City News Round Up: Friday, January 3, 2025

Happy New Year!

Meetings & Agendas

Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings. Read a recap of the December 16 City Council meeting. To view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings, please visit portlandmaine.gov/agendas. The next City Council meeting is Monday, January 6 at 5 PM and includes the State of the City Address from Mayor Dion. Find the agenda preview at the end of this message.

Tonight is First Friday Art Walk! Learn more and download the map here.

Warming Shelter Open Overnight: Saturday, 1/4 Through Thursday, 1/9
CommonSpace will be opening the overnight Emergency Warming Shelter  (7PM-7AM) for six nights starting this Saturday, 1/4, through Thursday, 1/9, at First Parish Church (425 Congress Street) in Portland. We will continue to monitor the forecast during this cold snap and send notice if there will be additional nights as the extended forecast becomes more clear. Read our Winter Warming Plan here. ⁠

Council to Consider RFP for Creation of Affordable Housing on Brighton Ave
The Council’s Housing & Economic Development Committee met to discuss this proposed RFP on 10/22/24 and unanimously recommended it be sent to the Council at its 11/19/24 meeting. The two sites are located at 1125 Brighton Ave and part of the larger property that includes The Barron Center, the City owned and operated long-term care facility. The proposal does not include any changes to The Barron Center, which would continue to operate in its current capacity. Read the full update.

Important Changes for Portland Employers Started January 1
Portland businesses are reminded of the following changes starting January 1, 2025: 1) Paid Family Medical Leave Contributions Begin; 2) Increase to Overtime Exemption Threshold; 3) Minimum Wage Increase. Read this update for the full information.

NEW: Park & Work Program Enhancements for Downtown Employees
We are pleased to announce enhancements to the Park & Work Program, designed to provide more effective parking solutions for low-to-moderate-income employees in downtown Portland, Maine. Effective January 2025, eligible workers can now park in select downtown garages for half price for up to 9 hours. Click here to read the full update.

Treecycling is back! Don’t throw away your tree, RECYCLE IT!
For the month of January, there are THREE drop-off locations in Portland where you can drop off your Christmas tree to be recycled. Trees dropped off at any of these locations will be taken to Riverside Recycling to be chipped and mulched.⁠   1) Cutter Street Parking Lot, Eastern Promenade, the upper lot on the right, not the sliding hill lot; 2) Payson Park, Salt Shed area, by the Little League field; 3) Riverside Golf Course, North Course (9-hole), 1158 Riverside Street. Please make sure all ornaments, lights, + tinsel have been removed from your tree.⁠

Curbside tree collection will also take place for 2 weeks in January starting Monday, 1/6 through Friday, 1/17. Please leave your tree curbside, there is no set day of the week that crews will service your location. Christmas tree collection MAY NOT COINCIDE with the day of your trash & recycling collection. 

November Employee of the Month - Angel Davis-McBride
We’re going to start sharing our employees of the month with you here in the round up as well as on social media. City staff tell us our November Employee of the Month is one of the most friendly, welcoming faces at the Portland Jetport! Congratulations to Angel Davis-McBride, who was nominated and selected for this honor by her peers -from a workforce of over 1,300- in recognition of her role as Airport Deputy Director, Finance & Administration. This award is in recognition of her dedication, thoughtfulness and willingness to go above and beyond every day to assist team members in every division of the Jetport, always with a smile.

City Council Common Goals 2025
At a December 9 workshop, the City Council developed four goals intended to guide the Council’s policy work over the course of 2025: 1) Expand DEI practices; 2) Work to implement solutions to the housing crisis; 3) Develop sustainability strategies to address sea-level rise mitigation; 4) Explore creating an Office of Community Engagement, create opportunities for participatory budgeting, and evaluate the structural effectiveness of Council committees. Read the goals in full and learn Next Steps here. 

Request For Applicants - Day Space Pilot + Methadone Treatment Program
The City has issued a request for grant applications through its opioid settlement fund programs in order to create a day space pilot program and a methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in Portland. In 2017, the City joined several nationwide class action lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, which were intended to help pay for the social costs and massive damages caused by the opioid epidemic. As a result, the City has received approximately $1.38 million in opioid settlement funds to allocate toward opioid remediation and abatement uses. 

Reminder: Register Your Dog by January 31
State law requires you to license your dog each year. Residents can register dogs online or at the City Clerk's office, learn more here. Register annually by January 31 to avoid the $25 late fee. Fees: $6 per year; $11 unneutered/unspayed. (A $1 transaction fee + a $1.75 shipping/handling fee is added to online registration transactions.) 

New State Matching Grant - Businesses Impacted by 2023 Severe Storms
Portland businesses and nonprofits impacted by last year's severe storms can now apply for grants of up to $100,000. Grant recipients must match the grant amount with their own funds, insurance, or money from other sources. Applications are due by January 14. Visit the Maine Office of Business Development website to find the full information.

Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities Updates 

Read all the latest updates in the December 2024 newsletter here. Registration is open for 2025 Winter/Spring Recreation Programs. Reminder: On Wednesday, December 18, Mavadones Landing was removed and stored for the winter. Learn more about Portland's Public Landings. 

We’re Hiring!
Come make a difference with us, our wellness benefits are award winning! We are hiring across several departments in the city, with a variety of open positions: healthcare roles (RNs/CNAs), trades workers, before + after school recreation counselors, 911 dispatchers, community health workers, and more. Connect with our city recruiter to learn more, or apply today.
 

1/6 City Council Meeting Agenda Preview

 

The City Council will conduct this meeting from the Council Chambers, 2nd floor of City Hall. The public may attend in person or watch here via livestream. 

 

5:00 PM Meeting - State of the City Address

Pursuant to the Portland City Charter Article II, Section 5(a), the Mayor will give the annual State of the City Address.

 

5:30 PM - Special City Council Meeting
Public comment period on non-agenda items
 

Proclamations #21 Recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

 

Appointments + 4 Consent Items, Public comment taken 

#120 Appointing Ronnie Wilson to the Portland Public Art Committee

 

Communications, No public comment, no Council action 

#7 Regarding FY2024 Annual Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District Activity Report 

 

Unfinished Business, Public comment taken

#108 Approving Amendments to the Rules of the Rent Board

#109 Accepting/Appropriating a $3,600,000 Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Grant from MaineDOT for Commercial Street/Portland Fish Pier Storm Drain Outfall Project

 

Orders, Public comment taken except #119 (First Read only)

#115 Approving Inter-municipal Agreement w/ City of Westbrook, Nasons Brook

#116 Approving Publication of a Request for Proposals for the Lease of Up to Two Sites at 1125 Brighton Avenue

#117 Approving Agreement w/ Portland Water District for Fire Service Line at Munjoy Hill Fire Station 

#118 Accepting/Appropriating a $62,610 U.S. Department of Justice Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Staff requests to waive the 2nd read)

#119 Approving/Appropriating Federal Aviation Administration Administered Airport Improvement Program + Airport Infrastructure Federal Fiscal Year 2025 Grants (First Read only)

Executive Session - Discussion of a poverty tax abatement case with the City Attorney pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A § 405 (6)(E) and 36 M.R.S.A § 841