City Hall·Bangor City Council Workshop
Bangor council advances sidewalk ordinance, weighs overnight homeless space
The Bangor City Council reviewed a revised sidewalk obstruction ordinance recommended by its equity committee, with a proposed amendment to remove redundant enforcement language. Councilors also discussed the growing number of unhoused people in the city and pushed staff to move faster on a temporary overnight space, then entered three executive sessions.
Key points
- Councilor Beck reported the advisory committee's recommendation to add a new subsection on obstructing sidewalks, with lower fines of $50 for a first offense and $100 for a second offense within six months.
- Councilor Fish proposed an amendment to strike redundant language in the enforcement section; the change would be handled during the vote on the second reading.
- A committee member, Suzette Furrow, presented a minority report opposing the amendment as written, calling the support-based engagement language ambiguous and a delay to enforcement.
- Councilor Deane reported that BCAT outreach workers engaged 42 and 44 new people in March and April, after 21 and 18 in January and February.
- Councilors disagreed on timing for a temporary overnight space, with Beck and Leonard urging immediate action and Carson cautioning against pre-empting the new homeless committee.
- Councilor Fish said many unhoused people are not from Bangor and called for prioritizing local residents and service-center communities.
Next steps
- Staff will bring a draft ordinance change to the legislative committee to let it speak with candidates and other stakeholders.
- A memo on current lobbying services and whether to hire a lobbyist will go to the next legislative committee meeting.
- Staff will seek a state presentation on the Dorothea Dix facility's current use and long-term plans.
- The city manager will bring a stabilization plan to the next GovOps agenda and return with a draft RFP for day space for council feedback.
- Staff will explore options for an overnight space with service providers and report back to the council.
Where this came from
City of Bangor YouTube
The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.
Watch the meeting ↗The summary and transcript were made by software from the public meeting video, with names checked against the official roster, then reviewed before publishing.