Bangor council advances bus fare hike, fuel farm design, delays kitchen vote

The Bangor City Council approved a Community Connector fare increase and a $900,000 airport fuel farm design appropriation, and postponed a Central Kitchen construction manager order and an arterial street ordinance to its Jan. 26 meeting. Public comment ran long, with residents pressing the council on homelessness and on its handling of Zoom comments, and one speaker was ruled out of order.

Key points

• Councilors voted 8-0 to postpone Ordinance 26-058, which would remove Ohio Street and State Street from the minor arterial definition and add Ohio Street as a major arterial, sending discussion to the Business and Economic Development Committee.
• The council approved Resolve 26-059 appropriating up to $900,000 from the airport unappropriated fund balance for phase one design of a new fuel farm facility.
• Order 26-066 authorizing a Community Connector fare update passed, raising the per-ride fare from $1.50 to $2, replacing monthly passes with fare capping, and adding mobile fare options; Councilor Beck noted the technology cost is covered by grants.
• The council postponed Order 26-050, which would authorize the city manager to negotiate with Sheridan Construction for construction manager services for the Bangor Central Kitchen project at 50 Cleveland Street, to the Jan. 26 meeting.
• The council approved a special amusement license for 471 Stillwater Avenue, LLC, doing business as Smoke and Steel, after opening and closing a public hearing with no speakers.
• Public comment included calls for a small, fast-moving homelessness committee, a request from the No More Homeless Fathers Project for a working session and possible pilot funding, and criticism of the council's handling of Zoom comments; one remote speaker was ruled out of order.

Next steps

• Order 26-050 (Central Kitchen construction manager) and Ordinance 26-058 (arterial street definitions) were postponed to the Jan. 26, 2026 council meeting at 7 p.m.
• Ordinance 26-058 discussion was referred to the Business and Economic Development Committee.
• The Community Connector fare structure update is expected to take about a year to implement.
• A speaker said he would follow up by email with financial details on a centralized indoor space for unhoused residents.

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