UPDATED: Video of night one of Annual Town Meeting now available via Andover TV: http://andover.vod.castus.tv/vod/index.php/8/2/f/0/0/8/82f00898-1836-4572-a178-be5c2b7e5e1e1493751964.559+2337600.678@castus4-andover-output+14939225521493915585876357.vod.720p.Town%20Meeting%205-1-17.mp4#castusvod_autoplay=1
2017 Annual Town Meeting in Andover got underway tonight, with moderator Sheila Doherty welcoming residents and outlining the rules of the public forum.
As there was no live stream available, I did my best to keep up with developments, but feel free to chime in on the comments if I missed anything!
Passed:
- Article 1
- Article 2
- Article 3
- Article 4* (FY18 budget of $172,185,114 approved)
*Article 4 on the budget included a robust discussion on line item 13, the school committee budget. The school committee recommended a budget of $79,337,371, a 4.25% increase over FY17. The finance committee recommended disapproval of the budget request, citing the several points:
- Fixed costs are growing at unsustainable rates
- The school committee budget process, specifically the format of the budget and transparency on account 230
- Rising special education costs
An amendment was put forth and seconded to submit a FY18 budget of $79,143,171, which represents a 4.00% increase from FY17, and is in-line with the original recommendation of the Town Manager and Finance Committee. During public discussion, the Finance Committee indicated their vote on the line item 13 was 5-4 against, and the Town Manager indicated his support for the School Committee budget based on state funding coming in higher than projected. Several residents spoke in favor of the School Committee budget, citing the importance of education in Andover the work of the teachers. The amendment was ultimately put to a vote, and after a standing vote count, it was defeated 519-270. Line item 13 in the amount of $79,339,371 was subsequently approved.
The final FY2018 budget approved by Town Meeting was $172,185,114.
In a touching moment that followed the discussion, and showed the appreciation of residents for the work of our public servants and elected officials, Finance Committee member Joanne Marden was lauded by the moderator for her 39 years of service to the town of Andover, as she will shortly be moving to Colorado. Ms. Marden received an extended standing ovation from the entire auditorium.
- Article 5
- Article 6
- Article 7
- Article 11A-F
- Article 12 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 14 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 15 (support of the Jerry Silverman fireworks passed unanimously)
- Article 16
- Article 17
- Article 18
- Article 19
- Article 20
- Article 21
- Article 22
- Article 23 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 25 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 26
- Article 27 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote; town manager agreed to look into the feasibility of a one-time payment option as opposed to a 20-year amortization)
- Article 28
- Article 29 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 30 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 31 (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
- Article 32
- Article 33** (exceeded the required 2/3 vote)
**The passage of the article appropriates funding not to exceed $17,500,000 to be paid, along with approximately $11,000,000 in debt service costs, over 30 years at 3.13% interest for the construction of the new Municipal Services Building at 5 Campanelli drive. According to town manager Andrew Flanagan, the warrant article will be funded 100% within capital capacity. Flanagan also anticipated breaking ground in early July based on passage of the warrant article, with a 12-18 month construction schedule, followed by an incremental transition to the new site before it becomes full operational. Flanagan also indicated there would be a dedicated project manager to manage the project going forward.
A student took the microphone to express his concern about the chosen location’s proximity to the Greater Lawrence Technical School, but the majority of public comments were in favor. A member of the GLTS School Board also spoke in favor of the project for the second year in a row. A resident commented on his pride for the town solving a “30 year problem” and indicated it would be “the best thing to happen to Andover tonight.” Another resident called the project a “no brainer.”
Upon passage of the warrant article, the auditorium broke out in applause.
- Article 34 (exceeded the 2/3 majority vote)
Withdrawn
- Article 8
- Article 9
- Article 10
- Article 11G
- Article 13
- Article 24
- Article 36
Defeated
- Article 35*** (needed 2/3 majority for approval; final tally after standing count was 125 (in favor)-364 (opposed)
***Given the fact that many residents have commented on the potential impact of the proposed Dascomb Road Project on the Historic Mill District, it may interest readers to know that a public meeting was announced to discuss Historic Mill District guidelines on May 18. Town Manager Andrew Flanagan also commented on the idling train issues that residents have brought to the attention of town leaders, given their proximity to the parcel, saying the problem is improving and should continue to improve through the summer through the use of a train yard in Lawrence.
Another resident who served on the town yard task force, made a long and passionate statement asking that the vote be postponed to 2018 Town Meeting. Others took to the “con” microphone to express similar views, and the article was overwhelmingly defeated.
Night one adjourned just after 10 p.m., and we’ll pick it up again on night 2 on Article 37. Based on the pace of tonight’s meeting, it’s possible warrant articles 57 and 58 on the establishment of the ID3 zone will come up tomorrow evening, so for those of you who want to have your voice heard and cast a vote for or against, I would advise planning on attending.
Note that if you’re planning on attending on subsequent nights, note that the auditorium is crowded and gets pretty warm, so dress accordingly.