are all high school freshman sports, as well as support and staff positions at the town's police and fire departments.

"No one likes additional taxes," said Hingham resident Ray Estes. "I have two kids here at the high school, I have two in college. Next year, I'll have three in college. So by no means do I want to pay more taxes, but I also understand that there are limited ways to raise new revenue in order to provide the services that our residents require."

The operational override would impact the 2024 budget and help cover a $7.9 million deficit.

Some residents quietly voiced concerns about the sudden increase, including senior resident Virginia Casey, who said it would have been embarrassing for older folks to speak out.

"I would probably lose my home if the taxes go up too high," Casey told NBC10 Boston. "Maybe not this year, but at some point, because I have no way of increasing my revenue."

If the override were to fail, $6 million worth of expenses would need to be cut.

"The arts, athletics, all of the services that we offer our young people, our activities and clubs are all important because they help provided for a well-rounded education for our young people," said Hingham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Margaret Adams.

"It's really critical," said Nes Correnti, vice chair of the Hingham School Committee. "I think there are so many different positions that if we had to do away with them, it would be devastating for the kids, and I think it would set us backwards."

According to the budget presented at the town meeting, the required cuts would include more than $2.1 million in municipal expenses and more than $3.9 million in school expenses. About 19 town jobs and 46 school jobs would be eliminated.

Fire and police support would be reduced, as would field maintenance and trash pickup, and the library would be closed on Sundays. Schools would eliminate freshman athletics and other after-school programs, reduce offered courses, and increase class sizes and workloads for staff. Textbooks would not be replaced as frequently.

See the full proposed budget below:

According to Adams, about 80% of students in the high school participate in sports.

To make the change official, the budget override must be approved at the local election on Saturday, April 29, by a majority vote.