Bangor · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Bangor public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Fall 2026 cultural grant awards
The ARTober committee is getting an early start: a Wednesday, October 7 awards event at the Stage Door, nominations from mid-July to mid-August, and a five-member jury. Commissioners are asked to suggest jurors and ideas for the artist award gift.
Remote council meeting participation
The committee wants to end Zoom public comment after repeated disruptions and racist abuse, keeping in-person comment plus ADA accommodations. Fish and Mallar dissented, warning the city may regret cutting off a public access channel.
Winter warming shelter funding
The council funded a winter overnight warming shelter at the Together Place and daytime space at The Well with up to $105,000 in federal CDBG money. Speakers described last winter's volunteer burnout, 425 unique individuals served, and the risk of deaths from exposure if funding fails.
New Planning Fees for Developers
Mailing notices to abutters and reviewing stormwater permits currently costs the city money that comes from taxpayers. New fees — about $1.22 per letter and a state-rate stormwater review fee — would put those costs on developers instead.
Councilor Mallar ethics training
The council was scheduled to discuss an Ethics Board decision stemming from a complaint about Councilor Wayne Mallar's conduct at an August 2025 Historic Preservation Commission meeting. No outcome or record of the discussion is available.
Proposed Bangor Film Office
A resident urged the council to consider a Bangor film office, possibly at 50 Broadway (listed at $1.1 million), to support the film community.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October proclaimed Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Partners for Peace reported over half the people it serves come from Bangor and urged action beyond awareness.
Airport car rental facility and transit director funding
Bangor International Airport wants to plan a consolidated rental car facility using a new fee charged to rental car customers — over $400,000 collected in four months. Current rental facilities are past their useful life, with cars parked unsafely along roadside lots. The committee is sending the $222,040 planning appropriation to the full council.
Downtown floor area ratio removal
The 4.0 floor-area-ratio limit downtown is outdated and blocks infill projects — including one developer's plan to add stories to an existing building. Councilors debated whether a height limit should replace it; Chair Carson wants more data plus input from the Fire Department and the airport before deciding.
Airport Security Checkpoint Expansion
Bangor International Airport is getting a $12 million security checkpoint expansion. The money comes from passenger facility charges and airport funds, not property taxes, and officials say ticket prices won't go up.
Forestry Division fully staffed
For the first time in years the division has all positions filled — a new Arborist I and an in-house hire for cemetery sexton. That means more capacity for planting, pruning, and caring for the hundreds of new trees.
Pickering Square median plantings
Two more asphalt medians will be rebuilt with granite curbing and planted with 14 trees next spring, adding greenery and some stormwater absorption to the parking lot.
Traffic congestion and commuting in Bangor
A neighbor flagged that the Pushaw Road/Broadway intersection is already overwhelmed and worried 22 new homes would make it worse. Staff and the applicant cited a traffic study showing roughly 22 peak-hour trips, and board members agreed Broadway congestion is a citywide problem this project doesn't meaningfully worsen.
Manufactured home park flexibility
Mobile home parks built between 1971 and 2026 can now use the same flexible development standards as older parks, cutting minimum lot sizes for existing parks to 2,500 sq ft and unblocking the Cedar Falls expansion. Beck flagged concerns about density and reduced recreation space but voted yes.
City Bid and Purchasing Process Reform
The committee agreed to skip competitive bidding for a $25,000 water quality management capacity study after discussing the matter in executive session.
Council chair's control of meetings and decorum
Councilor Faloon pushed to move the one-hour public comment period to the end of meetings, arguing it derails the agenda. Others worried about working residents and confusion. The committee kept the current setup — for now.
PrEP access planning via NIH ARISE grant
Bangor's HIV outbreak has exposed gaps in PrEP access. The grant brings Johns Hopkins expertise to plan better delivery through the city's two public health clinics — and it costs taxpayers nothing.
Winter warming shelter capacity gap
BCAT contacted 86 new unhoused people January through April, nearly doubling in recent months. Councilors pushed for the city to start working on a temporary overnight space now instead of waiting for the new homeless committee's long-term plan.
Downtown holiday decorations and banner program
The Downtown Bangor Partnership is expanding holiday decorations beyond the West Market Square core into other parts of the downtown assessment district, adding themed zones like Candy Cane Lane, the North Pole, and a new interactive magic wand light feature. The Partnership funds the effort itself and hopes expanded photo stops will keep drawing the record crowds that spent nearly $3 million downtown last December.
Penobscot County jail overcrowding
A speaker laid out the case for a new county jail: built in 1869, capacity for 157, and $2.14 million a year spent boarding inmates elsewhere.
Ethics training following Board of Ethics finding
Councilors confirmed two ethics code violations by Councilor Mallar over comments caught on a live mic during an ethics board break, rejected a third, and punted the penalty/training question to the ACRE committee. Councilor Mallar will get to speak in his own defense before a final order.
Kenduskeag Stream retaining wall failure
A failing retaining wall along the Kenduskeag Stream near Hannibal Hamlin Mall is getting replaced for about $3.87 million — construction runs through fall 2027.
Direct city applications for MaineHousing warming grants
With heating oil around $6 a gallon, speakers warned the council to ensure assistance funds exist for elderly residents on fixed incomes.
Homelessness, addiction, and recovery
Roughly half the meeting's public comment dealt with unhoused residents downtown, encampments, and whether the city should open a sanctioned safe outdoor space. Residents reported vandalism, drug activity, and loss of public spaces, while homeless speakers and advocates pleaded for a place to go.
New code enforcement officers and constables
Two new code enforcement officers were appointed — aimed at vacant building safety, blight, and housing concerns residents have raised repeatedly.
Historic home restoration at 28 West Broadway
Three windows and a door at a landmark 1858 downtown building will be replaced with custom-made versions that match the original dimensions, color, and profile — while dropping the old storm windows.
Sawyer Arena aging infrastructure and ice shortage
The rink's 30-year-old chiller is failing and its boards are bowing due to deteriorating cement — a full fix means replacing the cement floor and boards. Ice time is so tight that high schools and youth hockey are squeezed, and a second rink could grow learn-to-skate and figure skating programs.
Fall recreation programming growth
Youth soccer hit 28 teams with new lights at Union Street, the before/after-school program grew to 111 kids, and a revived Little Reckies program for ages 3-5 launches at EMCC. Gym space is the pinch point — Fairmount's gym is unavailable this year.
Accessible playground equipment at Hayford Park
New swing sets and a half-court basketball court come to Little City Park and Parks and Rec next spring, tennis and pickleball court cracks are being filled, and Hayford tennis lights should be back on by 5 p.m. after a fuse box failure. Mansfield lighting will go back out to bid.
4PortLoop tall ships event on the Bangor waterfront
Bangor processed over 350 events on city property this year — way up from almost none 18 years ago. Docks come out starting October 19 and the 2027 cruise season is already booked, but electrical and water supply problems on the waterfront are being fixed.
Historic preservation and park designations
The commission is losing at least one regular member (and possibly an associate) next year, and wants interested residents to apply soon. It's a volunteer way to shape how Bangor's historic districts evolve.
Proposed VA hospital and growth boundary change off Stillwater Avenue
The VA is eyeing two parcels near Stillwater Avenue and Kittridge Road for a new hospital, but one lot sits outside the growth boundary. Staff want to move the line so a zone change and utilities can follow — a public workshop with neighbors is set for October 29.
Nonprofit registration requirements
Out of roughly 1,300 claimed nonprofits, research found some claiming Bangor services with no real presence — one tied to people bussed in from Missouri. Fish proposes a light registration with service descriptions; councilors also want the assessor's take on tax-exempt properties.
Prohibition of unsanctioned transport of homeless persons
Councilor Fish wants an ordinance barring other cities and agencies from bussing homeless people to Bangor without coordination — citing a Riverside, California model with a coordination portal. Councilor Carson shared a personal story of a man bussed 700 miles with no plan.
Nourish ME rural nutrition education funding
Bangor's health department is picking up $823,851 from the University of New England for FY27-28 to run nutrition education — a looser, more flexible successor to the old federal SNAP-Ed program aimed at adults and older adults in a food-as-medicine model.
103 Maine Avenue bond purchase for public health
The council took first reading on up to $1.4 million in bonds to buy the 103 Maine Avenue property — tied to a disputed right of first refusal involving Northeast Pain Management's hoped-for purchase. Residents demanded a cost-benefit analysis and answers before Finance Committee review Sept. 21.
$50,000 Climate Rebate Program for Home Energy Upgrades
About $200,000 sits in the Climate Action Fund, and staff proposes using $50,000 to rebate weatherization, heat pumps, and possibly solar — tiered so lower-income households get more. Councilors asked to focus on home heating (not bikes), explore plug-in solar for renters, and find ways to avoid upfront costs for fixed-income residents.
Tax workout agreement policy review
Councilors debated whether the city should keep approving one-year tax workout agreements or let staff renew them automatically. Some worry these deals let delinquent taxpayers off easier than compliant residents, and a revised policy is in the works.
Special amusement permit public hearing requirement
The city wants to drop the automatic public hearing for amusement permits, letting the clerk issue them when police, fire, code and treasury all approve. Councilors support streamlining but want councilors and the public notified of applications and the ordinance's conflicting sections fixed.
Shopping cart accountability ordinance
Councilor Fish proposed an ordinance requiring businesses to retrieve abandoned carts, with registration fees for larger stores and possible impound fees. Councilors debated not penalizing businesses as theft victims or unhoused people who rely on carts for mobility.
Sewer infrastructure bonding (KMart and Perry Road pump stations)
Two bond orders totaling $11 million will pay for finishing sewer capacity work in the Bangor Mall corridor, the Perry Road pump station, and separating stormwater from ancient downtown sewer lines. Both are repaid from sewer fees, not property taxes, adding about $650,000 a year in debt service. Officials say fixing this infrastructure is the key to unlocking housing and business development the city has had to turn away.