Bangor council reviews wastewater, TIF and downtown district budgets

The Bangor City Council held a budget workshop on June 3, 2026, with Councilor Michael Beck chairing in Chair Susan Hawes's absence. The council heard presentations on the wastewater and sewer department budget, the downtown tax increment financing district, and the downtown special assessment district. No votes were taken during the workshop.

Key points

• Councilor Michael Beck was nominated and confirmed by roll call to chair the meeting temporarily because Chair Susan Hawes was absent.
• Wastewater Director Amanda Smith presented a budget that includes a 9 percent sewer rate increase, which she said amounts to about $3.84 more per month for the average residential user.
• Smith said two of the department's four state revolving fund applications were approved, bringing a little over $6 million in low-interest financing for the Perry Road pump station and Perry Road separation projects.
• Smith said the department wants to move forward with a long-delayed aeration upgrade at the treatment plant after a sole bid came in at $2.8 million, above the engineer's $2 million estimate.
• City Manager Carollynn Lear and staff outlined downtown TIF spending, including a new cultural assessment and more funding for the cultural commission's grant program after a state law change allowed arts and entertainment investments.
• Staff said the Pickering Square garage, built in the 1980s, requires yearly maintenance and that a consultant is studying long-term alternatives for the structure.

Next steps

• A public hearing on the downtown special assessment district is scheduled for the next council meeting on June 8.
• An RFP for a design-build contractor to fix the most critical section of the Kenduskeag Stream retaining wall is expected to go out the following week.
• Staff noted a $30,000 Street Plus item was left out of the printed TIF figure; the corrected total of $4,873,481 appears in the online budget materials.

Read the full transcript