City staff told the Finance Committee that spring rains and recent state road milling work have produced a spike in potholes and that the city will deploy new tools and assessments to improve responsiveness.

“We've got a new fix it ticket system we're gonna start deploying hopefully in early June,” the staff member said, adding the system will accept texted photos and provide alerts to residents. The staff member described plans for a LIDAR-based vehicle to survey road conditions and said the city’s highway crew is already responding to reported defects when possible.

Staff acknowledged limits on real‑time knowledge of every road segment and highlighted that some of the damaged sections are part of state projects. The staff member cited the state’s defects law when explaining liability for repairs and said if a defect is reported and the city does not repair it within 24 hours, the city could be liable for resulting damage; if the defect is not reported previously, staff said the city will fix it but cannot cover private repair costs automatically.

Specific roads discussed include Beachland Road (concerns about surface loss on lower sections) and Bayside Road (a state road where staff said the city is discussing options with the state and may request the state to fast-track repairs). The staff member said the city has been investing in paving projects and that recent major repaving, such as Bucksport Road, shows improved conditions after full reconstruction.

Staff estimated capital road planning quantities during the discussion: references included “1,600,000 in city roads” and a possible additional “up to nearly 10,000,000” in related projects for planning purposes; staff characterized those as planning estimates tied to upcoming projects. The staff member said longer-term solutions require additional paving cycles and noted seasonal constraints that compress construction activity in spring and summer.

No formal council vote occurred on new policy in this meeting; staff asked for continued direction and said it will bring forward road condition assessments and improvements as projects progress.