Bangor Council Approves Sewer Bonds, Postpones Vote on Opioid-Funded Housing Program

The Bangor City Council approved two bond/loan orders totaling over $11 million to fund sewer separation and pump station upgrades, both funded through wastewater fees rather than property taxes. After extensive public comment, the council postponed a decision on Resolve 26-253, which would have used opioid settlement funds and other city funds to help finance "Project HOPE," a homelessness housing initiative, sending it to a joint council workshop and meeting on September 14.

Key points

• Council voted 9-0 to approve $4,455,000 in general obligation bonds for Kmart Pump Station and sewer separation/CSO improvements (Order 26-251), funded via wastewater fees, not property taxes.
• Council voted 9-0 to approve a $6,575,000 Maine Municipal Bond Bank loan to replace the Perry Road pump station and fund other sewer improvements (Order 26-252).
• Numerous residents spoke for and against Resolve 26-253, which would fund Project HOPE using $300,000 from Maine Housing and a $126,000 city match; disagreement centered on whether the match should come from opioid settlement funds or the city's unassigned fund balance, and concerns about accountability, monitoring, and long-term funding sustainability.
• A Government Operations Committee review on August 17 failed to reach consensus on the funding source, sending the resolve to full council without a recommendation.
• Councilor Leonard's proposed amendment to change the funding source to unassigned fund balance was set aside after a motion to postpone the entire resolve took precedence; the council voted 9-0 to postpone consideration to a workshop and council meeting both scheduled for September 14.
• Councilors approved special amusement license renewals for Gagan's Pub (9-0) and Cross Insurance Center (9-0) after public hearings with no formal objections, though one commenter made unrelated remarks during the Gagan's Pub hearing.
• A remote public commenter attempted to promote a "European heritage" observance and made remarks referencing National Socialism; a point of order was raised questioning relevance to city business.

Next steps

• Resolve 26-253 (Project HOPE funding) to be discussed at a council workshop and voted on at the council meeting, both on September 14, 2026.
• Councilor Mallar requested that police department input on any incident history be included in future special amusement/liquor license renewal hearings.
• No council or committee meetings will be held the following Monday due to the fifth-Monday schedule; the next regular meeting will be held Wednesday instead of Monday due to Labor Day.

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