Subcommittee backs $183,171.62 supplemental budget to fund body cameras, grant-writing, ambulance, tree removal and school technology

The Gardner City Council subcommittee recommended that the full council approve a supplemental appropriation of $183,171.62 for various departmental needs for fiscal year 2026 at its Oct. 1 meeting.

The mayor summarized the sources and uses: "September 4, the Department of Revenue certified our city's new growth for the fiscal year at $344,698," he said, and noted that $39,171.62 from the schools' E-rate program is restricted to school-technology spending. The mayor said the city had originally budgeted $200,000 of expected new-growth revenue (of which $150,000 was designated for abatements), leaving an additional roughly $144,698 in surplus from new growth to support supplemental requests.

The supplemental order itemizes department requests and operating needs. Major line items discussed included $35,000 for police body-worn cameras, $54,000 to fund the city's five-year grant-writing contract through the fiscal year, roughly $25,000 to purchase an ambulance from the town of Westminster for the fire department, and funds for tree-removal work for the Department of Public Works. The mayor said the E-rate money must be used by the school department for technology.

Police leadership described the body-camera proposal as a multi-year, cloud-hosted package that includes redaction and vendor-supported public-records processing. The Police Chief said the department had tested cameras and negotiated policy language with union representatives. "This is a huge area of liability for the city... we thought going slowly and trying to get the best equipment and doing our research on this was probably the most prudent way," the chief said. He added the vendor's package includes managed redaction and public-records support, which reduces the administrative burden on city staff.

Fire Chief Lavoie said the Westminster ambulance offer was an opportunistic purchase that could help avoid service interruptions. "It's a good price for the condition of the vehicle and the equipment it comes with. It would allow us to avoid a situation that we would have an interruption in fire department service for the citizens. Parts availability is a huge issue," Lavoie said.

Director Arnold described the city's ongoing tree-removal backlog and said the requested $30,000 would be used to outsource removal of the largest, hazardous trees while the newly hired foreman and in-house crew handle smaller removals. Arnold said the total cost to remove the remaining trees if fully outsourced could exceed $100,000.

Councilors discussed timing: the mayor said the supplemental appropriation is needed in mid-October to allow the auditor to complete the tax-rate calculation and related hearings. A motion to recommend the order to the full council was made and seconded; the subcommittee voted to recommend adoption.

Votes at a glance
- Item 11699: Order to raise and appropriate $183,171.62 for FY2026 operational expenditures (includes $35,000 body cameras; $54,000 grant writing; $25,000 ambulance; tree removal; $39,171.62 E-rate to schools). Motion to recommend adoption: made by Councilor Paglen, seconded by Councilor Mac; outcome: recommended to full council.
- Item 11695: Transfer $5,795 from building department salary & wages to operating expenses to cover final payment to former interim building commissioner. Motion: made by Councilor Mack, seconded by Councilor Hedlund; outcome: recommended to full council.
- Item 11696 & 11697: Communications from the mayor naming RFP review committees for 130 Elm Street (Helen A. Sauder School) and 53 School Street; 130 Elm had no proposals returned; 53 School Street RFP remained open until the next day at noon. Both communications were recommended to be placed on file for the full council.

Ending: The subcommittee recommended the items to the full council and asked staff to return with any follow-up details (for example, a fuller cost estimate for outsourcing the remaining tree removals).