HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-21 Government Operations Committee Minutes Government Operations Committee Minutes
Monday, March 21, 2022
Councilors in Attendance: D. Yacoubagha, D.Tremble, A. Okafor
Non-Committee Member Councilors:J. Sprague
Staff in Attendance: C. O'Donnell, P. Hamilton, J. Doyle
The meeting was called to order by Chair Hawes at 5:39 pm.
1. Order: Authorizing City Manager to Apply for up to $25,000 from Bangor Savings Bank to
Support Bangor Public Health Nurses Providing Families Living in Hotels with Safety
Equipment and Educational Materials.
Public Health Director Hamilton and Public Health Employee Jennifer poyle provided an
overview of this item. The funding will help support the work of existing programs offered
by a maternal health program.
A motion to approve and move to full Council was made by Councilor Yacoubagha, seconded
by Councilor Okafor, all in favor.
2. Presentation on Services Related to Homelessness: Penquis & Penobscot Community
Health Care (PCHC)
CEO Lori Dwyer of PCHC, along with representatives from Hope House, provided an
overview of the services they provide in our community. There was extensive discussion
about the Hope House, a homeless shelter located in Bangor, and efforts to help those
experiencing homelessness, as well as mental health issues and substance use disorder.
CEO Kara Hay of Penquis provided an overview of the variety of services offered by Penquis
CAP, a program largely funded through State and Federal dollars. Services include housing,
transportation, and legal services.
Materials related to the presentations will be available at
www.banqormaine.qov/homelessness. The presentation was also recorded and is available
for viewing at www.banqormaine.qov/video.
3. Community Connector Title VI Plan
Assistant City Manager O'Donnell provided an overview of the plan. It is a requirement by
Federal Transit Administration due to being a direct recipient of federal funding. The plan
aims to prevent discrimination based on race, color, or national origin and is for a three year
period. There was one recommendation by Councilor Sprague to amend the appeal process.
The plan is available for viewing at www.ban�ormaine.�ov/titlevi.
A motion to approve and move to full Council was made by Councilor Yacoubagha, seconded
by Councilor Okafor, all in favor.
4. Council Priorities -- Update
Assistant City Manager O'Donnell provided an update that CHCS has submitted their application
to be our area's hub coordinator. Learning about services int eh area to identify gaps, overlap,
and barriers remains ongoing. As for expanded access to mental health and substance use
disorder services state wide-staff has been informed that there are openings in the area for
medication assisted treatment but still lacking detox beds and wait lists for mental health
services persist.
Meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:18pm.