Summaries of meetings held by Bangor City Council on March 9, 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 meeting agenda.

City Manager’s Update

The City Manager provided several administrative and community updates:

Cross Insurance Center: The facility saw a 25% increase in attendance for high school basketball compared to last year, hosting approximately 40,000 guests over 11 days.
Federal Funding Support: The Council expressed no objections to submitting a letter of support for Covenant Health’s $3 million congressional spending request for building upgrades. The upgrades would benefit both the nursing home and the city’s Public Health Department, which rents space in the building.
Upcoming Absences: Several councilors and the Assistant City Manager will attend the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D.C., next week.

City Assessor’s Revaluation Progress

The City Assessor updated the Council on the citywide property revaluation being conducted by KRT Appraisal:

Inspections: Residential exterior inspections are largely complete. Commercial inspections are roughly one month behind schedule due to winter weather but are expected to conclude soon.
Valuation Timeline: KRT expects to deliver real property values during the first week of June.
Data Accuracy: Currently, the “inspection success rate” (homeowners allowing interior access) is at 35%, which is within the typical industry range.
Late Penalties: The contract with KRT includes financial penalties for delays, starting at hundreds and potentially reaching thousands of dollars per day.

Homelessness Response Strategy

The Public Health Director and the Homelessness Response Coordinator outlined a new framework for addressing homelessness:

Role Distinction: The new Coordinator role focuses on programming, technical assistance for service providers, and inter-city coordination, rather than direct emergency service.
Key Initiatives:
- Tenant Readiness: Developing a program to prepare individuals for independent or supportive living.
- Data Tracking: Implementing a system to track the “last zip code” of unhoused individuals to understand migration patterns and resource needs.
- Outreach: Sun has been meeting with unhoused individuals, landlords, and business owners to troubleshoot barriers to housing.
Council Concerns: Council members raised concerns about “surges” of people arriving from out-of-state and the risk of new encampments forming as the weather warms. The team emphasized a “return to support” strategy, asking individuals if they have resources or family in their home locations to return to.

Regular City Council Meeting

Click here to read the meeting agenda.

CONSENT AGENDA

All items had passage. 26-106 was moved to New Business where it received passage.

26-097 ORDER: Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quitclaim Deed for Real Estate Located at 72 State Street
26-098 ORDER: Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quitclaim Deed for Real Estate Located at 180 Yale Street
26-099 ORDER: Authorizing the Sale of Property at 240 Grove Street in the Amount of $57,000.00 to Melissa Nguyen and Bin Yo
26-100 ORDER: Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quitclaim Deed for Real Estate Located at 500 Essex Street
26-101 ORDER: Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quitclaim Deed for Real Estate Located at 631 Essex Street
26-102 ORDER: Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quitclaim Deed for Real Estate Located at Larkin Street
26-103 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to accept $2,875 in funds, as Result of a State Criminal Forfeiture (Gaul)
26-104 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to accept one firearm, as Result of a State Criminal Forfeiture (Thibodeau)
26-105 ORDER: Appointing Nominees to Ethics Board and Water District Board of Trustees
26-106 ORDER: Authorizing the City Manager to Apply for a $500,000 Grant from NASTAD to Support a Two-Year Program to Increase Support and Connections to Care for People Living with HIV
- Discussion: Councilor Mallar removed this from the consent agenda.
- Item passed 8-1 under New Business.
- Note: Public Health has since decided not to apply for this grant and the City instead will be issuing a letter of support for the Maine CDC’s statewide application for this grant.

REFERRALS TO COMMITTEE AND FIRST READING

All items had passage and/or referral.

26-107 ORDER: Amending the Code of the City of Bangor to Create a Standing Committee on Homelessness (First Reading)
26-108 ORDER: Authorizing Issuance of $75,000,000 of the City’s General Obligation Bonds for a Consolidated Parks and Recreation Facility and a Tax Levy Therefor, Subject to Approval of the Voters of the City of Bangor (First Reading and Referral to Finance Committee on March 16, 2026)

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Two items had passage, and 26-095 was postponed.

26-090 RESOLVE: Making an Appropriation from Undesignated Fund Balance in the Amount of Up to $50,000 to Fund a Director of Human Resources
26-095 ORDINANCE: Amending the Code of the City of Bangor to Establish Chapter 46, “Employee Authority in Immigration Matters”
- Item was postponed (my motion) until March 23, 2026.
26-096 RESOLVE: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept and Appropriate $320,603 from the State of Maine Department of Transportation for the Purpose of Funding New Mobile Fare Technology, an Electric ADA Van, and Bike Racks

NEW BUSINESS

Both items had passage.

26-109 ORDER: Authorizing the Award of $641,297 of Opioid Settlement Funds Based on the Recommendation of the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Committee with Modifications
26-110 ORDER: Directing Compliance with New State Law 5 M.R.S. Chap. 337-E “Immigration” Effective Immediately and to Formalize Written Procedure Regarding Providing Access to Confidential Information and Non-public Spaces at the Request of Law Enforcement