Stories Related to Bangor Council Holds Off On Funding Police Body Cameras In New $104.4 Million Budget

The Bangor City Council passed a $104.4 million city spending plan on Monday night that includes grant funding for a homeless outreach case worker, more than $4 million in infrastructure upgrades and funding for the Bangor School Department. But the plan approved by councilors did not include about $175,000 in funding for the Bangor Police Department to buy body cameras for its police officers, as was proposed in an earlier version of the budget. [Bangor budget proposes money for police body cameras, new homeless outreach worker] While the city is still considering developing such a program in the future, councilors had concerns about the costs and the privacy issues it would present at this point, Councilor Ben Sprague said before the meeting. The new spending plan is up 3.6 percent from the current year’s $100.8 million plan and will require $57.6 million in local property taxes to be raised. The council passed the budget in a 6-1 vote after just a brief discussion.