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Bangor staff present draft Language Access Plan; ASL and transit hours flagged as barriers
Summary
Assistant City Manager Courtney O'Donnell presented a draft Language Access Plan, reporting outreach to the Maine Multicultural Center (about 200 regular clients and 150 sporadic users), noting Spanish and Arabic as common needs, and saying transit hours and ASL capacity (police department need) limit access. Staff recommend an internal policy approved by the city manager and annual review.
Assistant City Manager Courtney O'Donnell presented a first draft of the city's Language Access Plan and summarized outreach to community partners.
"They serve about 200 people regularly and another 150 sporadically," O'Donnell said of the Maine Multicultural Center and noted the center identified Spanish and Arabic as the two largest language needs. She told the committee that, in community conversations, limited transit hours and schedules were often cited as a primary barrier to access — not just translation services.
O'Donnell said staff are testing a language-line service for public safety and are pursuing cultural and sensitivity trainings that would include ASL awareness for departments that encounter residents in high-stakes situations. She said the police department, in particular, identified ASL as a high-priority need.
On implementation, O'Donnell said the language access plan is structured as an internal staff policy that would be approved by the city manager and revisited periodically. She noted the city is currently below the FTA Title VI thresholds that would require additional mandated services, but staff will monitor trends and return with updated data.
Committee members recommended additional outreach to the school department's Community of Belonging advisory committee and to literacy volunteers to refine counts of residents who need services. Members also suggested inviting the Maine Multicultural Center or its executive director, Adrian, to a future meeting for a fuller briefing and to clarify the center's service area.
What happens next: O'Donnell will return with Title VI threshold details and additional data from partner organizations; staff will continue to finalize the draft for city-manager approval as an internal policy and to plan periodic updates.
