Bangor council extends public comment, approves airport checkpoint funds

[0:34] Susan Hawes: Good evening, it is 7:00 pm. Welcome to the regular Bangor City Council meeting. It's December 8, 2025. As you know, we start each meeting with a Pledge of Allegiance, and Mr. Party, would you be willing to lead us? [0:54] Jim Moore: Okay, this [1:15] Susan Hawes: is the portion of the meeting set aside for general public comment related to city business that do not appear on this evening's agenda. Public comment requires a person to state your name and whether you are a resident of Bangor. The City Council has adopted a public comment policy that we will adhere to that governs topics, comments considered out of order or offensive, and items that are confidential. As a reminder, topics that are considered out of order include situations that are in litigation discussing individual employees or employee groups for which complaint or grievance procedures are in place, personal disputes between the speaker and other private residents, matters not germane to city business, support or opposition to any candidate for political office, and personnel complaints pertaining to individual employees. There is a time limit that will be set at the beginning of the meeting with the ability of the chair. At the conclusion of the regular business meeting we will be doing public comment. At the beginning of the meeting the public comment period is for city council members to listen, not to respond or debate with persons during the public comment period. If you do not live in Bangor or own property in Bangor, please allow those who do to have the opportunity to speak first. If you'd like to offer comment on any item related to city business not appearing on the regular agenda you may approach the podium alternatively councillors may be reached via email at councillors bangor maine.gov a link to the adopted public comment policy can be found on the city's website site under public comment policy good [3:17] Michael Norton: evening, my name is Michael. Good evening, my name is Michael Norton. I'm at 83 Elm Street, apartment C, Bangor, and I'm asking the city for 10 million dollars tonight to help with the first ever Parkinson's vaccine summit. Parkinson's disease, what is it? Is homeless in nature in this, in the sense that one, there is no vaccine for Parkinson's yet, there's no cure, and two, it's a muscular nerve failure that affects, for example, somebody with femur in their hand or their whole body, and every three days when The red blood cells rejuvenate and rebirth or reborn inside the body at that particular site that has the Parkinson's polymagnetism. It replicates the damaged red blood cells and with which hold the Parkinson's polymagnetism rather than the ordinary instructions in the human Anatomy. So Maine seems to me, with having gotten an A and master's of public administration school in the government budgeting class, it seems to be bankrupt. So $10 million is a good investment by the city of Bangor for this. We would need to attract media, doctors, researchers, but not let them overflow and exhaust the summit. I can direct the summit, but with the city's help, $10 million, if you think 300 million people in this country end up getting a cure for Parkinson's as an option to health, it's a lot of discovery for other neurological disorders, too. too. And revenue wise, it's CDC, we sell it to co pay $10 for the vaccine. With interest here, then that's what $3 billion to work with. That's the end of the homeless program here. So thank you very much. [5:27] Renee: Thank you, Mr. Good evening. [5:33] Zach Campbell: My name is Joe resident Bangor not here to talk about zoom. What I am here to talk about is I'm asking the council to stop being a polite partner in this region because that politeness is costing us our reputation. We all know the reality Bangor has become the catch-all for the entire region. When the county jail overflows, the problem spills into our downtown. When the regional hospitals discharge patients with nowhere to go, they end up on our sidewalks. And when the surrounding towns zone out shelters and don't have them, their residents come to our city. But here's a tragedy. While we quietly clean up everyone else's mess, we're the ones getting the blame. We hear people, even candidates in our own election, saying how scary Bangor has become. The last election cycle, I listened to one of the candidates talk about how his wife goes to yoga in Brewer because he doesn't feel safe in Bangor after dark. And we need to be honest about why that is. Brewer feels safe because they don't host low barrier shelters. They don't have to manage the overflow of a county jail that's overflowing. Bangor is doing a heavy lifting for the entire region. And instead of getting help, we're just getting judged by the communities that we are protecting. We're destroying our own brand by refusing to call this out. When we quietly accept a 20% county tax hike without questions or quietly debate sanctioned encampments, we are accepting a narrative that it's our failure. It's not our failure, it is our burden and is a burden that we are carrying alone. So my request to the council is this, stop protecting the feelings of our regional partners and start protecting the reputation of this city. Publicly ask the county, why are we raising taxes to board inmates when you have opioid settlement funds sitting in the bank? Publicly ask the hospitals, why are your patients being found on our streets? And publicly ask our neighbors, why does Bangor have to be the safety net in Penobscot County? We're a great city, but we are being overwhelmed. Please stop taking the blame for this region's problems. Demand that they help us solve them. And I do just want to say I appreciate the gentleman who spoke for me. His back of his shirt says loving Bangor. I love Bangor. [7:55] Brett Johnson: My name is Brett Johnson. I'm a resident of the Three Streets in Bangor. Good evening counselors, I just wanted to be here to express my love for the park system in Bangor. I think it's one of the shining examples of cooperation and care for our community, and I'm, I'm not originally from Bangor, I chose to bring my family here. I have a young daughter in our school system in Bangor, and I have to say that the, in the tree streets, Chapin Park is really a lifeline for our community. It's where, it's where our neighbors socialize with one another, it's, it's really the like central gathering place for our neighborhood, and I would just, I would just ask that as you're debating how to, how to serve the entire community, including our most vulnerable, that you take special care and attention to what these public resources mean to the entire community. Because it really is something that, you know, if that resource is compromised, if people have a hard time utilizing that public resource for whatever reason that 's a net loss for our entire community so please be aware of that as you as you debate you know the complex issues before our city thanks thank you good [9:44] Jim Moore: evening my name is Jim Moore I've been a resident along with other members of my family of the city of Bangor for over 30 years and I know from predecessors as well as from yourselves that serving on the City Council is a huge commitment for which you paid very little I'm very grateful for your public service I know some of you from decades for from little league on I know others from through my work I know that everything I know about each one of you 're impassioned to help our city become a greater place, and I'm very grateful for your public service. I'm speaking with you tonight because of my concern about the homeless population. These past three winters, including this winter, I've had occasion to visit homeless encampments in our city. Valley View Lane, Camp Hope, also known as Tin City, and now along the river, along the railroad tracks. And I'm saddened because I've seen in some instances I believe our city council or a city use safety as a pretext, and I'm speaking tonight to ask you to reconsider and not close the homeless encampment along the river in the railroad tracks. In the absence of providing an actual place for those folks who are encamped along the tracks, along the river, I think it would be inhumane and cruel to force them out because I've seen what happened in the past. I visited Camp Hope a lot to distribute basic necessities, sleeping bags, blankets, water, flashlights, socks, and that was a real community. There were folks there that looked out for each other, and that's the only place they had, and the only belongings they had in those tents and other structures, trailers, and I was really saddened because I know there was well intentioned, you know, that and I give the city credit for opening up and paying, I think it was a quarter of a million dollars to Penquist to help fund Theresa's Place, formerly known as the Pine Tree Inn, which is right across the street from that encampment, and the plan was for folks at that encampment to move into Theresa's Place, but we all know that encampment was closed long before Theresa Place was open, and there were people that were in those tents that were on waiting lists, planning to go there. And the city forced them out. And they had all their belongings, the only clothes they had, their food, their shelter. And a lot of them worked very hard for that shelter. Took a long, time to accumulate what they had. And most of those folks didn't have transportation. To bring what they had there was a lot of work. And to see the city close it down before Teresa's Place was open was, I thought, shameful. I looked over the agreement the city had with Pinquist and they didn't have a date even though we gave a lot of money for them to complete that project so I guess I also there's a couple other points I also corresponded with our city regarding the ordinance that was passed in June of 2024 banning folks from using the medians and the prete the reason was given safety I sent freedom of access act request saying was there any instance in which the city can document any safety issue. There was none. I got a response back from the city solicitor's office on that. So, I hope we don't use safety again as a pretext to my knowledge. There's no instance where anyone has not been able to has been endangered because the tracks are there or because 1st responders having in there again. I very much appreciate your public service and appreciate your addressing this and I respectfully request that before anyone's forced to leave that location, the city provide them with shelter. Thank you. Thank you. [13:45] Hillary Simmons: Hillary Simmons, resident of Bangor. Good evening, Mayor and Councilors. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm here tonight to urge you to not establish a sanctioned homeless encampment in Bangor. First, I want to be clear. This is not about turning our backs on people experiencing homelessness. It's about choosing solutions that actually help them, not ones that make them worse. Sanctioned encampments don't reduce homelessness cities across the country that tried saying sanctioned camps found that they became permanent not temporary people remain stuck in tents because encampments do not provide a real pathway into housing instead of solving homelessness encampments institutionalize it even managed camps become unsafe sanction camp encampments still face overdoses violence fires rotation and public health hazards a tent even a sanctioned tent is not safe not sanitary And not a substitute for shelter. We should not intentionally place vulnerable people in conditions we know will harm them. Bangor does not have the resources to operate a safe encampment. To run a sanctioned camp, the city would need 24 7 staffing, sanitation, security, crisis response, case management, ongoing operational funding. These costs drain resources that are desperately needed for real housing, shelter beds and mental health and substance use services. Every dollar spent maintaining a tent site is a dollar not spent helping people out of homelessness. When a city creates a sanctioned encampment, neighboring communities intentionally or not send their unhoused individuals there. Bangor is already a regional service hub. A sanctioned camp will grow quickly and exceed capacity, creating more strain on the city and its emergency systems. We have better alternatives. Instead of a sanctioned encampment, Bangor should invest in low barrier indoor shelter, transitional and bridge housing, first units with supportive services, mental health and substance use treatment and strong consistent street outreach. These approaches actually move people into stability, not deeper into survival mode. Sanctioned encampment might look like a compassionate compromise, but in reality it would trap people in unsafe conditions and consume resources we need for real solutions. Bangor can do better, and the people experiencing homelessness in our community deserve better, or safety, dignity and a path into housing, not a sanctioned tent city. Thank you. Thank you. [16:28] Scott Party: Good evening, my name is Scott Party and I am a resident of Bangor. I'm I'm and I'm here to speak today on behalf of those currently facing eviction from the river encampment near the railroad tracks. Let us be clear, I'm here to oppose the planned closure of the encampment and I'm here to oppose replacing it with another facility or sanctioned camp that is laden with rules, barriers and bureaucracy. We have heard the repeated demand for a sanctioned site, but we must ask, but we must ask, sanctioned by who and for what purpose? If that sanction comes with restrictive rules, it will simply fail. The individuals choosing to stay in their tents despite the cold are not doing so out of preference for the outdoors. They are doing so because the existing shelters, places like the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter or the Hope House, have rules that simply do not work for their lives. Rules about sobriety, rules about times, rules about partners, or rules about pets become insurmountable barriers for our neighbours who have been chronically homeless, who struggle with severe addiction, or have complex mental health needs. These are people who often have been traumatized by systems and institutions. When you implement a sanctioned camp with a strict code of conduct, you are essentially creating another institution. They have already voted with their feet, choosing the relative autonomy of the riverbank over the restrictive safety of a facility. Imposing more rules will not get people indoors. It will only scatter them further into the woods and into private alleyways. We are currently in a public health crisis. The most critical intervention we can make is stability and harm reduction, meeting people where they are. A sanctioned camp with rules fundamentally fails this mission. It's an empty gesture if the most vulnerable people, the very people you claim to want to help, cannot or will not use it. We need a low-barrier, harm reduction-focused approach that allows for tents, allows for partners, and prioritizes survival over compliance. Evicting people now is cruel. Replacing it with a high-barrier, rule-bound site is ineffective. effective. I urge the council to recognize that for many, autonomy is survival. We must stop clearing encampments and start creating generally accessible low barrier resting spaces that respect the autonomy of our own house neighbors. I know I've sent you all emails, several of them, with some ideas, maybe some good, but at least they're ideas. I don't here the council even give ideas i think it's time that you got together and gave us some ideas of what we can do there's so much to be done and very little time to do it and for the you know for just the love of the people that have to sleep outdoors don't kick them out of where they are you know there's definitely the railroad is not a safe place but being homeless is not a safe place either. [19:42] Richard Chaucer: Good evening, counselors and residents. My name is Richard Chaucer. I used to be involved with the state of Maine's Value-Based Purchasing and Managed Care Entity. I used to be representative of Homeless for Justice in Brunswick, Maine. I used to be in a Homeless National Committee for Samson as a policy advisor and as an instrumental representative for rules. These are some of the things that I've been taking notes of around the community in the last two years. Some of it's horrifying. Not only are these notes of what's been going on, but I also have possible alternatives and possible solutions that you guys can adjust, think about, collaborate with when you go into council. First of all, there's a system called PASS. What do I mean by PASS? Pick up an individual off the street. Number two, assess their needs. Three, shelter. Then fourth one is serve. Each one of those can be broken down and it has fact-based evidence which is we've done onto it and it is on a computer-based system. That's another tool all get into with the funds that are being disseminated what we need to make this plan successful. Some of the notes that I have written down here on are some of the challenges and some of the shelters we have we call them makeshift shelters by word only. Some of these systems were created from early as is bygones, if we do the history on it, we'll see the ramifications that still aren't being met. Remember the lawsuit that we had in 2013, 14 of the one down in the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter. A lot of those abuses are still going on. What I mean by going on, forcing individuals to sit up all stinking night, then discharge them in the daytime. What good does that do? Nothing. Makes you tired. That's just one issue I'm gonna get back into some other things that have been brought to my attention since I've been back up here for two years and it's also going to be involving health care shelter accountability for personal date for personal for personal data and consumers belongings protection safeguards and enforcement's not all consumers that come in can't afford to put their things into like a U-haul so what we do is we trust these individuals we trust them we trust Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, we trust them. We trust what they say. We trust what they say. Come in and get a Friday, we'll pick it up Friday. We trust what a case manager, which is from one organization, I won't give out names because that wouldn't be proper, and says I can't make it, we'll go the next day to pick up your things. Okay, so the clientele calls the case individual, called Bangor Amherst Homeless Shelter, and tells them I'll be in the next day. Bangor Homeless Shelter throws out their things. Some of these individuals, they've lost their birth certificate, they've lost a divorce decree, they've lost their medical history records, that's just 1 issue. Now, the concern is, service provider, we're going to switch off into another area, service providers reluctant. Sir, your time is up. I don't know if you heard it, but you know what I'm saying? This is crazy spending money the right way. We set up board, set up executive boards, ad hoc committees, and listen to consumers and provide for the tax paying citizen a database, so we can go and look on this. Thank you. [23:35] Carollynn Lear: [23:38] Michael Beck: Madam Chair, could we maybe have staff follow up with the gentleman about his notes just to make sure we, yes, if you will wait before you leave. [23:49] Willie Howell: Someone will contact you. Yes sir. Oh, good night. My name is Willie Howell. I just want to thank you guys for just listening to us right now. We appreciate it a lot. I just want to say that I was homeless myself for a long time. I was addicted to drugs from a long, I mean, from the age of eight, I started getting high and I've been there, overdosed, and I've been in the same kind of shoes that we see around this city here. And so I'm not coming from a place, an outside place. I'm coming from the inside job. And so this is very near and dear in my heart. I was, when I was going through that, I was in the worst place in my life ever, and I'm in the best place in my life ever, and I've dedicated my life just to this, is my life, homeless, have the homeless people, not just, you know how they say you can give somebody a fish, so you can teach them how to fish, I'm gonna teaching them how to fish. We're not just trying to feed them and clothe them, we go out every weekend and sometimes twice through the week, at least three times in the week, and we feed at home. but I mean we feed and clothe them but we don't just feed and clothe them we actually spend time with them like we understand what they need because some of my team they 've been homeless too so we understand like sometimes they just want somebody to talk to them before they even want anybody to feed them and so we've been out there and you know and we've done that we're spending time we've seen people change in the last year and a half unfortunately it's not quick enough but that's our work so we won't stop. Of course we need resources, everybody need resources, you know, it's there. I think that's, thanks, and I don't know if it would happen not to be honest, which I don't know. I mean, I'm for it, of course, I don't want, you know, cuz I've been there and I know how they feel, so I don't, they're gonna be out anyway. So if you have this control area, if this area is controlled, we can see the work that we do, we can see the progress, we can actually document the progress, because we can see the control area to see it shrink or expand or whatever is going, it'll be, we could document and see what's happening easier. And it's control area, they're gonna go here and there or two or four anyway, you got me, they don't have anywhere to go. So with this area, we can actually have a better control on what are we doing, are we making progress or not, and we can actually see the work we're doing. We can actually reach more people because we can scatter out everywhere. We like working ourselves to death when we go out, we like running here, running there, because it's scattered, and we have to put flowers up here and there and everywhere to get people into this spot. But if there is one spot, we can have a way bigger effect on. We've had people get jobs, we've had people come out of that since we've been doing it, and so, but it's going to take more than this. Even if we do a lot of things and help them out and give them this and that and build buildings from the beat, they still might be addicted, it's more than all of them have a dream, we all have a dream inside of us when we're a kid. You know when you're cold, especially in Maine, when you get cold, you put layers on. You go outside, you start moving around, what happens? You take the layers off. And when you take the layers off, you go back to your original temperature, right? These people have a dream inside of them, and they've been through things. They have layers and layers on, and they're putting layers on, and that dream has gotten smaller. So what we're into doing is we're peeling those layers back so those dreams can come back and actually taking them up out of this thing. And I believe in application, but there's only one thing that helped me get out of this. There was only one thing, and that's prayer. That's it. I just urge y'all, please pray. Please pray. That's all I got is prayer. I just want to thank you right now, Father, for everything you've done. Everything, Father. I thank you for this city. I thank you for this state. I thank you for this country, Father. I just ask you to touch these council members and just ask you, Father God, to help them, Father, to just know your heart and know their heart. I ask you, Father God, to just give them, Father God, a compassion, Father God, for you, for the people. Father God, help them. Give them wisdom, Father God, and help them to know the decisions to make. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. [28:01] Asher DeVoe: Hello, my name is Asher DeVoe. I've lived in Bangor for about four years. I moved to Bangor originally when I was kicked out by my parents for coming out as transgender and queer and I want to speak about the homeless right now because the trans queer youth the rate for homelessness for them is rising. I am 14 away from not being able to pay my next bill. I am there. I am about to be out there. And you sweeping the homeless is doing nothing but causing disdain and discomfort in those who are just trying to make it and just trying to survive. I have worked with the homeless before. I've worked seeing how they live in the cold and just being outside for two hours waiting to get into this building was some of the coldest I have ever been and this is what they are dealing with every night. You get to go home tonight and you get to sleep in a bed. They do not. I urge you to rethink your sweeps on the camps that are here. Thank you. Thank you grannies and clears stand for the homeless. Hi [29:38] Larry Dancinger: my name is Larry Dancinger. I live on Mount Dessert Drive which is the old Cape Heart area and I'm not here because I want to be here. I'm here because I have to be here. And the reason that I have to be here is there is no option for Zoom right now. There was one. It was withdrawn. So people who want to be able to talk to the council by Zoom do not have that option right now. And I know why it was done. But I fear that what you've done by denying Zoom as an option is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. And I think that is harmful. And I'll talk a little about why that is. You're punishing basically, there are situations where people are punished in what's called collective punishment, where they're not, they haven't done anything wrong, but they're not allowed to do certain things as a result or denied rights. So I think that's part of the problem. And I hope the council will reconsider having Zoom as an option. And I understand why. I witnessed once when I was on Zoom, hearing someone say very disgusting things. And I was disgusted. And I know you don't want to hear that kind of disgusting stuff, either. And I understand why the Zoom option was canceled, but I hope you'll reconsider it. And the reason for that is there's no opportunity for some people to be able to have access to the console in the same way that those who are able to come here have that access. And as an example, a neighbor of mine asked me if I would give that person a ride to the meeting tonight. And I said, no, I have stuff going on late into the afternoon, I don't have time. Well, I came here anyway, sort of on behalf of my neighbor and also myself, but I don't like driving in the dark and my neighbor does not have a car and there's no buses running. So that neighbor had no option to be able to come here. And then the neighbor found out that they were exposed to a person with COVID. So they are now self quarantine right now and not able to come. Otherwise I would have brought my neighbor to come tonight. And there are other reasons people are, have disabilities, people from farther out than the city of Bangor who want to come here, but don't want to drive a long distance. Since there are plenty of reasons why people should be able to access and talk to the city council about things. And I got a note from Katie England saying, oh, you can write something up. But it's not the same thing because you can't read something in here and find out that I'm as frustrated as I am and that I might be having some other feelings that you'll never know about if I have to write it up. Up. So I think it's, we don't want a two tiered system where some people have the privilege of being able to come here and talk to you and other people do not. So and there are things I think you can do to mitigate the possibilities of people coming in and just saying disgusting things for their own who knows what kind of reasons. So I hope you'll reconsider this option. [33:14] Susan Hawes: Thank you. [33:20] Adam Baker: adam baker bangor resident i've lived in bangor 27 years i've absolutely loved it 's my home it's i love it and out of my years of living here i've just seen a council in the city just treat the homeless like for nothing and just keep sleeping them and doing nothing and just kicking the hand and i'm here to advocate that you guys do not sweep on december 19th because this will do more damage than it will help and i am totally for a sanctioned encampment whatever that looks like whether it's long term short term we just we need a solution resolution now and it's you just can't pick this can again and again and I hope you reconsider so [34:20] Susan Hawes: Thank you thank you good [34:26] Shane Boys: evening Council I'm Shane Boys I live on Hammond Street in Bangor I wore my cow sweater in hopes that you would be moved by tonight's testimony all right sorry I had to. So tonight, I want to share two simple allegories that I think speak to why this decision about sweeping the homeless encampment matters so deeply. First, imagine our city building a beautiful brand new bridge. The structure is strong. The path is clear. But because we're in a hurry. We have to meet a deadline. We leave off the railings. People can still cross, of course, but sooner or later, someone will fall. And when we look back, we'll realize it would have taken far less time and far fewer resources and far less human suffering to build the railings in the first place than to rescue everyone who slipped through the gaps. A sweep without a real support plan is that bridge without railings. It may clear the way for a moment, but it leaves people exposed. And when people fall, our neighbors, our community members, it isn't just their loss. The whole city carries that weight. There's another story about a lighthouse keeper on a stormy coast. One night, he saw a ship drifting dangerously close to the rocks. He knew he should shine the light and guide it to safety, but he feared the responsibility that would follow. So, he turned off the lamp. The ship didn't vanish. It crashed. And the wreckage that washed ashore was far greater than anything he had hoped to avoid. When we remove people from an encampment without providing a safe path forward, we are turning off that lighthouse. We might make the shoreline look clear for a night, maybe two, but the danger only deepens in the dark. Those living in the encampment won't disappear when you sweep them, they're just pushed into even more precarious situations. These allegories remind us of a truth that we already know. Communities are not judged by how efficiently they move people out of sight, but by how faithfully they keep people from harm. When we build railings, when we keep the light on, we are saying that every person, housed or unhoused, belongs to this community, belongs in this community. We are saying that we will not choose the illusion of order over reality of human safety. A sweep without a support plan is a choice to let people fall, a choice to let the shipwreck on the rocks. I'll wrap up by saying in a previous meeting, the workshop, no action was taken. There will be no additional meeting as far as I can tell on this subject before the sweep. I would encourage you to be bold enough to amend tonight's agenda to continue the conversation and to direct our city manager Carolyn Lear and her staff to craft an actual plan to stop the sweep and build support systems for our neighbors currently staying in the railroad encampment. [37:57] Gabby: Thank you, I'm Gabby. I actually live at the encampment. It's the first time I've ever lived in an encampment, this first time I'm actually getting a voucher for housing. Before I had been on the streets sleeping in bushes behind buildings, being told move along, you can't stay here, you can't sleep here, sleeping at a library, being woken up every day by staff members because you can't sleep there. My children live with my parents and want to be home with me. By you guys closing down the encampment, that means I'm not gonna be able to get in contact with my caseworker because they don't have a phone and I won't be able to meet my appointments. My caseworker won't be able to find me and by you guys closing it down it's gonna cause more harm. There's drug addicts, we all know that, we're all, a lot of us are drug addicts that live down there. Before we started living down there, was more people at the library and all around town shooting up in front of people. Yes, it shouldn't happen, but drug addicts are going to do what they do, right? If it wasn't for us being down there, would have been more deaths from overdose because our community, we stick together. So when there's somebody overdosing, we're gonna know about it. But if we're out on the streets by ourselves, doing what they normally do, they'd be dead. No one's gonna know about it. The other day, we heard somebody yell Narcan from three tents down. We all came running. That wouldn't have happened if we were out here, so please don't shut it down, just work with us. That's what we need, we need people to listen to us and work with us and see it from our point of view. It may seem like it might work for you, but it doesn't, you know. Come talk to us and see how it is. It, you guys get like that person said, you need to sleep in your bed at night. I sleep on a futon mattress that I found in the woods, so it's somewhere to sleep, it's not on the streets. I'm safe there, thank you, thank you. Evening. [41:38] Jose Saladria: My name is Willie, I live in Orono, I work in Bangor. I used to work in Bangor. It is a privilege to work in this community, a caring community. There are so many people here with so many ideas from a whole spectrum of service providers, from faith organizations to nonprofits that are doing incredible work. I am grateful for the consideration of this council of the idea of a sanctioned encampment. Encampments are the imperfect children of the broken system that we live in. I have done outreach at maybe a dozen encampments across the state and I did outreach at three of the encampments that have been swept by this city and I am against the sweep of the train tracks encampment for many reasons but for the simple reason that when these sweeps happen I worry about the people I work with who live at these places because I've seen these sweeps literally kill people in the past. At Camp Hope, in a four year period, I believe that there was one fatal overdose where emergency responders weren't able to get to the person or they died alone in a tent. We had hundreds of reversals from that time. We collect data at the encampment where we would give out naloxone, hundreds of reversals. That community takes care of itself. As far as the question of a sanctioned encampment, I have a lot more to say about that, but wanted to invite you all on behalf of the Maine Drug Users Union to a meeting tomorrow at the Unitarian Church at 3 o'clock where you can speak with the encampment residents directly, as Michael Beck and Carolyn did last week, and I hope you will do so and you will listen to them. And in terms of I'm not a either or type person is these solutions need to be and we need a sanctioned encampment we need a homeless shelter we need to fix up the armory and turn it into a community center that people can access and I would like to use the rest of my time for a moment of silence for Timmy Tuttle Andrew Allen and Dylan Smith who died in a fire on December 5th following the sweep of the encampment under the bridge there. [44:53] Jason Drake: Jason Drake, I'm a resident of Bangor. And I came here two weeks ago. Sorry. Came here two weeks ago to talk about the drug house at the end of my street. Drug house that the police know about. That they told me that they're not interested in taking care of because it's a small time. Really, I guess I'm here to talk about every other drug house in town that's just like it. I've lived where I've lived for three years now and that drug house has been operating the entire time and I got to wonder how much longer it's going to keep going on. You know if you want to combat the homeless crisis in this city taking care of some of these drug houses might be a good place to start. I know that Penobscot County is going to be working with the CDC over the HIV crisis and getting rid of some of these drug houses would be an excellent way to help that. You know I stand out in front of my house and chase people away from the front of my house from doing drug deals can you guys imagine doing that in front of your own houses how long would you tolerate that before making one phone call that would probably take care of it because of who you are you know I don't have that opportunity I've made the phone calls drug house is still there thank you very much thank you hi [46:23] Ellen Tarashi: My name is Ellen Tarashi. I'm a resident of Bangalore and I'm a nurse practitioner for Main Family Planning. I just want to reiterate, we are in an HIV outbreak. The decision to sweep the encampment will make it harder to reach people who need testing and treatment. The sweep will cause the spread of HIV. Why are we doing the same exact thing and expecting different results? We saw a spike in HIV after this sweep of Camp Hope. It feels very stupid to do it again, I'm sorry to say. We need plans before action and if we were using evidence-based practice to address the homelessness in our community, we would take encampment sweeps off the table as they do nothing but worsen the situation. Thank you for your time. [47:09] Shane Boys: Thank you. Good [47:16] Amy Rader: evening. I'm Amy Rader. I'm a resident of Bangor and I represent Bangor's House District 23 in the state legislature. I want to say hello to the new council. I congratulate you all for serving. I am here to speak about the homeless encampment, the sanctioned encampment, the sweep, but I also want to start by saying that the state is a ready partner, but the state can't fund something that hasn't been planned. We stand at the ready to fight like hell for the needs of Bangor all day, every day, but we cannot fund what has not yet been planned when we had a shortfall in the funding for Hope House we got real annoying for the appropriations committee until that money was put into the state budget and it happened but you have to have a plan for us to go to bat for you we want to we're waiting we're willing and I also just want to speak to a previous The previous speaker mentioned Housing First initiatives, I support that as well, but I recognize that we don't have time to build or source long-term permanent housing. Moreover, we have heard that the federal government is deprioritizing funding for stable permanent housing. Whatever path the Council chooses, I implore you to include the people who will be most affected by the encampment closure in your decision-making as trusted advisors. advisors. Not just as someone there to fill a slot, but people that you listen to. People whose experience you value. And I also just want to speak about something that was reported in the BDN about the encampment closure. There was a resident who spoke about not being able to apply for jobs or housing because they lacked an ID. And I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage the unhoused and folks that work with the unhoused community to reach out to state representatives or state senators. That is a problem we can help solve for little or no cost for folks who cannot pay for those things. And we realize that ID is sometimes a key that unlocks opportunity that is otherwise closed off for our unhoused neighbors. I hear assuming the best intentions from this council, from the people in this room speaking, the people in my beloved community, and I am gratified to see it largely borne out. Thank you so much for your time. [49:53] Zach Campbell: So to the recently elected city councillors, welcome, and esteemed councillors, my name is Zach Campbell. I'm an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. I'm one of the co founders of Needlepoint Sanctuary and I'm the president of the board of Needlepoint Sanctuary. I am also a resident of Bangor, live in the Bangor Gardens. We've seen five sweeps in the last five years. It hasn't helped, the problem has gotten worse. It's not best practice. Sweeps hurt our neighbors, often ripping people from providers and resources sources, people lose access to medications, overdose rates increase, and so much more. I was just outside for an hour with gloves on and my hands began to ache from the cold, and I have much better gear than unhoused people who struggle with things getting wet, things being stolen, tents being slashed, and so much more. When it comes to using our money, that arises because our communities were poisoned with opioids for the profit of Purdue, the Sackler family, etc., we should use opioid settlement funds in more responsible ways. Let's use them to help people. That money should have been spent on programs which address housing at the root of the issue, right to counsel programs for legal protection in the face of evictions or arrests, setting just cause evictions, subsidizing public housing and health initiatives, such as converting empty buildings into apartments and even stabilizing rents. Let's rehabilitate the armory, as Willie said, and make it a public space for residents. These strategies have been pursued by other cities. There are clear precedents for achieving these reforms, at the very least. I love Bangor, and it's because I love Bangor and its residents that I feel so strongly that we should collectively lead the way. You can't solve everything at the local level, but you can advocate. You can appeal to the state. If you also love Bangor, you love its residents. Let's work together, city and community orgs, to do more to make life more tolerable for all of our residents. Until comprehensive solutions emerge, encampments are the only option for people just trying to survive in the short term. I agree with others who have said it's inhumane to move people. It's their only stability in this world. They have a community. They take care of each other in ways house people couldn't imagine. The city should work more with on how the unhoused to involve them in solutions and consider what they're asking for. If you want people moved, okay, where will people go? And while I think all of us would prefer to see a constitutional right to housing and the legal obligation be put on the state to house people, that's beyond the power of the people right here right now. If the short-term solution is a sanctioned encampment, then it should be accessible. It should have clean water, bathroom facilities, and it should be organized alongside the unhoused community. I know that we can do better. We have an opportunity to do something important here, and that's lead. We can forge a path and set a precedent that we won't treat our unhoused folks like second-class citizens. And I'd like to second a proposal I heard earlier. Let's demonstrate leadership right now by amending the agenda and talk more about this sweep. If we don't have another meeting before it's scheduled to happen, let's support people living outside. Let's dignify them, and let's stop the sweeps. Thank you. [52:48] Susan Hawes: Thank you. Okay, we're gonna take two more. Those two of you standing there, we're really, we're going to be ending the comment session, so go ahead. [53:07] Ambreen Rana: Thank you. Good evening, chair Haas and esteemed colleagues on the Bangor City Council, and welcome to the new counselors. My name is Ambreen Rana, and I live in Bangor. I am the state representative for House District 21, which includes West Bangor, downtown Bangor, and especially includes our two homeless shelters and our service areas, which includes these encampments in question. I stood before you a year ago. I stood before you two years ago, and I stand before you again asking that you not follow through with this encampment sweep, because we have seen the devastating impacts of these sweeps. I'm here today in solidarity and in partnership with my unhoused neighbors. I was here before you when we first caught wind of this HIV outbreak, and you have seen us over and over again as this outbreak has grown. There are just 11 days remaining until December 19th, when this encampment sweep is planned. I ask, is that enough time to get these folks? Is this enough time to move our neighbors to a sanctioned location? You just heard from our neighbor, Gabby, who just got her housing voucher. And I'm extremely proud to hear that. Unfortunately, you heard that Gabby is currently living in the encampment on the railroad tracks. Eleven days is not enough for someone to possibly find stable housing. Housing. If we sweep this encampment, it will cause mass displacement. Residents like Gabby will have to start from scratch. That means focusing on literal survival rather than dedicating the time and energy that she has to finding that permanent housing and to use her housing voucher. That is just one case of how sweeps are setting us up for failure, and they set our neighbors up for failure. I want to remind us that this, the existence of this encampment and the encampments that came before us, are a policy decision. It's intentional. It is not by accident. These encampments exist because of a lack of comprehensive solutions to homelessness, and that's why encampments are a reality. They're not a mistake. The same goes for this HIV outbreak that we are dealing with now. This outbreak and its growing numbers are a result of lack of action and incorrect action. So with that, I'm asking that you pause and work in step with our unhoused community. The solutions to these problems exist, and they can only come about through collaboration with our unhoused neighbors. We need long-term solutions to housing, and I'm so proud that Bangor is a resource hub. I'm proud that people end up here. I'm proud that people choose to be in Bangor. I'm proud that we are open and inviting to all people regardless of their housing status. So I hear this fear often. I hear a fear that if we build more infrastructure, more people will come. I'll wrap up in one sentence. There's a fear that if we build more infrastructure, more people will come. Not only should the response be welcome to our city, but it's important to recognize that people are already here needing those solutions, and they need our support. Thank you for your time. Happy to continue collaborating with you. And I hope that you know I'm a resource. [56:42] Luke Sequeira Flanders: Hello. My name is Luke Sequeira Flanders. I am a resident of Bangor and I work in this beautiful city of ours as well. I am feeling a strong sense of deja vu right now. A year ago, we were in a similar predicament where the city set a deadline to empty the previous encampment behind the Hope House. And this was done before there was any plan for service providers to get people into more accommodating situations, or at least livable situations. situations. And it essentially was putting the wagon before the horse, so to speak. And, you know, you place a deadline before there is any sort of plan that when it was essentially, okay, now it's on you guys to make the plan retroactively. And that put tremendous stress, not just on the people that were living in the encampment, but also the people that are working to support them. Because as it was resources were thin this was back last winter and you know we were there was already all of this pressure just from the nature of the work we do and then to have a deadline placed on us was it just added all these problems now of course there the encampment ended up being pushed back from December 31st to the end of February. But even with all that additional time and the good work of many frontline service providers, we still saw many negative effects in our community from the encampment suite. Here we are a year later. We are down a homeless response coordinator. Massive amounts of federally funded resources are significantly strained or have straight up disappeared and we are operating on as of now an 11-day timeline the encampment sweep i believe was announced at the beginning of this month that's like an 18-19 day period for service providers to organize some sort of a response to this sweep as you've seen in this room there are a tremendous number of people and organizations there's tremendous energy that people want to invest in a long-term Solution to this problem. We're here, we want to help, we want to work with you. Give us that time, please. And this timeline we're on is, it puts us on a collision course, and we're bound to repeat the same mistakes that have cost the lives of our dear community members. So please, I urge you, at the very least, give us more time and consider many of the proposals that have been put forth before you. [59:42] Shane Boys: Good evening. My name is James Gallagher, a frustrated and concerned resident, business owner, and someone who has watched this issue play out for years. I'm here tonight because Bangor is preparing for yet another encampment sweep. And the truth is simple. We've done this over and over with the same result. Nothing changes because our approach hasn't changed. At this point we need to acknowledge the truth. This is a public emergency and it should be treated like one. Bangor should declare a state of emergency for homelessness. Winter is here, people are freezing, and lives are at risk. There's a lot of focus on the railroad encampment, roughly 40 people, but what about the individuals behind Walmart, behind the old Burlington store, behind Hobby Lobby? We aren't talking about them because those encampments sit on private land, but their suffering is no less real. Ignoring them doesn't make the crisis smaller. This is not one encampment problem, this is a city-wide crisis. Declaring an emergency allows Bangor to open the wreck or cross center as a temporary intake site the same way we would respond to a natural disaster. Bring every non-profit we fund under one roof, have public health on site, have mental health and substance use professionals there. Stop forcing a one-size-fits-all model we know doesn't work, and most importantly, we must shift from simply moving people along to actively rehabilitating them. Many unhoused individuals don't know their options. When I rode the community connector, I heard people say they wish they could get home, back to family, back to stability, but they don't know how. A coordinated intake site could give people a real plan, real support, and a real chance to rebuild their lives. Rehabilitation looks like reconnecting people with their family or support networks, helping them access treatment or mental health care, getting them into stable transitional housing, offering job readiness or life skills programs, helping them recover a sense of dignity and direction. This is how we break the cycle, not pushing people from one patch of woods to the other. And yes, this will cost money, but what we're doing now already costs more in emergency response, in exhausted city resources, in preventable deaths. We wouldn't let a dog or cat freeze outside. We cannot accept human beings freezing outside. Compassion requires boundaries. Bangor needs a clear winter policy. No sleeping outside. Not as a punishment, but because survival cannot depend on winter conditions. A state of emergency is not dramatic. It's responsible. We cannot keep sweeping, relocating, and hoping the outcome changes. Changes we need coordination, we need accountability, and we need rehabilitation. Bangor can do better. Bangor must do better, and it starts with declaring a state of emergency before more lives are lost. [1:02:32] Gabby: Thank you. Okay, we [1:02:39] Susan Hawes: have one more and then we're going to have to end the public comment. Go [1:02:43] Renee: ahead. My name is Renee. I'm from Milo. We're about 45 minutes away, and I needed recovery, and I prayed for recovering. They sent me to Fake Bible International, and they are the most amazing people I have ever met in my life, and I am now recovered. I'm all off my antidepressant, I'm off my anxiety, I'm off all of it. So we end up going every Saturday. We go down there, we feed them, we bring them clothes, we pray for them. They have had multiple people come to church and multiple people ready to be saved and rehab and just make a better life for themselves, and we would like it if you could work with us to try to help us. They need dumpsters. We are willing to go out there and help them clean up. I have a crew already that are down in that encampment that is willing to help us, and we volunteer our time to go down there and do that. So I just wanted to put that out there, and they asked if they'd be in the outhouse. So that's all I got to say. [1:03:48] Carollynn Lear: Thank you, sir. [1:03:54] Susan Hawes: We have ended the public comment. Yeah, she didn't use all of our time. Can I have [Jared Kerbel: the rest? We] only have one hour for public comment. We have used that. No, priest, no, we have to. Somebody always has to be the last one. The first will be last. So just a quick story from Jesus if [1:04:24] Jared Kerbel: That's okay with the council. Thank you for listening and thank you for your time. My name is Jared Kerbel. I'm the new rector at Saint John's Episcopal Church up on Prince Street. We do a lot of work with the people in the encampment, and of course I would like you not to clear it. You haven't given enough time, you haven't given out of planning. That's all obvious and has been said. However, I'm here because of the teaching of Jesus, and he gave a great story about this moment that's gonna come when the sheep and the goats are separated, and this is what he said. He said, then Jesus will say to those on his right hand, come you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did you see, when did we see you a stranger invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you? And Jesus replied, truly, I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me. People who don't have housing are our neighbors. They are the people we are called to love. Driving them out of their place of living right now is not love, it's force and violence, and I'm calling on you to please make a plan, execute a plan that is good for everyone. I have decades of work with people who are homeless. I have emailed you that you have not come back to me. I would love to be a help to you in this situation as long with all these other people, right? Thank you for your service. [1:06:58] Susan Hawes: You're welcome. That will be the end of the public comments. Thank you all for coming. We have listened, we've heard. We do have plans for another meeting prior to the deadline date, so you'll be hearing more about that. Okay, yes, okay, we're going to move on to the consent agenda please. [1:07:23] Lisa Goodwin: Minister Bangor City Council regular meeting of November 24th, 2025. 26-032 Order Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quit Claim Deed for Real Estate Located at 74 Hammond Street. 26-033 Order Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quit Claim Deed for Real Estate Located at 360 Center Street. 26-034 Order Authorizing the Purchase of Private Property at 354 Ohio Street. 26-035 Order authorizing the execution of a leasehold mortgage and security agreement between Penobscot Community Health Center and Maine State Housing Authority. 26-036 Order authorizing the purchase of two tandem axle cabs and chassis with dump body and plow equipment from Freightliner of Maine. 26-037 Order authorizing the City Manager to apply for up to two million two hundred thousand dollars in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments FY 2025 Continuum of Care Competition and Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program grants for permanent supportive housing and support services 26-038 Order authorizing the City Manager's appointment of David Telon on as Public Works Director and the execution of an employment agreement. 26-039 Resolve ratifying staff action of entering into a memorandum of agreement with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness for the purpose of securing office space for the Intensive Case Management Program. 26-040 Resolve ratifying the City Manager's application for up to fifty thousand dollars as in opioid settlement funds to support the integration of a nurse practitioner within the One-Stop Shop program we [1:09:23] Susan Hawes: have a motion so moved second it has been moved and seconded for passage of the consent agenda is there any objections seeing none it will have passage [1:09:42] Lisa Goodwin: Referrals to committee and first reading. 26-041 Resolve authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate 243,225 dollars in grant funding from the Cole Foundation to support a community paramedicine program first reading. 26-042 Resolve authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate 625 dollars from Maine Health Access Foundation for Bangor Public Health and Community Services time and effort to provide technical assistance first reading. 26-043 Resolve authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate 150 000 in grant funds the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for an overdose response program first reading and referral to Finance Committee on December 15th, 2025. [1:10:33] Carolyn Fish: I move referrals to committee in first [1:10:35] Susan Hawes: Reading second. It has been moved and seconded for referrals to committee and first reading. Is there any objections? Seeing none, they will be referred unfinished. [1:10:51] Lisa Goodwin: Business 26-026, resolve accepting and appropriating $16,449,413 in Passenger Facility Charge Funds to expand and relocate the Transportation Security Administration Terminal Security Screening Checkpoint. [1:11:08] Michael Beck: Councilor Beck. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Madam Chair, I move passage of Resolve 26026. Second. This Resolve will authorize the acceptance and appropriation of $16,449,413 dollars in passenger facility charge, also known as PFC funds, to expand and relocate the Transportation Security Administration, TSA, terminal security screening checkpoint at Bangor International Airport. A PFC is a charge paid by passengers that is used to make improvements to the airport's infrastructure that benefits the passengers. The current charge is four dollars and fifty cents per passenger and is collected by the airlines when a ticket is purchased. The airlines are able to deduct a small administrative fee of 11 cents and remit the balance of the $4.39 to the airport. This item was reviewed and recommended at the Finance Committee meeting of November 17, 2025. [1:12:21] Susan Hawes: The resolve has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Objections? Resolve has passage. New [1:12:37] Lisa Goodwin: business, Madam Clerk, public hearing, application for special amusement license of Timber Kitchen LLC doing business as Timber Kitchen and Bar, 22 Bass Park Boulevard. [1:12:47] Michael Beck: council of back thank you madam clerk madam chair i move opening of the public hearing for that application for the special amusement license of timber kitchen llc doing business as timber kitchen and bar 22 bass park boulevard second it has been moved and seconded the public [1:13:06] Susan Hawes: hearing is open, Madam [1:13:17] Michael Beck: Chair. See no one approach. I move we close the public hearing for this application. Second. Moved and seconded. The public hearing is closed. Madam Chair, I move passage for this application of the special amusement license of Timber Kitchen LLC doing business as Timber Kitchen a Bar, 22 Bass Park Boulevard. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Seeing no objections, the [1:13:41] Susan Hawes: application will be approved. Public [1:13:46] Lisa Goodwin: hearing, application for special amusement license of Bev Inc doing business as Hilton Gardens in 250 Haskell Road. Council Back. Thank you, Madam Clerk. [1:13:55] Michael Beck: Madam Chair, I move we open the public hearing for the application for special amusement license of Bev Incorporated doing business as Hilton Garden Inn, 250 Haskell Road. Second. Public hearing has [1:14:07] Susan Hawes: been moved and seconded. It is open. Seeing [1:14:14] Michael Beck: no one approach, I move we close the public hearing for this application. Second. The [1:14:22] Susan Hawes: public hearing has been seconded to be closed. It will be closed. [1:14:27] Michael Beck: Madam Chair, I move passage of the application for special amusement license of Bev Incorporated doing business as Hilton Garden in 250 Haskell Road. Second. [1:14:37] Susan Hawes: The application for special amusement has been moved and seconded for Bev Inc. doing business as Hilton Garden. It will be approved. [1:14:50] Lisa Goodwin: 26-044, order amending the City of Bangor's public comment policy. Councilor Leonard. [1:14:56] Joseph Leonard: Thank you, Madam Clerk. Madam Chair, I make a motion on order 26-044. for second. This order would amend the city of Bangor's public comment policy to allocate up to 60 minutes at the start of regular meetings of the city council for general public comment related to city business. Under the current policy, 15 minutes is allocated at the start of the regular meetings of the city council for general public comment. Under this amended public comment policy, the council chair retains the discretion to alter the time limits for general public comment. [1:15:37] Susan Hawes: Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? [1:15:42] Susan Faloon: I know that I am in the minority here, but I just have a concern that we have folks who are coming to be here to speak or to listen about something that's on the agenda and they're just having to wait for a long period of time, so I 'm actually not in favor of it. [1:16:09] Susan Hawes: Okay. Any other. [1:16:21] Hillary Simmons: Hillary Simmons, resident, Bangor. I, my problem with changing your public comment is there are people that come to this meeting weekly. They pay attention. It's not just 1 thing that they're focused on. They're focused on everything within the city. And with you changing at not just. To that 60 minutes, but what just happened. All of these people came in for a topic, a very sensitive topic, I'm not gonna say it's not important, but then as soon as it was done they're gone. Well, what is there, do they have any, I don't want to skin in the game for the city of Angkor, that's what I'll say. Where's the skin in the game for the city? We need to start listening to the citizens that show up, stand up for the citizens, not just one particular group, but all of the citizens for Bangor. So if you go and change your public comment to 60 minutes in front, this is again what's going to happen. It should be 15 minutes. Hold your city council business. And if people want to speak, then they'll wait till the end of the meeting and speak if they're that concerned about the citizens of Bangor. [1:17:54] Katie Coe: My name is Katie Coe. I'm a citizen of Bangor and a homeowner. I just wanted to say that I appreciate you extending the time. I think that it is great that we were all able to come out here and represent our city and speak about something that we were really passionate about, and I say that as a person that didn't get to speak. Yeah, I appreciate you extending the time limit, and I think that people, more people being involved in the process makes the process better. [1:18:32] Joseph Leonard: And I just want to say really quick that there are a lot of reasons I support this, but the number one reason why I support this and the number one reason I've heard from residents to support this is the prior policy. It was incredibly confusing. It meant it immensely confusing, and we need to make it much easier for everyone to be able to speak at these public forums. The more people that can speak, the better that we get notes, ideas, and other avenues or approach to solve a lot of the problems in the city. So for that reason and that reason alone, I support this change. [1:19:18] Susan Deane: Council Dean. I prefer the public comment to be at the chair's discretion. I think you can read the room tonight. You would have seen that this was a very important topic, and you could have allowed them to speak as long as they did, where every night I don't think we need to have a full hour. And I preferred it the original way, not the original way, but the way we've been doing for the past two years at your discretion. [1:19:46] Daniel Carson: Council Carson? Thank you, Madam Chair. I am in favor of this policy change specifically because it does allow you to retain discretion. I'm just noticing that it says to allocate up to 60 minutes in the front, and so I appreciate that language and that your discretion is retained. [1:20:12] Carolyn Fish: I'm in favor with an hour in the beginning with the chair's discretion. I do think though we have to kind of keep the rules. If we're going to stop at three minutes, I think we have to. Some people continue to talk on and others are shut off, and I think we have to be consistent in what we're going to do as far as time goes. And also I leave it to your discretion, but I think that there's certain groups that coordinate to come in and it's repetitive, and I know they're passionate and they want to get their message across, but when other people haven't had a chance because of the repetitive similar message, maybe we can again, you know, say if you have so many votes for that. Maybe we can now listen for votes against that, or somehow, I know it's the first night we had 60 minutes and this was a very important issue, but I think we still need to fine tune it a little bit. [1:21:14] Michael Beck: Basil Beck? Well, I'll just be completely honest, whether it's in the beginning or whether it's the end, I'm here for the whole time, no matter what. So there is that. But when we originally changed the policy, I will say I got a lot of negative feedback from people saying they didn't like the change, put it back as soon as you can. So I hear that feedback, I mean, and this is the truth, whether you're for this or against it, you're right, that's it, you're right, no one's wrong on this issue, it's just, you know, it's a matter of preference, and just because of the level of feedback I got asking for this change, I'm in support of it. [1:21:52] Susan Hawes: Any others? Madame Clerk, we had, we're gonna need a roll call vote on this. Yes. Councillor Beck? Yes. Councillor Carson? Yes. Councillor Deane? [1:22:07] Lisa Goodwin: No. Councillor Faloon? No. Councillor Fish? No. Councillor Leonard? Yes. Councillor Malheur? No. Councillor Walker? Yes. Councillor Haas? Yes. Five yes, four no. That's [1:22:37] Susan Hawes: four. All right. Oh, yes. It was. Was the order has passage, it was five to four, twenty [1:22:48] Lisa Goodwin: six dash zero four five, order extending the opioid settlement funds advisory committee through June 30, 2026. Council of Back, thank you. [1:22:57] Michael Beck: Madam Clerk, Madam Chair, I move passage of order 26045. Second. This order will extend the Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee through June 30th, 2026. In April of this year, the Bangor City Council established the Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee to advise the City Council on the best use of the City Bangor's Opioid Settlement Funds in a matter that is transparent, fair, and equitable. The committee has created a grant application process and will use the results of this grant application process to make recommendations to City Council for the allocation of the remaining settlement funds received to date. The grant application closes on December 1, 2025. Upon closure of the grant application period, the committee will undertake the process of scoring grant applications and then make recommendations to Council. The committee is authorized through the end of this year, but is not likely to complete its work scoring grant applications and making recommendations by that date. This added time will give the committee time to complete the current grant application process and make recommendations to City Council. Council [1:24:14] Susan Hawes: and the order has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Council Miller, I just have [1:24:19] Wayne Mallar: a question. I assume that, and that's wrong, usually to assume anything. I assume that the only thing they will be acting on will be the grants it was submitted December 1st. They have no other assignment. There's no other. I just wanted to be specific. Thank you. Any [1:24:44] Susan Hawes: other questions, comments? Pastor Beck. [1:24:47] Michael Beck: I just wanted to share this, that my hope is that we can entertain a conversation in a future meeting about the possibility of creating a standing committee, because this issue will continue long after these funds are dispensed. And I just appreciate the idea that we have experts working on these things about this specific issue that's plaguing our city and to be able to bring forward actionable items, you know, to for us to consider and move forward. So again, I'm just expressing that hope that in the future we can discuss that possibility. [1:25:26] Susan Hawes: Any other comments? Okay, it has been moved and seconded. If there are no objections, the order will have passage. Council Walker. [1:25:39] Angela Walker: Sorry to the call, I just had a question about, so the funds, if it's advisory committee is until June 30th, will the funds be released then? So we're pushing it out another six months. [1:25:55] Susan Hawes: No, we'll release once the applications have been reviewed and chosen. [1:26:02] Carollynn Lear: And funds will be released then. That's right. I mean, I anticipate that the grants will be scored sometime in the middle of January, and so a council recommendation should come to you in January. [1:26:18] Michael Beck: okay thank you 're welcome yes oh this just came to me in regards to this is all we're asking to do i believe we had this in our discussion said that we would also maybe like them to do kind of a wrap-up report of hey this is what went well this is what was wrong and that would be helpful to have to you know inform our future decisions about the possibility of having a committee again that is the plan once everything's done and the grants [1:26:46] Susan Hawes: have been scored. We will issue the council a wrap-up report. Anything else on this order? No objections, seeing none, the order has passage. That brings us to the end of the agenda. [1:27:14] Larry Dancinger: That's the flume, I [1:27:18] Susan Faloon: know most everyone who showed up here tonight to speak has left already, but I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who did so and for being so passionate and caring hearing about what's going on in the community. I think that we definitely plan to have plenty more discussions on the topic, and I can't speak for everyone else on this Council, but it's been clear to me that everyone really deeply cares about the folks at that encampment, including myself, and so we are not just looking to do something that's going to harm these people. So thank you all for your caring and have a great night. [1:27:56] Susan Hawes: And before I move on to the next counselor, is there any comments from staff? [1:28:07] Jose Saladria: My word. Good evening, Jose Saladria, airport director. Before we move on, I just wanna take a moment to note that tonight's approval of Dave Tila and one of our own at the airport [1:28:22] Michael Norton: board and congratulate him on being selected as the new director of public works. Thank you. [1:28:32] Susan Hawes: Any other staff comments? Just don't want to leave you out, this is your chance. Okay. [1:28:41] Susan Faloon: They're all going now. All right, council walker. [1:28:45] Angela Walker: The first thing I want to say is that I appreciate everyone being here. I know that some people did leave and I do see familiar faces each week, but it does make a difference. Your voice matters and I hear your voices, I hear the emails. I don't, I can't even count how many emails I received over the last couple weeks and I read them in detail, took notes, and absolutely took everything into consideration. I also am in favor of bringing zoom back. I know that we had discussed that we were going to have a Date for that. And I'm still going to be in favor of the zoom coming back. I do hear it, I do. I can imagine people's the barriers, and I can hear the everyone saying what the barrier is for people to get here in person. I also before we wrap up really would like to solidify a new date for the with my counselors, fellow counselors in the city, I would like to set a date before we close out for our next meeting for the homeless encampment. I think that would make me feel secure and going because 11 days is not a lot. And I do hear that, and I know that. And I just have a huge need that we need a date set, whether it's the end of the week, the beginning of the week before the 11 days are up, and that's it. Thanks. Counselor, we'll we'll [1:30:17] Carollynn Lear: discuss the encampment at Monday's committee meetings, Monday of next week. Okay, thank you. [1:30:28] Wayne Mallar: Councilman. Well, I'm not going to talk about anything that took place tonight. You were all here and we're but I want to thank the Bangor High School GROTC program for giving a respectful presentation at the Pearl Harbor Day. It was cold, it was unlike, it wasn't like Pearl Harbor. It would have been nice to be there, but I appreciate the fact the band was there. I'm sure it was a difficult time to play the it was just a great event, and I'm sorry more of you didn't go. Thank you. [1:31:04] Carolyn Fish: That's a fish. I'm I'm happy that everybody came out to speak tonight. I wish other people that have either called or emailed me personally that have other points of views would also show up. I've come to the conclusion no matter what we do it won't be the perfect answer to make everyone happy. I think we all are very passionate and love Bangor and are very concerned about our vulnerable community, and we will try to make the best decision possible. And with that I know we're also going to have to bear a lot of criticism because it's not going to make everybody happy. There's no perfect solution, I wish there was, but the reality is there's not. So I want to thank everybody for coming out, and I'll be thinking and praying for those homeless tonight and every night. Thank you, good night, Bangor. Council Member. [1:31:59] Joseph Leonard: Good night, everybody, thank you. Councilor Deen. [1:32:05] Susan Deane: I want to echo Jose's congratulations and welcome of David Tilon as the Public Works Director. I think we are very lucky to have someone as talented as he appears. Especially given the start to our winter with all this snow, we may have a busy winter ahead of us, and it's nice to have Public Works Director back on staff. And with that, I will say good night Bangor. Councilor Beck? [1:32:30] Michael Beck: I echo what Councilor Walker had to say about making sure that we have this conversation, and I would be in favor of making sure that at least it's an additional workshop so that we all can have a say in the outcome. Cause we just ran out of time tonight. That I am so thrilled that we've been having such robust conversations about this issue. I mean they've been deep, they've been thoughtful, and everyone's been adding input to it, and I want to see that continue, and I hope that we have the opportunity to do that on Monday. In response to all of the comments I heard tonight, one of the things I heard a few times was the phrase deja vu, and that rang with me because we listened to these comments before with Camp Hope, and all of the parade of horribles that we were warned about came to pass, and now again we were given the parade of horribles, and we're still marching forward with this closure date, and I just I hope that we have a chance to really examine the reasoning behind this on Monday, because I'm losing sleep over it. I just I do not believe we are going to have even remotely a good income if we or outcome if we continue what we're doing with December 19th. Is just going to end in more tragedy than any kind of safety we're trying to save people with. So I just I'm looking forward to this conversation on Monday and really look at our options, including you know figuring out what we're going to do with the safe outdoor space, because I know we use the term sanctioned encampment, but again it's this is a model that has been successful. All the failures you hear about, failures you hear about, are because it wasn't managed probably at all or very little, but if you look at the safe outdoor space model in Missoula, Montana, in Denver, Colorado, in Portland, Oregon, okay, this is not a hey just go here and we'll forget about you. This is an exit to housing that sees more success than some of the other programs we're supporting, upwards of 50% versus 30 and lower. So I don't see this as just an emergency to help people short-term. I see this as an opportunity if we do this right, and I appreciate the time to speak a little bit more on that. [1:35:00] Daniel Carson: Mr. Carson. All right, well, I wanna appreciate everybody who came out and spoke this evening, and like all of my counselors here, I look forward to continued discussion and more strategic discussion. I want to lift up our city workers, public works, and the airport workers who, while we were sleeping and were out clearing the snow and the ice, keeping us safe, and who continue to do that today and will continue to do that all winter. And I just wanted to give them a shout out before we end for the night. Stay warm. Good night. [1:35:39] Susan Hawes: We had a really nice parade on Saturday. It was cold. We were sitting in metal chairs judging floats going by. Your fingers were like, I think they're still there, but I'm not sure. But it was really, it was very well put together. The city looked good, the directions, collections of the decorations they had, everything that, well, it's the electrical department, it's public works, it's the whole crew that gets out there and puts them up, and they did again a wonderful job. The tree couldn't be better, and I think, I hope the spread man spread got a letter or something to the effect of that, because he always comes through with a beautiful tree. So it was worth it. Hopefully it will warm up a bit, but you never know. One of the things I think we heard very clearly tonight is they want to see a plan, and I think it's time we do have to really roll up our sleeves and work with the city staff and come up with a plan of how we're going to execute this, because without a plan got nothing. So hopefully we'll be able to accomplish that. We've got the weekend to think about it, all of our assignment, think about the plan. So with that, it was good having everybody here. Thank you for that, and with that, good night, and if there's nothing, we are adjourned.