Bangor

New research commissioned by the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition suggests the Bangor region will need to add an average of 300 homes or rental units each year, and it will take millions of dollars annually to subsidize development projects.

The goal is to minimize interactions between law enforcement and those experiencing mental health challenges and to free up more time for city police, Bangor officials say.

Bangor officials see the ordinances as additional tools that the city could use to expand and diversify local housing stock.

The organization says it expects to resettle 20 to 50 individuals in Bangor over the next year.

Under the proposed ordinance, landlords would have to give tenants at least 60 days' notice before any rent increase, and application fees would be capped at no more than $50.

The Department of Defense said it has evidence of PFAS contamination in the groundwater and soil of the Maine Air National Guard Base in Bangor. The likely source is Aqueous Film Forming Foam, a fire retardant the Air National Guard started using at the base in the 1970s.

Bangor was originally the first city in Maine to ban the sale of flavored tobacco. But the council repealed the ordinance earlier this year over a procedural error.

The law's original sponsor says the senior property tax stabilization program will provide some predictability to Maine's oldest and most vulnerable population. But some municipal officials worry the new program will be difficult, and potentially expensive, to implement.

The Mabel Wadsworth Center in Bangor said it plans to increase the number of days that it will offer abortion services.