Bangor Finance Committee Advances Sewer Software, Property Purchase Bond

The Bangor City Council's finance committee met Sept. 21 and forwarded several items to the full council, including a new sewer inspection software contract, a one-year extension of a homeowner workout agreement, and a $1.4 million bond for the city's purchase of 103 Main Avenue. The committee also recommended taking possession of 290 Pearl Street after a workout agreement there failed.

Key points

• The committee advanced a staff recommendation to award a contract for new sewer inspection software (Sewer AI) to replace the city's legacy ITpipes system, which staff said requires heavy manual work and poor technical support.
• Councilor Michael Beck raised cybersecurity concerns about storing video of sewer infrastructure in the cloud; staff said the system covers only gravity sewer lines and excludes any SCADA-controlled infrastructure.
• The committee forwarded a one-year extension of a workout agreement for a homeowner at 250 Huston Street (unit 1K) who has been making required payments.
• The committee recommended the city take possession of 290 Pearl Street after that property's workout agreement was not successfully maintained and the owner was unresponsive to city mailings.
• The committee voted to forward to the full council a $1.4 million bond order to buy 103 Main Avenue, which the city is acquiring through a right of first refusal; the plan is to move the public health department there from leased space at 103 Texas Avenue.
• Staff said the property is currently tax-exempt and would remain so under city ownership, representing roughly $23,000 to $30,000 a year in forgone potential tax revenue, but said the move would offset about $142,000 in annual rent.

Next steps

• The full council will hold the appropriate public hearing on the 103 Main Avenue bond order.
• The city would close the 103 Main Avenue purchase with cash on hand and go to the bond market in the spring to repay itself, with bond payments expected to begin the fiscal year after next.
• If the purchase is finalized, the city would give the seller a six-month no-cost lease back and provide 12 months notice to exit the Texas Avenue lease.

Read the full transcript