Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Council Votes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gardner City Council approves licenses, small budget transfers and job‑description update
Summary
At its Dec. 15 meeting the Gardner City Council approved multiple motor vehicle dealer licenses, two small intra-department transfers (totaling $11,490.59), and updated the city auditor job description; a proposed parking ordinance amendment was withdrawn for rewrite.
The Gardner City Council on Monday approved a slate of routine votes, including business license renewals, two intra-department transfers and a city code update to the auditor job description.
Councilor Cormier told the council the Public Safety Committee had unanimously recommended approval of several Class 2 motor vehicle dealer license applications — including AC Auto Clinic, Gardner Automart Inc., Gardner Motors LLC, Mike’s Auto, Rick’s Radiator Repair, Jay Wood Inc., Riverside Auto, TJ and Sons Auto Repair and Towing Inc., MTM Auto LLC, and FJ Drive Zone. "These are all businesses that are in good standing with the city, and we were unanimously in favor and therefore I move to approve all applications," Cormier said. The motion to approve the list carried by voice vote.
The council also approved a Class 3 renewal for Riverside Auto (65 Riverside Road) after the safety committee report and a unanimous recommendation from Councilor Cormier.
On finance matters, the council adopted an order transferring $10,867.80 from the auditing department salary line to the auditing department professional services account. Councilor Hegland said the move is intended to pay up to six weeks of external contractor work while the city recruits a new auditor; he said any unused funds can be returned to the salary line with a future council vote. The finance transfer passed on an 8-0 roll-call vote.
Councilor Mack moved and the council approved a $1,622.79 transfer from city council salaries to office supplies to purchase a new "owl" recording device for the council chambers, intended to improve meeting recordings and provide a backup.
Councilor Hegland moved to update the city code with a revised auditor job description (chapter 3, subsection 3-6). Councilor Mack described a special committee's careful line-by-line review and noted the committee found that some job descriptions had been changed earlier in the year outside the prescribed process; the council approved the code update.
A proposed ordinance to amend Gardner's parking code was withdrawn for further work (see separate article). No controversial or legally binding budget reallocations beyond the small transfers were adopted.
The council adjourned after brief closing remarks from the council president.
