To the inhabitants of the Town of Andover, County of Merrimack, State of New Hampshire, qualified to vote in town affairs.
You are hereby notified that due to the prevalence of COVID-19 and the number of people who attend Town Meeting, this year’s meeting will be via the Zoom virtual platform. You may join the meeting via Zoom or by dialing the phone number below. You will need the meeting ID, also below.
There will be two sessions, the first, an informational meeting on March 9, 2021 at 7 PM. You will be given the opportunity to submit questions and comments between March 9 and March 16, 2021. Your questions may be submitted to AndoverNH2021@nullgmail.com or left in the drop box located by the Town Office door.
The second virtual session will be held on March 16, 2021 at 7 PM when submitted questions will be addressed at that time. Voting will take place by voter’s choice of in-person or drive-through ballot vote 11 AM to 7 PM on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The Zoom link and the phone number are:
Topic: 2021 Andover NH Town Meeting
Time: March 9 at 7 PM and March 16 at 7 PM
Join the Zoom meeting at us02web.zoom.us/j/3418462200 or (929) 205-6099.
Meeting ID: 341 846 2200
Article 1: To choose all necessary town officers for the ensuing year. (By ballot vote during polling hours 11 AM to 7 PM on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.)
Article 2: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $1,930,821 for general municipal operations. This article does not include appropriations contained in special or individual articles addressed separately. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Article 3: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $40,000 to be added to the following Expendable Trust Funds previously established. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Forest Fire Labor: $5,000
Town Buildings: $20,000
Transfer Station Projects: $15,000
Article 4: To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $251,326 to be added to the following Capital Reserve Funds previously established. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Revaluation: $12,826
Highway Equipment – Grader: $15,000
Highway Projects: $150,000
Police Cruiser Replacement: $13,500
Transfer Station Equipment: $10,000
Bridge Rehabilitation: $50,000
Article 5: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $6,000 to be added to the Solar Energy Capital Reserve Fund previously established. These funds come from the Unreserved Fund Balance. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Article 6: To see if the Town will vote to establish a Boiler Replacement Capital Reserve Fund under the provisions of RSA 35:1 for replacement of the boiler at the Town Office and Andover Public Library and to raise and appropriate the sum of $5,000 to be placed in this fund. The funds for this article to come from the Unreserved Fund Balance. Further, to name the Select Board as agents to expend from said fund. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Article 7: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum not to exceed $40,000 for an engineering study and site plan for a highway department garage to be built on the Town property at 41 Salisbury Highway. These funds come from the Unreserved Fund Balance. This is a special warrant article. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Article 8: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the selectmen to enter into a five (5) year lease-purchase agreement in the amount of $123,400 for the purpose of leasing (to own) a backhoe, and to raise the sum of $26,180 for the first year’s payment for that purpose. No lease agreement will be entered into without an escape clause. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Article 9: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to enter into six (6) year lease (to own) agreement in the amount of $128,500 for the leasing of a dump truck, and to raise and appropriate the sum of $22,944 for the first year’s payment for that purpose. No lease agreement will be entered into without an escape clause. The Select Board and the Budget Committee recommend this article. Majority vote required.
Article 10: To see if the Town will vote to designate the Select Board as Agents to Expend from the Transfer Station Expendable Trust established in 2019. This is a housekeeping article.
Article 11: To see if the town will vote to designate the Select Board as Agents to Expend from the Revaluation Capital Reserve Fund. This is a housekeeping article.
Article 12: I, Herbie Barton, propose to the Town of Andover NH to purchase all equipment and tools for a full-time highway department and to build a highway garage. I propose we get a bond to pay for this. The money will come from the existing highway department budget from the rental and lease section to make the payments. We will only need to spend $170,000 a year of the $300,000 in this section. The program for 10 years will have to have a bond not to exceed $1.5 million. This article is submitted by petition.
Article 13: WHEREAS, the Medicare for All Act of 2019 (HR 1384/S 1129) would provide national health insurance for every person in the United States for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and
WHEREAS the health and quality of life for the resident of Andover will improve with Medicare-for-All because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, without limited networks and without co-pays and deductibles; and
WHEREAS the Medicare-for-All Act of 2019 would result in the elimination of town and school district insurance costs and result in lower property taxes for the residents of Andover.
FY 2021 Budgeted Health costs (information available December 7, 2020):
Town of Andover: $106,762
Andover School District: $501,460 (approximately 8.6% of school budget)
BE IT RESOLVED that the voters of Andover, New Hampshire support the Medicare for All Acts of 2019, and instruct for Andover’s congressional representatives to work toward its immediate enactment, assuring appropriate and efficient health care for all residents of the United States.
IF a MAJORITY of voters support the question, the Select Board shall immediately send a written notice to Andover’s US congressional delegation informing them of the instructions of their constituents within 30 days of the vote. This article is submitted by petition.
Article 14: To transact any other business that may come legally before this meeting.