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 meeting agenda.
The City Council Workshop held on Monday, January 12, 2026, focused on establishing the Council’s annual priorities, reviewing ethics board findings, and receiving updates on property enforcement and state legislation.
Council Priorities and Strategies
The City Manager presented a memo and draft strategies for the Council’s top three priorities for the upcoming year:
- Homelessness: Establishing a comprehensive plan.
- Housing: Continuing to address regional housing needs.
- Regional Costs: Working toward fairer participation in regional challenges and costs.
The Council discussed how to handle items that did not make the top three, such as infrastructure. A proposal was made to utilize regularly scheduled committee meetings to address these secondary items rather than holding additional strategy sessions. Additionally, property tax relief for seniors was moved to the next Finance Committee meeting for further discussion.
Board of Ethics Findings (CO 25-270)
City Solicitor reported on the Board of Ethics’ investigation into communications following a May budget workshop.
- Jurisdiction: The Board found it lacked jurisdiction to determine if “open deliberations” provisions were violated, as that section is not part of the City’s Code of Ethics.
- Confidential Information: The Board concluded that councilors did not violate the code regarding the disclosure of confidential information.
- Council Action: The Council voted to accept the advisory opinion and take no further action on the matter.
During this discussion, Councilor Leonard suggested that these issues highlighted “gaps in governance” and advocated for future conversations regarding charter reform, including the creation of Council districts and the establishment of an elected executive officer.
Legal and Ordinance Updates
The City Solicitor provided progress reports on several enforcement initiatives:
| Topic | Status/Key Findings |
| Vacant Buildings | Since late 2023, 58 properties are no longer vacant. Currently, 61 properties remain on the list, with 33 registered and current. |
| Enforcement Protocol | The city offers fee deferrals for active building permits and emphasizes flexibility through “administrative consent agreements” for owners who communicate with the city. |
| Junkyard Enforcement | The city is using state statutes to address illegal junkyards on private property, often resolving issues through consent agreements to avoid court filing fees. |
| FOAA Requests | Freedom of Access Act requests are increasing in complexity. The city is training “go-to” persons in each department to handle these efficiently. |
| Mall Property | The city is still awaiting a court decision on a pending matter related to the mall property. |
Historic Property Rehabilitation Tax Credit (LD 435)
The Director of Community and Economic Development requested continued support for LD 435, which is moving to the state appropriations committee.
- Credit Increase: The bill increases the tax credit for small rehabilitation projects from 25% to 30%.
- Homeowner Inclusion: For the first time, the credit would be available to homeowners (25%), with additional 5% bonuses for accessory dwelling units or previously vacant properties.
- Tax Type Clarification: I asked if the credit applied to state income tax rather than property tax, which the Director of Community and Economic Development confirmed was correct.
- Council Consensus: The council indicated continued support for this legislation.
The workshop adjourned at 6:05 PM.
Regular City Council Meeting
Click here to read the agenda.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Consent Agenda had passage.
- 26-061 ORDER: Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quitclaim Deed for Real Estate Located at 541 Kenduskeag Avenue
- 26-062 ORDER: Appointing Constables for the Year 2026
- 26-063 ORDER: Accepting the 2025 Annual Report from Historic Preservation Commission
- 26-064 ORDER: Accepting the 2025 Annual Report from the Planning Board
- 26-065 ORDER: Accepting the 2025 Annual Report from the Penjajawoc Marsh/Bangor Mall Management Commission
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
- 26-050 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate with Sheridan Construction for Construction Manager Services for the Bangor Central Kitchen Project at 50 Cleveland Street
- This item was moved to the January 26, 2026 City Council Meeting without objection.
- 26-058 ORDINANCE: Amending the Land Development Code, Section 165-13 Definitions to Remove Ohio Street and State Street from the Minor Arterial Street Definition and Add Ohio Street to the Major Arterial Definition
- This item was moved to the January 26, 2026 City Council Meeting, as well as slated for further discussion at the next Business and Economic Development Meeting without objection.
- 26-059 RESOLVE: Appropriating an Amount Not to Exceed $900,000 from the Airport Unappropriated Fund Balance to Fund the Phase I Design of the Fuel Farm Facility
- This item had passage.
NEW BUSINESS
- PUBLIC HEARING: Application for Special Amusement License of 471 Stillwater LLC d/b/a Smoke & Steel, 471 Stillwater Avenue
- No one appeared for the public hearing. The application had passage.
- 26-066 ORDER: Authorizing an Update to the Community Connector Fare Structure
- This item had passage.
- This order authorizes the City Manager to modernize and update the fare structure for the Community Connector bus service. The key changes and reasons for the update include:
- Fare Increase: A 50-cent increase per ride, raising the cost from $1.50 to $2.00. This is the first fare increase for the service in over a decade.
- Payment Modernization: * Replacing traditional monthly passes with fare capping.
- Eliminating the need for paper transfer tickets.
- Implementing mobile fare ticketing options.
- Rationale: The update follows a fare study conducted with the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System (BACTS). It aims to align fare policy with recent investments, such as new vehicles, technology improvements, and the Transit Center that opened in December 2022.
- Goals: The new strategy is designed to improve equity, operational efficiency, and financial sustainability.
- Timeline: The update to the fare structure is expected to take approximately one year to fully implement.
- This item was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Government Operations Committee on January 5, 2026.
- Technology paid for by grants: I noted Council was informed during that January 5th meeting that the technology update was being paid for by grants, not property tax dollars.
