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I would like to call the Wednesday, July 29th, 2026 meeting of the Gardner City Council Finance Committee to order. The clerk will please call roll. >> Um, Counselor Zurolo. >> Present. >> Counselor Wagner. >> Present. >> And Counselor Matthews. >> Present. >> Announcement of open meeting recordings.

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The open meeting recording notice is posted on the wall over there. Is anyone here recording other than staff? Noted there is none. Um, we shall have the review and approval of the meeting minutes. There are none under subject two, we have first [clears throat] time on first time

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on the on the agenda. Um, we have five items which we are going to take as a group. I'll read those out now. Item 11895, a measure transferring various FY2026 salary and wage appropriations to various FY2026 operating expense

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um, appropriations. Item 11896, a measure transferring various FY2026 operating expense appropriations to various FY2026 salary and wage appropriations. Item 11897, a measure transferring various FY2026

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departmental salary and wage appropriations to other various FY2026 depart- departmental salary and wage appropriations. Item 11898, a measure transferring various FY2026 departmental operating expense appropriations to various other

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FY2026 departmental operating expense appropriations. And item 11899, an order transferring various FY2026 departmental salary and wage appropriations to the FY2026 departmental operating expense appropriations. >> Mr. Mayor.

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>> Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. These are all of the year-end closeout transfers uh, that uh, have to be done for the end of the fiscal year. The first four are department within department, and the last one is department across department. So, from one department to another, that's the difference that are there. Salaries to

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salaries, expenses to expenses, and so on from there. Uh, these all require separate votes uh, per the general laws of the Commonwealth, but this should help get everything wrapped up before the FY 2026 fiscal year. >> Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate the detail in there of uh broken down to each department in each of those

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sections of how [clears throat] um and where the money's being transferred. It's very uh informative of especially for future budgeting maybe where we can change things uh going forward. Uh so, thank you for that. Are there any further questions or comments from the committee on I can go one by

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one if there's questions. Um or if there's no questions, we can move on. >> No questions from me. >> Questions from me. >> All right. I'll I'll just add the thank you to the city auditor for all the work that you did to put this in. >> Yes, thank you very much. Uh is there anything else you have to add

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uh on these? >> No or no. >> Thank you. >> Um I would entertain a motion on the five of them. >> We move to recommend to the full council that measures be adopted pending suspension of the rules. >> Second. >> Motion made by Council Hedlund, second

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by Council Matt to recommend passage of the measures suspension of the rules. Is there any further [clears throat] discussion? None. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed. Motion carries. On to subsection three RE and sub

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committee. First, we have item 11836 measure adopting the city's hazard mitigation plan. Uh we were still waiting for a FEMA update on the so, just continue to hold this here with the committee. Uh I'm going to quickly [clears throat] jump and take item 11867 out of order an

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order transferring salary appropriations from the city clerk's department to audit department expenses. This item was rolled into the previous um previous orders we just sent up to the council approval um and um I would entertain removing this from our calendar. >> So moved. >> Second.

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>> Motion made by Council Hedlund, second by Council Matt to remove item 11867 from our calendar um an order transferring salary from the city clerk department to water department expenses. Any further discussion? None. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye.

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>> Opposed? It carries. Back to items 11862, an ordinance to increase oversight professional development and travel, as well as item 11870, an ordinance to increase financial transparency, financial governance, and budget preparedness. These were put

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forth by counselor Heglund. I took took them as a group last time, so I'll take them as a group again. Counselor Heglund. >> Thank you. I looked over the form that the mayor got us from HR. I thought it was pretty thorough and good. It definitely included parts of my ordinance anyway,

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which I appreciated. So, I don't have any objections or or additions. Obviously, I'm still hoping to see this go through. Just at least again as codifying bare minimum, so that if we do have a change in mayor, and they want to change the policy, there's at least a foundation that they have to work from.

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>> The only thing I'll add if I could, [clears throat] Mr. Chairman, is and Counselor Matt did ask this question to me in an email, meals was one of the checkboxes on the form. Right now, the practice that we've done is if you are in an overnight out of city conference, you get one meal per

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day you're there. We are looking at various different communities policies to see what they do to make sure that there's some parameters with that too, so that it's not that that that we're controlling that someone's not going to the most expensive steak house in the spot that they go, but actually just getting what

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they need on the city's dime, and everything else is on the ownership of the person that's there. >> One of everything on the menu. >> Yeah, exactly. Yeah. >> I get that's good. Counselor Matt. >> No, that was my only concern that we we should have a more defined meals policy. >> It currently is not a set monetary

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amount per day. It's just one meal. >> Just one meal. Yeah. >> Maybe something else too. Set amount, and if they want to get three out of that amount, >> Yeah. for them. So, take item 11862

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first. Is there a motion? >> I make a motion that we recommend the ordinance to the full council for for approval. >> Second. >> Councilman Max second by Councilman Hagman to recommend passage of the ordinance to the full council.

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Is there any further discussion? If none, all those in favor say aye. As opposed, motion carried. >> Mr. Chairman, just on that to clarify too, that's the current practice. We're codifying it into a policy, too. It was one of those things that that was what the directive of HR was, but it was never codified somewhere. So, now it's

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actually being codified into the travel policy. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. On to with item 11870, which I've already read into the record. Again, Councilman Hagman, this is your ordinance. Feel free to speak on it. >> Thank you. I [clears throat] am I checked in actually both of these with

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the auditor. She had no concerns or objections. The mayor, I know is in support of this as well. Um, other than there's one tiny typo on the first page I got to fix just when I was ABCD. There's two B's I got to delete a B. So, I'm going to correct the new one if we should send

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this up. I'll have that new one ready for Monday. Other than that, I'm hoping to see it go through. >> Further comments from the committee? Mr. Mayor, anything to add? >> No comments. >> I'll make a motion that we send this item up to the full council for approval. >> Second. >> Councilman Max second by Councilman

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Hagman to recommend passage of this this ordinance to the full council. Is there any further discussion? If none, all those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> As opposed, motion carried. We have item 11875, a measure authorizing the city to enter into a tax

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increment exemption tie agreement with with the property located at 94 Pleasant Street. Mr. Mayor. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. The developer who this would be with reached out over the weekend. He's actually looking into different avenues of funding for this project and asked that this be withdrawn at this time.

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>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. With that being said, I didn't intend to push to remove the item from our calendar. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Should be by the counselor Hagman, seconded by counselor Mack to remove the item from our calendar. Is there any uh further discussion? None. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed? Motion carries.

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Um item 11880, an order transferring reappropriated bond proceeds funds from the King Street Pool roof replacement project to the Perry Auditorium window replacement project. This uh as the others have been before us already. Uh Mr. Mayor, is there is

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there anything else you'd like to add on this? >> Same as before, Mr. Chairman. >> Uh any further comments? >> Nothing from me, Mr. Mack. >> All right, then I'll entertain a motion. >> Move to recommend to the full council that order be adopted. >> Second. >> Should be by counselor Hagman, seconded by counselor Mack to recommend adoption of the order to the full council.

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Is there any further discussion? If none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed? Motion carries. Item 11881, an order rescinding portions of reappropriated bond proceeds to various capital projects with a lifespan of at

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least 30 years as part of items 11499 and 11827. Uh Mr. Mayor, can you elaborate on this item? >> Uh basically what I said last week, Mr. Chairman, this would allow us to free up the funds in order to uh act on uh the item later on in the agenda about

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the abatement in the uh community center. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Any further discussion from the committee? >> I move to recommend to the full council that order be adopted. >> Second. >> Should be by counselor Hagman, seconded by counselor Mack to recommend adoption of the order to the full council. Is there any further dis- uh discussion?

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If none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed? Motion carries. Item 11884, an order to strengthen oversight and transparency of capital improvement planning and projects. Uh this was uh presented here uh by President Tyros

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last meeting. Something that I think we're going to at least I'd like to continue to look at and hold here with our our committee for this time. I don't know if there was any further discussion on it or other recommendations than that. Nothing [clears throat] to add at this time. Okay, we'll keep this item

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with the with the committee. Item 11885, an ordinance to amend section 21 of chapter 600 code of the city of Gardner thereof entitled parking meters parking meter fee fees waived to add a new exemption for

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blue star plates. Again, this was before us last time where Representative Donis adding a new section to to wave the the meters downtown for those with those plates. I don't know if there's anything further to add. >> Uh just like Council Hagland last time had some questions on the numbering of

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this ordinance. Uh it looks like there was a disconnect between the printed previous copy of the ordinance that put in the veterans exemptions and the online e-code. Uh so the version you see before you reflects the online version of the code just so it's more accurate to compare to what everyone sees. Um the

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title itself in the agenda should be 22 if that's the case too. So that's something that would have to uh be amended there too, but that's just the semantics of the I guess the lettering and numbering of the ordinance itself, but the language isn't changed. Um and we did get confirmation that

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if this were to pass Gardner would be the first community in the state to do this new legal exemption uh for this law that was passed recently for fallen police officers. >> Good news to me. >> Um any further questions or comments on this item? >> Just quickly I I noticed the same thing the agenda has 21 and I think the

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ordinance body was right at 22, but the title on that says 21. So I was going to move to amend the ordinance and the agenda items just by striking 21 and inserting in its place 22. >> Second. >> Motion made by uh [clears throat]

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Hagland second by Council Mack to uh make the corrections as stated. Uh is there any further discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. >> I'll make a motion that we send uh this item to the full council so the order can be adopted. >> Second.

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>> Uh motion made by Council Mack, second by Council Hedlund to recommend adoption of the amended uh order. Uh is there any further discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed? Motion carries. >> [clears throat] >> Item 11886,

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an order waiving parking meters downtown from December 1st, 2026 through January 1st, 2027. Uh we did discuss this um a little bit last meeting on a couple items that Council Hedlund brought up moving it to Small Business Saturday through Christmas, maybe shifting it. Um

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also getting input from uh people uh business owners downtown um and what their thoughts were on the um park waiving the parking fees. Um I don't know if this this is that that's still in process, but yeah. >> Yeah, so yeah, ex- uh Interim Executive Aide Egan is currently

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uh creating a survey and will be going to all of downtown businesses with two questions. One, are they in favor of this of waiving the meters in general? And two, if the preferred timeline would be Small Business Saturday to Christmas or just doing the December um timeline there too. And once that's off and filed, I'll send it up to the Finance Committee.

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>> Appreciate it, Mr. Mayor. Um that being said, we'll just keep this item with the committee. >> Great. >> Item uh 11887, a measure accepting donations to the Gardner Animal Shelter. Item I'll take item 11888, a measure

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accepting donations for the Gardner Food Truck Festival by Gateway Fiber. And item 11890, a measure accepting a donation of $2,019 from Mayor Morse to the Police Department Domestic Violence Division. Uh these are all donations that we discussed um with the mayor last

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meeting. Um I need to entertain a motion to get this up to the full council. >> Second. >> Motion made by Councilor Teggeman, second by Councilor Mack to recommend adoption of these measures to the full council.

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Is there any further discussion? None. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion carries. We have item 11889, an order transferring funds from the DPW municipal shed account into the city's stabilization account.

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This is This version of this item has kind of been in front of us for a while. There's still another version of paperwork we're holding to speak on again. So, Mayor, do you have anything further to add on this transfer to start bringing the account back to where it was. >> Nothing further on this specific transfer for the closeout of the

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project. >> Anything further from the committee? Hearing none, move to recommend to the full council that the order be adopted. >> Second. >> Motion made by Councilor Teggeman, second by Councilor Mack to recommend adoption of the order to the full council. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor say

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aye. >> Aye. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. Item 11891, an ordinance to amend the code of the City of Gardner relative to regular review schedule for various rates and fees to ensure financial viability [clears throat] and responsibility.

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This was put forth by the Mayor to ensure we're reviewing the all the rates on a in a timely manner. Mr. Mayor, do you have anything further to add at this meeting? >> I just I know there were some questions about the numbering of the code on this one as

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well, too. This one here for the first two sections does insert a section where a section currently exists to make sure it remains within the same article of the code itself. I believe I emailed the committee to show an example of that where it would be in the code. So, that's why if you look at specific

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I don't have it in front of me on my computer right now, but let's say like section 92, there is an existing section 92, but the language of the ordinance self says insert this as 92 and renumber the next one as 93. Um so that's why that could be confusing there, too. Um and um but that's the way it's worded

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there just to keep all the like sections of the ordinance together. That's just to The other option would have been to do like a 92A, but I personally find that more confusing for the residents that are looking for a specific uh section themselves. And um you look at the general laws, I mean the laws governing our revolving accounts are 63

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section 93E and a half. Um to avoid all of the confusing same numbers, that's why that was written that [clears throat] way. >> They do this through Councilor I >> Thank you. I also pointed out in the third section about um the trash fees and bags, annual fees and trash bags. It

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looks like there still might be a slight discrepancy. So if there's no um objection, I'd like to just have it more time on it to keep it and then I'll meet with the mayor to check it out. >> Sounds good. I agree with that. Councilor Mack, anything further? >> No, nothing. >> Okay, we'll keep this item with us moving forward.

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>> We're going to have to clean it up then. I think it's uh it's a great idea to have this policy in place and um we'll see the the next version. Um excuse me. [clears throat] I'm going to go with 11892, order to reappropriate unexpended bond proceeds to other capital projects,

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Waterford asbestos abatement. Uh the mayor provided [snorts] um the June July updates that you could get got in there about the building >> [clears throat] >> as well. Uh Mr. Mayor, I don't know if you have anything to add. >> Uh just that, you know, this I I do think this work could be done uh correctly. I did speak about this with

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the Board of Health at their meeting uh earlier this week as well. Uh and they uh approved of the plan, not through an official vote, but through the the comments they made that they thought this was a good move for us to have to just clear the area of the abatement. Um Commissioner Jean is working on um

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a uh non-traditional work plan contractor to do at least the cleaning portion of it so that we can release the quarantine and get everyone else in there to do the work uh that needs to be done. Again, this would fully remove and replace all floor and ceiling tiles on the first floor

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and remove the floor and ceiling tiles on the second floor, leaving it just unfinished on the second floor, but that's we wouldn't be able to go up there anyway because we don't have an elevator. So, since it can't be public facing because it's not accessible, um there's really nothing we could use it for anyway, so that's why there's no

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really urgency to do that. And then running the uh five the water line into the building so that when we get funding for a phased in sprinkler system, we've already got something there without having to dig up the parking lot that's being repaved uh this fall or doing anything with the

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concrete work. Um I did get an estimate from excuse [clears throat] me uh the engineers on uh refining the look of the uh the scope of the concrete work because again, as you saw earlier that this the uh money that was approved for the concrete work in

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the total of the building uh was reassigned to this project if this passes and goes through. Um just to do the front main ramp, the ramp into the one-story wing that's along the horseshoe, the three ramps that are going into the one-story wing

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that are on the Wilder Field side, and the uh ramp that goes into the library next to where the refrigeration units are would be 83,000. Rather than if that including the sidewalks and the ramp in the back of the building, that's where we'd get closer to the 200,000. Um so, we are uh you know, working on either

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grant funding or other ways that we can look at funding the concrete work in the front of the building, too, because that's the most critical is the front entrance of it um and where that's a significantly less than if we did all concrete at once, uh it would make a big difference, too. >> I'm just going to open up the questions from the committee. >> Nothing for me, Counselor Maynard.

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>> Um I just asked as as what at our previous meeting as part of this discussion that I would like to see the uh report from the building commissioner on his in in foot on Waterford Street. There's There was [clears throat] in where things stand and what his recommendations are and what else needs to be done.

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I'm not I'm not going to tie up this item for that, but I just want to emphasize that I would like to see in the future meeting presented to us or to the full council. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Nothing further from me. >> Thank you. >> And I think that again that should that

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should be something we we should see um If possible Councilman you could send me a message and we'll create a maybe new item for the next um and we'll get that into >> that's part of our um part of our packet and our folders um so we don't

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lose track of anything. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um so with that being said I entertain a motion. >> Move to recommend to the full council the order be adopted. >> Second. >> Seconded by Council Heglund, seconded by Council Mac to recommend adoption of the order to the full council. Is there any further discussion?

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Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> All those opposed. Motion carries. Moving to subsection 4, discussion on the city's financial outlook. Councilor um City President Tyros was here last Finance Committee meeting discussing this item. It's something he's still working on

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with the mayor's office as well. So we're just going to continue to keep this on our agenda as something to um discuss in future. So with that being said, I would entertain a motion to adjourn. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Seconded by Council Heglund, seconded by Council Mac to adjourn. All those in favor [clears throat] say aye. >> Aye.

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>> All those opposed. Motion carries. Meeting stands adjourned. Thank you.