Bangor council rejects conflict-of-interest motion against Mallar over school budget

The Bangor City Council met May 7 for a budget workshop focused on the school department budget, which Superintendent Marie Robinson said carries a 5.58 percent increase. The council first voted down a motion by Councilor Michael Beck to find Councilor Wayne Mallar had a special interest in the school budget, then heard a presentation on the budget and discussed aging school facilities and declining enrollment.

Key points

• The council voted 3-4 to reject Beck's motion that Mallar had a special interest in the school budget and the gross appropriation for public schools. Voting yes were Beck, Leonard and Faloon; voting no were Hawes, Carson, Deane and Fish.
• Beck's motion cited comments he attributed to Mallar about the school department's requested increase and about students, and argued they created at least the appearance of an inability to deliberate impartially.
• Carson and Fish said they were not confident in their legal ability to decide the bias question and wanted more guidance or to hear directly from Mallar.
• Superintendent Robinson said the school budget now stands at a 5.58 percent increase, down from 6.43 percent, after health insurance came in at 8.6 percent instead of the anticipated 14 to 20 percent, reducing the budget by more than half a million dollars.
• Robinson said the budget includes contingencies to cover the relocation of students from the Fairmount School, and that the district is not part of any high school consolidation.
• Councilors and school committee members discussed creating a joint city-school facilities planning effort, including a prioritized list of building needs, and Robinson said an enrollment study projects steady decline through 2035.

Next steps

• Robinson said she would share the enrollment study, which projects through 2035, and could pursue an updated version.
• Robinson said the school committee will hold a workshop in early June focused on forming a 501(c)(3) to expand grant opportunities.
• Councilors and school committee members expressed interest in coordinating on a long-term facilities strategy between the city and school department.
• Robinson said the district will begin a deeper conversation about its facilities sooner than planned because of the Fairmount School situation.

Read the full transcript