Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson Responds to City Council Request for Information on Building Permit Process Flow
At a June Gardner City Council meeting, the Council voted to ask the Mayor for more information on a Building Permit workflow issue which temporarily took the Assessors Office out of the loop. Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson issued this response to the Council, CLICK HERE.
The Chair Man and the Chair Lady discuss the issue. CLICK PLAY.
Max and Maxine Rogers debate the issue. CLICK PLAY.
An internal review revealed that the building permit workflow was improperly modified in early 2026 to bypass mandated financial vetting processes. While these changes were intended to expedite permit issuance, they violated the City Code requirement that all permit applicants be in “good standing” regarding local taxes and fees.
The City has since identified the specific points of failure—including unauthorized manual workflow changes and software glitches within the OpenGov system—and is currently implementing a comprehensive correction plan. This plan involves manual updates to individual permit workflows, specialized staff training, and a reinstatement of the “Certificate of Good Standing” as a non-negotiable step in the permitting process.
