Andover voters OK deal to bring 600 new jobs
May 1—Voters approved a tax increment financing agreement with Flagship Pioneering, a company looking to bring 600 jobs to its new campus at 3000 Minuteman Drive.
About 400 residents turned out Monday night for the first night of annual Town Meeting to vote on warrant articles for 3 1/2 hours at the J. Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts at Andover High School.
The TIF agreement will bring Flagship Pioneering, "a venture creation firm" based in Cambridge, to Andover. Flagship has created more than 100 companies, including Moderna, which developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Flagship is expected to bring the 600 new jobs to Andover over 10 years and spend $325 million to develop the site, according to the agreement.
Flagship would develop 400,000 square feet of lab, office and manufacturing space, according to the town. The company also plans to spend $78 million on personal property, such as equipment.
The company would be exempt from paying $20 million in property taxes as part of the agreement.
The town estimates it would collect $55.6 million in property tax revenue over the course of the 20-year agreement as well as $13.6 million in personal property taxes.
Town Manager Andrew Flanagan said during his presentation that if 75% of the project commitments are not made within 10 years, the agreement can be revoked.
Voters also adopted a $223,821,556 town operating budget. The overall proposed budget of $234,752,077 represents a 3.6% increase.
Flanagan attributed the increase in part to rising resource costs, such as fuel, and contractual obligations. The budget also includes an increase in public safety personnel, which is partly offset by an increase in ambulance rates. He said there has not been an increase in public safety staff in more than a decade.
Flanagan said it is a budget that makes "investments in all functions of government." The budget will fund major capital improvements and infrastructure.
On the school side, Superintendent Magda Parvey said the budget would expand coaching, continue curriculum development, expand support for students with emotional and behavioral needs, and improve transportation. About 80% of the budget funds personnel costs, she said.
Two articles were approved that allow the town to use electronic voting at Town Meeting. This system will not allow residents to vote from home, but proponents say it would make Town Meeting more efficient, private and accurate.
Electronic voting was recommended by a committee tasked with finding ways to improve Andover government. Voting would be done with handheld devices.
About 70 Massachusetts communities use electronic voting.
Similar proposals were defeated at two previous Town Meetings, with residents citing security concerns. Proponents argued at a Select Board meeting earlier this year that the devices are secure, citing their use in Congress and at the New Hampshire State House.
It would cost $40,000 to implement electronic voting.
