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.
City Council Workshop
Click here to read the agenda for this meeting.
Community Paramedicine Program Presentation
The Bangor Fire Chief and the City’s Public Health Director presented a proposal to establish a community paramedicine program in Bangor.
- Program Concept: The Fire Chief explained that community paramedicine is a healthcare model that uses paramedics in a non-emergency, follow-up role. It is designed to fill gaps in care that are not covered by services like home health or hospice. The program would focus on tasks such as wound care, follow-up for chronic illnesses, medication regulation assistance, and making connections to other care providers. The goal is to address unmet needs for follow-up care in the community, reduce non-emergency use of emergency rooms, and lower hospital readmission rates.
- Collaboration and Structure: The program is proposed as a collaboration between the Bangor Fire Department and the Public Health department. The Fire Chief stated the Fire Department lacks the capacity to run the program alone and that its mission is better aligned with Public Health’s focus on prevention and risk reduction rather than the fire department’s 911-response focus. The community paramedic position would be housed within the Department of Public Health and Community Services.
- Funding and Pilot Details: The proposal is for an 18-month pilot program funded through a grant from the Coal Foundation, an opportunity brought to the city by Dr. Jonnathan Busko of St. Joseph’s Hospital.
- The grant would cover a vehicle, equipment, and the salary for one full-time community paramedic for the 18-month period.
- Funding is also included for the paramedic’s advanced training, a part-time coordinator to manage scheduling and partnerships, and a financial specialist who will develop a sustainable billing model for after the grant period ends.
- The city opted for a single full-time employee to ensure consistency, receiving the funding upfront to eliminate the financial risk of low call volumes.
- Next Steps: The first referrals for the program will come from St. Joseph’s Hospital. A council order to approve the grant application will be presented at the next meeting. The council appeared supportive of the initiative.
2026 Property Revaluation Update
The City Assessor provided an update on the progress of the city-wide 2026 property revaluation.
- Progress: The City Assessor reported that the revaluation is going well. The city’s contractor, KRT, has completed exterior measurements of all 8,800 residential properties, including single-family homes, condos, and mobile homes.
- Challenges: The primary challenge is a low rate of public participation for interior inspections, which the City Assessor had hoped would be higher.
- Currently, 5,300 residential properties still lack interior data. The City Assessor emphasized that allowing an interior inspection provides KRT with the necessary data to most accurately assess a property.
- KRT is sending letters to these property owners asking them to call and schedule an interior inspection at their convenience.
- Upcoming Work: In September, KRT will begin fieldwork for the city’s 2,700 commercial, industrial, and large apartment properties. In the spring, property owners will be sent their new value estimates and will have another opportunity to discuss the data with KRT.
Other Items
The City Assessor also announced that two new employees in the assessor’s office, hired in February and March, have successfully passed their exams to become certified Maine assessors.
Regular City Council Meeting
Click here to read the meeting agenda.
Proclamation for National Recovery Month
The meeting began with a proclamation read by myself, officially declaring September as National Recovery Month in Bangor. The proclamation highlighted that substance use treatment and mental health services can help individuals live healthy lives, and it celebrated the gains made by those in recovery. It also noted the significant public health and economic impact of substance use disorders in Penobscot County. Scott Pardy, President of Fresh Start, was present to accept the proclamation.
Key Decisions and Business
The council voted on several orders and ordinances:
- Custodial Services Contract Postponed: A vote on a new custodial contract with SJ Services for Bangor International Airport and city facilities was postponed until the September 22, 2025, council meeting. This was done to allow more time to look into concerns raised about the bidding company’s business practices.
- Taylor Field Designated a “Safe Zone”: The council passed an ordinance designating Taylor Field as a “safe zone”. This designation allows for elevated penalties for drug-related offenses within 1,000 feet of the field.
- Land Development Code Amended: An ordinance was approved to amend the land development code to allow private schools, training facilities, and recreational uses as conditional uses in the Rural Residence and Agricultural District, but only on major arterials.
- Opioid Litigation Settlements: The council authorized participation in two separate multi-district opioid litigation settlements. The first is with eight small pharmaceutical manufacturers , and the second is with the Sackler family related to the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan. Funds from these settlements will be used to combat the opioid crisis in Bangor.
- It was noted that these funds would also be part of the advisory work by the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Committee.
- Appointment of Finance Director: The council unanimously approved the city manager’s appointment of Stephanie Kimble as the new Finance Director.
- Sale of 110 Hildreth Street: The council approved the reassignment of the lease for 110 Hildreth Street to Maine Recycling Corporation and also authorized the sale of the property to the same company for $2,091,600.
- Referral to Board of Ethics: The council voted 7-2 to refer an issue to the city’s Board of Ethics for an advisory opinion. The referral is to determine if private communications between city councilors following a May 7th budget workshop constituted a violation of the city’s code of ethics.
Closing Remarks
Councilors congratulated Stephanie Kimble on her official appointment as Finance Director. Some councilors also mentioned having taken a tour of an American Cruise Lines ship, which will be making 25 departures from Bangor.
