MMA announces town report winners

Brookline, Foxborough, Tyngsborough and Northfield took the top prizes in their respective categories in the MMA’s Annual Town Report Contest.

The award winners were recognized during the MMA’s Connect 351 conference in Boston on Jan. 23.

The following communities received awards:
Category 1 (population above 30,000)
1st place: Brookline
2nd place: Andover
3rd place: Arlington

Category 2 (population of 15,001-30,000)
1st place: Foxborough
2nd place: Middleborough
3rd place: Concord

Category 3 (population of 5,000-15,000)
1st place: Tyngsborough
2nd place: Weston
3rd place: Littleton

Category 4 (population below 5,000)
1st place: Northfield
2nd place: Avon
3rd place: Hubbardston

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 Greg Federspiel, a retired manager who most recently served as the town administrator in Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Keith Bergman, a retired town manager who now serves as a senior advisor for the International City/County Management Association and the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association.