Residents urge Bangor council to restore longer, earlier public comment; councilors agree to review process

At the July 14 Bangor City Council meeting several residents urged the council to restore the previous public-comment format and time allotment, saying a recent change has limited participation and reduced transparency.

"To disenfranchise the public by limiting this crucial avenue for direct communication is frankly abhorrent," said Scott Party, identifying himself as a Bangor resident, during the opened public-comment period. Party said the council previously reduced the morning public-comment period from one hour at the start of the meeting to 15 minutes and that moving much of public comment to the end of meetings has discouraged attendance.

Party told the council that many residents are unwilling to wait through long agendas to speak at the end of meetings and called on the council to "restore the public comment time to its previous length of 1 hour and return it to the beginning of the meeting." He described the change as having eroded trust in local government.

Other public commentators raised related concerns about transparency and consistent application of ordinances and contractual processes. After public comment, multiple council members said they had heard the complaints and would examine the city's public-comment process. One council member asked staff to evaluate how the revised policy has been working and to report back; another councilor said it may be appropriate to consider returning to the prior schedule if the review shows the change has discouraged participation.

The council did not take formal action to change the public-comment policy at the meeting; council discussion that followed the public-comment period directed staff to review and report back to the council.