Andover Special Town Meeting Divides Residents From Town Officials.

ANDOVER, MA — Andover residents remained divided on the approval Tuesday of two out of six articles proposed by resident Mike Meyers, including ones to provide a stipend for school workers, bar nondisclosure agreements and deal with $10.9 million in COVID-19 funds.

Residents in a special town meeting approved one article to provide an $800 stipend for educational support workers and a second to bar the town from requiring employees to sign nondisclosure agreements. They approved the first article in a 251-231 vote; the second passed in a voice vote.

The other four articles that failed would have required the following:

• That the town be transparent about contracts awarded over $10,000,
• That the town make a community plan for spending $10.9 million in COVID-19 relief funds
• That the town have independent contractors conduct performance reviews of members of the Town Council and superintendent.
• That the town provide $1 million to be used for mental health services.

Meyers, who is retired, proposed the six articles on April 27 and gathered approximately 2,000 signatures on a petition to call the special meeting.

The articles dealt in part with Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and what Meyers argued was the town’s lack of community outreach on how to spend $10.9 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Meyers called the meeting a success even though only two of the six measures passed. Myers said he received overwhelming support from other Andover residents appalled at the Town Council’s actions during the meeting to limit public comment.

"We plan to come back with another special town meeting introducing new town bylaws and rules of order," Myers told Patch. "This is far from over."

Some members of the Town Council felt Meyers’ proposals went too far and that some of the proposed measures were illegal. “The employees are represented by a collective bargaining unit, the terms and conditions are determined by the collective bargaining process,” said Town Council member Thomas Urbelis.