City Hall·Bangor·Agenda

Government Operations Committee

Mon Oct 19, 2026Posted by the city; shown as written, nothing added

1. Resolve: Accepting and Appropriating Up to $6,000 from Johns Hopkins University as Partners on a National Institutes for Health ARISE Grant to Increase Access to PrEP
2. Remote Public Comment Policy &RXQFLO 0HHWLQJ 'DWH ,WHP 1R 5HVSRQVLEOH 'HSW Requested $FWLRQ 6XPPDU\ &ommittee $FWLRQ )RU $JDLQVW &LW\ 0DQDJHU &LW\ 6ROLFLWRU )LQDQFH 'LUHFWRU 0DS//RW ,QWURGXFHG IRU 2UGHU &ommittee $FWLRQ 6WDII &RPPHQWV $SSURYDOV 26-295 Health & Community Services Title, Resolve Resolve N/A Accepting and Appropriating Up to $6,000 from Johns Hopkins University as Partners on a National Institutes for Health ARISE Grant to Increase Access to PrEP This Order will accept and appropriate up to $6,000 from Johns Hopkins University as partners on a National Institutes for Health (NIH) ARISE grant to increase access to PrEP. For the past year, Bangor Public Health and Community Services has been exploring opportunities to expand
City Of Bangor Resolve 10/14/2026 26-295
Office Of The City Manager
(1) The Remote Participation Policy; and
(2) Moving public comment to the end of meetings. At the November 10, 2025 Council meeting, Council voted to amend the City’s Remote Meeting Participation Policy to discontinue the practice of accepting remote public comments. This change was implemented to address a large number of disruptive, offensive, and racist public comments being made via Zoom. After initially eliminating public comment altogether, Council then asked staff to investigate possible strategies to bring back remote participation in the Council’s public comment period while better controlling the incidence of disruptive public comments. At that time, the City Council amended the Remote Participation Policy to implement mandatory pre-registration to participate in remote public
Mote Participation Policy

I. B

Ackground
Ii. Leg
Al Authority
Iii. P
Ossible Means Of Remote Participation

V. POLICY The following subsections detail the availability of remote participation by meeting type: 26-060
A. PUBLIC BODIES WITH FINAL DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY This subsection governs remote participation in public bodies that have final decision- making authority. Specifically, this subsection governs the meetings of the following public bodies:

(1) the City Council,
(2) the Planning Board,
(3) the Historic Preservation Commission,
(4) the Finance Committee
(5) the Business and Economic Development Committee
(6) the Infrastructure Committee,
(7) the Government Operations Committee,
(8) the Board of Appeals,
(9) the Board of Assessment Review, and
(10) the Registration Appeals Board. Members Members of the Council and the above boards, committees, and commissions are generally expected to be physically present for meetings. A member who is unable to attend a meeting in person, and wishes to participate remotely, will notify the chair or other presiding officer as far in advance as possible. No member may participate remotely based upon a temporary absence ² from the City if that absence extends beyond three weeks in time, and no member may participate rem otely for more than one meeting of a specific public body in a row.³ Notwithstanding the forgoing, a public body may, by majority vote, extend the three weeks. In extenuating circumstances, remote participation beyond one meeting of a specific public body in a

(1) Not later than 9 am EST on the date of the meeting, a member of the public wishing to give public comment via remote means shall register with the City through a form on the City’s website to include the individual’s name, town of residence, and topic to discuss. 26-060
(2) A list of public comment registrants shall be given to the Chair prior to the start of the meeting and only those individuals appearing on the pre-registration list will be given the opportunity to give remote public comment.
(3) Individuals that have pre -registered to give public comment via remote means must be signed into the remote meeting platform with their name visible on the screen at the scheduled start time of the meeting.
(4) The Chair will enforce all requirements of the Cit y’s Public Comment P olicy, including that the individual state their name and whether they are a resident of Bangor. The Chair will gavel and call for the speaker to be cut off immediately when an individual gives remarks that violate the City’s Public Comment Policy.

B. ADVISORY PUBLIC BODIES This subsection governs remote participation in public bodies that are not governed by Section IV, Subsection A above and are advisory in nature. Specifically, this subsection governs the meetings of the following public bodies:

(1) the Commission on Cultural Development,
(2) the Penjajawoc Marsh/Bangor Mall Management Commission,
(3) the Downtown Parking Advisory Committee,
(4) the Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights,
(5) the Tree Board,
(6) the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee,
(7) the Firearms Discharge Committee, and
(8) the Board of Ethics. Members Members of the Council and the above boards, committees, and commissions are expected to be physically present for meetings. A member who is unable to attend a meeting in person, and wishes to participate remotely, will notify the chair or other presiding officer as far in advance as possible. If staffing concerns arise, remote participation for members of these public bodies may not be available. Otherwise, no member may participate remotely based upon a temporary absence² from the City if that absence extends beyond three weeks in time, and no member may participate remotely for more than one meeting of a specific public body in a row.³ Notwithstanding the forgoing, a public body may, by majority vote, extend the three weeks. In

C. SUBCOMMITTEES, WORKING GROUPS, AND ALL OTHER COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, BOARDS, OR OTHER PUBLIC BODIES OF THE CITY OF

Bangor

V. PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING EMERGENCY OR URGENT ISSUE The procedure set forth in this Section V is intended to allow the City and its public bodies to meet the notice requirements of Section VI below and Section 403- B. By way of background, the City typically posts the agendas for its public bodies on the Friday of the week prior to those meetings. These agendas, which are posted both online and at City Hall, serve as notice under Title 1, Section 406 of the Maine Revised Statutes (“Section 406”) and the City Charter. With the background in mind, the Council Chair, in consultation with the City Manager, shall have authority to determine the existence of an emergency or urgent issue for all public bodies of the

1. On the Thursday or Friday prior to any given week, the Council Chair in consultation with the City Manager will evaluate and decide whether any emergency or urgent issue that would require public bodies to meet remotely exists. In deciding whether such an emergency or urgent issue exists, the Council Chair will not be limited by the definitions of “civil emergency” contained in the Code of Ordinances or State Law. Instead, the Council Chair should apply the generally understood definitions of emergency⁴ or urgent issue.⁵ ⁶ If the Council Chair decides that such an emergency or urgent issue exists, City bodies shall only meet by remote means.
2. If the Council Chair determines that an emergency or urgent issue exists, the Chair in, consultation with the City Manager, will ensure that (a) each agenda contains a notification to the public that remote participation will be available and the means through which it will be available,⁷ and (b) that sufficient staffing and resources exist to hold the meetings remotely; and
3. Once the Council Chair determines that such an emergency or urgent issue exists, that proper notification has been made, and that the re is sufficient staffing and resources available to hold remote meetings, the Council Chair and/or city staff will notify the chairs of each of the City’s public bodies that are to hold meetings in the coming week. In the event of an emergency or urgent issue that arises after the Council Chair has made an initial determination that none existed, the following procedure will be used: The City Manager, a City Councilor, or the chair of any of the City’s public bodies, may bring a potential emergency or urgent issue to the Council Chair’s attention. The Council
Vi. Notice
Vii. Meeting Materials
Viii. Votes
Ix. Duration

Where this came from

Bangor Agenda Center
The city's own agenda, 11 pages. The outline above is read from the first pages of that document; the packet behind it has the memos and exhibits. Links open in a new tab.

Agenda (PDF) ↗ Watch the meeting ↗

The summary and transcript follow the meeting, once reviewed.