Council accepts donations to city programs but refers Gardner Community Action Team gift to law department

The Gardner City Council voted on March 2 to accept a group of donation acceptance orders for several city programs but pulled one item for legal review.

Councilor Mack moved to accept donations for the Council on Aging, Animal Shelter, Youth Center, Police Department, Gardner Community Action Team (GCAT), and Fire Department as a grouped motion. Councilor Hegland asked that the GCAT item (11782) be pulled from the grouped acceptance because the packet provided limited documentation about GCAT's organization and use of city accounts; she moved to refer that specific item to the law department with questions about GCAT's legal status and whether it is properly using city accounts. The council approved the referral for item 11782 and accepted the remaining donations in the group.

Councilor Brooks asked for clarification about whether a $10,000 gift was the donation in question; the clerk indicated item 11782 is the Gardner Community Action Team donation acceptance order, but a specific confirmed amount for the GCAT item was not provided during the public discussion.

Councilors emphasized appreciation for community donations while also supporting additional documentation and legal review for the GCAT item before acceptance.

Next steps: the law department will be asked to report back on GCAT's legal organization and its use of city accounts before the council takes final action on item 11782.