Committee forwards naloxone funding, public‑safety wellness grant and adjusted clerk hours to full council

The Bangor City Government Operations Committee on July 21 voted to forward three items to the full City Council: a recommendation to accept and appropriate funding for naloxone as part of the city’s overdose prevention work; approval to accept a $160,045 grant from the Maine Department of Public Safety/State Fire Marshal for a public‑safety wellness pilot; and a motion allowing the city clerk to close the public lobby at 4:15 p.m. on regular business days (reopening later for night meetings) to reduce overtime.

The naloxone funding was described by Assistant City Manager Courtney O’Donnell as part of an ongoing overdose prevention program Bangor has participated in since February 2020 and as covering roughly two years’ worth of naloxone supply and related program costs. “This funding is actually part of [the] overdose prevention program that we’ve been a recipient of since 02/2020,” O’Donnell said at the committee meeting. The committee recommended the council approve that acceptance and appropriation; committee members raised no objections and the item was forwarded for council consideration.

The committee also recommended accepting a $160,045 grant from the Maine Department of Public Safety/State Fire Marshal to pilot health and wellness reimbursements for police and fire personnel. Deputy Police Chief David Bushey, who answered committee questions about the pilot, said the program was newly offered by the state and that Bangor was selected as one of the participating agencies. “This was a new program. It’s a pilot that … we were fortunate enough to be identified as one of the agencies selected,” Bushey said. The grant is intended to reimburse wellness visits and screenings, including specialized cardiac and metabolic screenings, for public‑safety staff.

On city operations, City Clerk Lisa Goodwin told the committee staff were experiencing repeated late‑evening work tied to in‑person lobby traffic and proposed locking the public lobby at 4:15 p.m. and using the interval before night meetings to perform remaining work. “It’s hard on them. It’s hard on their families,” Goodwin said, describing overtime and scheduling pressure on clerk staff. A motion to permit the temporary 4:15 p.m. closure (with reopening time to accommodate evening meetings) was moved and seconded; committee members raised no objections and the recommendation will go to the full council for final action.

Votes at a glance

- Recommendation to accept and appropriate naloxone-related funding: moved and seconded; forwarded to full council (no committee objections). Amount reported in committee materials or transcript was not specified for publication. Assistant City Manager Courtney O’Donnell presented the item.

- Recommendation to accept a $160,045 grant from the Maine Department of Public Safety/State Fire Marshal for a public‑safety wellness pilot (police and fire): moved and seconded; forwarded to full council (no committee objections). Deputy Chief David Bushey responded to committee questions.

- Motion to permit city clerk to close the public lobby at 4:15 p.m. (with procedures to reopen for evening meetings and update signage/website): moved and seconded; forwarded to full council (no committee objections). City Clerk Lisa Goodwin presented the proposal.

What happens next

Each of the three recommendations will appear on an upcoming full council agenda for final approval or formal acceptance. Committee members asked staff to include public notice and website/signage updates for the office‑hours change and to return any additional details that the council requests about grant acceptance and program implementation.