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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-13 City Council Minutes MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING BANGOR CITY COUNCIL-JUL Y 13, 2026 Meeting called to or�ler at 7:00 PM Chnired by Council Chair Hawes Counc�lors Ahsent: None Meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM PUBLIC COMMENT Amber Webb, Joyce Mallery, Tyler Shanahan,Marlene Brochu, Charlie Longo, Jeremy Russell, and Richard Chaucer spoke regarding homelessness. Scott Pardy expressed his opinion on the Counci!'s performance andJ'elt very little was being accomplished. Philip Henry had serious concerns as to where tax money was going and whether certain Councilors were recusing from discussions in which they may have a conflict. Michae!Furow felt the Chair of the Ethics Board acted like a dictator and there was an appearance of unethical standards with two hoard merrabers. Zoe Smith spoke against the federa!governrraent's administration. Grace Nichol.s, Teal Vasquez and Adam Baker expressed their concerns regarding ICE and the need to condemn their actions in Biddeford. Abbigail Short and Jody McDonald expressed their disappointment that the Council did not pass Order 26-095. Emily Ellis and Ha! Wheeler spoke regarding the vacant and abandoned property ordinance and the need for it to be applied and enforced equally. Hilari Simmons and Suzette Furrow's written comments are attached. CONSENT AGENDA ASSIGNED TO ITEM NO. CDUNCILOR *Explanatory Note:Al/items listed in the Consent Agenda are considered routine and are proposed for adoption by the City Council by one rnotion without discussion or deliberation. Any member of the puhlic may request that the Council remove an item from the Consent Agenda for discussion. An item will only be removed if a City Councilor requests its removal to New Business. MINUTES OF: Bangor City Counci!Regular Meeting of June 22, 2026 Action: Approved 26-228 ORDER Authorizing the Execution of a Municipal Quite[aim Deed for DEANE Real Estate Located at 177 Larkin Street Action: Passed 26-229 ORDER Authorizing the Execution of a Municipa!Quitclaim Deed for WALKER Real Estafe Lncated at 187 Laure/Circle Action: Passed Pa�Te 1 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING BANGOR CITY COUNCIL—JUL Y 13, 2026 CONSENT AGENDA ASSIGNED TO ITEM NO. COUNCILOR 26-230 ORDER Authorizing tl:e City Manager to Accept$6,440 in Funds, as DEANE Resuh of a State Criminal Forfeiture Action: Passed 26-231 ORDER Authorizing the Ciry Manager to Enter into a Lease FISH Agreement with Varney Aviation,LLCfor Building#457 at Bangor International Airport Action: Passed 26-232 ORDER Authorizing the Ciry Manager or Her Designee to Se/l the FALOON Property Addressed at 45 A!!en Street to Rent 207 Properties, LLC in the Amount of$60,000 Action: Passed 26-233 ORDER Authorizing the City Manager or Her Designee to Sel1 the CARSON Property Addressed at 299 Essex Street to Tong Lu in the Amount of$35,000 Action: Passed 26-234 ORDER Authorizing the City Manager to Execute the Lease BECK Agreement with Bangor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for Office and Clinic Space for Bangor Public Hea/th Action: Passed 26-235 RESOL VE Ratifying Staff Action to Apply for the John T. Gorman DEANE Foundation Direct Service Grant Program for up to$30,000 of Funding Housing Stabilization Activities Action: Passed 26-236 RESOL VE Accepting und Appropriating$1,869,733 from the Maine WALKER Department of Health and Human Services for the Maine Prevention Network for Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028 Action: Passed Page 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING BANGOR CITY COUNCIL —JUL Y 13, 2026 REFERRALS TO COMMITTEE AND FIRST READING ASSIGNED TO ITEM NO. COUNCILOR 26-237 ORDINANCE Amending Chapter 33, Code of Ethics, To Add Sections 33-22 FALOON (Response Deadline) and 33-23 (Council Response to an Etl:ics Board Advisory Opinion) Action: First Reading UNFINISHED BUSINESS ASSIGNED TO ITEM NO. COUNCILOR 26-222 ORDINANCE Amending the Code of the City ojBangor to Modify the Duties CARSON and Responsibilities of the Legis[ative Committee Action: Motion made and seconded to Postpone to the July 27, 2026 City Council Meeting Vote: 9—0 Councilors Voting Yes: Beck, Carson, Deane, Faloon, Fish, Leonard,Mallar, Walker,Hawes Councilors Voting No:None Passed to Postpnne 26-223 ORDINANCE Amending Chapter 165,Land Development Code hy FISH Adding Flexibility for Manufactured Home Parks Existing as of January 1, 2026 Action: Motion made and seconded for Passage Vote: 9—0 Councilors Voting Yes: Beck, Carson,Deane, Faloon, Fish, Leonard,Ma!lar, Walker,Hawes Counci/ors Voting No: None Passed 26-224 RESOL VE Accepting and Approp�iating a Housing Opportuniry Program MALLAR Municipal Ordinance Development GrantJrom the Maine Office of Community Affairs in the Amount of$10,000 Action: Motion made and seconded for Passage Passed 26-225 RESOL VE Accepting and Appropriating Grant Funds jrom United States BECK Housing and Urban Development for the Purpose of Funding the Bangor Renta!Assistance Program in the Amount of $1,144,879 Action: Motion made and seconded jor Passage Passed Page 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING BANGOR CITY COUNCIL —JUL Y 13, 2026 NEW BUSINESS ASSIGNED TO ITEM NO. COUNCILOR PUBLIC HEARING: Application for Special Amusement License nf Bangor Grande BECK Aviators, LLC d/b/a Blue Sky Lounge, 357 Odlin Road Action: Motion made and seconded to Open Public Hearing Public Hearing Opened Motion made and seconded to Close Public Hearing Public Hearing Closed Motion made and seconded for Approval Approved PUBLIC HEARING: Application for Specia!Amusement License of Waterfront BECK Concerts, LLC d/b/a Waterfront Concerts, 1 Railroad Street Action: Motion made and seconded to Open Public Hearing Pub/ic Hearing Opened Richard Chaucer asked what this was. Ciry Clerk,Lisa Goodwin, stated it was for entertainment,such as music, and was required hecause the facility is[icensed to serve liquor. Motion made and seconded to Close Public Hearing Public Hearing Closed Motion made and seconded for Approva! Approved PUBLIC HEARING: Application for Special Amuserraent License of Roca Azul LLC BECK d/b/a Roca Azul Mexican Restaurant, 248 Odlin Road Action: Motion made and seconded to Open Public Hearing Pub/ic Hearing Opened Motion made and seconded to Close Pub/ic Hearing Public Hearing Closed Motion made and seconded for Approva! Approved PUBLIC HEARIG: App/ication for Special Amusement License of Seadog BECK Ventures, Inc. d/b/a Seadog Ventures, Inc., 26 Front Street Action: Motion made and seconded to Open Public Hearing Public Hearing Opened Motion made and seconded to Close Public Hearing Public Hearing Closed Motion made and seconded for Approva! Approved , ATTEST.• � Lisa . Goodw' ,MM , City C/erk Page 4 Good evening, Mayor, Councilors, and members ofthe public. Thankyoufortheopportunityto speakthisevening. I am here because I believe the public deserves confidence thatthe City's Code of Ethics is applied fairly, consistently, and without regard to who the individual is orwhat position they hold. Ethics standards exist to protect the integrity of government. They are intended to ensure that public officials conduct themselves in a mannerthat promotes transparency, impartiality, and publictrust.Those standards only havevalue if theyare enforced equally. My questions tonight concern consistency. When City Councilors give interviews to the Bangor Daily News or other media outlets on matters involving City business, underwhat circumstances are they considered to be speaking on behalf of the Cityversus expressingtheir personalopinions? For example, Councilors Michael Beck and Susan Faloon have participated in media interviews while serving on the Council. What policy governs those communications?Are councilors authorized to speak on behalf of the City, or are those interviews considered personal commentary? If there is a distinction, how is it determined, and is that standard applied uniformlyto every member of the Council? I have the same question regarding social media. Many elected officials maintain Facebook pages or other public social media accounts that identifythem as CityCouncilors and regularly discuss City issues. When those pages are used to communicate with the public about City business, does the City consider those communications to be official, personal, or a combination of both? Has the Council adoptedanyguidanceorstandardsgoverningtheuseofsocialmedia byelected officials? I also have questions regarding conflicts of interest in the ethics process itself. What measures are in place to ensure that members of boards or committees responsible for reviewing ethics complaints are free from actual or perceived conflicts of interest? Are members required to disclose relationships, affiliations, or other circumstances that could affect—orappearto affect—their impartiality?When appropriate, are recusals required to preserve the integrity of the process? Transparency is essentialto maintaining public confidence. Residents should be ableto trust that ethics decisions are based solely on the facts, the City's Code of Ethics, and a fair, impartialreview—noton personalities, politicalviewpoints, orpersonalrelationships. Finally, I ask the Council to consider whetherthe same expectations are being applied to every elected official. Equaltreatment under the City's ethics policies is fundamentalto good government. If one official is held accountable for certain conduct, the public should understand how similar situations involving other officials are evaluated and whythe outcomes may differ. These questions are not intended to criticize any individual. They are intended to promote transparency, consistency, and accountability in the application of the City's ethics standards. The people of Bangor deserve confidence that their government operates fairly, that ethical standards are applied equally, and that every public official is held to the same expectations. Thankyou foryourtime and your consideration. ' _ . 1 , � � Monday, July 13, 2026 My name is Suzette Furrow, I am a resident of Bangor. The opinions I express are my own and do not reflect those of any committee I may be a member of. I would like to talk about the City of Bangor Ethics Board. I attended the Ethics Board meeting on June 30, 2026. I spoke during the public comment time. I spoke about the chair of the Ethics Board. The chair is a business partner with one of the members of the Ethics Board. According to the BQ�r�4f Ethi�� PrQGedural Rule�Article LV-Due Process and Ethics SS4.2 Public Meetings: "Board Members may not discuss pending matters with each other outside of a Board meeting. No decision may be made by the Board outside of a regular or special meeting of the Board. Board members may discuss pending matters with City Staff or their representative(s)" Whether or not the chair or the Board member discuss pending matters is irrelevant. The fact that they work together(run a business together) should not be allowed. The chair as the leader of the Board, should not have a business relationship (partnership)with one of its members. I cannot think of any other Board or Committee representing the City of Bangor that has a chair who has a business partnership with one of its members. Of all Boards and committees, the Ethics Board shoutd be held to a higher standard. Also, according to the Board of Ethics Procedural Rules under Article VII-Administrativ_e_Provisions, SS7.3 P_r�r�Si_�_r�l R�_1��: "The rules contained in the current edition of D�mocratic_Rules.of Order shall govern the Board in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with State law, City ordinance, these procedures and any rules adopted by this Board°' According to the Democratic_R_ules of_Order, during Formal meetings:the chair guides impartially and does not participate in discussion. The chair's function is to maintain order, recognize speakers, and ensure procedures are followed. I would urge the Bangor City Council and the legal department to review the Ethics Board meeting which took place on June 30, 2026, and consider the fact that the chair is supposed to follow the _D_emocratic R�I��Qf Q�.�r and not participate in discussion as well as the fact that the chair is in business with one of the members of the Ethics Board. Also, the Bangor City Council and the Legal Department should consider that 3 members are required for a quorum for the Ethics Board. This means that 2 of the three members for a quorum could be the 2 that are in business together. Before the City Council considers imposing punishments based on findings from the Ethics Board, I suggest the Council examine the Ethics Board and whether they are following their own Procedural Rules and the De_mocratic_Rules_of Order which their Board is supposed to adhere to. Thankyou