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Finance committee recommends multiple measures to full council, withdraws two items
Summary
The committee recommended several measures to the full council (Growing Places renovations, Greenwood pool signage transfer, hazard-mitigation plan, intermunicipal animal-control agreement, transfer-station role, salary transfers and related ordinances), withdrew two items at the mayor's request (chief of staff job description and related ordinance) and left other items for further review.
The Gardner finance committee voted to recommend a slate of measures to the full city council and took administrative action on several other agenda items during its meeting.
Measures recommended to the full council included: a request from Growing Places to make permanent refrigeration-related changes at the Waterford Community Center; an order transferring approximately $4,160 for signage at Greenwood Memorial Pool; adoption of the city's hazard mitigation plan; an intermunicipal animal-control agreement with the town of Harbertson covering July 1, 2026through June 30, 2029; designation of a transfer station safety program development and compliance coordinator as a special municipal employee under MGL chapter 268A section 20D; and a mayoral order transferring roughly $25,128 from the mayor's unclassified salary reserve to general-fund salary accounts. Committee members moved, seconded and carried the recommendations by voice vote where recorded.
At the mayor's request, the committee approved withdrawal of item 11814 (a proposed chief-of-staff job description) and related ordinance amendment 11816A that would have adjusted the non-union compensation schedule, citing current budget constraints.
The committee split an ordinance (11841) to separate the transfer-station position from a proposed golf administrative assistant. It recommended 11841A (transfer-station position) to the full council. Discussion on 11841B (the golf administrative assistant) centered on whether the golf commission formally voted to authorize the change, the absence of a citywide remote-work policy, and the need for a legal opinion; the committee held 11841B for further review and requested additional documentation and a possible solicitor opinion.
Several items were left on the committee calendar for follow-up, including the TIE proposal for 94 Pleasant Street and a salt-shed repayment study. The committee adjourned after scheduling further financial-outlook presentations from the council president and city auditor.
