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.
Budget season has a way of consuming everything, and this one was no exception. If you’ve been checking back here waiting for updates, I appreciate your patience — between council meetings, end-of-year activities with my kids, and the general chaos of life, these summaries took longer to get up than I would have liked.
The amended budget was passed on June 22, 2026. Here are the summaries of the remaining budget meetings that took place leading up to that vote.
May 13, 2026
Click here to read the agenda.
Bangor Municipal Golf Course
Key highlights:
- The 27-hole course is an enterprise fund — it fully pays for itself, including staff, and typically generates around $130,000 in annual profit that goes into reserves.
- 401 memberships sold out again; nearly 38,000 rounds were played in 2025 (down from 40,000 the prior year due to a tough spring).
- Cart rentals generate roughly $317,000 in revenue; the city is renewing its golf cart lease, expanding from 50 to 60 carts.
- The course is an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, with four beehives (225,000 bees), monarch butterfly habitat, and milkweed plots maintained in partnership with a Bangor High School student volunteer.
- Coming-year goals include renovating Kelly 9 bunkers, expanding forward tees for accessibility, repairing cart paths, replacing bunker sand, and addressing the aging clubhouse roof and HVAC units.
- Councilors raised concerns about long-term capital planning — specifically that reserves should be set aside annually rather than making large one-time asks. Management agreed to work on a more transparent reserve policy.
Community Partners
- Paul Bunyan Snowmobile Club received $3,000 from the city and used it to rebuild a bridge, upgrade signage, buy equipment, add a mile of trail connecting to Hermon’s ITS trail system, and get the trail GPS-mapped by the state.
- 4th of July: The city has taken over management of the fireworks (previously run by a separate group). The parade is still organized by the 4th of July Corporation. Sponsors are being sought to help fund the event, which is expected to be especially festive this year.
Parks & Recreation Department
Highlights:
- Parks & Rec manages 30 parks, ~1,200 acres, 20 miles of trails, two pools, Cameron Stadium, Mansfield Stadium, Sawyer Arena, the waterfront, community gardens (270 beds), and the Maine Savings Amphitheater (156,000 attendees last season).
- Pools: The Beth Pancoe Municipal Aquatic Center had 14,000+ visits last summer; Dakin Pool had ~1,400. The Beth Pancoe Pool (last resurfaced in 2004) needs resurfacing — budgeted at $400,000 — and councilors asked whether it could be phased in or deferred another year.
- Programs: Over 15,500 program registrations since January 2025 across 59 programs. Summer camp, Kids Skate, adult softball (40+ teams), the Kenduskeag Canoe Race (880 paddlers), and senior bingo were all highlighted.
- A $143,900 revenue line was inadvertently omitted from the draft budget and will be added before the June vote. It was for miscellaneous charges for services.
- Staffing requests: The department is seeking to transition a seasonal Park Ranger to a permanent position (trails are used year-round) and a part-time Recreation Sports Coordinator to full-time, to allow expanded youth and adult programming.
Public Restrooms — Ongoing Debate
This drew significant discussion. Four of six purchased modular public restrooms are deployed (at Broad Street, Harlow Street square, Oak Park, and Cascade Park); two remain in storage.
- Maintenance cost in FY25 was ~$159,000; the budget request adds roughly $100,000 more.
- Concerns raised: vandalism, cleanliness, and community safety perceptions — some residents don’t feel safe using them.
- Supporters noted the public health value of reducing disease transmission and relieving pressure on downtown businesses.
- Council agreed to bring the restroom program back for a fuller Gov Ops workshop discussion, with a request for data (e.g., changes in public complaints, SeeClickFix reports) to evaluate effectiveness. The units can be relocated, as they sit on portable concrete slabs.
Capital Improvements Highlighted
- Pool resurfacing (Beth Pancoe Pool, ~$400K)
- Replacing aging utility vehicles and zero-turn mowers
- Fiber cable extension along the waterfront for improved Wi-Fi and security cameras
- Replacing the Coe Park playground structure
- Fencing and backstop repairs at Union Street Complex (original to 1989)
- Parking study at City Forest
- Kenduskeag Stream Trail interpretive signs and Rotary Gateway safety signage
Councilors noted a pattern of large capital needs hitting in a single year and called for a formal policy on incremental reserve-building for major assets.
May 20, 2026
Click here for meeting agenda.
Now I have a solid understanding of the full meeting. Let me write the public summary.
Public Works Budget
The Public Works Director, who joined the city in December, opened with an overview of the department’s scope. Public Works is responsible for about 400 lane miles of streets, 80+ miles of sidewalks, 5,000+ storm drains, 68 traffic signals, 3,700 streetlights, 20 city parking lots, maintenance support for 11 schools, five municipal cemeteries, and a fleet of roughly 750 vehicles and pieces of equipment. The department also handles solid waste collection (14,000+ tons per year), forestry management for 8,500+ publicly owned trees, and snow and ice removal — an average of 75 inches of snow annually.
Recent accomplishments highlighted include:
- A major snow removal effort this past winter involving 1.2 million cubic yards of snow from a single storm
- Training 20 employees to earn CDL licenses and four supervisors through a leadership course
- Launching an emerald ash borer response plan with chemical injections of 200+ trees (the pest has now been confirmed in the Bangor area)
- Responding to 1,700+ SeeClickFix service requests and 2,400+ fleet service orders since December
Capital Budget Requests discussed included:
- Paving program ($1.5M city contribution, $1.8M total with state/federal funds): The city currently paves about 10 miles per year — roughly 2.5% of its road network. The director noted this is not enough to keep pace with aging infrastructure and plans to request funding next year to reach 10% (30–40 miles). AI-assisted road condition scanning now guides paving priorities.
- Vehicle Telematics System (~$75,000/year, 3-year contract): GPS and camera systems for city vehicles to track plow routes in real time, reduce accidents, monitor driver behavior, lower insurance costs, and allow residents to see plow locations online during storms. The contract includes a cancellation clause if the city doesn’t receive funding.
- Street Sweeper ($290,000+): Replacing an aging 2009 unit to maintain stormwater quality and neighborhood cleanliness.
- Sidewalk Plow ($255,000): High-use equipment that does double duty as a summer sidewalk sweeper; replaced on a near-annual life-cycle basis.
- Other equipment: A vac truck for cleaning storm drains, a snow pusher blade ($15,000), a loader backhoe, an air compressor, and a new hydroseeder to repair plow-damaged lawns more efficiently.
- Mile Vision streetlight system: A larger capital request for smart streetlight management across the city’s 3,700 streetlights.
Councilors asked about how savings from the telematics system would be tracked and reflected in future budgets, and the director committed to establishing baseline data on accidents and incidents to measure improvement. The council also discussed a new zone-based parking ban system being developed to make snow removal more predictable for residents.
The director encouraged residents to sign up for SeeClickFix — currently only about 1,000 of Bangor’s 32,000 residents are enrolled — to receive notifications about paving, parking bans, and other public works activities.
Police Department Budget
The Police Chief presented a budget described as relatively flat, which councilors appreciated. He emphasized the department handles roughly 100–105 calls per day — more than any four or five other county departments combined — and indicts more people per month than all other county departments combined.
Key challenges raised:
- Staffing: The department is currently 12 officers short going into summer, factoring in seven open patrol positions plus officers on maternity leave, military leave, and injury. Supervisors are filling patrol shifts to maintain coverage. The chief stressed that emergency calls still receive a response within 2 minutes, but lower-priority calls may wait longer.
- Homelessness and mental health calls: The department is overwhelmed with calls related to vagrancy, substance abuse, and mental health crises. Bangor handled 2,253 such calls so far this year; neighboring Brewer handled 291. This volume has limited the department’s ability to be proactive in neighborhoods and school zones.
- BCAT program: The department’s co-responder program with Northern Light Acadia Hospital with mental health practitioners that ride in the car — described as unique in the state — currently has four full-time responders. The chief anticipates requesting two more next year.
- Civilian crash response team: A proposal is in development to have civilian (non-sworn) responders handle minor traffic crashes in parking lots, freeing officers for higher-priority calls. Details and costs will be presented to the council by mid-year or next year.
Capital Requests discussed included:
- Four new patrol vehicles (replacing units with 100,000–140,000 miles) and one or two detective/services cars
- Winter outerwear for patrol officers: Officers currently layer without proper jackets because standard jackets cover their gear vests. New under-vest thermal layers are planned.
- Identifying outerwear for detectives so plainclothes officers can be clearly identified as police in active-threat situations
- Electronic fingerprinting system to replace an outdated ink-based process
- Computer forensics lab upgrades
- Drug testing equipment (applying for $165,000 in congressional funding)
Other topics included: a candid discussion about shopping cart theft (local supermarket corporations have declined to report carts stolen, leaving police unable to pursue charges); the dispatch system and call triaging; and the department’s AI/facial recognition technology capabilities and current legal limitations around its use in prosecutions.
The chief also acknowledged staff coordination during a recent Vice President visit and a memorial service, thanking officers for their work.
May 28, 2026
Click here for the meeting agenda.
Bangor International Airport
The airport director covered the FY2027 proposed budget and key priorities. The budget has grown modestly — from roughly $25M in FY2025 to $28M in FY2027 — but is essentially flat when accounting for pass-through credit card transaction fees now required for fuel sales, which explains a notable jump in contractual services line items.
Key highlights included:
- Completion of a major runway project (the largest infrastructure project at the airport in many years) and the ongoing terminal connector project.
- A focus on diversifying away from over-reliance on military traffic revenue. Middle East conflict had boosted military-related fuel sales, but the airport is pursuing more balanced revenue sources.
- Two new budget requests: adding a fueling technician to right-size operations staff, and creating a new Assistant Airport Director position focused on finance and business development. Council discussion confirmed this role has an opportunity cost without it — the airport lacks the bandwidth to pursue partnerships, cargo, aircraft manufacturing opportunities, and longer-term growth strategies.
- Workforce development and succession planning flagged as a concern given the senior-heavy staff.
- A councilor raised the idea of exploring how the city can legally leverage the airport’s success to diversify citywide revenue beyond property taxes, with the airport director noting the need to stay within federal aviation obligations regarding revenue diversion.
- One councilor requested the airport director explore what an ideal airport commission structure would look like.
Cross Insurance Center
The CIC general manager presented for the 14-year-old arena and convention center. Key points:
- Annual mainstays include the Bangor State Fair, MPA State Basketball Tournament (up 25% attendance to over 40,000 patrons), and Professional Bull Riding (returning to March scheduling).
- A sold-out MercyMe concert drew 5,500 attendees and opened the door to booking Christian rock as a new genre.
- The Bangor State Fair is expanding back to a full 10-day run this year after a couple of years of weekends-only.
- All arena suites are currently sold out on 3-year contracts.
- FY2027 goals include pursuing naming rights sponsorship for the convention center (separate from the overall “Cross Insurance Center” name).
- A harness racing partnership with Hollywood Casino is adding a second fair night this year, with the demolition derby moving to the infield to accommodate it.
- The biggest capital needs are convention center carpet replacement (14 years old, worn) and a domestic water boiler replacement (beyond repair).
- Utilities represent the largest budget increase — approaching $1M — driven by rising energy costs. Personnel costs are actually down slightly due to the elimination of two positions through restructuring.
- Council raised the lack of hotel rooms near the center as a limiting factor for conventions.
Closing Business
The City Manager previewed next steps: one more night of department head presentations (wastewater and TIF appropriations), a first reading of the proposed budget on June 8, followed by two budget workshops for decisions. Councilors noted the importance of communicating to the public that the June 8 reading is a proposed budget, not an adopted one, to avoid confusion about potential tax rate increases. There was also a brief but pointed discussion about whether the ongoing property revaluation (as of April 1, 2026) would affect this year’s tax bills, with a councilor requesting a legal clarification; the city assessor is expected to address this at the upcoming Monday finance meeting.
June 3, 2026
Click here to read the meeting agenda.
1. Wastewater and Sewer
The Wastewater Management Director oversees both the wastewater treatment plant and 150 miles of sewer lines — one of the oldest systems in the state.
Key highlights:
- The department operates under an EPA consent decree since 2015 to eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs). They’ve addressed ~90% of CSOs since the early ’90s; the remaining 10% is the most complex and costly. FY26 is the final year of the consent decree’s second phase.
- A 9% sewer rate increase was proposed — from $9.04 to $9.85 per 100 cubic feet (~748 gallons). This translates to about $3.84/month for the average residential customer, still roughly $2.00 below neighboring communities like Hampden, Brewer, and Orono.
- The aeration system upgrade (~$2.8M, up from a $2M estimate) is a long-delayed priority. The plant currently over-aerates significantly, and electricity runs nearly $1M/year — adding controls to dial back aeration is a major energy-saving goal.
- A new AI-enabled CCTV van (~$450K) will replace two aging inspection vans, enabling faster sewer line inspection with fewer staff.
- Two capital projects — the Perry Road Pump Station and Perry Road Separation — were approved for State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing at 2.8% interest, totaling just over $6 million. This was described as very good news given how competitive the SRF process was this year (over $400M in requests for $80M in funding).
- A Main Street sewer separation project is being positioned to coincide with a potential DOT beautification project, maximizing value by coordinating work.
- Employee retention and training is a priority after nearly complete staff turnover over the last decade due to retirements.
2. TIF District – Downtown Bangor
- The downtown TIF captures added property value within the district to reinvest in infrastructure and economic development.
- New this year: state law now allows TIF funds to be used for arts and entertainment. The budget includes a cultural assessment to develop a strategy for those investments, plus additional funding for the Cultural Commission’s grant program (which is receiving growing demand).
- Capital projects funded through TIF include: Kenduskeag Stream retaining wall repairs (described as “continuing to fail at a rapid pace”), Main Street sidewalk improvements, downtown pedestrian safety upgrades (bump-outs, crossings), traffic signal upgrades, dock replacement, monument restoration, and ongoing Pickering Square garage maintenance (the 1980s garage described as being “held together with duct tape” due to salt exposure and aging construction).
- A $30,000 correction for “Street Plus” was noted — it had been inadvertently left out of the TIF budget total in printed materials but was corrected in the online version.
3. Downtown Special Assessment District
Brief item clarifying this is a separate funding mechanism from the TIF — it levies an added assessment on property values within the district rather than capturing incremental value. A public hearing on the assessment is scheduled for the June 8th council meeting. No council questions arose.
June 10, 2026
Click here to read the meeting agenda.
Here’s a summary of the June 10th City Council Budget Workshop for Bangor, Maine:
Revaluation Update
The meeting opened with an update on the city’s property revaluation. The contractor (KRT) missed its June 8th deadline and notified the assessor just days before that it needs another 2–3 weeks to complete commercial, industrial, and large apartment properties — which represent about 50% of the city’s tax base. As a result:
- The completion date has slipped from July 24th to roughly August 13th, dangerously close to the tax billing date.
- The council decided to proceed with the City Assessor’s own adjusted figures (real estate assessed value ~$4.2–4.4 billion, up from $3.8 billion) for both budget planning and likely for tax billing this year.
- The new revaluation numbers would be deferred to the April 1, 2027 assessment cycle.
- The $1,000/day penalty clause in the KRT contract will be invoked.
Budget Questions from Prior Workshops (City Manager Memo)
The city manager walked through staff responses to questions raised in earlier budget sessions:
- Vacant Building Attorney: A new attorney focused on vacant/blighted properties could generate revenue over time through registrations and tax recovery, but an exact ROI timeline is hard to quantify. Court appearances require a full attorney (not just a paralegal).
- City Clerk / Motor Vehicle Registration Office: Two new staff positions were discussed. The interest earned from faster processing of tax payments and the volume of rental car registrations were cited as revenue justifications. Council was receptive.
- Community Connector Bus Service: Ridership is up. Gas prices are a likely factor.
- Library Social Worker: The county declined to continue funding one-third of this position (originally covered by ARPA funds). Council was divided — some want to explore nonprofit alternatives or hear from the library director and the new Homelessness Response Manager before cutting the position.
- Emergency Management: A county collaboration option would cost ~$145,000/year, not much less than an in-house position. The city manager did not recommend it. The item was left open for future discussion, possibly outside the budget process.
- Public Restrooms (Standalone Units): Two standalone restroom units downtown (Broad Street and Abbot Square) have been plagued by vandalism, theft of hand sanitizer units, and misuse. Council leaned toward relocating them and directing users to staffed facilities (harbor master building, transit center, city hall). Suggestions included better public signage and potentially installing the safety/overdose-alert sensors used at the transit center, though liability concerns were raised.
Budget Revisions Headed into Wednesday’s Session
The city manager outlined three proactive changes she plans to bring to the next meeting (June 12):
- Use ~$2.88 million in unassigned fund balance to offset the tax rate, bringing the balance to roughly the midpoint of the required $11–22 million range.
- Budget salaries at less than 100% to account for a prudent vacancy rate, rather than assuming every authorized position will be filled for the full year.
- Budget new vacant positions at 75% (assuming an October 1st start date), since it realistically takes time to hire after authorization.
The mill rate is expected to come in below last year’s 17.70 mills, despite increased values. An updated tax rate calculator and a prioritized list of new positions will be included in Wednesday’s packet. The fire department staffing question (4 vs. 8 positions) will also be discussed.
June 17, 2026
Click here to read the meeting agenda.
Budget Adjustments Since the City Manager’s Proposal
The City Manager opened by walking through several changes already incorporated into the budget:
- All new positions budgeted at 75% of salary/benefits, assuming fall hiring start dates
- School budget adjusted downward to reflect lower health insurance costs; non-tax revenue line significantly increased due to additional state funds and a corrected data entry error
- Total taxable assessed value figures revised downward (moving away from KRT pre-assessed values in favor of the city assessor’s figures with normal market-rate adjustments)
- The existing downtown police officer moved from the operating budget to the TIF fund; a proposed new downtown officer also to be funded through TIF
- $2.8 million in unassigned fund balance applied as non-tax revenue to offset the tax rate
- $100,000 Parks & Rec waterfront fiber optic capital project moved to TIF funding
- $110,000 in interest revenue added (contingent on approving two clerks)
- $1 million salary/benefits adjustment to reflect an 18% vacancy rate
- Library budget reduced by $28,000 due to updated health insurance figures
Key Agenda Items & Votes
Library Social Worker Position (~$90,000) The council heard from the Library Director about the social worker role, which was originally ARPA-funded. He explained the library functions as a de facto day shelter with no alternative, and that without the social worker, the responsibility would fall entirely on him, consuming his time as director. Some councilors questioned why alternative funding wasn’t pursued; others argued the position is clearly needed and inexpensive relative to its value. The council voted 6–3 to fund the library budget as presented, including the social worker.
School Budget The Bangor Schools Superintendent clarified that budgeting new school positions at 75% doesn’t apply to the school department due to contract obligations and typical full staffing at the start of the school year. A councilor raised a recurring request for tuition student data that had not been provided. The council voted 8–1 to fund the school budget as presented.
Fire Department Staffing (4 vs. 8 Firefighters) The Deputy Fire Chief presented a compelling case for hiring 8 firefighters rather than 4. Key points: call volume has more than doubled since the 1990s; Rescue 1’s utilization rate hit 0.51 (above the 0.50 burnout threshold); since February 2023, the department lost 35 employees — 27 due to burnout, including two suicides. Four positions would only backfill roles converted to paramedic; eight positions would enable a fourth ambulance to run 24/7, significantly relieving burnout and improving retention.
Lobbyist Fund The council agreed to budget $20,000 in the legislative committee’s budget for potential lobbyist use on specific legislation, with unused funds rolling into the unassigned fund balance.
Capital Projects Discussion Councilors asked whether items like the Beth Pancoe Aquatic Center pool resurfacing ($400,000) and community garden parking/road improvements could be deferred. Parks & Rec Director noted the pool surface has been in place since 2004 and is showing wear; deferral is possible but risks higher costs. The community garden project could wait a year. No formal votes were taken on deferring these items.
City Hall Exterior Repointing ($400,000) Facilities staff explained the remaining two sides of City Hall have not been repointed in 40–50 years, causing leaks. Two sides were done in a prior budget; these two remaining sides are needed to protect the completed renovation work.
Police Department Carry-Forward ($450,000) Police Chief reported the department is down approximately 16 positions (nearly 19% of sworn staff), causing serious operational strain. He requested a carry-forward of $450,000 in unspent payroll funds for retention purposes. A new downtown officer was also discussed, to be funded through TIF, with realistic deployment expected by spring.
Cultural Commission I proposed adding $2,500 to the Cultural Commission’s budget (which hasn’t increased in over a decade). The majority preferred to defer the increase and instead invite the commission to engage earlier in next year’s budget process. No funds were added.
Budget Carryforwards Two carryforwards were noted: $10,000 in Cultural Commission unspent grant funds (timing issue in getting grants distributed), and the $450,000 police retention carry-forward.
The council motioned to fund all “critical and high priority” positions, which included all eight firefighters, along with other high-priority new positions. This passed. This wasn’t an official passing of the budget. This merely gave staff direction of what amendments to put in front of Council on June 22nd.
Closing
With all major items addressed, the council confirmed no second workshop was needed. Staff will incorporate the approved adjustments into final budget resolutions for the council packet, to be amended by substitution and voted on the following Monday. The projected mill rate with all approved positions landed around 17.13, representing roughly a 5.3% increase — corresponding to approximately $537 more per year for a home assessed at the average value of $285,000.
