January 20, 2026 by Diane DeNapoli
How many of you opened your real estate tax bill after the holidays and were shocked by the significant increase in your tax bill? According to the Board of Assessors Office the average tax bill for a single-family home increased 8%. I have talked to many people who had their bill jump, very unexpectedly by as much as 35%.
I attended a Board of Assessors meeting a few weeks ago and gained a better understanding of what components drove my taxes to increase over 18%. One reason for the jump in taxes in 2026 was borrowing associated with the new Foster School and the Public Safety Building. I was a staunch supporter of both projects and one reason I believe the town supported the Public Safety Building is because we were told “when the police move out to their new building the Senior Center can expand at Town Hall”.
The notion of expanding the Senior Center at Town Hall was supported in 2020 when, “In 2020 Town Meeting established the Senior Center Building Committee that was authorized to oversee the design and construction of the project to expand the side of the Senior Center in Town Hall to include the space that would be vacated by the Police Department to a new facility at 335 Lincoln Street are realized”, town of Hingham website. This statement was reinforced by members of the Public Safety Building Committee, Invest in Hingham, members of the Advisory Committee and the Select Board.
As the Senior Center Building Committee did actual research on the feasibility of updating Town Hall, they concluded that the site would not meet their needs. Some reasons cited for not expanding at Town Hall were the lack of parking, the need to update the entire building to be ADA compliant (which it is not today), and the cost associated with the project.
While I may question these points, and the level of diligence that was undertaken evaluating other sites for the project my biggest concern is how assumptions, best guesses, and well-meaning wishes by a small minority drive major decisions that might not actually benefit many seniors in Hingham.
In 2022 the town commissioned a report called “Aging in Hingham: A Community Needs Assessment” it was conducted by Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Gerontology Institute John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies University of Massachusetts Boston.
Key findings of the report are below:
- Economic insecurity is a concern for many older adults in Hingham. The number one concern for being able to remain in Hingham as they age is being able to afford the increasing property tax amounts and overall costs of living in the Town. For example, one resident wrote eloquently, “Affordability is my greatest concern and worry. Every day I live on a fixed income, and it has become increasingly difficult each year to live in Hingham.”
- The increasing financial gap is a concern that was noted by Hingham leaders when it comes to residents, many of whom have spent their lives in Hingham, aging in their community. According to American Community Survey (2016- 2020) estimates, a substantial share of households headed by someone age 65 and older (24%) report annual incomes under $25,000. This compares with just 7% of households headed by individuals aged 45 to 64 having incomes under $25,000.
Sample responses to question “What are your greatest concerns about your ability to continue living in Hingham as you get older?”
“Cost of Living/Affordability/Taxes 1) RE taxes keep going up, 2) water/sewer bill inexplicably higher although my usage of anything is lower. 3) Electrical bill stable but a vulnerability esp. as AC more needed due to global warming and my electrical bill , my heating bill due to sweltering summer months (annually)”
“Affordability is my greatest concern and worry. Every day I live on a fixed income, and it has become increasingly difficult each year to live in Hingham. Affordable independent living – getting priced out. Too expensive to live in Hingham – large houses. More resources are going to schools, infrastructure, and large apartment buildings. Not the Hingham we moved to.”
“I am living alone (spouse deceased) and no longer driving how will I meet my transportation, social, shopping, medical needs. The town could plan on increases in senior friendly transportation services for both access to activities and medical appointments.”
The same study went on to ask the seniors what they would want in a Senior Center.
Some key findings were:
- A majority (61%) of survey respondents report that the Hingham Senior Center plays a role in their lives or the lives of their loved ones, neighbors or friends, making it clear that the Hingham Senior Center is a revered community asset.
- In alignment with the Town’s effort to execute planning for a future senior center, respondents were asked to choose their most preferred scenario for that future space. More than one-third of respondents would prefer renovation and expansion of the current senior center space. Among users of the Hingham Senior Center, a second choice is for a stand-alone senior center building located elsewhere in Hingham. Among non-users of the Hingham Senior Center, a second-most preferred choice is for a new stand alone community center (18%). As well, a number of respondents wrote in their preference for other options, which mostly included calls for more information or not having an opinion. When residents of Linden Ponds are excluded from analysis, rates of preference for renovation and expansion of existing senior center space increases slightly to 40% among non users and 39% among current users.
Since the summer I have been reaching out to members of the Center for Active Living Building Committee, watching meetings related to this project, sending emails to Adcom and speaking with members of the Select Board and I have yet to get hard data on facts I believe are critical to making an informed decision prior to voting on a 30 + Million dollar project.
The people of Hingham, especially our seniors who have strongly expressed their concerns about being able to remain in Hingham due to affordability, DESERVE answers about the full impact of this proposed project and how this will be layered on top of our other well-known tax burdens and those that are likely in the next 1-3 years. The good news is the town has a model that can accurately project the tax impacts, and I would implore The Advisory Committee and The Select Board to be completely transparent about the tax implications of the CAL as it relates to our other known and projected expenses.
The Advisory Committees role, as I understand it, is to fully and diligently analyze all potential Warrant Articles from a cost perspective and make recommendations based on the merits of the project and evaluate them based on the long-term financial health of the town. Should they not be permitted, or do not have the ability or willingness to faithfully do their job, I believe a citizens led body will be galvanized to provide this data. Knowledge is power and the taxpayers should know all the costs associated with the Center for Active Living including the cost to run and hook up utilities needed to supply the new site, the scope and cost of the road work, the projected operating costs to care for this new site and detailed soil boring testing so we don’t have expensive change orders after we start construction like we did with the Public Safety Building.
Many residents feel we were tricked about the Senior Center expanding at Town Hall. Don’t let the Center for Active Living be another “OOPSIE” that leads the already strapped taxpayers of Hingham to build another very expensive municipal building that is underutilized. These “oopsies” erode trust in our town leadership and are avoidable if people in charge ask the right questions, hold OPM’s and building committee members accountable to provide data in a timely manner and share transparent information about the ultimate impacts of any proposed project on our taxes.