Bangor Council Opens October Session With Public Comment on Reentry and Homelessness

[1:01] Susan Hawes: Good evening. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Bangor City Council. It's October 14th, 2026, and it's 7 p.m. We start all of our meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance. We do have two members, possibly three, that are not going to be here with us. So I will ask Councillor Fish to lead us in the pledge tonight, and then the other two at our next meeting this [1:36] Scott Pardee: is [1:59] Susan Hawes: the portion of the meeting set aside for general public comment directly related to city business for matters that do not appear on this evening's agenda. If you are here for a specific agenda item that is under unfinished business or new business, please wait until we reach that item. Items under first reading and referral will be discussed when they return under unfinished business, and we will hear public comment at that time. Public comment requires a person to state your name and whether you are a resident of Bangor. The City Council has adopted a public comment policy that we will adhere to. Statements during public comment should respect the dignity and seriousness of the proceeding, and individuals will be restricted to speaking once. Obscene, truly threatening, or overly repetitive comments will be deemed out of order and will be interrupted and removed. Topics that are considered out of order also include matters that are in litigation, individual employees or employee groups discussing matters for which complaint or grievance procedures are in place personal disputes between the speaker and another resident not germane to city business support for or opposition to any candidate for political office and personnel complaints pertaining to individual city employees there is a time limit of three minutes per speaker and the total time allowed for general public comment regarding city business will be limited to no more than one hour the public comment period is for City Council members to listen and not to respond or debate with persons if you do not live in Bangor or own property in Bangor please allow those who do to have the opportunity to speak first if you'd like to offer comment on any item directly related to city business not appearing on the regular agenda you may approach the podium individuals who have appropriately Pre-registered to give public comment via remote means will be given the opportunity to participate remotely. Alternatively, counselors may be reached by email at counselors at bangor maine.gov. A link to the adopted public comment policy can be found on the city's website. So is there anyone wishing to speak under public comment? Is that microphone on? Can you hit that button? Okay, there you go, all [4:43] Unidentified speaker: right. See that furrow resident of Bangor. The opinions I presented my own and not those of any committee I'm on. October, just like to announce that October is the dyslexia awareness month. October time to increase understanding of dyslexia and the importance of helping individuals who learn differently. Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that affects an estimated 15 to 20 percent of the population. It can make reading, spelling, writing and understanding language more challenging Dyslexia is often inherited and affects people from all backgrounds regardless of race, income or educational opportunities. Dyslexia is not a sign of low intelligence, laziness or lack of effort. Individuals with dyslexia often have average to above average intelligence and may possess remarkable talents and abilities. They simply may need to learn in different ways. Early identification and appropriate instruction are essential to helping students with dyslexia succeed. Research supports structured literacy with instruction that is explicit, systematic, consistent, multi-sensory and individualized. Here in Maine, families have several options for seeking support including school-based services, qualified specialists and specialized tutors. The Children's Dyslexia Center in Bangor offers individualized tutoring using the Orton-Gillingham approach which emphasizes direct, systematic and multi-sensory instruction. Families seeking assistance may wish to contact to learn more about eligibility and availability. Dyslexia is lifelong but with timely intervention, appropriate instruction and encouragement, individuals with dyslexia can make meaningful progress and develop their own unique strengths. Many excel in areas such as arts, drama, mathematics, engineering and sports. During Dyslexia Awareness Month, let us remember that learning differently does not mean being less capable. Every child deserves to be understood, supported, and given an opportunity to succeed. [6:51] Tyler: Good evening. My name is Tyler. I'm a resident of Bangor. I'm here to talk about something that connects the jail, the shelters, and the treatment system in a way we haven't addressed yet, a correctional reentry center. center. Every year, people leave the Penobscot County Jail with no housing, no job, and no plan for the first 72 hours. The window when relapse and re-arrest are most likely. They land on the streets, in our emergency rooms, and back in custody. That's the revolving door and it's costing this city in police calls, shelter beds, and human lives. We see it in the emergency room visits, the repeated police responses, and the strain on shelters that are already stretched thin as winter approaches. A reentry center would break the cycle that would give people a structured landing spot at release. Housing navigation, substance use treatment, mental health care and job placement all in one place. Instead of releasing people into chaos, it would assess their needs right at the door, connect them to the right supports immediately and give them a real chance to stabilize before they ever hit the street retreat or cycle back into the system. This is the missing piece between the jail and the community, a bridge that keeps people from falling through the gaps we already know exist. On funding, MaineCare's new waiver covers reentry services up to 60 days for release, so Medicaid is already positioned to pay for a significant part of this work, including case management, substance use treatment, and medications at the point of release. lease. The county spends over $2 million a year boarding inmates out because the current jail is overcrowded. That money could be redirected towards a center that serves the same population more effectively and at a lower cost over time. And the state is actively expanding reentry funding through initiatives like Reentry 2030, so there's a real window to capture these resources now rather than waiting until the program or problem gets worse I'm asking this committee to recommend that the city explore re-entry center as part of its strategic plan and to coordinate with the county so the new Hamden facility and a community-based re-entry center work together not separately we have the tools and funding pathways emerging right now Let's use them to stop the revolving door instead of just managing its consequences. Thank you. Cody Dinkins in Pratt, November 3rd. [9:32] Scott Pardee: Anyone else? Good evening. My name is Scott Pardee and I am a resident of Bangor. If we want to fix, I'm going to read this slow and deliberate. I've made it a little shorter than usual so I could be slow and deliberate. If we want to fix the homeless crisis in Bangor, we have to look at the root cause. We can build shelters, clear encampments, pass policies, but until we address substance use disorder, we're just mopping the floor with the faucet wide open. Homelessness in our city is directly tied to addiction, but what's on our streets today isn't the drug trade from ten years ago. These modern since that synthetic drugs do immediate terrifying physical