HINGHAM — Oct. 27, 2026 — Hingham’s Select Board last Tuesday discussed putting a $3.7 million federal tax credit for the Foster School’s geothermal system toward the school’s debt, a move that would need Town Meeting approval in the spring. No vote was taken, and the board also heard early plans for a one-year budget bridge for fiscal 2028.
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Foster tax credit. Town Administrator Tom Mayo corrected the agenda’s reference to IRS tax credits, saying the money comes from the federal Inflation Reduction Act. He said the town received a $3.7 million credit for the geothermal work at Foster, and that one option members have raised is paying down the project’s debt.
Board member Julie Strehle credited the town’s sustainability coordinator with pursuing the credit and said the money came in because of Foster’s geothermal system and should be applied back to that project. She proposed adding it to the existing stabilization fund that offsets debt for Foster and the public safety facility, which would require a warrant article at the spring Town Meeting, so homeowners pay less in taxes. Strehle said the money is now in the unassigned fund balance. Strehle later clarified that the 2022 special town meeting put $7 million into that fund.
Board member William Ramsey agreed. Asked by Chair Liz Klein whether the board was voting, Mayo said Town Meeting articles are due Jan. 20 and that a concept would be developed and discussed publicly.
Budget bridge for FY28. The chair said the Sustainable Budget Task Force, meeting since August 2025, is likely to propose a one-year bridge agreement among the Select Board, Advisory Committee and School Committee for fiscal 2028. The 3.5% budget growth caps in the town’s current financial management plan ended with fiscal 2027, while some of its other policies run through 2028; the bridge would address spending caps and unpredictable special education costs.
Mayo said the plan will likely need Town Meeting approval to use some fund balance, plus an article to fund a special education reserve each year with Medicaid reimbursements. Ramsey said reserves should be used tactically to delay any future override as long as possible.
