Annual Town Meeting is Tuesday, May 14, 2019, 7:00 PM in the High School Auditorium.

• Town Meeting Documents
• Town Meeting Warrant
• Voter Survey
• Remote Questions
• Planning Board Report
• northandoverma.gov/townmeeting
• northandoverma.gov/vote

Dear Neighbors:

Once again I have the privilege of inviting all citizens to North Andover’s upcoming Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday evening May 14, 2019 commencing at 7:00PM in the North Andover High School auditorium.

It has been an honor to preside at Town Meeting, the legislative branch of our government, these past seven years. It has been our mutual effort to endeavor that this 17th Century tradition remains relevant to our 21st Century needs and population. I remain committed to testing, refining, and instituting initiatives to modernize the functions, rules, reach, and conduct of Town Meeting while being deliberate to preserve those worthy practices and procedures that both work and are required by Town Charter and By-Law. This effort is in service to my obligation to conduct a fair, open and efficient Town Meeting.

A frequent question I get around town throughout the year is “So Mark, what will be different at the next Town Meeting?” My answer this year is “Not much.” All the now common services and innovations of past Annual Town Meetings in my tenure will remain, including electronic check-in, child care provided by the North Andover Community School Program, Citizen Advocate support, enhanced audio and visual aids, and the remote question participation program for those who cannot attend. The meeting will continue to be live broadcast and live streamed. The recently instituted three minute time limit for speakers, other than those presenters with preassigned time limitations, will remain. I will continue to conduct the meeting in a manner that offers appropriately informal but respectful discussion among participants for the purpose of informing better voter understanding of the issues to be decided during our annual community dialogue.

One somewhat different initiative will be test piloted before and during our meeting. As Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Moderators Association 2040 Committee tasked how Town Meeting will look in that year, we recognize that the prospect of a full virtual Town Meeting experience will not likely be allowed for many years. One sometimes hears that Town Meeting does not represent the opinion of the citizenry at large. In order to test this presumption we will be conducting a survey inviting the public to state their opinion on each article whether they attend Town Meeting or not. The survey will launch electronically via the town web site a full two weeks prior and be live through Town Meeting until its adjournment. Comparative results will be published post the adjournment of the meeting. Read More…