ANDOVER — Voters will decide at Town Meeting if they want Andover police officers removed from civil service status so the town can have more control of hiring and promotions.
Town Meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Collins Center at Andover High School, 100 Shawsheen Road.
Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and other town officials held a public forum Thursday to preview the warrant and discuss the articles to be decided at Town Meeting.
One of those would revoke the town’s acceptance of civil service status for its police officers. The article comes as a request from Flanagan.
The goal is for the town to maintain the professionalism of the police department “that’s competitive with our comparable communities,” Flanagan said.
Andover first adopted the civil service law in the 1930s. All Andover public safety employees are in the civil service system.
In the past, Flanagan said, the system standardized hiring practices with an exam-based program with scores and the compilation of a list of qualified candidates. A municipality would then be required to hire off the list.
The civil service system relies on a state exam offered every two years. Flanagan said this may prevent the town from filling a vacancy until a new list is generated.
Flanagan said there is also less of a crush of job seekers now for positions than in the past.
Moving away from civil service would give the town and police department more flexibility to design a hiring process based on Andover’s priorities, the town manager said.
The town would have greater control over promotions with the ability to set higher, role-specific qualification standards. Flanagan said it would also lend itself to a faster hiring process and reduce vacancies as well as lower overtime costs tied to those staff vacancies.
Removing the civil service status would also remove age restrictions and allow preference for local candidates.
Both Andover police unions would still need to negotiate revoking the civil service status, but police Chief Patrick Keefe said the two police unions are “overwhelming” in support of the change.
“It will allow us to streamline our hiring process and allow us to compete with other departments,” Keefe said.