Action advances new drug policy for BAT workers

BANGOR – A drug and alcohol policy change regarding public transit employees was granted preliminary approval by the city’s government operations committee Tuesday night.

Drivers of the BAT bus fleet, as well as mechanics who service the buses, work in what the Federal Transit Administration calls “safety-sensitive positions.” Bangor’s current policy is outdated, Assistant City Manager Bob Farrar said Tuesday.

The policy change is slated to be voted on at the next City Council meeting on Monday, July 24.

The proposed policy would include yearly random sampling of at least half of the 33 employees currently in safety-sensitive positions to detect drug or alcohol abuse. Farrar said he proposed the new policy to comply with current FTA regulations.

City Councilor Geoffrey Gratwick, a physician, praised the proposed policy for including automatic treatment when an employee is detected to be abusing substances. He called the approach “reasonable and humane.”

Employees who are caught abusing substances a second time will receive “harsh discipline,” Farrar said.

Also at the meeting Health and Welfare Director Shawn Yardley received permission to hire a part-time grant manager to oversee the $3.3 million the Maine Center for Disease Control provides.

The need for the administrative position is a result of the recent elimination of director-level positions in three health and welfare program areas, Yardley said.

In an unrelated matter, Yardley and the Rev. Robert Carlson, who is president of the Penobscot Community Health Center, updated the committee on developments by Healthy Maine Partnerships to create a statewide public health infrastructure.