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Appointments committee recommends re-election of current treasurer and collector of taxes
Summary
The Appointments Committee reviewed the mayor’s nomination and recommended the incumbent treasurer and collector of taxes be elected by the council effective Aug. 4, 2025; the treasurer described payroll, debt oversight and online payment upgrades as core duties and flagged borrowing costs and equipment/file upgrades as near-term fiscal concerns.
On July 30, 2025, the Gardener City Council Appointments Committee voted to recommend that the full council elect the city’s current treasurer as treasurer and collector of taxes effective Aug. 4, 2025. The committee’s recommendation followed a detailed briefing from the incumbent treasurer and a short discussion about systems and fiscal pressures.
The treasurer described the dual role’s responsibilities, saying the office processes payroll for all city employees, administers accounts payable, manages debt service and reconciles bank statements to the general ledger. “The treasurer plays an important role in the city. It’s wearing two different hats,” the treasurer said in opening remarks, outlining payroll processing, tax remittances and vendor payments.
The treasurer told the committee the office processes weekly federal and state tax payments, prepares annual W-2 forms and oversees automated clearing and electronic funds transfers for vendors. The office also manages parking meter receipts, 37 regular bank accounts, 22 escrow accounts and a retirement account, and reconciles daily online payments. “The city is currently rated AA minus,” the treasurer said when asked about the city’s credit rating.
On revenue and borrowing, the treasurer said the city has roughly $11,000,000 of debt inside the statutory borrowing limit and about $55,500,000 outside the debt limit, and cautioned that rising interest rates increase the cost of borrowing. “Until we see a change in that, I’d be hesitant to borrow money,” the treasurer said, describing higher recent interest rates compared with prior lows.
Committee members asked about operational challenges and upcoming system upgrades. The treasurer said an upgrade in the online-billing system should allow water, sewer and trash bills to be uploaded for online payment within roughly six months, improving convenience for taxpayers. The treasurer also said the office had resolved a prior reporting discrepancy with the auditor’s office that stemmed from a missing report and that the auditor now receives that information regularly.
Councilor Hageland moved to recommend the measure to the full council and Chair Heath seconded; the committee approved the recommendation by voice vote. The committee’s transcript does not record a roll-call tally.
The committee chair said the group intends to use the same review process for other council-elected positions (auditor and city clerk) in their respective election years. The measure now goes to the full council for the formal election on or after Aug. 4, 2025.
