Select Board Receives Update on Charter Commission Petition, Discusses Plans for the Use of Opioid Settlement Funds, and Approves 2026 Calendar for Town Election and Town Meeting

ANDOVER, MA - The Select Board met on Monday, October 6 in the Select Board Room at Town Offices. The Board received an update on a resident-driven effort to petition for a charter commission; it was announced that the petition included an insufficient number of certified signatures to advance the charter commission to the 2026 Town Election ballot. A successful petition would have been a first step in considering changes to Andover’s form of governance.

The Board also received a presentation on the Town’s use of opioid settlement funding, including an overview of a planning and engagement process being led by a public health consultant to guide future investments. A proposal to revise the annual Town Manager evaluation process developed by a subcommittee of the Board was reviewed in a first reading, and the Board approved a calendar for the 2026 Annual Town Election and Annual Town Meeting, setting Tuesday, April 28 as the first day for Andover’s 2026 Annual Town Meeting.

Charter Commission Update
During the communications and announcements portion of the agenda, Deputy Town Manager and Town Clerk Austin Simko provided an update on some residents’ effort to petition for the creation of a charter commission.

 On September 26^th, the Town Clerk’s Office received a petition to establish a charter commission, which is a temporary elected body charged with reviewing the Town’s form of governance and making recommendations on whether to retain or change the current structure. Under Massachusetts General Law, the process to form a charter commission must begin with the filing of a petition signed by 15 percent of the Town’s registered voters. If that threshold is met, a question is placed on the Town election ballot asking voters whether a charter commission should be formed.

Based on the number of registered voters in Andover, a successful petition required 4,052 certified signatures. According to Simko, the petitioners submitted 4,708 signatures. Upon receipt, the Town Clerk’s Office began a thorough review and certification process, which Simko estimated took approximately 155 combined staff hours.

Through the certification process, the Town Clerk’s Office was able to certify 3,451 signatures, meaning that the petition was 601 signatures short of the threshold. Simko reported that the review identified 390 signatures that did not belong to registered residents, 637 duplicate signatures, and 232 signatures that were illegible. Simko emphasized that even if all illegible signatures had been counted, the petition would still fall significantly short of the requirement. All signatures deemed invalid were reviewed by a second staff member. Then, all uncertified signatures were audited by another team of reviewers. 

Before and during the certification process, Simko consulted the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office to confirm the appropriateness of the Town’s approach. He reported that state officials explained that, once the petition was submitted, as was the case September 26^th, the petition could not be supplemented with additional signatures to meet the 15 percent requirement. As a result, any future attempt to advance the charter commission effort would require any petitioners to submit a new petition signed by at least 4,052 certified registered voters.

Opioid Settlement Funds
Deputy Town Manager Mike Lindstrom provided an update on the Town’s use of opioid settlement funds and introduced public health expert and consultant Jessica Fefferman, who has been engaged by the Town to help plan and guide the use of available funds throughout the coming years. 

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office negotiated a statewide opioid settlement with opioid distributors in 2021. The settlement provides significant funding to the Commonwealth and to municipalities to respond to the opioid crisis. Andover is expected to receive an estimated $1.7 million through FY2038 through the settlement. 

The Town formed a multi-departmental working group of Town staff with relevant expertise to ensure the effective use of these funds. Decisions on the use of opioid settlement funding have been guided by the priorities and recommendations outlined in the Town’s recent Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). According to Lindstrom, areas of investment so far have included providing enhanced access to mental health referral services for Andover residents, students, and employees through a partnership with Care Solace, and addressing transportation gaps that limit residents’ ability to access programs, practitioner appointments, and support services. 

Fefferman provided the Board with an overview of her work supporting the Town’s opioid response strategy, including a comprehensive approach to community engagement. She described her plan to analyze local and state data; conduct one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders, including public safety personnel, healthcare providers, school staff, and residents; and organize focus groups with impacted community members. 

Fefferman is also conducting a community survey, which is open through October 31. The Town recently sent postcards to all households encouraging participation in the survey. The findings generated by this process will guide the Town’s future investments of opioid settlement funds. It is anticipated that findings and recommendations from this process will be finalized in January 2026.

Town Manager Evaluation Process
The Select Board discussed proposed changes to the annual Town Manager evaluation process. The Select Board, which recently completed its annual review of the Town Manager in August, subsequently appointed a subcommittee to review the evaluation process to ensure that it is fair, consistent, and aligned with the priorities of the Select Board in future years. The subcommittee was comprised of Alex Vispoli and Ellen Townson, and was supported by Chief People Officer Brittney Lavoie. The proposal discussed during Tuesday’s meeting represented the outcome of the subcommittee process. 

The proposed evaluation framework is designed to establish a transparent and goal-aligned evaluation system by revising the timeline and tools used for the Town Manager’s annual review. The updated model incorporates a hybrid evaluation approach, weighting 40% of the evaluation on leadership competencies and 60% on progress toward specific goals. Feedback from all Select Board members would be consolidated into a composite evaluation presented during a regular meeting of the Board. 

The proposed process also addresses several previously identified concerns, including the need for clearer performance standards, better guidance for narrative feedback, and stronger alignment between goals and evaluation outcomes. A new digital evaluation form was developed and shared with the Board that will simplify the process of completing the review. The subcommittee also proposed the addition of a mid-year check-in on progress towards strategic goals and objectives, which will allow members of the Board to provide real-time feedback and suggest refinements as needed. 

The Board considered the proposal in a first reading on Monday and will vote on its adoption at its next meeting. Members spent considerable time discussing whether individual evaluationssubmitted by Select Board members, in addition to the composite evaluation, should be made available to the public as part of the process. 

Annual Town Meeting and Town Election Calendar
The Select Board voted to approve a calendar for 2026 Annual Town Meeting and the Town Election. Under the approved calendar, the Town Election will be held on Tuesday, March 24. Annual Town Meeting will begin on Tuesday, April 28 at the Collins Center for the Performing Arts at Andover high School, and will continue on April 29 and April 30 if needed.

Notably, the date of Town Meeting falls the week following April vacation for Andover Public Schools. This factor was discussed extensively by the Select Board last year while setting the Town Meeting calendar. The first day of Annual Town Meeting was moved to Tuesday, rather than Monday, to account for potential conflicts posed by Town Meeting’s proximity to school vacation week. Simko explained that he engaged extensively with personnel at Andover High School, including the Athletic Department and the Collins Center, but was unable to identify a more favorable schedule due to reoccurring programmed use of the Collins Center and other spaces at the School. 

The Select Board voted to request that the School Department make the Collins Center available two weeks after April vacation for Town Meetings starting in 2027.

Other Actions 

• The Select Board approved a plan for hiring of a new Town Accountant, the only position directly appointed by the Board other than Town Manager. The process is necessary given the recent appointment of current? Town Accountant Hayley Green to the position of Director of Budget and Capital Management. The process will include two rounds of panel interviews and assessments in November, with a finalist expected to be presented to the Board for appointment in early December.
• The Board waived its right of first refusal to purchase an affordable housing unit at 4 Francis Drive, Unit 311. This will enable the Andover Community Trust to market the property and sell it at an affordable rate to a buyer that meets certain income criteria. 
• Director of Facilities Janet Nicosia presented an update on the Town’s progress in expanding solar energy use, highlighting projects at Bancroft Elementary, West Elementary, Shawsheen Preschool, and Sanborn Elementary. Andover currently sources 9 million kilowatt-hours per year from renewable energy, covering approximately 60% of the Town’s total municipal electricity usage. To date, solar is estimated to have saved the Town more than $5 million in energy costs. 

The full meeting can be viewed online through AndoverTV. The Board is scheduled to meet next on Monday, October 20 at 6:30 PM.