Hingham officials are pushing for new personnel to combat senior isolation and professionalize town financial operations, according to budget requests presented to the Advisory Committee Tuesday night. Jennifer Young, Executive Director of the Center for Active Living, highlighted a growing need for food security and social connection among the town’s 60-plus population. Young requested $38,000 to fund a part-time Nutrition Coordinator who would oversee a new cafe model at the 5,000-square-foot facility. Most of our members eat almost every meal alone; this position would provide companionship and healthier options, Young said, noting that her team currently manages 173 unique programs despite severe space constraints.

The committee members explored how the new position fits into the center’s broader mission. Committee member Allan noted that this budget does not include the impacts of the future building project, which is currently estimated to cost $30.6 million. He added, The Nutrition Coordinator is an additional request not in the base number. Beyond programming, the center relies heavily on a volunteer force that contributed over 5,000 hours last year—a value Young calculated at approximately $235,620 to the town. Motion Made by Allan to recommend the Hingham Center for Active Living budget of $451,800, consisting of $429,490 for salaries and $22,310 for expenditures. Motion Passed.

Town financial leaders also advocated for structural changes to the Accounting Department to address long-standing payroll challenges. Town Accountant Ann requested $44,151 for a 20-hour part-time payroll specialist to improve internal controls and vendor payment accuracy. The request is for a 20-hour part-time payroll specialist to help with accuracy, vendor payments, and internal controls, Ann told the committee. Assistant Town Accountant Katie explained that while some automation has been introduced for seasonal staff, many departments still require manual entry due to specific contract constraints. We are looking into more automation, but there are hurdles, she said. Chair Carol Falvey threw her support behind the addition, stating, I've always thought this department was structurally understaffed. We've had payroll struggles for years. Committee member Nicole questioned if the town remains too reliant on manual processes, asking, Are you still using a lot of Excel and manual entry? Is there software to alleviate this? Motion Made by Jerry to recommend the Accounting budget of $345,760 for personal services, $12,700 for expenses, and $464,460 for contracted services, plus the $44,151 payroll specialist. Motion Passed.

Veteran Services Director Shannon Burke detailed a high level of federal support flowing into the community, reporting that Hingham veterans received over $5.4 million in federal VA benefits last year. Burke also highlighted the success of the local disability tax exemption, noting that Hingham opted to double the state’s allowance. Very successful. Hingham opted to double the state exemption, so 100% disabled veterans get $2,000, Burke said. Mary spoke to the community's emotional connection to these services, noting that a major part is the volunteer effort to place flags on the graves of 3,000 veterans. Motion Made by C. Falvey to recommend the Veteran Services budget of $277,789. Motion Passed.

The town’s historic GAR Hall is also seeking investment, specifically through a $160,000 Community Preservation Act request to modernize its 19th-century elevator. It is an important piece of history; there used to be 351 of these halls in Massachusetts, and now there are very few, Burke said. Committee member Dave praised the current stewardship of the building, noting that Francis Collins does a great job with tours there. Motion Made by Dave to recommend the GAR Hall budget of $1,332. Motion Passed.

A significant shift in funding strategy was presented for the Health Department, where Director Susan Sarnney is leveraging Opioid Settlement funds to offset general fund costs. Sarnney is moving a social worker position primarily onto the settlement funds while requesting to increase an administrative position from 20 to 25 hours to manage permitting volumes. We are also using Opioid Settlement funds to move a social worker position off the health budget... and putting 25 hours onto the settlement funds, which is allowed by the state, Sarnney explained. Motion Made by Allan to recommend the Health Department budget of $343,779, a decrease of $9,525 from the previous year. Motion Passed.

In broader fiscal updates, the town is nearing its goal of fully funding pension obligations. Committee member Jerry reported that the $7.5 million contributory retirement budget is aimed at a 2035 full-funding date, five years ahead of the state-mandated 2040 deadline. The budget is $7,547,646, a 4.97% increase, Jerry noted. Regarding the town’s $101.7 million OPEB liability for retiree healthcare, Katie reported that Hingham is 34% funded, which she described as excellent compared to other towns. Meanwhile, Elaine provided a brief update from the Hingham Municipal Light Board, stating that the Light Board voted to increase the customer charge for all qualifying customers as part of upcoming rate revisions. Finally, the committee acted on Article E to set the annual stipends for elected officials. This is the annual warrant article to fix salaries in accordance with Mass General Law, Michael explained. Motion Made by Michael to recommend Article E, setting Select Board salaries at $2,000 (Chair $2,500), Assessors at $1,800 (Chair $2,000), and Municipal Light Board members at $214. Motion Passed (Unanimous).