Select Board Complete Annual Town Manager Review Process, Receives Update on Town’s Communication Strategy, and Discusses Updates to Long Range Financial Plan 

ANDOVER, MA - The Select Board met on Monday, August 20 at Memorial Hall Library. The agenda focused on three major items: a comprehensive overview of the Town’s strategic communications strategy, the second in a series of Select Board workshops on the Town’s Long Range Financial Plan, and the Board’s annual review of Town Manager Andrew Flanagan.

Director of Communications Phil Geoffroy delivered a data-driven presentation assessing the performance of the Town’s communication platforms and identifying areas for improvement. The overview was conducted in support of a 2024–2025 Strategic Goal to evaluate the Town’s communication efforts and enhance outreach. Town Manager Andrew Flanagan led a follow-up workshop on potential adjustments to the Long Range Financial Plan, highlighting strategies to address projected deficits in future years. The Board also reviewed and voted to accept its annual evaluation of the Town Manager, issuing an overall rating of “Exceeds Expectations” for the review period ending June 30, 2025.

Additional actions included the adoption of a revised policy outlining the Board’s responsibilities as Water and Sewer Commissioners, and authorization for the Town Manager to execute a purchase and sale agreement with the Archdiocese of Boston for a parcel on Essex Street critical to upcoming roadway improvements.

Strategic Communications Overview 
Director of Communications Phil Geoffroy provided a strategic communications overview in response to one of the 2024–2025 Strategic Goals and Objectives, which called for the Town to conduct a communications assessment and present findings to the Select Board. While much of the data presented is regularly reviewed internally to inform communications strategy, Geoffroy explained that this presentation offered a more in-depth analysis of the Town’s current communication tools and their performance.

The overview focused on the Town’s primary communication platforms, including the website, social media, newsletter, text messaging system, and video content. Geoffroy emphasized that Facebook has proven to be the Town’s most effective social media platform for reaching residents. An analysis comparing Andover to other mid-size municipalities with a full-time communications director or equivalent position showed that Andover leads its peers in both follower count, with more than 9,100 followers, and in engagement rate. This is particularly notable given that Andover posts less frequently than many of the comparison communities. Strong performance on Facebook enhances the Town’s ability to share timely information and increase public participation. Geoffroy also acknowledged challenges associated with social media, such as platform algorithm limitations, changes in user behavior, and the increasing difficulty of achieving organic reach without paid content.

Geoffroy also highlighted the Town’s official newsletter, Bartlet Street Dispatch, as a high-performing communication tool. Since its launch just over a year ago, the newsletter has gained nearly 4,000 subscribers through an entirely organic sign-up process. It maintains an average open rate of 72.3 percent, which is significantly higher than the public sector average.

Website traffic continues to be driven primarily by residents seeking services, with most users visiting the site to access permit forms, pay bills, or review meeting information. The Town has deployed Monsido, a website governance and quality assurance tool, to monitor and improve the quality and accessibility of content across more than 4,400 webpages and 5,500 documents. Geoffroy emphasized that the tool will enhance the Town’s ability to ensure that the website is reliable, user-friendly, and inclusive for all residents. Geoffroy also reviewed the expansion of the Andover Insider text alert system, which provides residents with direct andtimely updates. He emphasized the effectiveness of short-form video content in engaging a wider audience and explaining complex issues more clearly.

As part of the presentation, Geoffroy examined potential gaps in the Town’s communications reach by comparing the demographic composition of platform audiences to the overall population of Andover. This analysis found that young adults under the age of 34 are the most underrepresented demographic across all platforms. Geoffroy suggested that this gap could potentially be addressed by adjusting the Town’s digital strategy. He pointed specifically to increased use of video and more dynamic content on social media as tools that may be more likely to reach and engage younger residents.

Looking ahead, the Town’s communications priorities include launching a resident survey to better understand how people prefer to receive information, expanding the use of video, enhancing emergency communication protocols, and improving website usability and search functions. These efforts aim to strengthen transparency, accessibility, and engagement across all sectors of the community.

Town Manager Review
The Select Board finalized its annual evaluation of Town Manager Andrew Flanagan, issuing an overall rating of “Exceeds Expectations” for the review period spanning July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. The results were presented by Select Board Chair Alex Vispoli in a composite format that reflected the average scores and representative comments from individual Board members.

Vispoli began the presentation by outlining the review process, which is required annually under Flanagan’s employment contract. He explained that the evaluation is based on mutually agreed-upon goals and the Board’s direct experience working with the Town Manager throughout the year. This year’s review marked the conclusion of Flanagan’s second five-year employment contract as Andover’s Town Manager. Last year, the Board voted unanimously to reappoint Flanagan to a third five-year term beginning July 1, 2025.

The composite review assessed Flanagan across eight performance areas: Personal Characteristics, Professionalism, Public Relations and Communications, Board Support and Relations, Community Leadership, Organizational Leadership and Personnel Management, Financial Management, and Planning and Organization. He received “Exceeds Expectations” ratings in every category, with particularly high marks for Financial Management (4.50), Organizational Leadership (4.56), and Personal Characteristics (4.68). His overall composite score was 4.46 out of 5.00, the highest score he has received since 2016.

Board members commended Flanagan for his financial acumen, creative problem solving, and commitment to building strong teams. Specific accomplishments highlighted in the review included the rollout of the automated trash and recycling program, long-range financial planning, and the management of significant capital projects such as school infrastructure investments. He was also praised for maintaining a high-performing leadership team and for providing clear and consistent updates to the Board and the public.

Areas identified for continued focus included enhancing public engagement around major projects like the Shawsheen School and Andover High School, improving internal succession planning, and refining communication during emergencies. The Board also encouraged greater use of planning tools and continued development of website resources to improve accessibility and transparency.

Vispoli noted that while the composite report includes a wide range of perspectives, Flanagan will be evaluated moving forward based on the Board’s voted positions and officially adopted goals. The Select Board voted unanimously to accept the evaluation.

Long Range Financial Plan
Town Manager Andrew Flanagan led the Select Board’s second workshop on potential adjustments to Andover’s Long Range Financial Plan (LRFP). This discussion was part of a broader process to ensure long-term financial stability and is designed to incorporate input from the Select Board, Finance Committee, School Committee, and members of the public. The LRFP, first introduced in 2016, is a management tool that helps evaluate the long-term impact of budgetary decisions and align financial strategies with community priorities.

The August 20 presentation focused on narrowing projected budget deficits over a four-year period from fiscal year 2027 through fiscal year 2030. Flanagan explained that these projections are based on conservative assumptions and are intended to guide planning conversations rather than serve as precise forecasts. He outlined five scenarios that model different strategies for reducing the shortfall. These included increased use of excess levy capacity, modest changes to projected state aid, adjustments to the growth rate of health insurance and benefits, and slight reductions to the annual growth of the School Department budget.

Scenario Five combined all of the strategies into one model. This scenario demonstrated how a blended approach could eliminate the projected deficit in fiscal year 2027 entirely and reduce the total projected gap for the four-year period to approximately $4.4 million.

Flanagan also emphasized the Town’s strong reserve position, which provides valuable flexibility. He noted that the five scenarios are not meant to dictate policy decisions but are instead designed to help inform the ongoing discussion. The next steps in the process will include joint workshops with the Finance Committee and School Committee. These discussions will help develop an updated version of the plan that will be completed later this fall. The plan will continue to focus on bridging to two significant financial milestones in the years ahead: the payoff of the pension liability in 2032 and the amortization of the Pension Obligation Bond in 2040. Each of these milestones is expected to unlock substantial capacity within the general fund and provide greater flexibility in future budget cycles.

Other Actions 

• Town Counsel Doug Heim presented the Select Board with an updated section of the Select Board Policy Guidelines related to the Board’s role as Water and Sewer Commissioners. While the presentation did not involve major changes to policy direction, it clarified the Board’s legal responsibilities and updated procedural guidance around rate setting, betterments, and abatements. The Board voted to adopt the revised policy section.
• The Board voted to authorize the Town Manager to sign a purchase and sale agreement with the Archdiocese of Boston for 0 Essex Street for a purchase price of $365,000. The Town’s acquisition of this small parcel was approved by Town Meeting earlier this year, and is necessary to enable upcoming roadway improvements through the Essex Street Corridor MassWorks project. 

 The Board is scheduled to meet next on Monday, September 8. The full meeting can be viewed online through AndoverTV.