The Bangor City Council approved several land-use ordinances, accepted grant funding, and completed routine licensing and appointment actions at its Dec. 22 meeting.

Ordinances: The council passed ordinance 25-296 to amend chapter 165 to allow city departments to review projects that require stormwater-law permits, enabling municipal capacity as suggested by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection; the vote was recorded as 9 yes, 0 no. The council also approved rezoning ordinances 26-023 (38 Blue Hill East; ~0.92 acres), 26-024 (195 Thatcher Street; ~6.42 acres) and 26-025 (557 Hammond Street; ~0.44 acres), each on roll-call votes reading 9-0.

Grants and program funding: The council authorized the city manager to accept and appropriate grant funding from the Cole Foundation to support an 18-month community paramedicine pilot in Bangor, to be a collaboration among Bangor Fire, Bangor Public Health and Community Services and partner organizations; agenda text reads $243,225, but the transcript later contains an inconsistent larger figure (see clarifying details). The council also accepted $625 from the MaineHealth Access Foundation to offset staff time for evaluation panels, and approved $150,000 from Maine's Office of Behavioral Health to support an overdose response program (the seventh year of this grant-supported effort). One councilor disclosed a conflict of interest and left the room during the overdose-grant consideration; the measure passed.

Licenses, appointments and procurement: The council approved a special amusement license for Bangor Motor Incorp, doing business as Bangor Inn and Suites and Conference Center, at 701 Hogan Road, after a public hearing with no attendees. Council order 26-049 appointing constables for 2026 passed after the council adopted a substitution that replaced the attached list of constables. Council order 26-050, authorizing negotiations with Sheridan Construction for construction manager services for the Bangor Central Kitchen project (demolition of an ~18,167 sq ft structure and construction of an ~18,000 sq ft prefabricated building), was POSTPONED to the Jan. 12, 2026 regular meeting. The council reinstated limited remote public comment via order 26-060 with added procedures intended to reduce disruptive remote behavior.

What’s next: Several items return to committees or the Jan. 12, 2026 meeting for further action; staff will implement grant-funded programs per grant timelines and reporting requirements.