Bangor Homelessness Committee holds inaugural meeting, votes to hire facilitator

The City of Bangor Advisory Committee on Homelessness held its first meeting on July 14, 2026, where members introduced themselves and received training on the Freedom of Access Act and ethics codes. After discussing the committee's mission to create a strategic plan within 12 months, members debated the need for professional facilitation to manage the complex process. The committee voted 8-1 to have city staff select a facilitator based on specific qualifications outlined by the group.

Key points

• City Solicitor David Szewczyk provided training on the Freedom of Access Act, emphasizing that committee communications are public records and members must avoid conducting business outside of public meetings.
• Members discussed the committee's mission, which includes creating a data-driven strategic plan for homelessness response within 12 months and addressing immediate stabilization issues.
• Jason Goodrich presented a decision-making framework and philosophy statement centered on recovery to guide the committee's approach.
• The committee voted 8-1 to authorize city staff to identify and select a professional facilitator using criteria such as neutrality, experience with sensitive public issues, and productivity focus.
• Members expressed concern about the timeline, noting that the public hiring process for a facilitator could take one to two meetings to complete.
• Robyn Stanicki offered to provide data from the city's consolidated plan and a report on Portland's homelessness services to inform the committee's work.

Next steps

• City staff will initiate a public process to identify and select a professional facilitator based on the qualifications defined by the committee.
• Staff will prepare a data package including the homelessness chapter of the consolidated plan and a memo on Portland's homelessness services for the next meeting.
• The committee will review the facilitator selection process and potentially meet with candidates at the next session.

Read the full transcript