City of Portland Alerts

City News Round Up: Friday, October 30, 2026

City News Round Up: Friday, October 30, 2026 

UPCOMING MEETINGS

  • Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Council, Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings, and to view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings.
  • Read a recap of the October 19 City Council meeting. The next regular City Council meeting is Monday, November 2 at 5:00 PM; read the agenda preview at the end of this message.

NEED TO KNOW

  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 3! Polls will be open from 7 AM to 8 PM. Find your Portland polling location on our website. Portland residents can register to vote at their polling location on Election Day. View a sample ballot and learn what IDs to bring on our Elections webpage.
  • Election Monitors:  We know there has been talk about federal election monitors in Portland. Any monitors are subject to the same laws and rules as any other observer at the poll. They can observe what’s taking place, but they may not interact with voters, handle ballots or equipment, or disrupt voting in any way. We are in regular contact with the Maine Secretary of State’s office, which continues to monitor DOJ activities to ensure that they follow state and federal law and that every voter is able to cast their ballot free from interference or intimidation.
  • Ballot Return: Absentee voters, please return your ballot to a drop box quickly! Due to the high volume of absentee ballots, the City Clerk is asking that residents return their completed and signed absentee ballots to the Clerk's Office via a dropbox (not the mail) as quickly as possible. Residents can return completed ballots 24 hours a day, seven days a week at our secure external drop box locations at City Hall (by the Myrtle St. entrance) or in front of the Parks, Recreation & Facilities / Public Works Building at 212 Canco Rd. Absentee ballots must be returned to City Hall by 8:00 PM on Election Day, and not to your normal polling place.
  • Upcoming Closure: Portland City Hall and City offices will be closed on Wednesday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Trash, recycling, and leaf collection will continue as normal.
  • Traffic Advisory: As of Oct. 26 Commercial Street traffic patterns were intermittently reduced to alternating one-way traffic from 9 AM to 3:30 PM (between Maple and Center Streets) to finish the Commercial Street and Portland Fish Pier Storm Drain Outfall Project until completion this winter.

LATEST NEWS AND CITY EVENTS

  • New Composting Drop-Off Location: A new composting drop-off location opened at Heseltine Park on Thursday, October 29! Residents are invited to bring their food scraps to this new location. Join our Sustainability team to celebrate the new location on Saturday, November 14, 9:30 to 11:30 AM. There will be FREE composting buckets (while they last!) along with free donuts, hot apple cider, and coffee.
  • Join us at upcoming Annual District Meetings! District 3 is next up on Wednesday, Nov. 4, hosted by Councilor Regina Phillips; meetings will continue throughout November and December. Find your district, see the schedule, and learn more; all meetings are in-person and begin at 6 PM. These meetings are a great chance to talk directly with your City Councilor, the City Manager, and City staff about what matters most in your area! Free childcare is available at each meeting for kids ages 5-12, provided by City Recreation staff.  
  • Pumpkin Cycle 2026! Don’t trash your pumpkins, compost them with our Sustainability team at their annual Pumpkin Cycle event Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 AM to 1 PM at Payson Park Little League Parking Lot. Bring the whole family to smash your old, slumpin’ pumpkins before tossing them into the truck to be composted by Garbage to Garden! 
  • New Vision Zero Yard Signs: We’ve launched a NEW community-wide road safety campaign in support of our Vision Zero commitment and designed to encourage drivers to slow down and not drive distracted. Portland residents and local business owners can now request campaign yard signs to display on their properties to help foster safer driving habits across all neighborhoods. Email info@portlandmaine.gov with your address to request yard signs!

CITY SERVICES

  • Yard Waste Collection: Our Public Works crews will be collecting leaf bags November 1-27. Please follow the curbside guidelines to help our Public Works team work efficiently and smoothly.
  • Snow Shoveling Volunteers: Age Friendly Portland is looking for volunteers willing to shovel snow for an elderly neighbor this winter! Shovelers are needed in every neighborhood, and Volunteer Coordinators are needed in Rosemont and Deering Center. If you can help, or if you need assistance, please contact Linda Weare at 207-541-6620 for more information or email AgeFriendlyCommunity@PortlandMaine.Gov. 

PUBLIC WORKS UPDATES

  • Join us at these Upcoming Neighborhood Meetings to learn more about Spring 2027 construction projects:

PARKS, RECREATION AND FACILITIES UPDATES

COMMUNITY & STAFF NEWS

  • Attend an Open House hosted by CMP to learn more about the CMP Greater Portland Transmission Upgrades Project on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6-8 PM, at Presumpscot Elementary School (69 Presumpscot Street). The project is a multi-year effort to modernize the electric grid from Yarmouth through Greater Portland.
  • Portland in Motion: If you missed "A More Walkable Portland", a special presentation by Jeff Speck, which was held on Wednesday at the Portland Museum of Art, don’t worry! We recorded it and it’s now available on our YouTube Channel. The event featured a panel discussion on Portland in Motion, the City’s first comprehensive transportation plan in more than 30 years, and a conversation about a more walkable future for Portland. Learn more at portlandmaine.gov/InMotion. 
  • Affordable Homeownership at Dougherty Commons & Lambert Co-op: One 3 Bedroom Condo and one 1 Bedroom Condo ready for move-in at Dougherty Commons, and 1 & 2 BRs available at Lambert Co-op, move-in April 2027. Visit their website or call Richard at 207-560-4883.

AGENDA PREVIEW: Portland City Council Meeting

Join us for the next City Council meeting to discuss key community projects and updates. The full agenda with backup materials will be available by the end of the day today.


When: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

Where: Council Chambers, City Hall (2nd Floor) or via livestream

Time: 5:00 PM

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS


Special Meeting: Amending the Business Assistance for Job Creation program guidelines to raise the grant cap from $10,000 to $20,000 and expand eligible uses.

Proclamation: Designating November 2026 as Native American Heritage Month 

Parking & Traffic Updates: Converting an underutilized loading zone on Lancaster Street to 1-hour parking spaces for Portland High School use, and revising parking rates and adding free residential time zone spaces at First Light Commons.

Winter Warming Shelter: If passed, allocating funds from the Opioid Settlement Fund to operate a '26-'27 Winter Warming Shelter at 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway. 


Portland Technology Park Property Sale
City Personnel Compensation
Portland International Jetport Lease

Parks & Recreation Funding: First read only on order accepting an additional $74,572.50 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for ongoing improvements to Riverton Trolley Park.

Rezoning Amendments: First read of proposed amendments to Conditional Zoning Agreement at 76 Congress Street (St. Lawrence Arts / Hill Arts).

GET INVOLVED
Watch Live: Stream the meeting in our Agenda Portal.

Public Comment: Submit written comments by 12:00 PM the day before the meeting to publiccomment@portlandmaine.gov. Please include your name, address, and the relevant order number.

Past Alerts