So, I'd like to call the Thursday, July 31st, 2025 meeting of the Gardener City Council Finance Committee to order. The assistant clerk will please call the role. Councelor Durlowitz, present. Councelor Hegland, present. Councelor Mack, present.
Next up on our agenda is uh reading, review, and approval of meeting minutes. We have the meeting minutes from April 30th, 2025, May 14th, 2025, and May 29th, 2025. I'll move to dispense with the reading of the minutes and accept them as presented. Second.
Motion made by councelor Heglin, second by councelor Matt to dispense with the reading of the minutes and accept them as presented. Is there further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carries. Um I think I missed the announcement of the open meeting recordings as posted by the
door. Um and is anyone here recording today's meeting other than staff? None. Next on is uh first time on the agenda uh item uh 11622 an order authorizing the mayor to enter into a renewed intermunicipal agreement
with the town of Ashby for veteran services expiring on June 30th 2028. Mr. Mayor director. Thank you very much Mr. Chairman. This is a renewal of the one-year agreement that we had with the town of Ashby uh to that we got just to get us through the
fiscal year. Um the uh work has been going well so far with the town. As always, what we do is whenever we give the initial uh IMA with the community for veteran services, we normally charge $2 per individual in the population of that community. That's
what builds up that base number. And then every year after that, we do a 2 and a half% increase um or 2% increase. 3% increase. Thank you. I knew it was one of the two or three. Um, but that's how the numbers get set for that IMA. Um, and how we've traditionally done it with all the other
communities that were in here. So, this does include a 3% increase every year from the original IMA that we gave that we're would be renewing uh in this agreement uh that was there and that was initially again $2 per every person in the total population of the town since our minimum staffing levels that are set
by state law are determined by the full population of the town, not just the veterans population of the town. Uh so when we started to regionalize the department that was the agreement that myself and the previous director came up with that we've kind of just continued with um with the new director um and
things seem to be going good. The workload is still manageable by the department from the reports to me um and we're happy to answer any questions that you have. M um I just have a question. I know we have multiple agreements. This one
happened to expire on June 30th. Um, as we're on July 31st, does do any of the services get interrupted in the month that this is lagged? No, we we fill in as in basically uh the only thing that gets delayed is us issuing the invoice to them. Um, but
Ashley Ashb is fully uh on board with us supporting regardless of the IMA um being slightly delayed or not. and the delay uh delay the delay of it is unfortunately on me. Um I just missed
the date of of re resubmitting it. So we also wanted to make sure Ashby approved it before we sent it up to the council. So that's why you have the signed version there too which took them some time to get it in front of their select board to sign it. No other questions though. Thank you for asking that and then for kind of owning
that and taking the accountability. It is I don't think it's the end of the world by any means but it's just nice to see someone own it someday. Thank you for that. Good job. It was good to see it was, you know, addressed in a fairly timely manner. So, it's here in front of us. Services are continuing. Um, and happy
to hear it all. Um, I have no further questions though for either. I'll recommend um authorizing the order uh passing the authorized order to the full council. Um, on behalf of the finance committee, second motion made by councelor Max, second by councelor Hedgedin to
recommend authorization of the order to the full council. Is there any further discussion hearing? Hear none. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed. Motion carries. Item 11623, an order transferring $10,000 from building department salary and wages
account to operating expense account. Sir, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, this is a uh similar to what we did when Christine Fusil was helping out in the community development department. A couple other people have helped out in various departments here, too. Uh, this is so that we can have an interim building commissioner. While the position is
currently still vacant, uh we are currently vetting a couple of applicants that we have for the position. It did take us a while to get those applicants, but we have a handful now that we're currently reviewing. Uh so I don't well I'm hopeful that we'll be able to fill the position sooner than later. Um I will say that we do have a plan B where
I've also started reaching out to a couple of the area communities about a potential regionalized service if we aren't able to find someone who meets within the bounds of uh the current budget, the qualifications. Uh the building commissioner position is one that's actually outlined very specifically by Mass General Law. Every
community is required to have one by law. That's a uh at least 75 person if not a full-time person, but full-time is recommended. Uh the qualifications for this person to be a building commissioner. Uh is that they have to already have passed their local inspector exam and then have an 18-month
period in which they're required to take their commissioner's exam. at which time if they don't take the exam at that point they are descertified by the state uh and then are no longer eligible for the position on the city side of things. So there's very you know a very niche population that's eligible to apply for
the position. Um and then even still we can conditionally appoint under the state laws if someone has not already taken their building commissioner exam but that means that they can only uh they have to have a probationary period of that 18 months in which they have to sit for the exam. uh and if they don't pass, then they're no longer eligible to
hold that position and that title at that time. Uh so it is something that we're working through. Uh retired uh former commissioner Jeff Cook has been filling in in the interim. Uh so this would be for his uh interim contract uh that we have here too. Uh he did start earlier uh in the fiscal year just so we
could get someone in the door for his zoning determinations um and the other things that only a building commissioner has the authority under state law to do. that zoning determinations, uh, certificates of occupancy, uh, various other, uh, permits and certificates that the building department issues can only
be done by a commissioner, uh, and not by a local inspector, which is the two that we have now. Uh, so he has been working. There's about 5 grand that's already uh, been invoiced to the city of this $10,000 authorization that you have here, too. So, that's why the authorization would be for 10,000 instead of the usual five that we come
for is because to get us just where we needed to be to catch up was the initial 5,000. and now he's uh helping us out by doing 8 hours a week uh just to make sure that things are caught up uh on the way. So he's in on Mondays and Thursdays for a total of 8 hours uh over the course of the week.
Thank you. Questions? Um if there is no hire, which it sounds helpful, but are you going to have to just reup this contract? Have you thought about what that might look like if um so it actually it couldn't be
um Commissioner Cook's contract that where he's a retiree, he's capped the number of hours that he has a year. Uh and he's not doing just interim for us, but he's also helping out with interim and a couple other communities, too. So, he's about to hit his 12,200 hours uh for his retirement cap. So, we we're we're working right now on figuring out
what the best solution would be. That's okay. Um, no. I'm just I'm glad that you're looking at other options in case um you can't find somebody immediate. I mean, because this is an important position and delays cost money. Yeah.
For residents and contractors. Um, so at this point, you don't do you anticipate needing more than the 10,000 because of his cap? Right now, I don't believe we'll need more than that. If there's something that were to come up that requires the commissioner's like thorough examination
and review and stuff like that, then we may in that time period um because he may need to work more than 8 hours that week. But for now, I believe this to be sufficient. Have other questions with the inter municipal agreements for a building commissioner? Um is that
common especially for smaller communities or We used to have one uh we used to do Hoverson's uh inspections. Okay. Um but that was with us running Harvard. Uh really haven't done one where it's the smaller town working with the city before. Yeah. Um but that seems turned on its head a little
bit. Exactly. You know veteran services where the bigger bigger community more um more people here to help get the services. So yeah I don't know if how that might look but something that has to be worked out if if we go
that route if we need to go that way. Yeah. Again and that's just more checking to make sure we have a plan A, B, and C. Um, we'll see how it goes with the internal applicants. Um, and we'll go from there. Thank you. I have nothing further. I actually just one thing you just
inspired. So, with these contracts, if we had I mean, we had a few already. It's good. I think we've had people willing to jump in. Um, is there any thought of each department creating one of these preemptively or a plan if if
this is to be the case? We've done a few, we we may have to do more. Um, I think what's tough about the process is obviously, you know, we don't get we're not involved in the contract part of it. Um, but then the money is needed from the council and we we're kind of compelled to support it cuz we got to
pay these people doing work for us. So, I don't know if they're just, you know, we have subs for the high school. It could be like that obviously, but it's far more involved. But yeah, it's it's it's hard too because it all depends on which position is there and who's around to help with that position at that time. So, for instance, we had someone who was going to help out
in uh community development with some of the CDBG reporting who then got a promotion at their own job and was no longer able to help us out because the time commitments for the new job were different than the old job. Um, so it's one of those things where it's kind of fluid. So, it's hard to plan ahead of time. I understand what you're saying completely. It's just one of those I
don't know the solution for it. Thank you. Yeah. That's it for me. A motion. Yeah. I'll move the uh order move to recommend to the full council the order be adopted. Second. Motion made by councelor Hegman, second by councelor Mack to recommend the full
council adoption of the quarter. All those in Is there any further discussion? Hear none. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed. Motion carries. Uh section three in subcommittee item 11482 discussions regarding the city's health insurance payments and trust
fund. Um any updates today? Mr. Not today, Mr. Chairman. just same old start going through the fiscal year um and closing out the old fiscal year. Uh the I believe it's a $1.7 million balance right now. That was what might where I'd be curious at this point. 1.2 was the mark we're
kind of shooting for, but 1.7 is between 1.6 and two is where the range we try to stay at. That's okay. So, we're at that comfortable range. So, that's good to hear. And that's based off it's a recommended is a certain percentage of what's called your IBNR. So, you're incurred but not reported. Uh that's basically the bills
you know are outstanding that haven't hit the account yet. Um and the do recommends that your trust fund be at I want to say it's 5 to 10% of your IBNR. So where that's where we get that $1.6 to $2 million range. So we are within our range with our IBNR just um the
closer to the higher level of that is the more comfortable area you could be. But different than where we were at one point um you know we had to get it sorted out. So good to hear. Yeah. Questions? I have nothing further. We can This is objection. Keep this item on our on our calendar.
Sure. Keep this item on the calendar. Excuse me. Item 11517, proposal by President Tyros. The city council discuss the city's current sexual harassment policy and other city policies. Um I'm not sure if there's any type of update here on policies, but I think the reality is this needs to be a
kind of a different item at some point. Right. Yeah. I I was going to suggest I mean I think as new policies are created they you know we just kind of have a understanding that we just want to be updated on new policies has come out. I think we've had this in our agenda a while and there hasn't been any any more
information presented to us. Yeah. I mean it's something that we're still continuing to work on and as I've done in the past when we've just updated them too. I'm happy to let you know uh when those get done and just inform you what those look like. But um happy to do that moving forward if that's something you'd prefer instead. But um there's a
lot currently just being worked on. It's just still in the drafting phase. Anything? No, I don't I don't think I have any objection to that. Um I like the formality of this. I will say that it guarantees at least we're going to talk about it, but you're busy and you forget
and things come up. But on the other hand, it's a courtesy that you're extending us by, I think, including us in the policy. So, um I certainly wouldn't reject if we removed it, but um and where we haven't had a chance to have the director before us.
That's my only other hesitation. I guess be nice to have heard from her and and been able to talk with her last time, but um I could see the, you know, desire to remove it, too. I think in its current form, um it's I mean, we did get we talked to her about this obviously this policy that's
specifically mentioned on here. Um, and I just having having this item on here, I think it should be removed. My hope is in the fall to start doing the updates from um each department again. Um, where we'd have a chance to hit those points.
Um, so if we're I don't know if that would suffice for a really cool way to do it. Once the September hits, start having a few of them um few of the department heads in and we'll have a chance to discuss things like this with um the director at that point. Yeah, that's awesome. That' be great.
And I think it's important in advance that she just know that that's going to be one of the things we're going to look for any update policy so you know she can have them available to us for that presentation. I think I think that's a great idea. Um is there a motion in regards to this one? I'll make a motion to remove item
11517 from our calendar. Second made by councelor Max, seconded by councelor Hland to remove item 11517 from our calendar. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed. Motion carries. Um
obtain a motion to adjurnn. Second. Motion made by councelor he seconded by councelor Mack. Uh motion to adjurnn. All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carries. We stand adjourned. Thank you everyone. Thanks.