Summaries of the Bangor City Council meetings held on January 28, 2026 in Bangor, Maine.

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.

Bangor Water District: Rate Case and Updates

Chuck Harrison of the Bangor Water District presented a 2026 budget requiring a 10.5% rate increase, slated to take effect April 1, 2026.

Drivers for Increase: The hike is attributed to inflationary costs, rising energy prices, health insurance increases, and critical cyber security needs to protect the system from national-scale attacks.
Infrastructure: The district managed 73 main breaks in 2025. The new revenue will fund essential projects, such as replacing the 127-year-old water main on Cumberland Street in coordination with city roadwork.
Noteworthy Achievement: The district completed a new standpipe, the tallest of its specific construction type in the world, which can hold three and a half Paul Bunyan statues vertically.

Extended Discussion: Software and Billing Friction

A significant portion of the meeting involved a tense exchange regarding a recent software transition at the Water District.

The Issue: The district moved to a new billing software (MUN link), but the data file provided to the city for sewer billing failed to integrate properly. While a test batch reportedly worked, the “real-time” billing cycle did not, resulting in extra work and costs for the city.
Council Concerns: Councilors expressed frustration over a lack of coordination and accountability, with one member noting it appeared “one hand doesn’t know what the other hand’s doing”. They questioned why the city was absorbing the cost of a mistake made by a third-party software provider.
Outcome: The district maintained that they provided the file as requested and had no control over the city’s internal software, but agreed to facilitate further communication to resolve the lingering transition issues.

Public Health and Airport Updates

Grant Funding: Public Health is submitting a letter of intent for a $50,000 grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation to establish an advisory group for a “one-stop shop” model focusing on behavioral health and HIV response.
Airport Tragedy: The City Manager provided a somber update on a fatal plane crash involving six victims. The council plans to issue an official proclamation or message of support for the first responders who arrived on the scene in less than a minute.

Legislative Support: LD2124

The council debated whether to support LD2124, a bill that would divert 1.8% of the real estate transfer tax from counties to the Maine State Housing Authority’s shelter subsidy program.

The Dilemma: While the bill aligns with the city’s goal of “sharing the burden” of shelter costs among all municipalities in a county, councilors were wary of further depleting the county budget, which might result in the city paying the difference anyway through other channels.

Decision: The council opted to draft their own “neither for nor against” letter, expressing appreciation for the concept but urging the legislature to find non-county funding sources and ensure funds return to the counties they were taken from.

Regular City Council Meeting

Click here for the agenda.

Consent Agenda

All items had passage.

Minutes of: Bangor City Council Regular Meeting of January 12, 2026; Infrastructure Committee Meetings of November 17, 2025 and December 15, 2025
26-067 ORDER: Appointing Nominees to Various Boards, Commissions and Committees
26-068 ORDER: Awarding a Contract to Carpenter Associates to Provide Project Management Services for Bangor International Airport
26-069 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to Apply for a One-time Grant from Adept Educational Institute in the Amount of $5,000 for the Purpose of Promoting Gambling Prevention Messages to Parents and Youth
26-070 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to Submit the Watershed Based Plan for Penjajawoc Stream Dated March 2025 to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for Acceptance
26-071 ORDER: Accepting the 2025 Annual Report from the Commission on Cultural Development
26-072 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Parking Lease with Penquis for Fifteen Parking Spaces along Curve Street

Referrals to Committee and First Reading

26-073 ORDINANCE: Amending the Code of the City of Bangor by Changing the Restrictions on Short-Term Rentals in Tiny Home Parks and Manufactured Home Parks (First Reading and Referral to Planning Board on February 3, 2026)
- I expressed support for the ordinance moving forward, however I raised the following points:
  - Registration Disparity: I noted that there are currently 37 registered short-term rentals in Bangor, while another 27 are suspected but remain unregistered.
  - Fairness for Compliant Owners: I expressed concern that individuals who followed proper procedures and paid fees are essentially being “punished,” while those who did not register are being “rewarded” due to a lack of enforcement.
  - Request for Staff Action: Before widening the scope of the ordinance, I requested that city staff address how enforcement will be handled effectively going forward.
- The ordinance passed first reading.
26-074 RESOLVE: Authorizing $450,000 from the Stormwater Unassigned Funds Account for Construction of a Stormwater Trunk Line for the Sanford Brook Drainage Area (First Reading)
- The resolve passed first reading.

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
- Council members debated whether to authorize negotiations with Sheridan Construction for a commercial kitchen incubator at 50 Cleveland Street.
- Concerns: Some Councilors expressed reservations regarding long-term operating costs and taxpayer risk, noting projections of a $200,000 annual loss in the first five years.
- Support: Other Councilors argued that the project uses Enterprise Funds (not property taxes) and that moving forward is necessary to obtain the finalized data needed for a definitive decision.
- Outcome: A motion to postpone failed 2-6. The original order passed 6-2.
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
- The council considered an ordinance to reclassify Ohio Street from a “minor arterial” to a “major arterial” to allow for expanded land uses.
- Public Opposition: Numerous residents testified that Ohio Street does not meet the legal definition of a major arterial, as it lacks both the required traffic volume (10,000+ vehicles daily) and the necessary number of lanes. Residents also feared the change would destroy the street’s residential character.
- Outcome: Councilors unanimously agreed with the residents, praising their “phenomenal homework”. The ordinance failed 0-8.

New Business

PUBLIC HEARING: Application for Special Amusement License Renewal of Bangor Lodge #244 BPO Elks d/b/a Bangor Lodge #244 BPO Elks, 108 Odlin Road. The license was renewed.

End of Meeting Messages

Airport Tragedy: The City Manager and Councilors offered solemn tributes to the six victims of a recent plane crash at Bangor International Airport, praising the “heroic” efforts of first responders and Airport Director Jose Saavedra.

My comments: “I echo all of those sentiments. Fact of the matter is this is a tragedy that’s never befallen the Bangor International Airport and a lot of people got thrust into something that I don’t know how I would handle it. Within a minute of of the tragedy we had first responders rushing headlong into this into a situation that it would take me a lifetime to forget. Hero’s work has been done and I just really want to lift up everybody who is involved in responding to this, and also to director Saavedra. For these past few days as as the world has been waiting for news and he has been the face of Bangor and and spoken wonderfully throughout this and and provided as much information as he could, but really represented the city well and I am grateful both to the director and to everyone who has been struggling with this. I see you and I appreciate you and please take advantage of all the resources available with counseling and you name it that is offered to you because you’re important and we love you and we care about you and again, I am very grateful to all of you.”