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.
The Bangor City Council held three meetings on Monday, June 9, 2025.
Business & Economic Development Committee (Special Meeting)
You can read the agenda for this meeting by clicking here.
The agenda for the Business & Economic Development Committee meeting included one item: the authorization for staff to accept, amend, or reject requests concerning the Development Agreement for 8 Harlow Street. One member of the committee was absent, and the Committee Chair began the meeting with four members, which was considered a sufficient quorum.
Previously, a motion regarding this item had failed at a Business & Economic Development Committee meeting due to a 2-2 vote. Following that meeting, additional information was requested. During the current meeting, details of $110,400 in required repairs for the property were presented, with some noted as completed and others as outstanding.
The Committee proceeded to a vote on the matter, which resulted in a 2-2 tie. A tie vote signifies a failed motion. Following the vote, the Committee Chair moved to appoint a City Councilor to the committee to fill the vacant seat.
A point of order was raised, questioning the procedural propriety of appointing a new member in the middle of a vote. The point of order was overruled by the Chair. The City Solicitor, serving as the City Council’s parliamentarian, opined that while the action was unusual, it was technically permissible under the rules.
The newly appointed committee member then cast a vote in favor of the motion, changing the outcome to 3-2.
No recording of this meeting exists.
Due to a technical error this meeting was not streamed on YouTube nor does a recording of the proceedings exist for public view.
City Council Workshop
You can read the agenda for this meeting by clicking here.
The Interim City Manager provided several updates:
- Job Corps: The city is monitoring a court order that has temporarily halted the dismantling of the local Job Corps facility. The city’s homeless response manager is working with partners on contingency plans, as the closure could lead to youth homelessness and the loss of over 100 jobs.
- Rolland Perry Ceremony: The council was invited to a ceremony honoring Rolland Perry, the longtime city forester for whom the city forest is named, on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the City Forest. A recognition signed by the Council Chair will be presented.
- Vacant Property Ordinance: Following inquiries about vacant commercial properties, the council will revisit the vacant property registry ordinance in late summer or early fall to discuss potentially expanding it. The current ordinance is based on zoning districts and was initially focused on residential properties.
- 166 Larkin: The city’s code and legal departments are working on taking legal action regarding the property at 166 Larkin within the next couple of weeks.
- Parking Initiatives: A press release is forthcoming about a new mobile app for paying at metered parking lots. In August, a new Barnacle device will be used instead of the traditional boot for parking enforcement. Additionally, in July, there will be an effort to clear the backlog of unpaid parking tickets by allowing them to be paid at their original rate.
- Downtown Parking: The Downtown Parking Advisory Committee will meet on Friday to discuss parking near City Hall. Proposals include freeing up more public parking by moving some staff parking and designating some on-street spots on Harlow Street for City Hall business to improve accessibility. This proposal was met with initial opposition from another council member, who argued the city should not give itself preferential treatment over other downtown businesses.
- New City Manager: The new City Manager, Carollynn Lear, will start on Monday, June 16th. An onboarding plan is being developed, and a public reception will be scheduled to allow the community to meet her.
Following the updates, the council voted to enter into an executive session to discuss a union matter.
Regular City Council Meeting
You can read the agenda for this meeting by clicking here.
First Reading of the City Budget
Under Bangor’s charter and code the budget requires two separate readings. During the first reading the public is made aware, and it is generally during the second reading that commenting and discussion is accepted.
$951,845 from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to Implement the Maine Prevention Network
From the Executive Summary:
“Bangor Public Health will be responsible for providing prevention services including substance use prevention, tobacco prevention, and promotion of healthy eating and active living throughout the Penquis Public Health District. We will provide direct prevention services in Penobscot County and subcontract direct prevention service in Piscataquis County to Northern Light Mayo Community Outreach. Bangor Public Health and Community Services has been providing these prevention services since 2007.
This is a third period of performance with the option of additional extensions ending June 30, 2032.
This item was reviewed and recommended at the Government Operations Committee meeting on May 19, 2025″ (click here for my summary from that meeting.)
CDBG Annual Action Plan
The City Council conducted a mandatory public hearing for the 2025-26 Annual Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, a required submission to the Federal Government.
No individuals spoke during the designated public hearing period. However, during the general public comment section earlier in the meeting, a member of the public requested $5,000 for an English as a Second Language (ESL) program and suggested CDBG as a potential funding source. A request was made by a Councilor to refer this request to the Business & Economic Development Committee for future consideration.
Following the closure of the public hearing, a Councilor raised several objections to the proposed Action Plan:
- Use of Funds: A concern was raised that CDBG funds were being used to supplement the city’s budget for routine expenses, such as paving roads, which the Councilor argued is not the primary intent of the grant.
- Disagreement with Priorities: The allocation of over half the CDBG funds to a playground and road paving was questioned, with the argument that this did not represent the “highest and best use” of the money, particularly when compared to other pressing community needs like housing.
- Alignment with Public Input: It was asserted that the proposed allocations did not align with the feedback and priorities that citizens had expressed during various community and neighborhood meetings.
- Transparency: An issue was raised regarding the clarity of the action plan being submitted, noting that an allocation of $200,000 for paving did not appear to be explicitly listed and that the figures in the report seemed inconsistent. The Councilor suggested the plan should be amended to transparently include the $200,000 for road paving.
The CDBG Annual Action Plan was subsequently passed by the Council.
Development Agreement for 8 Harlow St. (Order 25-211)
As was suggested by staff during the BED committee meeting, a motion was made to “suspend the rules” to suspend the legal filing requirement for items to be considered in order during a City Council meeting. (Click here to read ordinance §9-24.)
The vote on the motion to suspend the rules failed. The result was 5-3 (with 1 member absent), and a 2/3rds majority was required. It needed at least 6 votes to pass.
Since the motion to suspend the rules failed, it was stated that Order 25-211 will appear on the next Regular City Council meeting of June 23, 2025.
