Bangor Finance Committee approves truck purchases, airport shelter, and billing software

[0:13] Susan Deane: Good evening and welcome to the regularly scheduled finance committee meeting. It is September 9th, 2026, and it is 7:46 p.m. I am the chair of finance, Council Dean. Also on finance is Council Rep, Councilor Carson, Councilor Faloon, Councilor Mallar, around the district like Council Fish, City Manager Carollynn Lear, Councilor Leonard, Councilor Walker, and that's it. First up we have bids and purchases. I believe that our City Manager will talk us through the half-ton truck for Public Works. [0:56] Carollynn Lear: Yes, so the first item on the agenda is the purchase of a half-ton truck for Public Works. Works and our fee was issued and there were two bids and we are asking to go with the low bidder for fifty four thousand two hundred sixty three dollars. This was in the budget for fiscal year 27. And we were looking for just the committee's approval that was [1:27] Daniel Carson: A person well I first I just wanted to say actually what really stood out and then the two bids not only was that a lower bid but the turnaround time to receive the vehicle is significantly less than the higher bid. So that was very interesting and I would move staff recommendation. Thank you we have a motion [1:51] Susan Deane: We have a second. Is there any doubt or any other questions? I mean I know it was we didn't specify [2:00] Wayne Mallar: If I mirror that we would be running once at 26 months of 27 that's by the delay is there [2:06] Carollynn Lear: A difference in the two vehicles? Mike are you able to answer that question? So Councillor Mallar was noting that the one of the trucks was a 26 six when was it 27. Imagine that year was not there was sitting on a lot it has probably five Miles on each truck. I mean it's not it's not a truck that's it depends on the time of year to when it's a 27 when it's a 26. Answer Mellow's question was whether there was a difference in the two trucks other than here correct. Yeah other than here no Because we the RFP that went out specific have stressified what we wanted and [3:00] Wayne Mallar: I mean both who cares yeah seven days on the big from O'Connor [3:08] Carollynn Lear: Just referred to as a 1500 Silver item well in their response to us it has proof that satisfy [3:30] Susan Deane: Your question Councillor against we [3:36] Carollynn Lear: Do not have any doubt we do not need an official motion do we? You do need a motion just not a roll call okay which I think we had a motion [3:48] Susan Deane: Does this does not okay that's that's where I was used Ollie so we will go with staff recommendation for the half ton truck and next up we have a three-quarter ton truck for Public Works. Yes so the next up similar [4:07] Carollynn Lear: Situation this was budgeted for fiscal 27. Two bids were received and we're looking to go with the low bidder and then similar or I guess no in this instance the newer truck was actually below any [4:28] Susan Deane: Questions regarding the three-quarter ton truck what's [4:33] Wayne Mallar: Your matter well I guess the question I have is we're going to wait what eight weeks for the other one we're waiting half as much time roughly and it's costing us two thousand dollars more is it an emergency that we need the vehicle right now or in this instance we're going [4:55] Carollynn Lear: With the lower bid we're not going with the lower bid though are we for the three-quarter [5:01] Susan Deane: Track yes because well the 67 000 is the one we're going with okay that's right they were just it was [5:09] Wayne Mallar: My fault I interpreted what I was reading on the chat as the bids but that's fine all right I don't have any questions I have a general question not for the finance not for public work but for the finance department the difference in the bid and the amount that we appropriated where does that go [5:30] Carollynn Lear: So it lives in the department's account and occasionally we'll come to you and ask for you to approve spending it if it's less than our spend our thresholds for approval departments under ordinance have the ability to spend the procure so the procurement policy itself so I think gosh 25 has to come to you or at least informational but if you when you look on the items for approval typically like for example if it's a new item that wasn't budgeted it will tell you sort of the source of the funds So it might say unspent funds or funds from unspent Capital or something like that but if it's under both these trucks are taken from the same account so the hundred twenty four thousand for the seven four nine one zero eleven fifty but I took sixty seven thousand out of that account and the fifty four thousand out of that [6:40] Daniel Carson: Account makes [6:47] Wayne Mallar: More sense because it seems strange that we were bidding for something and we had twice as much money. [6:53] Carollynn Lear: So yeah, well, you saw that even with, for example, some of the engineering projects where you appropriate 3 million for a project, but it gets spit out and separate parts because separate entities do. Yeah, [7:11] Michael Beck: I was back with a general question about how procedure going forward. Is there a way to add a line underneath the budget amount to say remain? Like, I guess in this case here, and again, this is just a meaty thing not a racism or anything just for my own mental viewing of this so for example when the second one was up I got the impression like oh you know we're only spending half the money yeah and I didn't put two and two together like oh it both comes from the same account even though it's right in front of me account numbers match so again that's a me issue but is there a way to say hey if this previous item is approved this is the remaining amount And then for other things that, for example, there's a budget amount of $200,000 and something else we've already spent money out. I think when those things come back to us, we see them as the full budget amount. It would also be helpful to see what's left for that particular budget amount, the way [8:04] Carollynn Lear: it sweeps that. Yeah. We can certainly evaluate that. I think the way we've always handled it was sort of that's the finance director's job when they sign off on a council order or an appropriation to be tracking and sort of confirming that there is actually appropriation left in that line to spend. And so this would be more sort of pushing that monitoring to you all to say, yes, there is money there and sort of showing the math, but we can certainly evaluate doing that. [8:39] Michael Beck: Oh, yeah. Yeah for my purposes I'm thinking more like long lines of when budget season comes so then I make these mental notes of oh they only spent this much out of that or this much out of this or so when we go back and revisit the next year's budget we kind of have an idea of where the increase came from when it's just this is some something helpful for me to see you know just my individual request we [9:05] Susan Deane: will have something like that yeah possible without changing too many yeah [9:14] Carollynn Lear: I'll think through maybe come back with some suggestions or ideas it was [9:19] Susan Deane: great to have clarification on that one is the same so thank you for that I don't believe I do any more discussion on this topic I'll move the staff recommendation on this item second we have motion in a second so we will go with staff recommendation on the three quarter contract and we'll move on to the temporary maintenance shelter at the airport. [9:47] Carollynn Lear: Great, so the next item, I'll just have Jose come up and explain why we're looking for this one. Maybe there's a bit of history. [10:00] Michael Beck: This is the San Pedro Airport director. [10:03] Carollynn Lear: The request that you have in front of you is to bypass the, or waive the bid process and sole source is a temporary shelter structure. And the reasoning behind it is that it is a structure slash shelter that has to meet very strict specifications for the use that the ground support equipment maintenance shop is going to use it. We did quite a bit of research on trying to find a structure that would meet that criteria on a temporary basis. This, the long-term solution is going to be a much larger project, and given the time frame before we start operating in harsh weather conditions, the, full sourcing of this temporary shelter would help us meet that kind of operating environment for our staff during the winter operations. Do [11:11] Susan Deane: we have any questions for our airport director today? Then yes. [11:19] Daniel Carson: I would move that this committee waive the bid process and award this sole source quote to Alaska Structures. We have [11:32] Susan Deane: a motion, we have a second. There are no other concerns. We will move this forward to go with staff recommendation for the maintenance shelter at the airport for the fuel truck. [11:44] Carollynn Lear: There, thank you. And [11:48] Susan Deane: then we also have a roof replacement at the airport, so I'm assuming you'll [11:51] Carollynn Lear: stay with us and discuss that. Thank you. Yes, we went out to bid for a roof replacement work at the state police building. There were two responsive bidders that submitted a proposal that was recommended going with the lowest bidder, with whom we have excellent experience working in the path, for 2500 for that repair, and questions regarding this roof replacement for Jose. I [12:30] Susan Deane: entertain a motion, staff recommendation. Have a motion, we have a second. There are no concerns. We will move ahead with staff recommendation for the roof replacement at the airport. Thank you. Last up before executive second session, we have medical billing services. Yes, so I'll proactively ask Jen Gunnerman [12:55] Carollynn Lear: to come up and get started. You've heard us talk quite a bit about how billing it's going to become a necessary component of public health funding, and the first step has been to identify software to perform that billing, and Jen and her team have been putting in [13:17] Speaker H (unidentified): A lot of work to make that happen. Yes, there are a number of services that we provide right now, and that we hope to provide, that will be billable for revenue generation. We've been working with a number of partners to help set up that infrastructure. The electronic medical record is a key piece of that with a billing component. So we put out the process to RFP. We had enough of a number of applicants, and we selected Athena One. They were one of the few applicants that actually don't charge a very significant upfront cost, that they take 9%, but 9% of what the billing revenue generation would be. We made sure that this was accurate, you know, we asked about how much was it for installations and trainings and ongoing support, and they continue to reiterate. We also know of a couple of local partners that use Athena One, and another clinic in Rhode Island that we want to model around also uses Athena One. And I've had very positive feedback. So that's the company that we would like to go with, and its ties to Maine was an added benefit. Do [14:30] Susan Deane: you have any questions regarding the use of Athena One? [14:34] Michael Beck: Counselor? No question, just a comment. I really like this score sheet. I like the way that this really talks about what was looked for and how each one stacked up, and I just, I really like it. Kudos to Jen Doyle. She did that. [14:51] Susan Deane: Any other questions for Jen Gooderman? This is quite exciting to actually start to generate some revenue from your, yes you do, so I'm very glad you found something affordable, and I would be in favor of this. Can I entertain a motion? Staff recommendation. I second the motion. Second. Any concerns? And we'll move this to full council, correct? Yes. Wonderful, thank you. Thank you, Jeff. Last up for finance, unless, do we have any updates? No, I wish, I wish I had an update. We will be moving into executive session if I could entertain the motion [15:39] Daniel Carson: pursuant to 36 MRSA section 841 2, hardship abatement application, I move this committee [15:46] Susan Deane: enter executive session. We have a motion, we have a second, we will take a roll call vote. Yes. Council Carson? Yes. Council Loon? Yes. Councilor Mallar? Yes. And I will be yes. We will be in executive session, correct? [Carollynn Lear: We] are back from executive session this is the finance committee it is 8 0 8 p.m i entertain a motion your hand was first move that we accept the [22:16] Michael Beck: hardship abatement application as presented. Second. Approval motion. We have a second. No further [22:22] Susan Deane: Discussion with those staff recommendation on the hardship abatement, and with no further items, we are adjourned at 8.08.