Disclaimer: The views I express here are my own and should NOT be construed as speaking for the City of Bangor or the City Council of Bangor.
There was both a City Council Workshop and a City Council Meeting scheduled that day. I did not feel well and was not in attendance of either. The City Council Workshop was an executive session for a personnel matter.
City Council Meeting
You can view the meeting agenda here. Here are, in my opinion, the biggest items of the night. All of these items had passage or were properly referred.
City Could Potentially Save $850,000 By Switching Their Paid Family Medical Leave to a Private Plan
Executive Summary: This Order (25-152) would authorize staff to apply to the State of Maine for the City to
enter a private plan for Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) and enter into a contract with The Standard
for a rate of .885%.
Beginning January 1, 2025, the State of Maine required employers to remit 1% of employee’s subject
wages to the State to fund a PFML program which allows employees to take up to twelve (12) weeks of
paid leave for medical or other qualifying events beginning in 2026.
The program has a provision that allows employers to enter into a private plan that offers the same or
substantially similar benefits. The City’s insurance consultant reached out to five State approved
providers for quotes on providing a private plan to Bangor. The proposed rates ranged from .885% to
1.638%, with The Standard providing the lowest quote.
If the City’s application to enter into a private plan is approved by the State before the end of May,
2025, the City would be exempt from any additional withholdings until May of 2026. The contract with The Standard would be for twenty (20) months beginning May of 2026 and ending December 2027 at a
fixed rate of .885%. The suspended period of withholding and the reduced rate is projected to save the
City nearly $850,000 over three years, with no impact to City employees utilizing the PFML program.
This item was reviewed and recommended at the Finance Committee meeting on May 5, 2025.
Amending the Disruptive Property Ordinance
Executive Summary: This Ordinance revision would update the definition of “disruptive activities” in the
City’s Disruptive Property Ordinance and expand its applicability to (1) properties that are not residential, and
(2) properties that do not have buildings on them.
City officials have been fielding requests for help made by neighbors who live near nuisance and disruptive
properties, and the proposed revisions would provide additional protection of citizens’ legitimate interests in
peacefully enjoying their property.
The definition of “disruptive activities” would expand to include incidents where the police have been
contacted and respond to a complaint(s) and visit a property, and the visit results in the arrest of an individual
on the property for activities that constitute a crime or civil infraction. The definition would also expand to
include intoxication on public ways within 300 feet of a property that unreasonably disturbs the community
caused by situations originating on the property.
This item was reviewed by the Government Operations Committee on May 5, 2025.
Public Comment for this item at second reading.
This was a first reading, as required by Charter. For those wishing to give public comment on this item, you will be afforded the ability to do so during the second reading. I asked this clarifying question at the May 5th Government Operations Committee meeting.
Amending Chapter 23, Boards, Committees and Commissions, Article VI, by Clarifying Language and Adding Sections to Address Cause for Removal (First Reading and Referral to Government Operations Committee Meeting of May 19, 2025)
Executive Summary: This Ordinance would amend Chapter 23 Boards, Committees, and Commissions,
Article VI Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights by updating language in
Ordnance, most notably by adding language for notice and cause for removal. This committee has struggled
in the past with some members failing to attend meetings, thereby hindering the ability of the Committee to
conduct its business.
The language amendment proposes a process to remove individuals from the committee for unexcused
absences when four or more meetings are missed in a year or three consecutive meetings are missed. This
would ensure citizens appointed to the committee have expectations of attendance and create a mechanism for removal, when warranted. Additionally, it would create a position for a Bangor City Councilor, appointed by
the Council Chair annually, to participate as a nonvoting member. Should this be approved, the City Council
may want to consider similar language related to attendance and removal considerations for other boards,
committees, and commissions. This was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Advisory
Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights at their May 6, 2025 meeting.
Amending Section 291-42 of the Code of Ordinances to Allow On-Street Parking During the Winter Except During a Snow-Clearing Order (First Reading)
Executive Summary: This language would amend the City’s Code of Ordinances to allow citizens to on
street park during the winter except during snow clearing orders. This amendment will also codify the
locations where citizens may park off-street during snow clearing orders. This item was reviewed and
recommended for approval at the Infrastructure Committee meeting on April 23, 2025.
Accepting and Appropriating $75,000 in Funds from the Maine Community Resilience Partnership Program for Municipal Building Energy Audits and Bicycle Infrastructure
Executive Summary: This Resolve will authorize the acceptance and appropriation of $75,000 in funds
from the State of Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership (CRP) program for municipal building
energy audits and installation of bicycle infrastructure.
The City originally authorized application for this grant for funding up to $75,000 via Council Order
24-337 on October 28, 2024. The Maine Community Resilience Partnership (CRP) program awarded
approximately $8 million in grant funds to communities to use for a variety of activities related to
climate change mitigation and resilience.
In Bangor, the grant funds are to be used for energy audits of City-owned buildings and for the
installation of bicycle parking on City-owned property downtown, at public parks, and at public
schools. These actions align with the Penobscot Climate Action Plan recommendations and Bangor’s
2022 Comprehensive Plan. This item was reviewed and recommended at the Government Operations
Committee on May 5, 2025.
Adopting City Council Guidelines – The Public’s Role
Order 25-160 adopted updated City Council guidelines. In there is a section that I believe the public should take note of.
Citizen Requests for Agenda Items. From time to time, individuals or groups of citizens may request to appear before the Council or a Council Committee or may request that an item appear on a Council or Committee agenda. In most instances, when a request to appear before a Committee is received, it is honored and scheduled at the next available meeting. When an item is requested to appear on a Council Agenda, the citizen may either be requested to first appear before a Council Committee or be asked to contact members of the Council to determine if any Councilor is interested in sponsoring the item. These processes are intended to ensure that citizens have access to the Council while avoiding situations where items appear on full Council agenda when there is no support for such items among the Council.
Appointing Carollynn J. Lear as City Manager and Authorizing the Execution of an Employment Agreement
Executive Summary: This Order (25-161) will appoint Carollynn Lear to the position of City Manager and authorize the execution of an employment agreement effective June 16, 2025.
This appointment is the culmination of [a] months long recruitment and selection process. Ms. Lear is a graduate
of Roger Williams University School of Law and is an attorney. She has served in various roles in state and
federal government, most recently with the Internal Revenue Service. Ms. Lear currently resides in Dedham,
Maine with the expectation that she changes residency to Bangor within two years.
Wishing Our New City Manager Much Success in Her New Role
While I was not in attendance that evening, I join others in wishing Carollynn Lear success in her new role as our City Manager. Her success is Bangor’s success and look forward to working with our new City Manager on ways to make our community even better.
