[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6258751,"mediaKeyId","3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f","parentId",3145795,"title","City solicitor presents draft public-comment policy; committee seeks revisions and will revisit draft","audioSeconds",656,"startMs",1416000,"endMs",2072000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f&start=1416&end=2072","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f/thumbnail_1416000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6258751/Maine/City-solicitor-presents-draft-public-comment-policy-committee-seeks-revisions-and-will-revisit-draft","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6258751-4509106de4826374b2f462569e736b5c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770711980&Signature=km6wea2CkNCvwhY0yg1-XuUOK56zcRdK6K-n2fZm~ZJdrRGR7chpfTj1PwHzmheyqFRDxpM-yIVHl6pJHprHR0L6DnFSLtYNS3-x~i3pBNQRWqAf2xnIHa3vnwVKAEeWOpiV3y5uft-hM6mWdO8iC5ThGxCYGUjttZ7km3Oves8pa0R4TsnJ3dSjTgHo2Jq45DO8yvn0rYUhnywqXzf~-wjzK8tRQpK07nwwawSSRvjY1dPzTCJ8K0CKM5bIuB58LHxDYREztRSYIt0k22xaiGZ2EAk9fKB6Yw8ybNlzZtqx3z8xXkD6~9fyFXMg6rqTNFm8rxCPcV9hkzVexsOIMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-29T14:13:57.047Z","article","City solicitor Dave Semcheck presented a draft public-comment policy to the Government Operations Committee on Wednesday and recommended several changes to make time limits and enforcement clearer.

Semcheck said the policy is intended to make the rules governing public comment periods at city council meetings clear and to ensure the public has a fair opportunity to speak while allowing the council to conduct its business. He recommended adding an explicit sentence to say that “the council chair has the discretion to alter the above time limitations.”

Semcheck also proposed harmonizing residency language so that speakers must give their full name and whether they are a Bangor resident and allowing Bangor residents or property owners to be heard first. He suggested adding a provision by which “obscene, truly threatening, and overly repetitive remarks will be interrupted and removed” and noted that such limits are consistent with the presiding officer’s authority described in Robert’s Rules covering public bodies.

Committee members discussed the scope of chair discretion. One member said the chair should have flexibility in practice so more people can be heard at busy meetings, while others warned against allowing the chair to reduce a speaker’s allotted time too far. Councilor Forney said the committee had elected a chair to exercise discretion “depending on the circumstances,” and other members said committee chairs should have parallel flexibility for committee meetings.

The committee did not adopt the draft at the meeting. Members instructed staff to make the suggested revisions, including the chair-discretion language, residency/ownership wording consistency and the removal language, and to return the revised draft to the committee for further review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Government Operations Committee 1.13.25","oneSentenceSummary","City solicitor presented a draft public-comment policy to clarify time limits, speaker eligibility and removal for disruptive remarks; the committee asked for edits including written chair discretion on time limits and harmonized residency language and directed staff to return with a revised draft.","taxTitle","Government Operations Committee, Bangor City, Penobscot County, Maine","taxId",69277,"location","Maine","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6258756,"Committee refers ordinance to move regular council start time from 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.",141,1346000,1487000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f&start=1346&end=1487","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f/thumbnail_1346000.jpg","/articles/6258756/Maine/Committee-refers-ordinance-to-move-regular-council-start-time-from-730-pm-to-700-pm","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6258756-0e44c115a43d8ac0f1b18d67e8f45a78/orig.mp4?Expires=1770711980&Signature=BRWf7B4ZAHJOga52T~YzZjxqScHHdWkYXM59yqRzZAJ7ErluTZ8kfAptGWDAs1gAJwbHjR1euEUGvqzM05TRO~1ACtFWhjtk-12kFITW8XSmZvmTt1XMW8PAi8tmaY-VlJC3HaLH6VrHf8Wiqxk9qDjK6yq1L222W1WTzt4XaSXPTZPNRoSKGP3AZewz0fZR2hMWYSdjsyqUKVsO7SgeCrTYH-HkE9bD8nRMbdtJKPbtR-w3p27f3sUjYCZbgMnugOAsDu4QPyEb9Sii6nP2dmszEVSqri9iz8mSRVl43efDqniRFAEeC3KqZVAzqx6BHls6bGFs5q5mXmGy8krWCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Government Operations Committee voted Wednesday to refer an ordinance to the full city council that would change the start time of regular council meetings from 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A committee member moved to change the meeting time and to send the order to the council on tonight’s agenda. After a second, the chair asked whether there was any opposition; none was voiced and the committee approved the referral.

If the council approves the ordinance at its meeting later this evening, the committee chair said the change would take effect in time for the Jan. 27 council meeting.

The committee did not discuss additional amendments to the ordinance; the item was sent to the council for consideration.","The Government Operations Committee voted to send an ordinance to the council that would change regular council meeting start time from 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., effective in time for the Jan. 27 council meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6258760,"Public health director briefs committee; members approve two letters of interest for local services funding",296,1139000,1435000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f&start=1139&end=1435","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3145795-371d24a409c46ad381a907b6ecf37d9f/thumbnail_1139000.jpg","/articles/6258760/Maine/Public-health-director-briefs-committee-members-approve-two-letters-of-interest-for-local-services-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6258760-5e4fe08323deff73b6d843e1cafa3a38/orig.mp4?Expires=1770711980&Signature=flgug9x6UUwIfqE783ZpHH-hbxP-F7IyDxaRKyDAQSmj~tdClqnqqkzyrEjGkLFnmW2M2GmTcZc~qOOH1Qu-8iu7QQq5sICCTe55uY7q0Q9WHKre782o1tQ3mDLOxMl2J2Y8ECeatx5w7zmudN62LxSfLxp9mEHbfqIQIVQxI5sivxJ4v1zO2MMVJ85dLc2~AjgjsUSSt4iWm5HFqgW1xI~6jiREPuvY-fvR71WtR~xSg8EGDp3qowXkNBZv3Ijfcqdav9D~QWr3-~YEoO0J2u25ruNa7I94oCBfcxYWz9pjRvSeF2Mm~in26lIKOb-s3Z012ycfdVMbMkzDiGbAWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jane Gunderman, Bangor public health director, updated the Government Operations Committee on Wednesday about recent statewide and local public-health work, and the committee approved two letters of interest seeking outside funding for programs addressing primary-care access and HIV case management.

Gunderman told the committee that the Maine Continuum of Care has recently restructured to a more traditional nonprofit governance model, and that a statewide working group convened under LD 1364 is drafting guidance on so-called harm reduction health centers. “The report at the end of this…is not to say Maine should have overdose, harm reduction health centers, but to say, here are the things that Maine should consider,” Gunderman said.

The work group has reviewed legal and operational models in other states and will deliver a report to the Legislature in about a month, Gunderman said. She also said local public-health partners have asked the Maine CDC and DHHS for guidance and additional on-the-ground CDC coordination around a local HIV cluster; the department has submitted a financial request to CDC to cover staff time spent responding to the cluster.

In committee discussion, Gunderman described negotiations over a syringe-waste memorandum of understanding. She said the city has been in talks with Wabanaki leaders about what a “high quality syringe cleanup program” would look like and noted that work under a new MOU would be funded from opioid settlement dollars rather than the city’s general fund.

Gunderman summarized other department programs including WIC’s 50th year in the city, recent flu and COVID clinics, a lactation support “milk-and-cookies” group and a new tobacco-cessation referral for Bangor and Brewer high schools. She said WIC vendors at the Bangor Farmers Market have been receiving vendor payments through a program administered by the health department.

Committee action: letters of interest approved

The committee voted to allow two letters of interest to be submitted: one to the Maine Health Access Foundation for a proposed “primary-care bridge” program and one to Lubec Medical Center (request for interest) to explore providing Ryan White HIV medical case management for Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

On the MHAAF item, Gunderman described a proposed pilot to provide interim navigation and nursing support for people whose first primary-care appointments are months away. A committee member moved approval of a letter of intent and another committee member seconded; with no opposition, the chair said the committee had approved the request. The committee record during the meeting indicated no objections and the item will proceed as a formal request to MHAAF.

On the Ryan White item, Gunderman asked permission to submit a letter of interest to Lubec Medical Center to explore contracting for HIV medical case management in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties. A committee member moved and a member identified as Pat moved the motion; Moshe seconded. The committee again registered no opposition and the committee approved sending the letter of interest.

What was not decided or changed

No binding contract awards or program adoptions occurred at the meeting. Gunderman said the syringe-waste MOU was still under negotiation and that its budget is higher than the city’s prior agreement with HEAL (the local Health Equity Alliance) because the proposed vendor’s proposed deliverables and capacity are greater. She said the opioid settlement funds are intended to pay for that MOU rather than the city’s operating budget.

The public-health updates and the two approved letters of interest will be returned as appropriate to future council or grant-application processes for formal consideration and, if funded, implementation.","Bangor Public Health reported on regional homelessness governance changes, a state harm-reduction working group and local HIV and syringe programs; the Government Operations Committee approved two letters of interest seeking funding for a primary-care bridge program and HIV case management services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City solicitor presents draft public-comment policy; committee seeks revisions and will revisit draft

Committee refers ordinance to move regular council start time from 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Public health director briefs committee; members approve two letters of interest for local services funding