[Music] call the order like to call the appointments committee meeting of the Gardner City council's Monday June 17th 2024 at 7: p.m. meeting to order is anyone recording tonight's meeting I'd like to record to reflect that chair tyros councelor heglin and councelor Heath are present also present are mayor Nicholson Chief mcine and deputy chief morone reading and minutes reading and approval of minutes of Prior meetings August 25th 2023 October 2nd 2023 December 4th 2023 February 9th 20124 February 16th 2024 Council Egan move to dispense with the reading of the minutes and approve all as listed as presented second motion made by councelor heglin seconded by councelor Heath to approve the meeting minutes as presented is there discussion all those in favor I all those oppos motion passes interview of appointees item a a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of Roger Cormier to the position of [Music] Sergeant report from the mayor thank you very much Mr chairman uh as you are aware when the city um promoted Chief mine and deputy chief that created two vacancies uh in lieuten tenant positions which created two vacancies and Sergeant positions when we filled them uh with the acting ranks uh we conducted a uh test these R Civil Service promotions uh we uh worked with an assessment center uh for these promotions which is basically the basis of how we're going to be continuing moving forward after July 1 when we're out of civil service and the chief can talk more in detail about that process uh we had a total of five individuals take the sergeant test and four individuals take the lieutenants test uh the two top scorers uh were the ones who were promoted uh and ironically they were our acting uh individuals in those roles too so it showed that you know the chief made the right call last year uh and seeing these individuals who are going to be interviewed tonight uh to if I'm allowed to make an overall statement about all of them and then individually with each of them too I've been very proud of the work that they've been done I've been very impressed uh with how seriously they take their roles and how much dedication they've brought to the city in these roles and to the Garden of police department as a whole too uh Sergeant corm has been with the city for quite some time uh and this promotion is long overdue in my opinion uh his work with the city has been something that I think has stood out and uh it's something that I believe um the chief made a good uh decision with with uh recommending this to my office based on the results of the civil service test and while the Civil Service law does say that you know certain procedures have to be followed for promotions I think it went the way it was supposed to on so thank you Mr Mayor Chief thank you chair um I've worked with Roger since I I got here um in in 2000 Roger had been here for some time Roger's in his 30th year with the Department uh he's been a he's been a fantastic um friend to me and um at times Mentor um we've had a lot of good conversations over the years um we've worked together a lot there's there's really nobody I trust more um that we've been on probably literally thousands of calls um and I will say this when when I asked these just one statement about the the entire body as a whole when I asked these four to step forward for these positions they they did so unreluctantly um and and I gave them a lot and they've all taken it and done extremely well that I can't be more proud of all of them um in particular Roger he is the shift supervisor of the overnight shift and by default usually that's the junior shift in the department um Roger has become a mentor to our most Junior off officers they look to him as a role model um I'm proud to recommend him for promotion without question thank you very much Chief mine uh Sergeant Cormier would you'd like to introduce yourself to the committee and say a few words uh yes uh my name is Roger Cormier um I've been with the department for 30 years now uh as the chief has said I've worked side by side with him for years um I have the utmost respect for him in his position that he's in um we've worked side by side um the deputy chief um I have worked with him he uh first come on he worked with me on midnight so kind of had to break them in um we have become just as solid as being the chief um friends wiv and fellow colleagues and I appreciate the opportunity to be promoted thank you yeah that's his mom if he didn't figure out though I'll allow that Mom happy to allow that mom coun um thank you first thing I want to say is thank you for your service uh 30 years at any job is remarkable um you know I I've known you for a long time I've seen you around the city obviously um and I tell you I mean I didn't know your name was Roger the whole time I just found that out uh looking at it however offic cor is what we would call you and um you know I just appreciate your service and I mean SC high in any test it's just remarkable and you know it's amazing the fact that you're going ahead to promote from within and those that definitely deserve it so I just want to say thank you thank you councelor Heath councel heg thank you I'll Echo that thank you for their 30 years of service we really appreciate it um I guess just one quick question you know what kept you in Gardener and on the department all that time you see a lot of turnover in different departments so um the department as a whole is a great place to work um it's gone we've gone through rough moments but we're edging we're back to where we were when I first got on it's a great place to walk through the door the young patrolman here I enjoy working with it feels as if I walked in the door myself with them um and I enjoy passing on smoking and joking with them and passing on the knowledge that I have while working with them so it's a great place oh thank you and uh do you I'm I'm curious too do you think there's like good awareness of the process of how to move up do you think that the younger that you mentioned they see their opportunities in all you was leaders and they they do um you know the ones that have the leadership qualities are are obvious within um and as as as a supervisor you Mentor them and make sure that those who want to succeed and want to promote um you you help them you give them not the fast track but you encourage them to seek higher uh positions within the department to to be leaders themselves that's great that's awesome to hear thank you thank you councel Hegman I'm always pleased to hear about great mentors and Leadership positions I think that's a great trade um for the Public's awareness I had a question about the test itself um what was involved in the test and uh could you describe it a little bit well basis of it was uh scen it basis of knowledge as far as the law motor vehicle criminal law um and then there were scenar scario questions as to how you would handle certain situations um and then uh along with that was education experience and then the assessment center as they had um it was a whirlwind um it was a great process you know me having 30 years on I just got done finishing my bachelor's degree last year um and I had told the chief I was in no condition to really want to study for a civil service exam um but I plugged away at it and here we are today so thank you Sergeant cor any further questions I thank you I just wanted to um in regard to the the testing process moving forward and kind of maybe just I guess expand on what you were asking it might help a little bit um we're looking at an assessment center I I am the feedback from the the uh candidates who uh sat for that that test the feedback was very good um the feedback um the deputy chief coordinated the entire Assessment Center I Stay kind of out of the the process other than having answering questions they tried to design the the the scenarios based on specific needs of gardener so we would tell them what the issues were potential we could see um they took all that in and they compiled they brought in outside assessors um they even went so far as to give each candidate pseudonyms so they didn't know who they were so to try to give it a blind element to it um so I was very impressed with the process as I what the deputy chief can say as well yeah they made the process geared towards our department where the civil service test is just kind of like a blanketed test doesn't it's not specific to each department so it's you could be in a department of 500 you could be in a department of 10 that test only doesn't really cover what you deal with in those positions where the assessment center was very specific to what our sergeants handle um and what our lieutenants handle so there was a form we had to fill out on our our ranking system and and how it works and what they would deal with in those positions um minor civilian complaints that come in uh disgruntled employee um were some of the scenarios that were there um but they use streets from the city of gardener and the assessors are all on departments similar in size so they all kind of have an idea of how the department operates a little bit that sounds ter that's good to hear yeah thank you very much as any further questions actually I'm just curious about the process that's interesting so that would be the plan going forward when civil when we're out of civil service so I I believe that what we had talked about um giving certain preferences for uh veterans um things like that there's there's there's also some education experience I think that is is relevant to the positions that I think we we have we we kind of have a sample uh policy in uh that we're looking at I think that those are important pieces as well as the assessment center but in in my experience I believe that a full assessment center is usually the best picture of a candidate um you know we've all known people who are very good test takers and other people who are not necessarily good test takers um I think we're to to kind of level things out to give an equal opportunity I think that you know what could be more relevant than actual what you need to do on the job type scenarios so that's I think moving forward I think without question that's what we're going to look at Great okay um are there other options of like testing centers are you happy with the one you rent with this time so sounds like it but no we can we can well um as as U the mayor said as of July 1st we are out of civil service so we can develop our own policies um based on obviously Federal and and state law and um but I do obviously want like I said I I believe that the assessment centerpiece is extremely important to try to identify the candidates that can that can succeed in the positions thank you interesting very good good work and thank you for taking the brunt to the question you know what you didn't ask is the mentoring ship of the chief yeah he Sergeant cor has been a mentor to me as well so taking care of thank you Item B measure confirming the mayor's appointment of John Bron the position of Sergeant than you good good afternoon good afternoon our report from the mayor thank you very much Mr chairman uh again uh Sergeant Brun was one of the top two scores in the civil service test that we had here he's been serving in the acting position uh since Chief mcine and deputy chief have been uh appointed to their current positions uh I've been really impressed with the work he brings to it um lightly to put it like always with a joke always with a smile on his face but I think that that shows the um the dedication he has to the job too with that yeah the job isn't always you know sunshine and everything going smoothly but you you bring what you can to it and you just take each day like you can and you take every call every uh moment that you're in that station with the same dedication as when you first walked in the door and I've seen that nothing nothing but that with uh Sergeant Bron and I'm really happy to have him on the team with us thank you Mr May uh Chief and deputy chief John's been with us for um 10 years he came to us a little unorthodox he started out a little bit uh in a different field he John is a history teacher by U by education and experience so we we we scooped them up from the teaching ranks um but what I will say is John is extremely forward thinker um he always is trying to problem solve think ahead of the game um we due to a um a leave of one of the other supervisors we we put him in the role of the field training supervisor right out of the gate um John was a field training officer but he had never had any supervision he was very new to the supervisory role and he was new to the supervising the field training program what I found was he was with the deputy chief oversees it directly over over U the sergeant Bron I I found that I was constantly having Communications with the deputy chief about John was always trying to find things different things to do unique ways to get the most out of the trainees which as a former field training officer myself I found that um refreshing um and it was a is exactly what we needed in the program um I I can't be prouder I asked a lot out of him um and he stepped to the to to the plate and um he hit it PR as far as I'm concerned so I can't be I can't be happy to recommend John for promotion appreciate it deputy chief the same um you know officer Braun now Sergeant Braun came right to me and asked if I needed help with the fto program and that showed an initiative to me and I said absolutely I gave him full Reigns to uh make that program what I know it could be um over the years we've we've grown but uh what where he's taken it and where I think he'll continue to take it it's going to be beneficial to the new officers coming to our department uh they're going to get exposed to a lot more than maybe what they would have gotten in the previous years uh and we're putting out a better product on the road uh when it comes time for officers very good thank you Sergeant Bron do you have any statements You' like to R uh first and foremost thank you for the opportunity thank you for having me here today um it was a little bit of a surprise stepping up and uh I I like to think I I really enjoy it it's been a great opportunity to really grow and really uh Advance my career not just promotional wise but feel like I'm doing more you know having more of a challenge more problem solving and I I really like to take that aspect and keep running with it so I I'm having a great time um there's a lot of stress that goes with it but it's it's welcome at this point I really enjoy it and hope to keep doing it very good thank you councilor EG um I'm curious any examples of some of the changes you brought to the program for us and those of us that might not know the public watching um so the there is a framework for field trading that's pretty a National Standard that Massachusetts modifies it on top of that I made some changes to how we schedule what we're looking for and direct supervision when someone needs more or less of something I I try to stay in contact with field training officers and from there we modify it whether it be changing who they're with changing what shift extending modifying whatever that might be just paying attention and listening everyone learns a different way and the important thing is to really get a grasp on what that person needs at that time not one siiz it's all I think that's what I really add to it added some uh other things like uh exit interviews to really help me try to modify and change with the program is going to be in the future make uh little tweaks here like I said the framework's there now just little things that work better for us and what what I have to offer in bringing more officers up it's not just about field training the new officers it's also about developing the current officers too so taking an officer making a field trying to make him better and keep that moving forward is is key it's a real skill to be a training officer so it's a part of developing that too sadly I'm not with the trainees as much anymore so I got to really go through that it's it's a little different but it's I I like to make the changes and see what we need to do from there and just keep looking at evaluating we addressing good blend of that teacher and kind of fits a little bit there well thank you that's great to know coming from our teacher counselor counselor um yeah I just want to say you know um I still remember the first time I actually ran into we were in a Stop and Shop probably 10 years yeah um it was literally that long ago but um the one thing I love is the um having a fresh set of eyes right so coming in 10 years and and here you are now in front of us going from where you are to where you're going right so you're you're you're a sergeant you're have to be a sergeant um which is amazing that just goes to show you that hard work pays off so you know all of just of a little advice I would say keeping in you because and you is getting you to where you want to go so that is all keep up the great work thank you appreciate that thank you and I thank you for your service as well and I hope uh getting more 10 more years uh from your service Gardener appreciate it thank you thank you thank good job thank you ad I'm CM measure confirming the mayor's appointment of John snowski to the position of lieutenant afternoon for from the mayor thank you very much Mr chairman uh both of the lieutenant appointees who you'll see before you this evening had massive shoes to fill when they stepped into these roles because of uh you know our chief and deputy chief held these roles before that and grew these roles before that uh but uh Lieutenant chowski uh overseeing the community uh community policing Bureau of the department really has grown the role even more uh than I thought cuz I thought it couldn't grow anymore to be honest uh he's taken it and he's run with it uh at almost every city event that he can uh he's cares about the community he's Gardener born and raised aside from being Santa Claus on a couple of occasions during Christmas time um really just being out in the community and showing what a uh communitybased police department really is and I'm really happy with how he's doing in the right thank you Forman Chief Deputy Chief I'll speak briefly I think the deputy chief is probably in a better position to U talk about John's uh performance um although I can say is a blanket statement um having served short period of time as a community policing John has been absolutely phenomenal um he's not the most computer savvy guy in the world and uh we kind of threw a lot at him he's a bit of a dinosaur like myself um but uh we got him there and he's doing even well U I've known John since I transferred here as well John had uh was was new to the job when I first got here um we almost instantly became friends um we've uh we've had a a great relationship over the years um I trust him without question he has the best interest in this community in mind um like the mayor said he is Gardener born and raised um I'm not sure he bleeds black and orange like some counselors might but um but um he is he is Gardener um true um I can't be proud to recommend John for this job I I I did give him a lot and I I've expected a lot out of him but he has he has performed unquestionably well and uh uh this is this is fantastic for the city and and fantastic with John and and I can't be happier thank you CH thanks CH so that was a position I held prior to and I really love that position uh dealing with the community and being involved in a lot of community events and uh like the mayor said John has definitely grown the uh the programs even further than what I had studed and it's it's awesome to see that things are progressing in a in a good Mo in a good Forward Motion um he's done an excellent job with it and he's come sometimes stressed out with the computer stuff cuz I set up a lot of our stuff on electronics and uh but he's done very well learning all that stuff and he can teach an old dog new tricks uh and he's done an awesome job with it and when I see him out there interacting with the community it's a natural fit uh you just he he talks with people so well um and he you can see he's having fun with it uh he even gets his family involved in it at times and they have fun with it too and that's kind of what the whole purpose of our community outreach stuff is is to show you know it's not just the officers being police offic but being part of the community because that's what we all are um and he embodies that thank you w Chief Lieutenant statement John snowski like uh the chief said I'm from Gardener um live in ashram now but I'm uh born and raised in Gardener with the Garder High I really do enjoy the community policing role uh here in the city I enjoy trying to build uh trust with the community not only you know to have the police there when you're in your worst moments but also you know to be a mentor to the community to the kids to to be a parent to a lot of these kids um the community events we're lucky to have a a city that supports all the things that we're trying to do and uh again I I really enjoy working with the community in in the role of a policing Lieutenant thank you very much uh councelor is a brief question yeah yeah um actually I'll just make a Qui statement CU I know um offer chowski from his roles in the schools and doing presentations like Run High fight and they've always been really well done thoroughly done um the right tone is set so I think staff during these stressful conversations are calm and relaxed and and I think they're feel like they're being benefited so uh thank you for that your service and that's all I have for now yeah I'm just going to keep it really brief um this where Everywhere I Go I see him um he's literally everywhere I don't know if you have a clone but you're literally everywhere um I appreciate your service I think that this is um well deserved keep up the great work thank you very much time spent discussing right now there's no statement of your work and uh the report of phenomenal from the chief I think is St so thank you happy recommend thank you thanks item D A measure confirming the mayor we don't usually get the Clapping these well me confirming the May's appointment of Matthew Arsenal to the position of lieutenant report from the mayor thank you very much Mr chairman uh Lieutenant arsal was one of the first people from the G Police Department I met when I was first working for the city for the previous administration um I'm very proud to know him I think he brings a perfect expertise for the job and I know we're running short on time so I'll keep my remarks short but I couldn't think of a better person for this job at all I'll say this about all the four uh individuals who are here and the department as a whole we wouldn't have as many people from the Department here with us including the former AC Chief Vinnie alfano here in the back as well if it wasn't for the way that the Department's turned in the right direction and I think we're going to continue that role with all four of these individuals thank you Mr Mayor Chief I'll be brief but it's going to be a little bit hard with Maddie um I've known Maddie since uh he started with us I was his field his field training supervisor when he first started um he he hit the ground running he was one of those natural police officers um had a way of um handling people he had a great demeanor um I instantly noticed that when when I started working with Maddie um shortly a few years later he um a vacancy opened up in the detective unit when I was there and um I had the uh opportunity to bring thatt into the detective unit as our narcotics detective he excelled he did absolutely fantastic at it uh he was then promoted to Sergent um he was a great resource a great mentor to the new officers um I've I've heard many times that he he was the favorite supervisor of many because of of his demeanor and how he handled things um everybody had a voice and he cared um and an interesting note and one that I'm very particularly proud of um Matt currently holds the position his father held um in the tragic pass away with with the city uh in our department but um Matt's a great representation uh to the city and and again um I trust him without question question um and I I can't be happy to put this promotion forward thank you Chief Deputy Chief the same Matt and I came on at the same time when I transferred to get a Garder and we worked together our entire careers and he's a great cop and I couldn't be more proud to see where he's at and he's the great guy for the job thank you very much uh thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here um I've been working for almost going on 15 years um to be able to be here I'm I'm very proud of of the position and the opportunity that I have um as the chief said to become in the role that my father held uh when he passed away is uh it's really special so um just to be able to to acquire that and uh continue working for the city um it's just it's awesome and I'm looking forward to the future thank you thank you councilor eth um I'm just going to basically keep it real simple cuz we're thank you for your service you know um it's great to see you follow the footsteps and be where you are you know it's great to see that you're here with the city 15 years deep um and I'm pretty sure there's new officers that are looking up to you as you know a real model like you looked up to now so I just want to say thank you and I can't wait to one day see you over here with someone else that you can go in and speak on all right that's thank you Council a similarly thank you for your service and your commitment to Gardener um appreciate all of all that you've done um and uh yeah thank you I think the testimony has spoke for itself so thank you said it all continue to be a good Ro model for our citizens and fellow officers and keep up the good work appreciate it thank you thank you good job resignations Mr Mayor uh Doug Dylan our City Conservation agent uh submitted his resignation early this week the position is being posted and I'll uh inform you as uh the process moves forward with finding Vis placement thank you Mr Mayor discussion of appointees interviewed counselors no for discussion ID just like to move that um you know we uh confirm all of the appointments items a through D um the measure confirming the mayor's appointment of Roger Cormier to the position of Sergeant measure confirming the mayor's appointment of John Brun to the position of Sergeant measure confirming the mayor's appointment of John chowski to the position of lieutenant and a measure confirming mayor's appointment to Matthew Arsenal to the position of [Music] Lieutenant thank you thank you counselor Hein Heath motions made by councelor heglin second by councelor Heath to recommend the mayor's appointments of a through D is there discussion all those all those in favor I I all those oose no motion passes we have referral so we will discuss at a later date I'll a motion to adjourn seconded motion made by councelor Heath second by councelor heglin to adjourn all those in favor I I all those oppos no motion stance thank you very much --------- the Monday June 17th 2024 regular meeting of the Guardian city council will come to order the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks present Council Craig Cormier present Council General LTZ pres councel harder present councilor Heath pres councel heglin present Council math present councel TBO Muse present councel tone present C tyros pres and president kazin pres please rise to recite the opening prayer and say the Pledge aliance almighty God we thank you for bringing us together this evening Inspire us tothy deeds and sound decisions and direct us toward the attainment of good city government we pray the to bless and protect all the people of our city and CH to guide and Inspire us that we may delate in unity and Harmony amen I flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all announcement of open meeting recordings any person may make a video or audio recording of an open session of a meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium subject to reasonable requirements of the chair as to the number placement and operation of equipment used so as not to interfere with the conduct of the meeting any person intending to make such recording shall notify the chair forth with all documents and Exhibits used or referenced at the meeting must be submitted in duplicate to the chair as they become part of the meeting minutes pursuing to General Law chapter 38 subsection 20 is anyone here recording tonight's meeting me begin with the reading of the minutes and PRI of Prior meetings there are no minutes there are no public hearings Communications from the mayor orders item 11299 in order requesting a transfer from sewer Surplus SL retains earnings in the sum of $4,825 to DPW Department new equipment expenditures report from the finance committee councelor Mac yes Madam president this is a transfer um from the sewer Surplus to be transferred to new equipment expenditures for the sand purchase needed to cover the Sledge landfill uh which is charged at half of the cost um instead of $9.50 per yard it's $4.75 per yard yard the committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor Mac seconded by councelor DN lowitz to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes Council Craig Kier yes Council General lawitz yes Council harder yes Council Heath yes Council heglin yes Council ma yes Council Tio Munos yes Council tone yes Council tyros yes and president Gus yes 11 y the motion passes item 113000 in order appropriating $23,988 from free cash to the building demo expenses account report from the finance committee councelor Mac um thank you madam president this is to cover the demolition of the property at 73 Stewart Street this is an emergency Dem demolition project as the building is in further risk of collapsing um Mia the insurance company for the city has ordered the demolition of this um as well as our building ins spectric due to the partial collapse of the property in the state of disre disrepair the committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor Mack seconded by councelor General lawitz to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes councel Craig Cormier yes councel D lawitz yes Council harder yes Council heglin yes Council Matt yes Council Heath yes Council tbot Munos yes Council t yes Council tyros yes president yes 11 y the motion passes item 11301 in order appropriating $90,000 from free cash to the veteran services benefit expenses account report from the finance committee councelor Mac um thank you madam president the appropriation of $90,000 um are the funds needed to cover the cost um of the coverages for our veterans for chapter 115 benefits um and these are for our city Veterans for the end of the fiscal year as more veterans move into Gardner this number changes uh we as a city are proud to offer the services we do to our veterans the committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor Ma second by councelor General lawitz to adopt the order is there discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes councel Craig Cormier yes Council joh lawitz yes Council harder yes Council Heath yes Council hegan yes Council math yes Council TBO Munos yes Council tone yes Council tyros yes president yes 11 y the motion passes item 11302 in order appropriating $4,000 from free cash to the Community Development Hazard mitigation plan Grant City match account report from the finance committee keler M um thank you madam president the city received a $36,000 Grant this $4,000 is the city's responsibility um for matching funds um for the city's Hazard mitigation plan the committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor Mac second by councelor General owitz to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes councel Craig Cormier yes councel General lawitz yes councel harder yes Council Heath yes councel hegan yes Council math yes counil Tio Munos yes counil tone yes Council tyros yes and president yes 11 11 y the motion passes item 11303 in order transferring Appropriations $25,000 from building salaries and wages to operating expenditures report from the finance committee councelor Mac yes this um item is to appropriate $25,000 from building salaries and wages to the operating expenses um of City Hall to cover um first the purchase of uh minor equipment which is lawn maintenance equipment for City Hall just stain their own lawn care independently from the DPW Department as well as some small snow removal um on their own um and also monies for the energy and utilities budget for City Hall which had a 25% over this will cover the amount of the overage to the end of the fiscal year the committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor Mack seconded by councelor jtz to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes Council Craig Cor yes counc dwit yes councel harder yes councelor Heath yes councelor hegan yes Council math yes Council tunos yes councelor tone yes coun tyros yes and president kazin yes 11 y the motion passes item 11304 an order appropriating $55,000 from free cash to the new parking meter expenses account report from the finance committee councelor Mac thank you uh Madam president based on the recommendation of the ad hoc adviser committee that was formed by the mayor this item is to fund new parking meters for the downtown area this would replace all of the meters um and they would be both coin operated and can be used with a cell phone app um the replacement of the meas is desperately needed the um finance committee was in favor of this and the um the purchasing agent is just looking in to make sure that the parking Meers will come with some sort of warranty um the committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor Max second by councelor D lawitz to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion councel Harden yes Madam president I have some concerns about the new parking meters um we have these parking meters that we purchased um maybe I don't know six seven years ago I'm not exactly sure we paid 120,000 for those meters and as of the last year or so none of them are functional um they're outdated here we want to invest more money in more parking meters um my concerns are we would have to have a uh a meter made I'm assuming that would be able to keep track of this which would cost the city some more money um if and if the police department are not out there monitoring all the time how is this going to work so um myself and I know this is not about me I'm here voted in by these people to represent them uh what's best for them and what they consider um these parking I I feel parking meters days are come and gone there's other cities that have eliminated their parking uh meters such as lers um and they're doing fine down there what has happened is I think we have a um someone said this to me in the last few days we have a foot problem no one likes to walk Everyone likes to park right in front where they work and where they own and where they live and you can put all the parking commers you want there will that stop that I don't today I although today I was um Conta contacted by a few people that have businesses that want these meters they feel it's very important for their business so in a lot of the downtown area is my w so with that um I will support it and I hope it works for them thank you thank you Council Harden further discussion on item further discussion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes Council Craig Cormier yes councel General lawitz yes Council harder yes Council Heath yes Council heglin yes councilor math yes Council tbot M yes Council tone yes Council tyros yes and president kinus yes 11 11 y the motion passes item 11311 in order transferring Appropriations $33,000 from DPW maintenance crew salaries and wages to vehicle fuel operating expenditures report from the finance committee councelor General ow thank you madam president this fuel line item is for the entire city fleet uh Rising costs required this transfer from the salary line item uh to uh the fuel cost expenditure right now it's in a $5,000 deficit monthly costs are roughly 25 to $228,000 um so this will cover us through the end of the year um annual fuel costs I did get some numbers have risen drastically while dropped uh during the co years uh back in 2019 before that it was $225,000 a year with right now 20 fiscal year 2024 going to be north of $280,000 a year the finance committee was in favor and I move the order second report for report I can do it again do it motion made by councelor General Ard seconded by councelor Mack to adopt the order is there discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the rooll council Brooks yes councelor Craig Cormier yes councelor General lawitz yes councel harder yes Council Heath yes Council hgin yes councilth yes Council TBO Munos yes Council tone yes Council tyros yes and president yes 11 y the motion passes item 11312 an order requesting a transfer from sewer Surplus retain earnings in the sum of of $140,000 to Sewer Department chemical treatment expenditures report from the finance committee thank you madam president this transfer is required to cover chemical costs uh at the wastewater treatment facility uh there has an increase in flows and the more water entering the system means uh more chemicals need to be used uh to make things worse the chemicals costs are continuing to rise uh new estimated cost to cover us through fiscal year 2024 for this item um is $510,000 this um this order for $140,000 will cover the difference in those costs um I do want to point out that this transfer is from the sewer Enterprise accounts retain earnings this so This overage is be paying directly from the sewer rates that people are paying into and not from the general fund finance committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor General lot seconded by councelor Mack to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes Council Craig Cormier yes Council General lawitz yes Council harder yes councel Heath yes councel heglin yes councel Mack yes councel TBO yes Council tone yes councel tyros yes and president kinus yes 11 y 11 y the motion passes item 11313 in order requesting a transfer from water Surplus retain earnings $50,000 to water department chemical treatment expenditures report from the finance committee counselor darn lawitz thank you uh this is also a transfer to pay for chemicals this is for the water treatment um at Crystal Lake and snake the snake Pond well um this these chemicals are used to get the drink and water in the city to U the standards they need to be uh this will also cover the line item through fiscal fiscal year 2024 and similar to the last um this is paid through the water rates of the Enterprise funds um Surplus uh is covering this not the general fund finance committee was in favor and I move the order second motion made by councelor General seconded by counselor Mack to adopt the order is there discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the role Council Brooks yes Council Craig Kier yes Council John lawitz yes Council harder yes Council Heath yes Council heglin yes Council M yes Council T Munos yes Council tone yes Council tyos yes and president cus yes 11 11 y the motion passes ordinance item 11314 an ordinance to amend the code of the city of gardener section 90 of chapter 553 thereof entitled sewer rates report from the finance committee councel General owt thank you madam president this is a change to city code will increase the sewer rates over the next next five uh fiscal years the last increase was 7 years ago U this increase is required for the sewer Enterprise fund to continue operating uh from the rates that are charged uh director Arnold has submitted a packet that um all of us saw detailing how different rate changes or lack thereof would affect the city Revenue um excuse me the revenue for the fund um and the city's ability to take on capital projects um I believe this is required and the finance committee was in favor and I moveed to send the ordinance the first printing second motion made by councelor General L seconded by councelor Heath to send the item to first printing is there a discussion on the motion councel tyros thank you madam president uh just wanted to say as uh as well this item was discussed at our Public Service committee meeting uh it is not a surprise as councelor darn lawit has said it's been seven years since the last increase and I just want to add that the director did report that uh we tried to alternate Water and Sewer rate increase to try to ease the burden on the residents so thank you thank you councilor tyos further discussion on the item the uh all those in favor say I I I those opposed say no motion passes appointments item 11307 a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of Roger Cormier to position of Sergeant permanent councelor hlin thank you madam president uh the appointments Committee just met on this item uh to um appoint uh Sergeant Ro Roger Cormier to that that role that promotion uh it was noted from the chief the deputy chief and the mayor that he's been with us for 30 years and it was clear from their testimony uh that he's a leader in the department he's highly respected by all um and so that testimony I think spoke volumes and so I would like to please move uh the item to be confirmed second motion made by councelor heglin seconded by councelor Heath to confirm the mayor's appointment is there discussion on the motion all those in favor say I those opposed say no motion passes item 11308 a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of John Brun to the position of Sergeant permanent report from the appointments committee councelor hlin thank you again Madam president uh we also met on this item earlier this evening uh again highly recommended by the uh Chief the mayor and the deputy chief uh during the 10 years um that Sergeant Bron has been with us it was clear that he's brought some great changes to our field training uh program that we have here in the city of make sure that officers are ready coming in and that also officers who are with us are still feeling supported as they need uh so again we were in favor of this unanimously and move to confirm the appointment second motion made by councelor heglin second and by counselor Heath to confirm the mayor's appointment is there discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I those oppos say no the motion passes item 1139 a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of John schow to the position of Lieutenant permanent councelor Heath thank you madam president um as uh Council Ain just said we met with uh Mr sski along with the other officers just briefly earlier um he's been with the department for many of years he's also been to he's a school resource officer he's over there all of the students know him they love him his peers love him he's a great guy um he's moving up to Sergeant um the mayor spoke highly of him the lieutenant spoke highly of them Deputy Lieutenant spoke highly of um and with that being said I like to move to confirm this appointment second motion made by councelor Heath seconded by councelor tyos to confirm the mayor's appointment is there a discussion on the motion councelor tyros just mindor correction mad president the positions to Lieutenant sorry the the motion is to um position of Lieutenant permanent um as written as is written on our agenda um that's the confirmation that we're making thank you for clarification counselor tyros further discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I I those opposed say no motion passes item 11310 a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of Matthew Arsenal to the position of Lieutenant permanent report from the appointments committee councelor tyros thank you madam president uh leading to a motion I just want to say too that these promotions were done through Civil Service uh the city is leaving civil service in the police department uh and a testing service was used that was coordinated by deputy chief uh whereas the top two scorers in the exam were promoted this testing service I highly recommend the public to watch the appointments committee meeting uh deputy chief Moroni went into detail about how the service is specified for Gardener uh even using Gardner streets in the scenarios that they uh they Ed to test the officers uh specifically now for uh officer Arsenal uh Chief mcine reported that uh he was actually uh officer Arsenal's training officer uh he's been with the Department 15 years he uh was promoted to the detectives unit U specializing in n otics he is a great representation of our city um he currently holds the role that his father held and he is a a model of what uh good role model in the police department would be um the committee met uh and voted unanimously to recommend therefore I moved the appointment be certified second motion made by counselor tyer seconded by counselor D lawitz to confirm the mayor's appointment is there a discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I those oppos say no the motion passes item 11315 a meure confirming the mayor's appointment of melie cornette to the position of zoning Board member for term expiring June 12th 2026 councelor tyros thank you madam president for this item and item 11316 I'd like to move to refer to the appointments committee for study and Report second motion made by councelor Tyra seconded by Counselor General lawitz to refer item 11315 and item 11316 a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of Lori weda to the position of zoning Board member for term expiring June 12 2027 to the appointments committee for further study and report is there discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I who oppos say no motion passes at this time we will take a brief recess of the meeting to swear and those who have been appointed here this evening we will reconvene after the swearing it is completed and call the meeting back to order at that time if you've been appointed this evening you can just come to the front and enter over here I know e e e e e e e e e e e e going to call the meeting back order Communications item 11305 or measure to accept short-term rental impact fee mgl 64g section 3D report from the finance committee councelor General lawitz thank you madam president um this item would allow the city to collect a 3% uh tax on short-term rentals this is to bring these type of rentals in line with the local lodging tax that we uh that this Council passed earlier this year the finance committee was in favor and I moveed to adopt the measure second motion made by councelor D second by councelor Ma to adopt the measure is there a discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I those oppos say no the motion passes item 11306 a measure to accept short-term rental impact fee mgl 64g section 3D report from the finance committee councelor Dar lawitz thank you madam president this goes along with the uh previous measure this would allow to collect the same tax on two to three family dwellings that include the operators's primary residents the finance committee was in favor and I moveed to adopt the measure second motion made by councelor D seconded by councelor m to adopt the measure is there a discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I those opposed say no motion passes item 11323 a vote to authorize the mayor to enter into a host Community agreement between the city of Gardner and base State racing LLC councelor generals thank you madam president as this item is related to the the next item and cannot be acted on until a public hearing is held I'd ask I'd like to ask for more time make the motion to ask for more time second motion made by councelor General second to by councelor tyros for more time on this item is there a discussion on the motion councelor Tio Munos thank you madam president um in the uh in in light of more time one of the things I had three concerns just from what was in the packet just wanted to raise um uh one was that there was a a map of where the new track would be and was surrounded by Wetlands or on uh on each side except for the C 140 is uh so I'd love to see some more information on that if there's going to be a study two that that there's going to be uh 2 to 5,000 uh people in attendants potentially at uh the uh Festival races I'd love to see some more information on the impact that will have on traffic on 140 and three um I'm wondering if there's a draft a copy of the purchase and sales or a draft uh that we could see as well um in in ahead of uh the next time we uh discuss this matter thank you counselor for the discussion councel Brooks yep I guess I would just ask clarification if we're if we're granting us more time this would come up at the next meeting and we would have a discussion about it at that time or would be would we be referring this item to either rest as a whole or to finance or something like that is that I my question is what what what what are we doing sure so this item if we uh vote this evening to have more time on the item the item will essentially remain on the council agenda um per the process for this item through Mass General Law chapter 128a um this item is dependent on the next item as councel general said so there is no action that can be taken on the item this evening so if we take more time it's to keep the item on the agenda so if there is an action in the future on the item we have it on the agenda to act on it but the any discussion this evening you can disc have discussion on you know any motion made on any item um but right now the motion is for more time so it keeps it on the agenda for more time and there's there's no other action on this item at this time because we have to entertain the next item before we do that in the order that is uh dictated by master and Law chapter 128a um so in the future we certainly could discuss it further and all of the items that are within um that this item but now there's there's no other action that the council can take based off of mass the mass General law okay thank you thank you further discussion all those in favor say I I those opposed say no motion passes petitions applications Communications Etc item 11317 a vote to determine if a track of land located at 827 Green Street be approved as a location of A running horse racing track where race meetings laid out and conducted by lenses under Mass General Law chapter 128a will be held or conducted Council General lawitz thank you madam president I make a motion to schedule an informal meeting for the purpose of a presentation on the proposal as well as to schedule as well as we need to um to schedule a public hearing second motion made by Council out seconded by counselor tyros to schedule an informal meeting for the purpose of a presentation on the proposal and to schedule a public hearing is there a discussion on the motion councelor Tio Munos thank you madam president um I respectfully uh would because that's within seven that would be seven days just as a question s days from today I don't think that that's enough time to gather the information um uh surrounding the potential impact on Wetlands or the uh potential impact on traffic uh to gather enough information so um until we have more information on the potential impact on groundwater Wetlands traffic study uh impact of the handle uh rejected two uh to 5,000 uh people at these race festivals in a copy of the draft purchase and sales agreement I object to consider the vote before us on whether or not to have a public Hearing in accordance with Section 28 City Charter so the councelor has objected to the item so by chapter by uh section 20 of the city Charter the item can only be taken up at our next meeting petitions I'm sorry item 11318 an application by GameStop incorporated number 3725 for a license to deal in secondhand article at 376 Tony Boulevard from public saf committee counselor Craig mad pres move to ref the item to committee for study and Report motion made by councelor CRA Cormier seconded by councelor Harden to refer the item to the Public Safety Committee for further stting report is there a discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I those oppos say no the motion passes item 11319 an application by Gardener coins and cards Incorporated for a license to deal in secondhand articles at 18 Parker Street councelor Craig Cormier yes thank you madam president I'd like to move for items 11319 11320 and 11321 to all refer to the safet committee for study and Report accept motion made by counselor CRA Cormier second by councelor Harden point of order Madam president I can't hear you thank you counselor a respectfully request that the members of the public attending tonight's meeting please refrain from noise conversations and interruptions during the meeting so that the city council can conduct the business of tonight's meeting and that the public present this evening and those watching at home are able to hear the meeting thank you motion made by councelor CRA kmer seconded by councelor Harden to refer items 11319 11320 an application by the Salvation Army Family Store and donation center for a license to deal and secondhand articles at a Union Street item 11321 an application by house of peace and education Incorporation doing business as hopeful Boutique for a license to deal in secondhand articles at 29 Pleasant Street to the Public Safety Committee for further study and report is there a discussion on the motion all those in favor say I I those post say no the motion passes item 11322 Council request for opinion from the Law Department followup councelor tyros thank you madam president uh let me just shuffle my paperwork uh for a moment i' put this item on the agenda because at our uh at two previous mam president I'm sorry I'm there too much noise in the background is that a point of order counselor yes point of order a reminder to the public attending tonight's meeting please refrain from noise conversations or interruptions during the meeting so the city council can conduct the meeting of tonight's business and the public present this evening and those watching at home are able to hear the meeting thank you very much Council tyos please continue thank you madam president I've lost the paper due to the 497 page packet we have this evening uh but this item relates to a request uh that I had made that the council had acted on and voted last month for an opinion from the city solicitor of three simple questions um we have had a no show no call no response from the city solicitor on this matter the city clerk has just 8 days after the meeting requested formally an answer and we still did not have one so my motion would be to place this uh communication on file and open the floor for discussion on this topic thank you motion made by councel Tyra second by councelor Cormier to place the request on file is there discussion on the motion all those in favor say I iOS to say no the motion passes reports of standing committees finance committee item 11256 a resolution to rename the city council chamber the Ronald F corme Council Cham councelor ma um at our finance committee last week the uh committee decided to create an ad hoc committee um to discuss this further and request more time if there's no objection the committee will be granted more time do you have a motion counselor I'm objecting and would like to take action on this item this evening Madam president okay do you have a motion I would make like to make a motion um to support the resolution to name the city council chamber the Ronald F Cor your Council Cham chamber motion made by councelor Don seconded by councelor harder to um support the resolution to rename the city council chamber the Ronald F Cormier Council chamber is there a discussion on the motion councel Brooks uh yep just give me one second I'm Shuffling my papers I guess on this matter I I feel that uh councelor Ron Cormier deserves special recognition for his years on the city council and for all the work he did to this uh Community to make this community better his passing left me feeling empty and a little bit lost I was a brand new city councelor and councelor Ron Cormier was my go-to person the one who I plan to go to with questions about how to handle business a city council business and how to be a counselor in my mind if any anyone deserves special recognition it would be him I do have a concern about this resolution because it seeks to put councelor cormier's name on the council chamber my concern is not with naming it in honor of councelor Cormier my concern is putting any name on the city council chamber in my opinion there are some spaces that should not be named in recognition or in memory of someone or some entity for example City Hall is just that inside these buildings are certain spaces that are also not named at the US capital the house chamber and the Senate chamber are just that it's not the tip O'Neal house chamber it's not the strong Thurman Senate chamber in that same way I believe that the council chamber should remain just that I believe that honoring councelor Ron Cormier is warranted given his dedicated service to the city installing a plaque in council chambers is an appropriate recognition given that he spent over 30 years as a city counselor it would also align with the memorial given to Mr fet over 50 years ago uh doing so would single him out from all other counselors save one and give prominent recognition to a person who who exemplified what it means to be a counselor um all right hold on I guess I would make a motion uh because and I'm sorry I I'm a little distracted but I wasn't prepared for this tonight uh my motion would be to remove the last paragraph of item 11 256 which currently reads whereas this resolution is submitted to council that the council chambers be named to honor the dedication and commitment of councelor Ronald Cormier decades to the city council to formally rename the council chambers the Ronald of Cormier Council chamber and insert in its place the following now therefore city council resolves that a plaque be placed on the wall of the council chamber in honor of former city councelor Ronald F Cormier in recognition of his Decades of dedication and commitment to make making this City better and that would be my motion would be to amend the motion motion to amend is there a second second motion made by councelor Brooks motion to amend made by councelor Brooks seconded by counselor dernal lawitz the vote will be on the motion to amend and the motion is to change the last paragraph and insert the information that councelor Brooks just read do we need that information repeated for for any of the coun I I have paper if you want are we clear on the motion to amend point of order coun there needs to be a discussion on the motion to amend vote y That's The Next Step councelor he well I'm going to entertain discussion so is there a discussion on the motion to amend councelor he yes so for clarity thank you what councelor Brooks is asking for a um remember like what we have right over here for Mr for correct through through me to councelor books councelor HEI yes councel can you just repeat your question to councelor books please my my my intention would be that we do a plaque similar to what was done for Mr fet so and then and he would he would therefore be one of two people so recognized out of all of the people that you see here on the walls thank you councelor councelor Heath is that answer your question uh yes I just wanted to Clarity for the you know there was a lot that was said I just want to make sure that I stood everything and that's where we're at so we're on the same page I understand thank you thank you coun a further discussion councelor M as the maker of the resolution um that started this um I did not enter this lightly um I did a lot of research everybody in their packet we also received today the article that Mike Richard wrote um and have also the the history of things that were have been named more clearly throughout the city um and I just want to make a correction that actually Gardner City Hall was actually dedicated in honor of the World War I veteran so it's not that City Hall was not um done to memorialize a group of people because that is not the case um because I actually do have the 1940 dedication program right here um that explains that um I actually um would like to backtrack I don't believe the amendment should have been to my resolution I think the the council should vote strictly straight on the resolution and if the resolution should stand for itself and if the resolution did not pass then if any counselor wanted to make their own suggestion Amendment or other way to memorialize counselor Ronald Cormier then they should have done it separately it should not be part of my resolution which should stand on its own Council of Cormier has gone above and beyond and what he's done will probably never be repeated um I do disagree with the counselor's um um thoughts on this process um and uh I provided much documentation to the other counselors um I do not want to make any of this uncomfortable for councelor cormier's family and that was never my intent um you will never see another counselor serve the link he did as a W counselor council president um or counselor at large and serve on the garden housing authority and all the things that he did um I know that nobody here is trying to take away from that um but this is not the US capital this is the city of Garder trying to honor somebody who was born and raised here um we do not refer it as the Mana Annex Building when we talk about the senior center no you know uh the mcken or the maker Anna it's just a way of honoring somebody and I think um sometimes we can take a little bit things you know too far yes it doesn't take away from any person in this room and we do have that plaque um but I think my resolution to councelor corm should stand separately on its own and I would ask my fellow counselors not to vote for this amendment vote on the resolution as proposed by counselor tone tonight and then if that doesn't not pass then a counselor whether it's tonight or another time can then make their own proposal to the council thank you madam president thank you Council Mac forther discussion on the amendment councel tone yes I I Echo with councelor Mack um just stated um Ron was a good friend of mine from the time I took place on the school committee to the time I took my position on the garden of Redevelopment Authority in the time I took my place as War I city counselor he was there when I lost for City councel at large Ron was a friend to me and a friend to the city Ron knew the ins and outs of this city like no other well maybe there's one other person Eddie still around with us but those two would go back and forth so Mr Cormier Ron my friend greig's dad um it bled for this I mean he lived breathed and died for Garder I mean he was an Exemplar I'm getting choked up here um but he was just he just went above and beyond and if anybody deserves um this resolution um to rename the city council chambers the time and effort that he put into it he deserves it and I I will be opposing the uh Amendment as well thank you thank you counselor for the discussion councel harder yes Madam president um councelor Matt and councelor tone spoke right on Mr Mr Cormier was by far the loveliest man who gives 40 Years of their life to a city we all know how hard it is to sit here um picture yourself here 40 years um God bless him and his family and for what he has done for the city um and I will be opposing this um amendment I will I will agree with voting on the original vote to uh to even name this after a council of columia or not whatever whatever and then go to the next thank you counselor further discussion councelor Heath uh thank you madam president so um I appreciate your views and your thoughts um I I will also be going for the um the original um motion I just want to say you know just coming here into City Hall looking over and looking at that picture of uh Mr cormia you know like I've only this is only my second term I I I had a really great conversation and this is as much as the public thinks like we all talk and everything else this is actually really one of my first really good conversations with Mr Cormier at the Centennial um the 100th year and we had a great conversation and um I always looked at him I always looked at him as he Chambers uh Wendy the pool you know what I mean like you see Wendy the pool he makes you smile and he he just makes you feel good you know I just never seen him with honey but he he was my you know to me that's what he was my w Pro there was always great Vibes and he gave me some great advice at the Centennial and it was if you ever have any questions cuz I I brought some things some um some some things to city that maybe weren't presented right and everything else and he was like call me I will help you I might not agree with it but I will help you in any way that I can and I really look forward to that really look forward to that so you know I I think recognizing him in this manner is is great that is all thank you thank you councelor Heath further discussion councilor Tyrus thank you madam president um I for one will be honest and say that I'm uncomfortable with both uh the objection and making the original resolution and the amendment tonight and it's for a good reason um you know I've known I knew Ronald Cormier my entire life uh he was the principal co-principal at ho rer School when I attended there um and he was a good role model and stilled a lot of principles inside me um and some of them you know as I sit and listen to this debate tonight include doing the right thing taking careful consideration and thought into the things that you say and do and how they impact others and thinking of yourself um thinking larger than yourself rather and the situation that you're in the last time this item was discussed was in the previous finance committee meeting last week and I believe after watching that meeting that the action by the maker of the motion was that the finance committee was going to take up this item to discuss it and do exactly those things I think it adds to the honor that careful thought and consideration would be put into the tribute and ensures that we're doing the right thing and that we thought larger than ourselves you know I think we all did a lot of research when this uh resolution came by a single counselor after a tragic passing of counselor Cormier and I myself did research and I'm unprepared for this debate tonight um because of what was said during finance committee I did not expect uh to have to vote on this matter and in my research I can only find one other city council chamber in Massachusetts that was named after and I'm sure there's others but I could only find one that had a news article attached to it and it was named after the first African-American City councelor and I believe Melrose or menend it began with an M I apologize again I was unprepared for this debate um and that to me is an example that you know these things should be we should take our time with these things it adds to the honor um you know and I'm doing what I think councelor Cormier would have done in this situation and I'm going to oppose both um the amendment and the resolution because I liked where this item was going that it was going to be carefully debated in finance committee and that they were going to come to uh back to us with a recommendation I don't know if meting the council chamber is the right honor or if for plaque is a right honor and I was hoping some more thought would be put into this to to honor the man that gave so much to this community thank you thank you councelor tyros further discussion Council General lawitz well I I seconded the motion to amend um it felt they should be discussed felt that as um councelor fet um was honored and discussion was had many years ago that they they were going to name the chamber after him then did not um as Council Tyro put it we to um surise that it was we we're going to do our due diligence um and not being allowed to do that um I think is um not a great position to that we've put ourselves in here um I will oppose um the the amendment to change it and I I differently from Council tyros I I will support renaming the chamber um if my hand is forced to vote on that this evening thank you thank you councel D out further discussion councelor heglin thank you madam president um I think some of my colleagues have been really good appoints tonight it's clear that this is you know important and emotional for all of us we all were touched um by councelor Cormier in some way I know I said it having replaced him um that it was not lost on me how big those shoes were to fill but I think again I think thinking the time doing our due diligence making sure we're doing the homework to make sure we are honoring him in the proper way is important as it was pointed out this discussion did happen once before with ol for debt and so it has come up before that there are citizens worthy of of having the chamber other bodies and structures in the building named after them so do I think to say that it might never happen again or there isn't anyone else is hard because it's it's difficult to predict the future none of us will know what may come and while it's easy to maybe poke holes in this it's difficult to find something I think that is guaranteed to last and I think for me I want to find the best way way to make a lasting Memorial to council uh council member uh former councelor Ron Cormier and so if it is possible right that the chamber is renamed should someone last longer or perform other services that were exceptional um I think for me it's easier to to know that a plaque or you know something in bronze will be there longer than this building might even be here um so I think I will also be opposing the amendment and resolution thank you thank you counselor further discussion councelor tone second time on this again um I just want to say not one person has come up to me objecting that we name this chamber ronal cor after Mr Cormier um if you talk about the right thing to do it's the right thing to do the man was always there for everybody and never turned away helping anybody I have no further comments on this thank you thank you counselor further discussion councelor cor uh yes uh I will abstain on the motion though my father is probably enjoying the debate thank you counselor further discussion okay this vote is on the motion to amend the motion to amend is to replace the last paragraph of item 11256 which reads whereas this resolution is submitted to council that the council chamber be named to honor the dedication and commitment of council Ronald F Cormier decades to City to the city to formally rename the city council chambers the Ronald F Cormier Council chamber and to insert in its place the following now therefore city council resolves that a plaque be placed on the wall of the chamber in honor of former city councelor Ronald F Cormier in recognition of his Decades of dedication and commitment to making this city better we will do a roll call vote the clerk will please call the rooll councilor Brooks yes councel General LTZ no councelor hurn no council Heath no council heglin no council Mac no no conso TBO MOS no conso tone no ccil tyros no kazin no what OB sension nine NOS one yes the amendment does not pass back to the original motion made by councelor donon seconded by councelor Harden to pass the resolution is there a discussion on the original motion counc tyros thank you madam president uh I know there was some discussion about what the right thing means in this matter um you know and I'm really curious uh there's two individuals who when the finance committee wanted to discuss and debate what would be the proper honoring of Ronald Cormier that I was really looking forward and hoping that they would ask their opinions of and those are the former Council presidents Jim Walsh and Neil Janson who probably both served with Ronald Cormier the most years out of his service to the city and see what they thought the right thing would be for Council Corner Year we're never going to have that opportunity they might have an amazing idea that we sitting here tonight did not know the maker of the motion at the time did not know um they might have had a personal story or maybe even councelor corme might have discussed um you know the vote back in the day to honor uh councelor fet and what his opinion is and what what they thought the right thing to do would be so you know I strongly oppose any discussion about what anyone thinks is personally right um and you know I I I'm again extremely disappointed that we here tonight debating and taking a vote on this item um and you know it it I feel like we're going against tradition and going against precedent in the council chamber right now and I'm not comfortable with it and that's why I'll be voting against this item not in my opposition of honoring councelor corme but in my opposition of how we're handling honoring Council Cormier thank you thank you counselor further discussion councelor cor uh I will be abstaining from this V thank you counselor abion from councelor cor further discussion we take a roll call vote on the motion the clerk will please call the roll Council Brooks no councilor General LTS yes Council harder yes Council Heath yes Council heglin no Council Mac yes Council TBO MOS yes Council tone yes Council tyos no and president kazin no six y six y four no six yeses four NOS the motion passes item 11286 in order appropriating $330,000 from free cash to the mayor's unclassified es Graves versus City lawsuit expense account report from the finance committee councelor D lawit thank you madam president uh give me a second here I get reorganized I think I um the finance uh committee was favor in passing this order pursuant to receiving the bills from patran Associates uh there was 70 pages of invoices in our packet that everyone had a chance to review um that being said I move to pass the order second motion made by Counselor General seconded by counselor tyros to adopt the order is there a discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the rooll council Brooks yes councelor Craig Kier yes councilor General LTS yes councel harder yes Council Heath yes Council hegan yes Council math yes Council tbot Munos yes Council tone yes councelor tyros yes and president kazinski yes el el the motion passes item 11289 an ordinance to amend the code of the city of Garder part one thereof entitled administrative legislation councelor General thank you madam president the um finance committee did briefly discuss this item it is a lengthy change as we've talked about previously um there's a lot to go through um we encourage uh all the counselors to take a second and third pass at it um we want to get further further into it in the finance committee level and report back um so with all that being said I would like do ask for more time there's no objection the committee will be granted more time the committee will be granted more time appointments committee item 114 11140 a measure confirming the mayor's appointment of Robert Schwarz to the position of planning board member return expiring January 4th 2027 councelor tyros thank you madam president for items 11140 11141 11255 I happy to report that we have an appointments committee meeting scheduled for June 24th uh the mayor's office confirmed uh the appointees will be available we will have that vote on these appointments I know they've been on our calendar for quite a while since that big uh you know 50 plus appointments block the mayor pushed through this year and we're finally at the home stretch so I respectfully request more time if there's no objection the committee will be granted more time on item 11140 item 11141 a measureing confirming the mayor's appointment of stepen Cormier to position of planning board member for term expiring January 4th 27 and item 11255 a measureing confirming the mayor's appointment of Vincent fer to the position of assistant city solicitor for term expiring January 1st 2025 seeing as there is no objection the committee will be granted more time Safety Committee item 11115 in ordinance to amend the code of the city of Garder chapter 600 entitled vehicles and traffic section 24 entitled parking prohibited on certain streets Douglas Road report from the Safety Committee councelor Craig Cormier yes thank you madam president uh the Tariff just traffic commission discussed this last week um this is in a trial mode at the moment they're looking to make some adjustments and therefore until we get some feedback on the adjustments I will therefore ask for more time if there is no objection the committee will be granting more time the committee will be granting more time item 11204 an ordinance to amend the code of the city of gardener chapter 600 entitled vehicles and traffic section 24 entitled parking prohibited on certain streets edel street from Elm Street to Lawrence Street councelor Craig Cormier thank m president uh I think I misspoke last time I was under the impression that this was already under trial but uh the traffic commission met last week uh and started the trial last week uh so until we get some feedback from that I would therefore ask for more time if there's no objection the committee will be granted more time the committee will be granted more time welfare committee item 11 1211 an ordinance to amend the code of the city of Garder to add a new chapter 15 to be entitled agricultural commission councelor Mac um the committee receiv received the additional information that they requested last Thursday so we respectfully request more time so we can meet on the information received if there is no objection the committee will be granted more time the committee will be granted more time Committee of the whole item 11 1287 an ordinance to amend the code of the city of Gardner chapter 171 thereof entitled Personnel to change the compensation schedule exhibit e non-union Personnel councel General I move to send the ordinance to final printing second motion made by councelor General out second by councelor tyos to move the ordinance to Second and final printing is there discussion on the motion the clerk will please call the RO councelor Brooks yes councelor Craig homeier yes councel General LTZ yes counc harder yes councel Heath yes councel heglin yes councel ma yes counc TBO munus yes councel tone yes Council tyros yes and president kazinski yes 11 y 11 y the motion passes there is no unfinished business in matters for reconsideration there is no new Business Council comments and remarks are there any Council comments and remarks coun Brooks I'll be brief U there's been a lot of uh some controversy tonight and I know there's some controversy in coming but I think we can all agree go Celtics thank you thank you counselor further coun Council comments and remarks Council Heath thank you madam president um we got a heat wave this week I want to stay cool um you know I I had a list of the cooling centers but to be honest with you I left it in my car so find the cooling centers if you need it cool out don't overheat stay hydrated um words of advice to the people everyone there's a huge difference between competation and conversation just know the difference that's all thank you thank you counselor further Council comments and remarks I will entertain a motion on the floor to adjourn after closing prayer is there a motion on the floor second councelor motion made by councelor Don seconded by councelor Cormier all those in favor say I I say no motion passes Almighty father overall as we we thank you for the opportunity of joint deliberation and AC witness during the course of this meeting bless the Lord all who are gathered here and the people whose Representatives we are and do that to our common welfare until our next meeting amen meeting stands adjourned thank you everyone