LOOK BEFORE YOU VOTE

The embarrassment of repeated flip-flops on issues of concern to city residents is bad enough, but Bangor city councilors should see that decisions made quickly to save money or to meet someone else’s timetable are bad public policy. Rather, councilors should be willing to take the time to thoroughly study the issues before them so they can make better decisions, decisions that will stand up to public criticism.

The most recent change of heart involved Bangor’s membership in the Penobscot Regional Communications Center. Hoping to dim local support for a referendum that would place a cap on municipal property taxes this fall, the City Council decided to further pare back Bangor’s budget so that taxes would not rise.

One way to save money was to have Bangor join the regional dispatch center, so the councilors, during a recent budget workshop, approved such a move. The vote came as a surprise because the City Council has been debating such a move for years and has repeatedly rejected participating in the regional system. Joining the regional dispatch was expected to save about $150,000 in the first year and $250,000 a year after that.

However, at their regular council meeting less than a week later, councilors voted to retain Bangor’s own dispatch center and to not join the regional effort. They did so after hearing complaints from local residents and the fire and police chiefs. They raised concerns that response times in emergencies will be hampered by bad directions from the regional dispatchers, who coincidentally are located in Bangor.

Despite four years of debate on this issue and this claim repeatedly being made, no one has asked Cliff Wells, the center’s director, for his findings on this subject. Mr. Wells has investigated every complaint of miscommunication involving the regional dispatch center. His conclusion that his staff has handled calls properly more than 99 percent of the time is convincing. It is a shame that no one on the City Council has asked for his data. If they don’t believe him, they should do their own review to put this question to rest.

Earlier this year, councilors voted to reverse a months-old decision to build a new police station downtown in favor of locating the new facility near the airport. The airport location would save money and allow more room for expansion, but the public for years had been given the impression by the council that downtown was the preferred site, only to find the council switching its position.

Last year, the council voted to rescind a ban on the sale of alcohol at sexually oriented establishments, thus allowing a topless dance club to purchase the former Pilots Grill building. Faced with public ridicule, councilors reversed themselves three days later citing “new information.”

Immediately on the horizon is a council decision regarding rezoning a large parcel near the Penjajawoc Marsh. Farther in the future will be other decisions regarding development and preservation in the Bangor Mall area. Whatever they decide will be controversial and, likely, contested.

City councilors will never be able to make decisions that won’t be protested by some residents. However, if they do more homework before a vote, they will be better able to counter such criticism rather than changing their minds.