Portland council refers median strip ordinance to committee after tense debate

[4:35] Mark Dion: Recording in progress. I'd like to call this meeting to order. Join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of one nation. Clerk will call the roll. Councilor Fournier? Absent. Councilor Grant? Here. Councilor Sykes? Here. Councilor Ali? Here. Councilor Pelletier? Here. Councilor Michniewicz? Here. Councilor Bullett? Here. Councilor Phillips? Here. Mayor Dion? Here. Chair, the chair would welcome public comment on any unagended item. [5:39] Paul Rudenberg: Good evening. Paul Rudenberg. I live in Falmouth, Maine, so I'm a visitor. We go to Portland frequently, though, and I think it's a wonderful small city. Our family takes ferries, dines, shops, works, visits sites, and enjoys Portland. We love the place. However, I totally stress over parking in Portland. Why? Well, I've been booted for $70 in a private lot, once for taking a ferry back to the city an hour later than I'd planned. I received a threatening fake ticket at another lot for being 15 minutes late, and I better pay within a couple weeks or the price will go up. Or I just parked somewhere and then found out that it was $32 for my two and a half hours. So I fear parking here in Portland, but I can't make the once-an-hour buses work for me to park or stay at home or leave the car at home to find an expensive lot and bus in from there. It just doesn't work. It's once an hour, and they don't go to all the parts of the city. Have you ever tried to take public transport to the Casco Bay Ferry? Since the garage there is, surprise, full. ever take a bus to Standard Bakery or to the Porthole or to Luke's Seafood? You can't. No, instead, in the old port, you're at the mercy of Town Park, formerly UPP, or a couple of other companies that are in on the game. There's signs with a big friendly blue P that says public parking, which to most tourists and other visitors and once to me meant that the parking is on municipal, not private land, and at municipal parking rates. There are no rates posted anywhere at most of these lots. If it's a town park UPP garage, you go up to the gate, see the excessive rate, and then can't back out because somebody's behind you. If it's a lot rented from a local landlord, you have to park, get out of your car with your visitors and your family, go up to a digital window, and then eventually get the rate. And we realize it's costing too much, or as much as your dinner at doing, you get back in the car, no, you just, you're already there and everyone gets out, but you feel somewhat ripped off. I wonder how much Paul's Supermarket, L.O.B., and Remy's pulling out of Portland had partly to do with the parking nightmare. At least one Rennie's employee I talked to thought so. I'm told one time you could get a What's that? 30 seconds. Okay, I'm just going to go to my suggestions. Require these parking companies to post their rates at the entrance. Restrict the blue P and the label public parking to public land with municipal parking prices. Require these private companies to give you a way to easily extend your parking time. Require these private companies to leave notices of fees for underpaid parking that do not resemble parking tickets. Thank you very much. [8:41] Mark Dion: Anyone else wishing to provide public comment on an unagended item? Seeing none, public comment is now closed. Any announcements from the Council? Councillor Bullett? [8:56] Anna Bullett: As many of you know, today is Yom Kippur. To all of those who observe, I hope you had a meaningful day of reflection and an easy fast. To the Jewish community and my family who are at home, I extend my heartfelt wishes for comfort, connection, and renewal in the year ahead. Moving forward, I request that the Rules Committee take up the issue of how and when special Wednesday meetings are scheduled and seek to align the Council holiday observance calendar with those in which Portland public schools are closed now that the public schools are closing to observe Yom Kippur and Eid. That's my request and I will talk to the chair of the Rules Committee moving [9:33] Mark Dion: forward. Thank you everybody. Thank you. Any other councillor have announcement? ANNOUNCEMENT? [9:39] Regina Phillips: COUNCILOR PHILLIPS? NO,, NO, NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT I TOTALLY SUPPORT COUNCILOR BULLET, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION. ANYONE ELSE? [9:53] Pious Ali: COUNCILOR ALI? WELL, I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS COMING TO MY COMMITTEE. THERE YOU GO. [10:00] Mark Dion: PROBLEM HALF SOLVED. OKAY. SEEING NONE, ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE CLOSED. SEEK A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL SEPTEMBER 2026 city council meeting passage Council move by councillor Ali seconded by councillor Phillips Any comments by the council? Seeing none all those in favor signify by hand It's unanimous Clerk will now read proclamation 10 26 27 title only Proclamation 10 26 27 recognizing September 30th 2026 as National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools sponsored by Mark Dion [10:49] Regina Phillips: Mayor. Chair would yield to Councilor Phillips. Thank you Mayor and I apologize that to folks that Councilfornia cannot be here and just want to recognize that she is just a constant advocate for making sure that we remember our U.S. Indian Boarding School situation And so, proclamation recognizing September 30th, 2026, as the National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, whereas the City of Portland stands in solidarity with Maine tribal, regional, state, and national governments to recognize the traumatic and harmful history of Indian boarding schools, and whereas in 2021, over 1,200 unmarked graves were discovered at Indian residential school sites in Canada, prompting the U.S. to confront its own history with Indian boarding schools. And whereas the U.S. established nearly 400 Indian boarding schools throughout policies beginning with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, with many operated by religious organizations or the government, and whereas by 1926, it is estimated that 83% of Native American children were forcibly removed and placed into these schools. And whereas the Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission recognized the cultural genocide of the Wabanaki people through displacement and the violation of tribal sovereignty. and we're on whereas on September 30th 2021 congresswoman Sharice Davids a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation introduced HR 5444 truth and healing commission on Indian boarding school policy acts in response to the discoveries made in the United States and Canada in previous years this commission was intended to begin the process of investigating and analyzing the records from the 408 known Indian boarding schools. Whereas on May 11th, 2022, the first volume of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative investigative report was published by the Department of Interior indicating that more than 50 burial sites have been discovered at the United States boarding school locations. In July 2024, the second and final volume of the investigative report was published, providing further details and recommendations for next steps to pursue healing for the indigenous community. Whereas in her presentation of this volume, I am of the public, Secretary of the Interior, Deborah Halen, Laguna Pueblo, said the consequences of federal Indian boarding school policy, including intergenerational trauma caused by the federal separation and cultural eradication inflicted upon generations of children as young as four years old, are heartbreaking and undeniable. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Mayor of the City of Portland and members of the City Council do hereby recognize September 30th, 2026, as a day of remembrance for U.S. in the boarding schools. Signed and sealed this 21st day of September 2026 by the Mayor. [13:44] Mark Dion: Thank you, Clerk. Will now read consent item orders 40, 26, 27 through 43, 26, 27. Order 40. 26, 27, declaring Sunday, October 4th, 2026, the 35th annual Maine Marathon Half Marathon and Relay Festival, sponsored by Danielle West, City Manager. Order 41, 26, 27, granting municipal officers approval of North Deering Tavern application for outdoor dining on private property at 1349 Washington Avenue, sponsored by Danielle West, City Manager. Order 42, 26, 27, granting municipal officers approval of Cocktail Mary application for indoor entertainment at 30 Market Street, sponsored by Danielle West, City. Manager. Order 43-26-27, granting municipal officers approval of Che Biso application for Class 11 Restaurant Lounge with outdoor dining on private property at 11 Brown Street, sponsored by Danielle West, City Manager. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The Chair. We'll be seeking a motion to continue this application until the first meeting in October, as it has involved some legal questions, which I'll defer to Corporation Counsel just to give you an outline before I ask for a motion and a second. They're anxious tonight. Moved by Councilor Ali, seconded by Councilor Phillips. Corporation Counsel, you have the floor. Thank you, Mayor. [15:28] Danielle West: Mayor, in response to some public comment that we received on the, bear with me one minute, I'm on the wrong page, it's order 43-26-27. We did a little digging and realized there may be a problem with being able to grant the type of license that's been applied for this space, and so my recommendation is that this item get postponed until the first meeting in October 5th, and we'll work with the applicants and the permitting inspection staff in the meantime to try to sort things out. [16:12] Mark Dion: Any questions from the council? Seeing none, I'll take order 43-26-27 out of order for purposes of a motion to reschedule to the first meeting in October, which is October 5th, to allow adequate time for Corporation Counsel's Office to work with the applicants to resolve the legal question behind the license application. Any discussion? [16:41] Kate Sykes: Counselor Sykes? So just to be clear, we're dividing the question here. We are. And so there's just the one that is being carved out. [16:50] Mark Dion: This one here is being taken away from the entire consent calendar. I'm just taking it out of order because it's more efficient given that Corporation Council just gave an explanation. Okay. Yep. Councilor Bullett. [17:02] Anna Bullett: Just checking, Corporation Council, is the applicant aware ahead of time that this is happening or do we need to, if they're here in the audience, do we need to? [17:09] Danielle West: The applicants were made, I know Director Quattroponi notified the applicants earlier, shortly. I mean, this is all happening very last minute. We only became aware of it this afternoon. So yes. Yes. Okay. [17:24] Anna Bullett: I just know that food service is already a punishing business, so I appreciate everyone's patience as we work through this and look forward to being able to vote on it next meeting. [17:34] Mark Dion: Any other discussion on this question? Seeing none, all those in favor of it being referred to the October 5th meeting, please signify by hand. All right, it passes unanimously. Unanimously. Are the owners here today? Ashimea, do you understand what we've done? Are you prepared to provide that interpretation of what we just did? Okay, if there's any additional questions, you can request that Corporation Council join you in the hall and you can have a conversation. Is that okay? All right. If you have an additional need, Corporation Council can join you. Thank you, sir. Thank you, ma'am. Chair, we now seek a motion for passage on the remaining two items on the consent calendar. So moved. Moved by Councillor Sykes. Is there a second? Second. Who was that? By you, Councillor Bullett? All right. Chair, committed in error. I should have taken public comment, but I have the motions. We will not take the vote. Is anyone here willing to comment on the other two items on the consent calendar? One. Yes, that's right, three. Seeing no comment, we'll return to the vote on the three items. Any discussion by the council? Seeing none, all those in favor, what [20:04] Anna Bullett: Counselor Boy, just real quick, always want to appreciate all the volunteers and the runners who come out for the main marathon. Most of the Portland portion of the race is in District Four, and it's a really exciting time. All of our streets end up with mine included end up with the cars of onlookers and well-wishers, and it's a really fun time. So if you want to come cheer on the runners during the main marathon, park on any one of the side streets and then go down to the cove. Bring your cowbells. It's really an honor to have it go through my district. Thanks. Thank [20:35] Mark Dion: you, Council Bullet. Any other comments? All right, all those in favor of the three items on the consent calendar, please signify by hand. Passes unanimously. The chair recognizes the owner of Cocktail Mary's is here. Thank you for your patience in the process that got us to this vote this evening, and we appreciate your decision to continue your success under this new arrangement. I don't see anybody from North Deering Tower. Is there a representative? Okay, I wish them the best as well. Thank you. 're free to go or you can remain for the rest of the meeting if you're so inclined. Declined. That's okay. Thank you, Isaac. All right. He's an optimist. Clerk will now read communication 32627. Communication 32627, Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for HUD-funded programs. Mary Davis. Any comments, Director Davis? [21:55] Mary Davis: Mary Davis, housing and community development division director. Just brief comments. This is a communication item which you see on your spring I'm sorry fall council agenda every year. It's an annual report that we have to submit to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to show the completion data for our HUD grants, the CDBG home and ESG grants, so it's submitted to you as a [22:26] Mark Dion: communication. Thank you. Is there any comment from the council? Sex. Thank you, mayor. [22:33] Kate Sykes: Thank you, Mary. I 'm always really interested in these reports. I recently took the last 10 years of reports and looked at them and found some really striking trends, and specifically that we're doing really great at meeting our service targets, but we are not doing well at all in terms of some of the more prevention-oriented things. For instance, preventing homelessness, creating jobs, building affordable housing, rehabilitating affordable housing that's not homeowner housing. And I think it's really important that the council reads these reports with a very clear eye and looks at how it is that we are taking money towards these programs but not fulfilling our goals. We're going to be talking also about the way that we're looking at the CDBG process and the process for giving these grants. I think that's a really positive trend because the negative trends that I've identified for the last 10 years are still in this report. If you haven't read it, I really encourage you to take a good look at it because we need to do better at understanding how to address some of these problems in a preventive way rather than just count the number of meals served or the number of services that we that we kind of dole out. Those are great, we need to do those things, but we're not doing a great job on the front end. So thank you Mary for your assistance on this and I hope that we'll reverse that trend. Any other [24:09] Mark Dion: A comment from the council? Seeing none, the communication is accepted. Clerk will now make First read of Resolve 326-27. Resolve 326-27, Amending Council Rules, sponsored by Rules Committee, Councillor Pius Ali, Chair. Any comment? Sorry. I was going to ask Councillor Ali for a comment. I was looking forward to it. We'll wait. Clerk will now read two companion orders together other order 38-26-27 and 39-26-27 order 38-26-27 approving a cooperative agreement between the united states environmental protection agency epa and the city of portland and accepting and appropriating 500 000 from the epa for brownfields assessment sponsored by danielle west city manager Order 39-2627, approving FY26 Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Amendment Agreement between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Portland and accepting and appropriating $1 million For the Brownfields cleanup, sponsored by Danielle West, City Manager. Comment from the City Manager. [25:28] Cheryl Harkins: Staff is present. I see tonight Nancy Martin in the back. If you all have any questions, I think the materials are pretty explanatory, but we're happy to provide you any additional information that you may need [25:40] Mark Dion: Thank you. Is there any public comment on these proposed orders? Seeing none, Chair would take a motion on 38-26-27 for passage. Well by Council Grant, is there a second by Councillor Sykes? Discussion [26:03] Wesley Pelletier: Just a quick question, if I may. Question to whom? Nancy. I can't remember the history here. Does this represent the same amount we get kind of on a year-to-year basis, or is this [26:20] Speaker L (unidentified): Different? Slightly lower. Thank you for that question, Councillor Grant. So when I started managing this program three years ago, it was the heady days of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Bill so there was I think the first time that I was involved in the program I think the annual yeah the EPA gave three million dollars to capitalize the city's remediation program so it's slightly lower 1 million and it's certainly it'll be we've already gotten a lot of inquiries so we're working really hard to leverage with other funding partners like GP cog the state also has brownfields cleanup funds so we're grateful for the funding from EPA we're grateful for the award it's better than nothing but it is slightly lower than in previous years any [27:23] Mark Dion: other questions and miss Martin while she's President. [27:26] Sarah Michniewicz: Go ahead, Councilor Michniewicz. Thank you. What do you anticipate the need is going forth? What level of funding would be appropriate for the types of projects we're seeing? [27:39] Speaker L (unidentified): That's a great question, Councilor Michniewicz. I think if I had to kind of do some math on my toes in my head, which I really don't like doing, but we probably have, based on conversations I've had with for-profit and nonprofit developers since we got this award I feel like we could probably dole out double what we've been awarded but ultimately you know these developers are very savvy and they find lots of different sources of these funds I will add that you know there's a benefit for the city as well it gives us oversight into the way these development projects occur there are plenty of development projects in the city that don't participate in the brownfields project our funding program for various reasons it is a bit of there are a lot of rules sometimes it's just not worth it for a developer to participate so you know I think the brownfields portion is a small part of a developers capital stack but I think it as for a lot of developers and I'm thinking especially of the affordable housing developers in the city it is valuable so it really kind of depends on each project but I'd say yes certainly we if we got double we would probably have no problem even triple we would probably have no problem being able to put that to use but ultimately any amount I think is something that we can make good use of and is the [29:23] Sarah Michniewicz: administration what's the administration like with funds when you get them through the state or does developers apply specifically to the state or do [29:30] Speaker L (unidentified): They go through us, the developers can, there are a lot of rules, but developers can apply to the city for projects that meet the criteria of being in the city of Portland. G.P. Cogg also has a brownfields program. The State Department of Economic and Community Development also has a program. So each of these entities get their funds just like we do directly from EPA. Okay. [30:05] Mark Dion: Any other questions on this or the other order? Seeing none, thank you. Clerk will now call the role unless there are any additional comments by council to each other. Clerk will now call the role on order 38 26 27. That's our grant. Yeah, that's our Sykes. Yes, that's our Ali. Yes. Counselor Mr. Pelletier? Yes. Councilor Michniewicz? Yes. Councilor Bullett? Yes. Councilor Phillips? Yes. Mayor Dyan? Yes. Chair would now seek a motion for passage and a second on order 39-26-27. Moved by Councilor Ali, seconded by Councilor Phillips. I thought you were going to say something, Councilor Sykes. All right, then. Any discussion on this order? Seeing none, please call the roll. Councilor Grant? Yes. Councilor Sykes? Yes. Councilor Ali? Yes. Councilor Pelletier? Yes. Councilor McEvich? Yes. Councilor Bullett? Yes. Councilor Phillips? Yes. Mayor Dayan? Yes. Clerk, will I read Order 442627? Order 442627, Adopting the 2026 Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, Priority Setting Task Force Recommendations and Adopting Community Development Needs, Goals and Priorities for the 2027 through 2031 Housing and Urban Development Five-Year Consolidated Plan and revisions to the CDBG allocation process sponsored by Housing and Economic Development Committee, Pius Ali, Chair. Chair, I would ask Councilor Ali for any comment. [31:54] Pious Ali: Thank you, Mayor. The CDBG is a grant that the city gets and administer it on behalf of the federal government. And there is a requirement that every five years we put together a whole committee to look at the rules and this year we did that and they made some changes to make delivery of these funds much more better than the way it was. I thank members of that committee which was chair by my friend teacher on, they did an amazing job and we are grateful for that. If any councillor have a question, I think Mary is here to answer that question, but I hope that we will approve this tonight. Thank you. [32:43] Mark Dion: Councillor, any public comment on this proposed order? Seeing none, motion for passage in a second moved by Councillor Lee, seconded by Councillor Sykes. Any comments or discussions or questions by the council. [33:10] Kate Sykes: Councilor Sykes. Thank you, Mayor. As I alluded to earlier, some really good work was done this year to change the way that we're looking at measurable community impact and to make sure that we're giving these funds to the organizations that are most likely to produce excellent outcomes. And I think that this was not an easy job to do this. I think there's still more work to do here. I think we need to keep looking at this, but we're definitely heading in the right direction and so I would just encourage my colleagues to keep looking at the caper reports and You know just making sure that we're doing the good work that I know that we want to do [33:49] Mark Dion: Thank You counselor any other comments seeing none all those in favor signify by hand It's unanimous clerk will read order 45 26 27 order 45 26 27 referring a median strip ordinance to the Sustainability and Transportation Committee, sponsored by Mayor Dayong, Councillor Grant, Councillor Michniewicz, and Councillor Phillips. Thank you. Is there any public comment? Comment is limited to the motion to refer and not on the substance of the ordinance. The opportunity to talk on the substance of the ordinance will occur in committee and eventually at the council. So this is simply whether you agree it should be referred to the committee or not. Good evening, everyone. My name is Jane Dawson. I'm a community organizer at Trouble Street, a non-profit serving people experiencing... We are here tonight to ask committee members not to send this ordinance to the Transportation and Sustainability Committee under the guise of addressing pedestrian safety through punitive criminalization measures... Excuse me. That's substantive. You don't agree with it being referred? That's accepted. Thank you. all right you're always welcome to come up if you understand it's narrow i see your commentary bring it down so they can hear you there you go [35:39] Cheryl Harkins: my name is cheryl harkins and i am an advocate with homeless voices for justice and we are asking that you do not send this to committee thank you anyone else want to speak point of [35:52] Speaker N (unidentified): clarification excuse me could you provide an example like can is the public comment only on the principle of a referral yes and so context cannot be so no context it is literally like [36:07] Mark Dion: context is when we're actually discussing the substantive board i know but it does seem i guess [36:12] Speaker N (unidentified): I would ask Corporation Council, is this completely up to the chair's discretion, or is there any guidance on this? Because to not be able to reference context seems absurd. The guidance for [36:25] Danielle West: For this item, this order is not asking the council to make any policy decisions or to approve the ordinance. It's simply an order to refer the item to the committee. So the commentary should be limited to the question of whether or not to refer the item [36:46] Speaker N (unidentified): to the committee. But it would be about this ordinance that is getting referred. I just think the rules get moved around a little bit. I think it's, it doesn't make a ton of sense to ask people to say blanket statement, I think referrals are good or bad, because that does sound like what we're saying. It seems like it would make a difference whether one item gets referred versus another, and I think it would make sense to allow the public to be able to split those hairs, because I think it's unfair to ask the public to make a blanket statement overall on whether a, whether the active referral is good or bad. Thank [37:25] Mark Dion: you. The chair remains in this position. This is a procedural motion, that's it. Actually, this gives notice to the public. We could have referred this directly to committee without [37:44] Miles Smith: bringing it to this juncture, actually. So Miles Smith, I'm a resident Portland, live on Pitt Street, here representing myself, though I'm a board member of the Bike PET Advisory Committee. We did not have enough time to review this to take any opinion on it, so we do not have an official opinion as a group. I will express my frustration that we have given several evidence-based proposed ordinances to this council on things that would actually reduce traffic deaths and save lives in our city, and those have not been referred to the committee. I would love to talk about those. I'm open-minded on this. I'm maybe agnostic. I haven't seen any data that it will make a big difference. If you do it, fine, we'll talk about it, but I'd love to talk about those other things too, like slowing speed limits, like having an after crash response protocol where we temporarily reduce lanes of the streets, make them safer so that we can prevent future crashes. Thank you all. [38:45] Mark Dion: Right, then any other public, excuse me, any other public comment? Seeing none, chair would seek a motion in a second to refer it to the Sustainability and Transportation Committee. So moved. Second. Moved by Councillor Phillips. Seconded by Councillor Michniewicz. Council comment. [39:08] Speaker N (unidentified): Councilor Pelletier. At the referral of this motion is you know contents aside although I you know. Because I couldn't hear you. I think contents aside, although I will say I could be convinced that this is the right thing to do, this referral is being sparked by the death of a man, Jason Ayers, and it's not being mentioned at all in this. I think it is crass for the referral of this ordinance to be going, honestly, any further. I think if we're going to talk about public safety, then we need to do so and we need to like, you know, I'm an advocate for public safety. I'm the only one that goes to any pedestrian state bike rides. I spend a lot of time looking at the dangers of this, the city. I would say I am the probably the strongest voice on this council. No one has asked for anything that is in this motion. That's being referred and it's very clearly being done to stymie panhandling. And if we want to have that conversation, great. But I think it is really disrespectful to the dead to try to further a political agenda under that name. I do not believe that the mayor, who so frequently mocks and belittles homeless people, is all of a sudden concerned about the safety of panhandlers. And to ask me, to ask a judge, as we both likely have to believe that is really hard, so I will not be supporting this and I will not be supporting anything that comes out of it unless it actually addresses public safety. Any other comments from the [41:00] Mark Dion: council Phillips [41:04] Regina Phillips: Thank you, mayor. Since I'm, my name is on this, I feel the need to respond, especially after Councillor Pelletier gave his comments. I do feel disrespected at this point in time. This has been happening literally for the last 10 years. If you look at the backup material, we have been talking about people in the median for the last 10 years. Me, not personally on this council, but the council has. And so for somebody to think that we're just bringing this up because of somebody's death and we disrespect that situation, to me is completely unfair and it's disrespectful to me and I will not put up with it. I won't. And so therefore, I will definitely vote on this. I think that this is an issue that we have to talk about. We have not made any decisions whatsoever. We have the ordinance here. I look forward to having anybody come to my meetings so that we can talk about this. The Sustainability and Transportation Committee, we meet every second Wednesday of the month at 5 o'clock. We will put this on the agenda and we welcome you to come and hear what we have to say about this. We have not made any decisions on this. Tonight, as the Mayor said, this is just getting referred to our committee so that we can have that conversation. But I'm not going to be, I'm not going to sit here and be disrespected and say that the only reason why we're bringing this up is because of somebody's death. It's being brought up because I, in my committee, talk every single month about the Vision Zero policy and keeping our safe streets and this is one of those items on the vision zero policy thank you any other comment [42:43] Pious Ali: from the council consularly thank you mayor i just have a question i saw a clip on from one of the local tv channels interviewing someone who does stand on the median to panhandle and when he was asked why he was doing that, he said something like he needs to have a job and he's not having the job. City manager, I have a question for you. A couple of years ago, I know this because I've been here for some time, there was a program that was put together by the Chamber of Commerce and the city, which helped people like this individual to have a job. Do we still have that program? [43:30] Cheryl Harkins: We do, Councillor. We haven't, I'm not sure of the exact start date, but it's usually in the spring, and we have been working to try to get that back up and running. There were several programs that were put in place, and that one that you're talking about where we provided jobs was a pretty successful program. It requires a lot of staff coordination and focus and I do think that we'll be implementing that again come the next spring season. Additionally there was also a program in the past that was put forward I think by the chamber called have a heart give smart where you could give to other organizations besides just on the median to provide services for [44:17] Pious Ali: individuals who need it as well. Thank you I am looking forward to discussing in this other committee level and if possible i would love to include this conversation as part of the broader conversation that we can discuss thank you any other comments council [44:35] Mark Dion: Michniewicz i'll come to you last council pelletier so everyone else has a first chance thank you [44:41] Sarah Michniewicz: Mayor, I will be supporting this. I think this is a conversation that we have to have, kind of seeing homelessness up close and personal where I live. I've seen a lot of traffic injuries, and I know that folks who are with the social service agencies have as well. We probably all know the same names, and it can be devastating. I think the change that's happened recently is medians haven't changed, but the way people drive has, and it's more unsafe than ever to be lingering on medians. These are high-crash intersections as it is, and we don't know where we're going to land on it, but I think it is a discussion that we need to have, and yeah, so I'll be supporting this. Councillor Bullett. [45:39] Mark Dion: Okay, I'm not trained for that one. Councillor Grant and then Councillor Sykes. I'd like to say that I was not fixing my [45:48] Wesley Pelletier: hair either, much like the mayor of Councillor Ali. I'll be, I'll be supporting this obviously. I put my name on this knowing that the issue of traffic, safety, pedestrian safety is going to ignite a lot of passions in the city for good reason. I take the view that we need to look globally at a lot of preventative measures, but also specifically at discrete events that happen and how to prevent those. And it's going to take many steps in many different directions. I think this is one that we need to look at. It's going to be the first of many that we look at. I share Mr. Smith's comment that we need to be looking at a range of options in the very near future. And I know that the chair of the committee is committed to doing that. And I think it's only if you look at them in total that you see a better safety picture for all the drivers, all the residents, all the cyclists here in the city. So I think this is one piece of a larger puzzle that needs to be looked at. So I just want to be on the record. I don't think, you know, as these issues get difficult, it's easy to start ascribing, you know, intention in our fellow counselors, but no one here knows what's going on in anyone else's head, right? So I'm gonna do my best to not ascribe intention to anyone else and just trust what you say here on mic is what you believe and what you intend to do. So I want us to go on a record of what I believe and why I'm doing this, so that's abundantly clear, and that, you know, we can all treat each other in the same way as these difficult decisions are made. So that editorializing aside, I'm going to support this for the reasons I stated. Councilor Sykes. [47:32] Kate Sykes: Thank you, Mayor. I'll also be supporting this, going to the S&T Committee for discussion, and hopefully they'll come back with something that will be really useful. I just want to say that this is a difficult issue, And I think one of the reasons it's difficult is that Vision Zero, which I know we all believe in, we passed that, we're working towards that, and we're doing really good, diligent work on that. It asks us to do something really difficult. It asks us to undo a century of infrastructure that is designed to move cars really fast. That's a difficult task, and it's going to be billions of dollars in terms of the whole country. but it is actually not as difficult as the other thing it asks us to do, which is to change our thinking about pedestrian crashes. And that thinking for so long has been that it's the pedestrian's fault. And that's why things like this rankle, because we have to start looking at the infrastructure of the intersections, not just as a place that a crash occurred,, but as the contributing factors to the accident. And if we continually put the pedestrian, the cyclist, the non-driver as the guilty party that they have to change their behavior, that we need to make sure they're not in certain places, then what happens is that we go backwards in that desire to change people's thinking about crashes. And so I just want to say that because I know this is going to bring up a lot of constituent divisions. Visions, it's very polarizing, but it doesn't have to be, right? We can recognize that we can change the setting, but not blame the victim. So let's just keep that in mind as we bring this forward to S&T, and hopefully we can have conversations that reflect that. Thank you. Any other comment, Councillor Pelletier? [49:28] Speaker N (unidentified): I full-heartedly agree with Councillor Sykes. I want to clarify, this is not part of Vision Zero because Vision Zero is about creating infrastructure and it's about making safe the streets safer for everyone and it's not about trying to legislate behavior and this is trying to legislate behavior people are getting hit in all sorts of ways we're on the median or whether they're crossing the street and we can't be outlawing people from crossing the street we have to put in infrastructure you know I will be happy if, when this hits S&T, it seems like it will. Other things are discussed about median safety. You know, I think we have a big opportunity here. I think it seems like we're in vast agreement. Medians are unsafe. We need to be narrowing our streets. It seems we're in agreement to be eliminating medians because they seem very unsafe. We will have the opportunity to do so, and the Franklin Ave redesign on the south side of that. There are a number of medians that don't need to be there. So it seems like we have consensus that we should probably be working on reducing those. But this tax, as Councillor Sykes says, is regressive. It is not actually making the streets safer. It is putting the onus away from City Council and assigning it to people who are using the infrastructure, which I disagree with any [50:56] Mark Dion: other comments. I want to close with this. I don't have any time to respond to opinion of what I say out in public. I'll let the public decide as to the value of my comments. I will say this for the record, this was not done on the heels of the fatality that occurred. It occurred on Marginal Way. I recruited a law intern from Maine Law. We began in June collecting information and taking photographs and doing measurements and working with staff to anticipate what would be needed in the future should such an ordinance present itself to the council and then on to committee. So this idea or this proposition that I'm some sort of morgue chaser, well, it's just not factual. Factual. It's interesting, but it's not factual. So with that, I'll call for a vote. All those in favor of referral to the S&T Committee, please signify by hand. Seven in favor, one opposed. The clerk will now read first readings, Order 462627 and 472627. Order 462627, approving Modification 3 to the York Street Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Project between the Maine Department of Transportation and Portland, sponsored by Danielle West, City Manager. Order 472627, accepting and appropriating funds from the Seymour Becker Trust, sponsored by Danielle West, City Manager. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Chair will now entertain a motion to adjourn in a second. So moved. Second. A move by Councillor Lee, seconded by Councillor Michniewicz. All those in favor, signify. It's unanimous. Meeting's closed.