Select Board Begins Tax Classification Process, Reviews Updates to Board Policies, Discusses Solid Waste & Recycling Services 

ANDOVER, MA – The Andover Select Board met on Monday, November 25 in the Select Board Conference Room at Town Offices. The meeting included a tax classification hearing, marking an initial step in setting the tax rate for FY2025. Chief Assessor Tristian Hoare reviewed estimated tax rates at several shift factors, which determines the split in the tax burden borne by residential taxpayers versus commercial, industrial, and personal property. This process continued at the Select Board’s next meeting on December 2. 

Much of the meeting was spent discussing proposed changes to the Select Board’s “Policy Guidelines,” as the Board reviewed and discussed amendments to three sections of the document drafted by Town Counsel Doug Heim. The Board also received an update on the Town’s process to consider reducing the speed limit on Lovejoy Road, and discussed solid waste and recycling as the Town looks to enter into a new contract for these services. 

Tax Classification Hearing
The Select Board conducted a public hearing on the annual tax classification process and reviewed several factors related to setting the tax rate for FY2025, including the establishment of a residential factor which determines the tax burden to be borne by each property class.

Chief Assessor Tristan Hoare provided an overview of pertinent data that will inform the tax classification process for FY2025, including the FY2025 assessment of property in Andover approved by the Department of Revenue (DOR).

According to Hoare, the total assessed value of residential property in Andover is $10.85 billion, which reflects an increase of 7.9 percent over last fiscal year. This value includes single family homes, condominiums, and multi-family homes. The average single family home assessment increased to $1,028,307 in the latest assessment.

The assessed value of commercial property in Andover increased 10 percent in FY2025, and the assessed value of industrial property increased by 12.8 percent. The total assessed value of all property in Andover, across all classifications, is $13.18 billion according to the DOR-certified assessment.

Andover has a split tax rate, meaning that commercial and industrial property taxpayers pay a higher rate compared to residential taxpayers, and share more of the overall tax burden. The amount of the overall tax burden that is shifted to commercial and industrial property  is determined by a shift factor, and corresponding residential factor, which must be determined by the Select Board annually.

The Chief Assessor reviewed estimated tax rates at varying shift factors, focusing on two potential options for the Select Board’s consideration. A shift of 167 would result in the most uniform tax increases across all classifications. This option would set the residential tax rate at $12.48 per $1,000 of assessed value, and $24.30 per $1,000 of assessed value for commercial and industrial classifications. Under this model, the average single family property tax bill would increase by 4.2 percent, due to the increased assessed value of residential property.

A subsequent model presented would set the shift factor at 169.5, resulting in a residential tax rate of $12.41 per $1,000 of assessed value, and $24.67 for commercial and industrial classifications. This option retains the shift adopted by the Town in FY24, and would result in an increase to single family property tax bills of 3.5 percent for the fiscal year.

A third option was examined, which proposed a shift factor of 165.15. This option would set the residential tax rate at $12.54 per $1,000 of assessed value and the commercial and industrial tax rate at $24.04 per $1,000 of assessed value. This option retains the same levy shares as FY24, aiming to balance the tax burden across different property classes while maintaining the existing distribution of the tax levy.

The Select Board planned to revisit the tax classification process at its meeting on Monday, December 2.

Select Board Policies
The Select Board spent much of the meeting reviewing proposed changes to the Board’s “Policy Guidelines.” The Board began the process of reviewing this document in August, at which point Town Counsel Doug Heim was tasked with drafting revisions to these guidelines to create a more accessible and organized structure. Heim recommended bifurcating the guidelines into two main resources: an “operations manual” and a “library” of companion policies. 

On Monday, the Board thoroughly reviewed proposed changes to three sections of the Policy Guidelines. The first proposed section of the operations manual provides an overview of the Select Board’s general governance, practices, and procedures. It outlines the Board’s structure, authority, and responsibilities, emphasizing its role as the chief policymaking body of the Town. This section is intended to serve as a reference for Board members, residents, and employees, detailing the Board’s duties in areas such as general governance, town meetings, finance, public and private ways, utilities, licensing, and statutory commission roles.

The second section is based on the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association/Massachusetts Municipal Association (MIIA/MMA) Model Code of Conduct, which sets standards for the behavior of Board members and individuals appearing before the Board. The code is meant to foster a professional and respectful environment, ensuring public confidence and trust in the Town’s governance. It covers conduct in relation to the community, fellow Board members, the Town Manager, and Town staff, as well as guidelines for public participation in meetings.

The third section outlines the procedures for conducting Board meetings and hearings, promoting transparency and compliance with the Open Meeting Law. It details the process for scheduling meetings, developing agendas, and notifying interested parties. The section also covers the conduct of meetings, including rules for public participation, remote participation, and the recording of meetings. Additionally, it provides guidelines for executive sessions and the maintenance of meeting minutes.

Following extensive discussion which resulted in several edits to the proposed text, the Board voted to accept the introductory section and the third section pertaining to Board meeting and hearing procedures. The second section, pertaining to the code of conduct, will be further amended based on the Board’s input and presented at a future meeting.

Solid Waste and Recycling Contract
Town Manager Andrew Flanagan provided an overview of the status of the Town’s solid waste and recycling contract, providing an opportunity for the Board to offer feedback on these services as the Town looks towards signing a new five-year contract. The Town currently contracts with Republic Services for the collection of solid waste and recycling.

Flanagan outlined two procurement methods available to the Town as it seeks a new contract for solid waste and recycling services. Through a competitive bidding process, the Town could issue a request for proposals and evaluate responses. This would allow the Town to compare several proposals and may result in better pricing overtime, but may result in a change in hauler which may disrupt collections during a transition period. Alternatively, state laws governing public procurement provide an exemption for solid waste and recycling collection, which would allow the Town to negotiate with its current hauler. This option would allow the Town to leverage its existing relationship and potentially secure better pricing while avoiding service impacts. 

Andover has a unique set of circumstances related to its solid waste collection relative to other peer communities. The Town produces significantly more trash per household than other communities, provides twelve weeks of yard waste collection, and provides free bulky item collections – a heavily utilized service. Andover also represents a geographically large service area. All of these factors are likely to influence pricing offered by haulers. 

Under any scenario, the Town is likely to implement automated collection in the coming years. For residents, this would mean using a standardized “toter” or “cart” that would be issued by the Town. According to Flanagan, it is likely that each household would be provided with an initial set of toters by the Town or through a cost share agreement, and residents would be allowed to purchase additional toters at their own expense. 

Automated collection is a more efficient means of collection that has become a standard in the industry. Moving towards this collection method would prevent the Town from facing potential premiums for maintaining manual collection (the current method), and may reduce overall solid waste volumes (based on experiences in other communities).

Flanagan stated that the Town has continued to actively negotiate with Republic Services on a new contract that would maintain existing service levels while transitioning the Town to automated collections. These conversations have demonstrated that the Town would receive more favorable pricing through a 5-year agreement, rather than a 3-year agreement. This longer-term agreement would also insulate the Town from market fluctuations through the duration of the contract.

This topic will be revisited by the Board at a future meeting. 

Lovejoy Road Speed Limit
The Select Board revisited a proposal brought forward by the Town’s Transportation Working Group to apply Andover’s townwide 25 mile per hour speed limit to Lovejoy Road by removing a special speed regulation on the roadway. Currently, the speed limit on Lovejoy is 35 miles per hour, apart from the 20 mile per hour school zone in front of Sanborn Elementary School. This topic was previously discussed by the Board on September 30.
 
During Monday’s meeting, Deputy Town Manager Mike Lindstrom presented an overview of a potential change to the speed limit on Lovejoy Road. The presentation focused on the Town’s process for evaluating and potentially rescinding special speed regulations to apply the townwide 25 mile per hour speed limit to Lovejoy Road.

In 2022, the Town accepted a local option from the State to establish a default speed limit of 25 mph across Andover. This local option statute, adopted by Town Meeting and the Select Board, does not affect roads with special speed regulations set by MassDOT. At the time of adoption, 34 roads in Andover had such regulations, exempting them from the new townwide speed limit. The Transportation Working Group, in consultation with MassDOT, has since reduced this number to 12 roads, including Lovejoy Road.

Lindstrom highlighted the five-year crash data for Lovejoy Road, noting incidents such as rear-end collisions and utility wire accidents. Speed and volume data collected by the Andover Police Department in October 2024 showed that the 85th percentile speed on Lovejoy Road was 40 mph, with some vehicles recorded traveling between 50 mph and 55 mph. The vehicle volume ranged from 2,738 cars on the lowest day to 5,613 cars on the highest day. Additionally, the Andover Police Department conducted 18 enforcement actions on Lovejoy Road in 2024, issuing 34 citations for various violations, including speeding.

Lindstrom outlined several options for the Select Board’s consideration: 

1. Petition MassDOT to rescind the special speed regulation for Lovejoy Road, making it subject to the townwide 25 mph speed limit.
2. Recommend that Lovejoy Road remain a special speed regulated road at 35 mph.
3. Petition MassDOT to rescind the special speed regulation and replace it with a 30 mph limit.
4. Request further study and evaluation by the Transportation Working Group, including additional speed studies after paving, analyzing solar speed radar data, and exploring physical traffic calming measures.

Other Notes

• Town Manager Andrew Flanagan announced that the Town has received an updated ratings letter from S&P which affirmed Andover’s AAA bond rating. 

The full meeting can be viewed online through AndoverTV. The Select Board was scheduled to meet next on Monday, December 2 prior to a Tri-Board meeting held in conjunction with the Finance Committee and School Committee to review the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for FY2026 through FY2030.