Ordinances take first, second steps toward law

Budget back to FinCom, ordinances to 2nd printing

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — At a meeting Monday night, the City Council voted to pass two motions that would refer appropriations for the upcoming fiscal budget to the Finance Committee for further review and send three new proposed blight ordinances to a second of two required printings. City Councilor Ron Cormier made a motion to move seven appropriations to the finance committee for further review because they may still need changing. “I’d like to make a motion to move this to the finance committee because we still are having some discussions with different department heads,” said Mr. Cormier. “We think there may be two or more changes we’d like to make and this would give us the time we need.” The appropriations included $9,022,525 for the city’s salary budget, $22,253,561 for the expense budget, $21,592,535 for the School Department budget, $168,351 for the Landfill Closure Account, $21,830 for various city accounts, $151,539 for the Cable Commission, and $26,242 for various salary accounts. Also passed at the council meeting was the sending of three proposed ordinances aimed at eliminating blight across the city to a second and final printing. Mayor Mark Hawke and other city officials designed the ordinances in order to make property owners financially responsible for poorly managed or abandoned buildings. The first ordinance, which deals with nuisances on property, targets property owners whose buildings are dilapidated or unsightly. Under the new ordinance, violators would have a time period of 10 days to correct the problem before the city fines them. The second ordinance, aimed to eliminate the numerous vacant or abandoned buildings across the city, would require owners to report to the city when a building will be abandoned. The law would impose guidelines that would make sure that owners would continue to secure and maintain the building or face a daily fine of $300. The third and final ordinance would deal with properties that frequently sound false fire or security alarms. The ordinance states that a business that sounds more than one false alarm in a six-month period would face fines that range from $25 for a second offense to $150 for a seventh. Following its second printing, the ordinances will be voted on at the next city council meeting and — if approved — will be passed into law. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 6/3/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 131)