Council elects Karen Butler as City Auditor; approves $236,200 in free cash spending
City Council · Meeting of February 17, 2026
Gardner City Council elects Karen Butler as City Auditor; approves $236,200 in free cash. The special search committee co-chaired by Councillor Aleksander Dernalowicz unanimously recommended Butler after interviewing three candidates; all 10 present Councillors and President George Tyros voted in favor on roll call. The Council also approved $35,200 from free cash to cover the local match for a $330,856 FEMA grant for 38 new Fire Department portable radios, and $201,000 for three new Police Department vehicles per the department's vehicle rotation program.
Mayor Michael J. Nicholson announced the discontinuation of sludge landfill expansion following state environmental review, with the administration to explore alternatives.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 482 words
Source: the City Council meeting of February 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 14-day free trial
Subscribe to Gardner News to keep reading this post and get 14 days of free access to the full post archives.
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news