Advisory Committee
Agendas & Minutes
Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.
View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes | View Minutes 2011 and Older
Public Meetings
The Committee conducts its business in open public meetings, the purposes of which include, but are not limited to:
- Eliciting input and information from proponents and opponents of an article
- Eliciting input and information from members of the general public
- Providing a forum for the exchange of views by Committee members, with the goal of arriving at a recommendation to Town Meeting by majority vote.
The Committee generally meets on Tuesday evenings. From early September through November, meetings are relatively infrequent, and from December to the start of Town Meeting, meetings are generally weekly. In the event of Special Town meetings, the Committee also meets on a regular basis as required. In addition, individual Advisory Committee members, acting as liaisons, closely follow the proceedings of other Town boards and committees.
Whether or not you are able to attend our meetings, we will also provide information regarding Committee and liaison subcommittee membership, meeting minutes, as well as the governing By-law, Policies and Procedures, Financial Policy, and member handbook online.
Messages for Committee
Emails to AdvisoryCommittee@hingham-ma.gov are welcomed, and transcriptions of telephone messages left on the Committee’s voicemail at 781-804-2388 are distributed to each member in his/her reading folder at the next meeting. Correspondence should focus on the issue before the Committee and not on personalities. Any correspondence not consistent with these guidelines may be disregarded at the discretion of the Chair.
Members
| Term Expires 6/30/2027 | Term Expires 6/30/2028 | Term Expires 6/30/2029 |
|---|---|---|
Elaine Cusker |
Carol Tully | Katherine Parks |
| Kevin Freytag, Chair | Ted Ciolkosz, Vice Chair | Steven Pohl |
| Jerry Seelen | Ben Bernham | David Leiphart |
| Brian Stack | Michael Herde | Michelle Ayer |
| Cathe Shetzline | Mary Power | Nes Correnti |
About the Committee
The Advisory Committee is a deliberative body chartered by the Town of Hingham General By-laws to consider all articles in any Town Meeting Warrant and to make recommendations on each article as it deems to be in the best interest of the Town. The Committee consists of 15 residents of the Town, appointed by the Moderator to staggered terms. The term of appointment is 3 years, and each member serves no more than 2 terms. Membership on the committee reflects a cross section of the Town's residents.
Finance Committee
The Advisory Committee has broad review powers and reporting requirements, which are set out in Article 14 of the Town By-laws. The Committee functions as the finance committee for the Town, reviewing all requests for annual operating and capital appropriations. It makes recommendations to Town Meeting on all Warrant articles presented to Town Meeting, including the annual budget. These recommendations, as well as general commentary and background information on the state of the Town, are contained in the Advisory Committee's Report to Town Meeting, which is included in the Town Meeting Warrant.
Town By-laws Article 14
Article 14 of the Town By-Laws governs the structure and activities of the Advisory Committee.