[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6586487,"mediaKeyId","5493424-e19ee68a9b663e0850a23d055ee0bc5a","parentId",5493424,"title","Bangor City Council approves rezones, grants, contracts and $1.16M fire truck on July 8","audioSeconds",1060,"startMs",860000,"endMs",1920000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5493424-e19ee68a9b663e0850a23d055ee0bc5a&start=860&end=1920","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5493424-e19ee68a9b663e0850a23d055ee0bc5a/thumbnail_860000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6586487/Bangor-City/Penobscot-County/Maine/Bangor-City-Council-approves-rezones-grants-contracts-and-116M-fire-truck-on-July-8","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6586487-fcabc2537c2615cbe91607028d8a94a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771215201&Signature=QUMBIy1NgEfGPFSgv9exTeMoNG9SH7-~XPTgSLIiL-WSbNPN-0PYJh52R~jjvhW0ubYXelbnJm9CqBFrjzDyfbbWLsjSVyUx6PKcpEVrtBfdiz~Ik33tax5sREYy3dFPNbcjT6jesNi7TXL2qxi3bfDPVVhxmbFLf9yWrprI7CC4RXeTS2y7gDcqeaGG5lC~kKGhJcotDcSeCS2YHZhmi2dK4~8Qbhp2lpbIX18Yse8FlJgknLUHUHm2WEFyn8jGmHwQNYonzmbtLYOke0n7rxUSYEwZ~6zUzkbVy9OTtdSH15~Yw39Vuz~fZcDalDWfGJbb5~KPjUYIHsX7JDIIWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Bangor Maine","date","2025-07-28T22:59:04Z","article","At its July 8, 2025 regular meeting, the Bangor City Council approved a consent agenda and a slate of ordinances, resolves and orders that included land-use rezones, grant acceptances, public-safety wellness funding, naloxone purchasing contracts, a collective bargaining agreement and the purchase of a replacement fire engine.

Key approvals and outcomes

- Consent agenda: The council approved minutes and several routine orders including a city manager agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation for 2025 operation and maintenance of traffic signals (25-238), acceptance of an in-kind gazebo donation valued at $950 for the fire department (25-239), amended city hall hours effective Aug. 11, 2025 (25-240), and a temporary lease with the Bangor Water District for communications devices on a new water tower at 55 Queen Street (25-241). The consent agenda also authorized contracts with Pattyus US LLC and Remedy Alliance LLC to purchase naloxone (25-242) and authorized execution of a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 92609, Council 93, representing customer service representatives (25-243). The consent agenda passed without recorded dissent.

- Airport grants referred to committee: Two airport-related items were read and referred to committee for first reading: acceptance and appropriation of $4,275,136 from the Federal Aviation Administration and $112,503 from the Maine Department of Transportation for an airport improvement project (25-244), and an additional airport improvement grant of $31,605 from the FAA and $831 from the Maine DOT under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program (25-245).

- Rezones: Ordinance 25-231 (rezoning property at 509 Condescue Avenue to High Density Residential) passed on a roll-call vote recorded as 8-0. Ordinance 25-232 (rezoning a portion of 1017 Union Street from Government & Institutional Service District to Shopping & Personal Service District) also passed 8-0 on roll call.

- Grant acceptances and public-health items: Resolve 25-233 accepted and appropriated $1,706,934 from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to support an overdose-prevention and naloxone-distribution program for fiscal years 2026-2027, including specified line-item amounts for regional distribution and naloxone purchase. Resolve 25-234 accepted and appropriated $160,045 from the Maine Department of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal, for a public-safety wellness reimbursement program providing specialized cardiac and metabolic screenings for public-safety employees. Both resolves were approved.

- School appropriation correction: Resolve 25-235 amended a previous council resolve (25-201) to correct the local funds in excess of the state minimum spending limit for the Bangor School Department. The corrected figure for local funds in excess of the minimum was $10,610,573; the council noted the earlier error was administrative and did not change the school's total budget or the approved mill rate. The resolve passed.

- Special amusement license renewals: The council opened and closed public hearings and approved renewals for Pike and Hemphard LLC doing business as Parliament (license renewal granted), Smoke and Steel LLC (471 Stillwater Ave.), and Seadog Ventures Inc. doing business as Sea Dog Brewing Company (26 Front Street). No objections were recorded during the hearings.

- Fire apparatus purchase: Order 25-246 authorized the purchase of a new fire engine (Pierce brand) through Allegiance Fire and Rescue in the amount of $1,158,294. The city's fire department has maintained a Pierce fleet since 1982 and cited fleet consistency and parts/maintenance efficiencies as reasons for sole-sourcing a Pierce apparatus; the order passed.

Roll-call and voting notes

- Where recorded, roll-call tallies are reported above (for rezones 25-231 and 25-232 the vote was recorded as 8 yes, 0 no). Several other items were approved by motion and voice vote or unanimous consent without vote tallies entered into the record during the meeting.

What the council said and next steps

Councilors moved several items to referral or committee review where required, including the FAA airport grant items. Several items, including grant-funded programs and the fire apparatus purchase, were recommended by the finance and government operations committees prior to council action. Implementation of grants and purchases will proceed under the authority of the city manager and relevant department heads per the adopted orders and resolves.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council 7.28.25","oneSentenceSummary","The council passed a consent agenda and multiple orders and resolves, including two rezones, several grant acceptances, purchase of a new fire engine for $1,158,294, naloxone contracts and collective bargaining approval.","taxTitle","Bangor City, Penobscot County, Maine","taxId",2586,"location","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":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6586492,"Residents tell Bangor City Council rising property taxes are driving housing instability",536,374000,910000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5493424-e19ee68a9b663e0850a23d055ee0bc5a&start=374&end=910","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5493424-e19ee68a9b663e0850a23d055ee0bc5a/thumbnail_374000.jpg","/articles/6586492/Bangor-City/Penobscot-County/Maine/Residents-tell-Bangor-City-Council-rising-property-taxes-are-driving-housing-instability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6586492-4c25aa4d850569d7f2e7fa2959e34378/orig.mp4?Expires=1771215201&Signature=MbwXf9URhhOzfLEUpjV4nxdHtcgMPmeTFyNb7cyeQgJoREB2qbANqiA2VQYDzoIbr-jimXHDxW9bzJoRF3IIsJaACSAdRGEn2ffpEHo18y4~94leExhQJ04vBSuWMs7NYcqMe8GswzOdjzkKs18REJ-Uja4MhUKiHZM6-sq8I1eCofBxadp2wNCYkPe9s2eHadO4s6gx8A~RNcuTWJwnvEkvRT-RC5TUpWvmXW8FwbiyiYkIt3b~t6ODGqsF-WFiUPqlpvbefBGIo8bYFgEbkQamscfN~wRmNW5zr1HRBlS~w4qBHaIJZJuZOvzPXEqCIGr3wzWREUVJcUwOUqcD4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Bangor City Council meeting on July 8, 2025, multiple residents used the public comment period to urge councilors to address rising property taxes and the city's growing homelessness problem.

The most direct appeal came from Scott Hardy, who said rising property taxes were creating a \"horrifying trend\" that he tied to an increase in homelessness. \"For many Bangor residents, especially those on fixed incomes, rising taxes are not just an inconvenience. They are a direct threat to their ability to keep a roof over their heads,\" Hardy said. He asked the council to consider whether the city's property tax collection rate has declined and argued that a falling collection rate could indicate residents are being taxed beyond their ability to pay.

Amy Baldwin, a local realtor and Bangor resident, echoed concerns about fixed-income homeowners and urged the council to explore targeted relief. \"We're losing the wisdom and stability that these long-term residents bring to our neighborhoods, simply because they can no longer afford to stay,\" Baldwin said, suggesting tax-deferral programs or expanded homestead exemptions so seniors can \"age in place with dignity.\" Baldwin also said Bangor bears a disproportionate share of the region's homelessness burden because the city provides vital services.

A third speaker, homeowner Chris Hendricks, raised a separate but related local concern about property maintenance and code enforcement, saying a neighboring property had an accumulation of trash and that repeated visits to the code enforcement office had not produced results. Hendricks asked for a staff member to follow up after the meeting and offered to provide photos.

Comments came during the meeting's allotted public comment period, which the council said is for residents to address city business not on the agenda; councilors do not generally debate or respond during that period. Speakers asked for greater transparency on how tax dollars are spent and better oversight to avoid what they described as avoidable costs that increase the city's tax burden.

Councilors did not take formal action during the public comment period. The concerns raised were entered into the meeting record and will remain part of the public record for council consideration in future budget and policy discussions.

The public comment period at the July 8 meeting also included other remarks not related to city business; those comments are not included here because they did not address municipal policy or operations.","At the July 8 Bangor City Council meeting, residents urged the council to address what they described as escalating property tax burdens tied to growing homelessness and called for tax relief and stronger code enforcement.","actionData","errors"]

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Bangor City Council approves rezones, grants, contracts and $1.16M fire truck on July 8

Residents tell Bangor City Council rising property taxes are driving housing instability