Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Andover, Auburn, Lee and Avon took the top prizes in their respective categories in the MMA’s Annual Town Report Contest.
The award winners were recognized during the Connect 351 conference in Boston on Jan. 24.
The following communities received awards:
Category 1 (population above 30,000)
1st place: Andover
2nd place: Shrewsbury
3rd place: Arlington and Falmouth (tie)
Category 2 (population of 15,001-30,000)
1st place: Auburn
2nd place: Westwood
3rd place: Foxborough
Category 3 (population of 5,000-15,000)
1st place: Lee
2nd place: Westminster
3rd place: Tyngsborough
Category 4 (population below 5,000)
1st place: Avon
2nd place: Leyden
3rd place: Phillipston
Judging criteria include visual appeal, arrangement of material, layout and cover design, presentation of statistics and data, summary of the year’s achievements, evidence of local planning for the future, and the report’s usefulness.
State law (Ch. 40, Sect. 49) requires towns to prepare and publish an annual town report before their annual town meeting. The reports typically include financial information, highlights of the previous calendar year, reports from major boards, committees and key officials (including the select board), election results, and town meeting information.
Serving as judges for the MMA contest this year were Bill Keegan, a retired town manager in Foxborough who also served in Dedham, Seekonk and Shrewsbury, and Carl Valente, a retired town manager who served in Lexington, Weston and Needham.