April 13, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
Town Meeting voters face a full agenda of 38 warrant articles, related in part to funding the construction of the proposed new $25,795,934 million Center for Active Living.
This latest number represents a reduction from an estimated cost a year ago of $34 million and the proposed town meeting warrant article of $29.9 million, which represents an overall reduction of approximately 25%. (See further information below.)
Town Meeting is set to begin Monday, April 27, and will be continued to April 28 if the agenda isn’t completed the first night. The meeting will begin promptly at 7 p.m. at Hingham High School, 17 Union St., and is open to all registered Hingham voters.
Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. The town clerk will operate two registration tables – one at the high school main entrance and another at the right back entrance. Voters are asked to arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. so that the meeting can begin promptly at 7 p.m.
Other articles relate to:
- The FY2027 operating and capital budgets for the town and the schools; projects recommended by the Community Preservation Committee; the creation of a Center for Active Living revolving fund;
- Replacement of Hingham Public Library’s cooling/chiller system; school department extraordinary capital needs; the sale of town-owned 230 North St. and 8 Short St.; the potential sale, lease, or conveyance of the town-owned Lincoln School Apartments, located at 86 Central St.;
- Weir River Water System PFAS funds and capital projects; the Route 3A project; transfer of funds for an employee health care cost subsidy; amending the town’s noise bylaw; electronic voting devices; and various amendments to the zoning bylaw.
Regarding the Center for Active Living vote, registered voters will be asked to support funding the construction of a new Center for Active Living off Bare Cove Park Drive, and if the warrant article passes by a two-thirds majority, a debt exclusion to pay for the project at the ballot box for the May 2 town election. A simple majority vote is required for the ballot question to pass.
The debt exclusion question on the May 2 town election ballot asks voters to allow the Town of Hingham to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2-1/2 the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to cover the cost of professional fees, construction, and equipping and furnishing a new Center for Active Living.
Both the warrant article and ballot question must pass for the new CAL to be built. The debt exclusion question will appear on the ballot regardless of the town meeting vote because it is printed well ahead of time.
However, the result wouldn’t matter if the article does not pass at town meeting.
A debt exclusion results in a usually long-term but temporary property tax increase to pay for a specific capital project, while a Proposition 2-1/2 override funds essential services and ongoing costs that cannot be covered within the cap and results in a permanent increase in the tax base.
The select board supports the project. The advisory committee is also reviewing the proposal, and its recommendation will be included in the town meeting warrant that is mailed to every Hingham household prior to Town Meeting.
Go to https://www.hingham-ma.gov/1131/Tax-Impact-Estimator for an estimate of the impact the proposed CAL would have on your property taxes.
Refer to the warrant for full details on all warrant articles and be sure to bring your copy to town meeting, where voters have the final say on all the articles.
A copy of the warrant is also available at https://www.hingham-ma.gov/719/Current-Warrant-Articles, along with full Town Meeting details.
Also visit https://www.hingham-ma.gov/241/Town-Meeting for more information, including parking and accessibility details.
Check out https://www.hingham-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/27235/2026-Town-Meeting-Warrant?bidId= to learn about town meeting procedures.