March 27, 2027 By Carol Britton Meyer
The select board recently voted 2-1 to remove the real estate transfer fee article from the April 27 Town Meeting warrant.
Board members William Ramsey and Julie Strehle supported removing the article from the warrant, with Liz Klein voting against its removal.
Last January, the board revisited the 2022 proposal to impose a real estate transfer fee equal to 1% of the purchase price consideration paid for the transfer of any real property interest situated in the Town of Hingham – to be borne by the buyer.
The purpose of the proposal is to use the proceeds first to bolster the town’s affordable housing stock if it falls below the state’s required 10 percent threshold and then for general purposes related to the town budget.
“This is one way to raise needed revenue without raising property taxes,” Ramsey said at that time. “If this passes, the need for [further] overrides may never come to fruition” due to the large amount of revenue it would generate.