Andover enhances online and in-person public engagement

MMA Innovation Award winner, From The Beacon, February 2022

In a quest to engage the public more fully, the town of Andover has been going both online and on the road to meet its residents where they are – whether it’s in front of a computer screen, on the sidelines of a soccer field, or at a neighborhood event.

Over the past year, Andover has undertaken two initiatives to provide better service and more information to its residents: Andover Data, an online portal that shares town statistics and detailed performance data, and the Andover Mobile Town Hall, a van that takes town services into the neighborhoods.

The initiatives represent Andover’s ongoing efforts to enhance communication and interaction with residents. These efforts have received significant buy-in from Town Meeting, the Select Board and the Finance Committee, said Town Manager Andrew Flanagan.

“I think everybody’s coming along with us in acknowledging that the needs of the community are changing, the expectations for service delivery are changing,” Flanagan said. “And they’re supporting us with the resources to effectively meet that changing demand.”

Launched in April 2021, Andover Data serves as a hub of municipal data and furthers the town’s goal of increasing transparency around its operations. The hub provides data on everything from customer-service response rates and budget graphs to streetlight locations and trees. The town wanted to display the information generated from its 311 customer response program, and find a larger audience for information from its annual town reports.

The portal took about six months to develop, but cost little because Andover relied on employees and existing software to build it, said Assistant Town Manager Patrick Lawlor. He said the new format has inspired employees to think more creatively about displaying information.

“It has excited some departments to get involved with it, so we’re thrilled with how that’s going,” Lawlor said.

This past September, the town unveiled its Mobile Town Hall, a Ford Transit van outfitted with technology allowing residents to pay municipal bills, renew dog licenses, and register to vote, among other transactions. Officials said the van allows the town to make services more accessible to residents who are gathered for local sporting events, attending town celebrations, or spending time in their neighborhoods.

“When we think about our level of resident engagement, we know that the residents who live further away from the Town Office Building are less engaged than those who live closer,” Lawlor said. “So the neighborhood services approach really was also a catalyst for the Mobile Town Hall, because now we’re able to get out there into the neighborhoods, answer neighborhood-specific questions, but also try to build engagement with people we might not interact with as often.”

A grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security covered most of the vehicle’s cost. Andover’s facilities and information technology departments worked to secure the vehicle and customize it with workstations connected to the town’s municipal software, an external device charging system, and a publicly accessible Wi-Fi system.

Town employees operate the van and assist residents with their transactions, and the library, for instance, has been eyeing the van as a way to get more books out into the community. Andover has also been seeking residents’ suggestions about where the van should travel on future trips.

In envisioning uses for the Mobile Town Hall, officials said they were also mindful of a three-day power outage in 2017 and the September 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions that hit Andover, Lawrence and North Andover. During emergencies, residents will be able to charge their devices and make use of the van’s internet access.

For more information, contact Assistant Town Manager Patrick Lawlor at Patrick.Lawlor@andoverma.us.