Bangor council weighs permanent homelessness committee

The Bangor City Council held a special workshop on homelessness, hearing from a former councilor who drafted a background paper and recommendations, reviewing city ordinances on camping on city property, and debating whether to create a permanent committee or a short-term advisory group to develop a strategic plan.

Key points

• Former Councilor Sprig presented a draft plan on homelessness he circulated to the council, describing it as a discussion prompt rather than a finished plan, and called for better coordination among the many organizations working on housing and homelessness.
• Councilor Fish reported that a one-page memo shows city ordinances generally prohibit camping on city-owned property, absent narrow exceptions, and noted that sanctioning an encampment would require code changes or working within existing code.
• Councilor Beck made a motion to establish a permanent committee with no expiration date rather than a temporary task force; the motion was seconded, and Councilor Fish said she was on board but wanted to review her notes and suggested framing the effort as a phase one stepping stone.
• City Manager Lear said the advisory committee's purpose would be developing a strategic plan for the city, and that a permanent hub model could be part of that plan; she suggested a term of six to nine months, with no more than a year.
• Councilor Mallar raised concerns about roughly $400,000 in ARPA interest money awarded to a nonprofit hub, saying he believed the organization may be in violation of its contract; Councilor Leonard and Chair Hawes described how the funding decision was made, and Fish and Leonard suggested discussing a possible breach in executive session.
• Councilor Faloon suggested including representatives from neighboring communities and the county on the committee, and Lear announced that Bruce Hughes, the city's housing stabilization staffer, has been offered the new homeless coordinator position.

Next steps

• City staff will prepare a written charge and clarity on the committee's purpose for a future council meeting, with the goal of moving forward if approved.
• Jen (city staff) will give an overview of the existing homelessness service network at next Tuesday's meeting.
• Councilors suggested a future meeting on code enforcement, including a new officer, to discuss enforcement of camping ordinances.
• A possible executive session was suggested to discuss whether the nonprofit hub is in breach of its contract.

Read the full transcript