Bangor committee delays special amusement permit change, advances health grants

The Government Operations Committee voted to postpone a proposed amendment to special amusement permit rules so the ordinance can be revised for consistency, and it forwarded two public health funding items to the full council. The committee also heard updates on opioid settlement spending, winter warming shelters, and the police department's homelessness crisis protocol.

Key points

• The committee voted to postpone the special amusement permit amendment so staff can make sections 61-17 and 61-20 consistent and add a mechanism for the city clerk to issue permits, with councilors given advance notice that would also be made public.
• Councilor Carolyn Fish and others said the change could save time now spent opening and closing public hearings where almost no one testifies, but wanted notice of upcoming permits in case of problems at an establishment.
• The committee recommended a subcontract with Northern Light Mayo for substance use and tobacco prevention services through the Maine Prevention Network, with no city dollars involved.
• The committee recommended accepting and appropriating $823,851 (discussed as $820,850) for the Nourish Maine rural nutrition education program through the University of New England for fiscal years 2027 and 2028; the money covers staffing, supplies, and materials, not food purchases.
• Public Health Director Jim Gunderman presented three models for spending remaining opioid settlement funds (Augusta, Rockland, and Portland) and suggested a hybrid approach with a working group, community workshops, and an RFP; councilors who spoke favored a larger, more impactful award over small grants, with some support for keeping a reserve.
• Gunderman reported that state warming shelter funding went to Bangor Area Homeless Shelter (five added beds) and Brick Church (65 beds), while Mansion Church and Together Place were not funded; Mansion Church plans to continue as a warming shelter with about 25 beds, leaving roughly 95 beds against a demonstrated need of up to 120 on the coldest nights.
• Police Chief Hathaway reviewed the homelessness crisis protocol, required by a 2021 state law and last revised in 2024, and said staffing shortages, a full jail, and limited prosecutor capacity mean the protocol itself is not the main problem; he cited 23,000 more calls than Brewer and over 1,800 criminal charges this year.

Next steps

• Staff will revise the special amusement permit ordinance for consistency and return it to the next Government Operations Committee meeting.
• Gunderman will flesh out a detailed hybrid opioid settlement plan, including a timeline and community workshop plans, and consult the Maine Center (referred to as the Moss Center) about adapting Rockland's approach.
• Gunderman will look into whether warming shelter data includes substance use and mental health information, report Penobscot County SNAP education numbers, and provide the number of warming shelters in Hub 7.
• Gunderman will continue working with Bruce Hughes and Hub 7 coordinator Jen Lawler on options for the coldest nights and report back.
• A councilor suggested referring the warming shelter funding question to the legislative committee.

Read the full transcript The agenda