Biddeford City Council Meeting - September 1, 2026

The Biddeford City Council met Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers and via Teams. Councillors Woods and Lessard were excused and the Ward 4 seat was filled during the meeting. The Council appointed a new Ward 4 Councilor, heard the FY24 audit and opioid settlement fund reports, approved all six orders on the agenda, and heard public testimony about the Mechanics Park memorial and other city issues. All votes taken during the open session were unanimous. The meeting was extended to 10:00 PM and ended with a unanimous vote to enter executive session.

Appointments

• Council unanimously appointed Jessica Mews to fill the vacant Ward 4 City Council seat. Councillor Woods, who was excused, sent a statement of enthusiastic support. Mews was sworn in by the Interim City Clerk and joined the Council for the rest of the meeting.
• Council unanimously confirmed Louise Merriman, Ward 1, to the Historic and Preservation Commission.

Presentations

• James Wilkinson of CBIZ presented the FY24 financial statement audit results. CBIZ expected to issue a clean/unmodified opinion but was completing its internal quality review and subsequent-event procedures. He reported no fraud or legal violations, but identified a material weakness in delayed year-end closing (a repeat finding) and several material error corrections. The wastewater billing error was quantified: an increasing block-rate structure had been incorrectly applied to seven of eight customer types since 2019. The city restated the wastewater fund with a $970,000 provision for 2019 through June 30, 2023, plus $200,000 for FY24; total exposure through FY25 billing cycles was about $1.35 million. There were about 4,420 total accounts; roughly 450 minimum-tier accounts were not impacted; about 3,400 accounts were overbilled by more than $50, with an average of about $390. The highest overcharge was $2,572; the lowest was $7.52. The general fund ended FY24 with about $25.1 million in fund balance, including about $7 million unassigned. The budget-to-actual comparison showed general fund revenues of $86.8 million against an $83.3 million budget and expenditures of $85.7 million against an $87.1 million budget.
• Jake Hammer, General Assistance administrator, presented the annual opioid settlement fund report. Since FY23, the city had received $830,184.72. Total spending was $206,659.70: $176,760.15 for recovery/treatment microgrants through the GA office and $29,899.55 for Fire Department narcotic safes. The remaining balance was $623,525.02. He said the city expected about $100,000 per year for roughly five to six years, with a state-estimated total of about $1.8 million through 2038. Public comment from Ryan Page of Access Direct Recovery Network strongly supported Biddeford's approach; Joshua Wolf expressed concern that too much remained unspent and opposed spending $100,000 on a consultant-style RFP.

Orders of the Day / Discussion Items

• CY27-28 Opioid Settlement Funds Strategic Use Plan: The plan approved $100,000 per year for microgrants and added a one-time RFP of up to $100,000 for recovery community infrastructure, such as a recovery center. The Council unanimously approved it.
• Police Department Administrative Assistant 1 Reclassification: Chief Fisk asked to convert a part-time 24-28 hour non-union administrative assistant position to full-time to support administrative operations and CALEA accreditation. The Council President amended the motion to state "part-time to full-time" rather than specifying 36 hours. Personnel Committee had unanimously supported it. The amendment and order passed unanimously.
• York County EMA MOU/Commitment Letter: Director Robbie Fecto explained the MOU would allow the city to use county-obtained congressional grant funds for engineering and design of dune systems at Biddeford Pool/Gilbert Boucher Park and Middle Beach. Total engineering cost was $295,680, with a required 25% match of $73,920; UNE pledged $29,663 in-kind, city staff/committee in-kind was $2,500, leaving $28,756.66 to be proposed from FY27 contingency. The project covers design, not construction. Multiple public speakers, including UNE faculty member Will Kotitsky, supported the MOU. Council unanimously approved.
• Oktoberfest Special Event Permit: The event on Lincoln Street was approved unanimously. The applicant did not request a fee waiver.
• Industrial Pretreatment Program Fee Ordinance Update: Wright-Pierce consultants presented a new cost-recovery model for industrial users, splitting program costs 50% BOD / 50% TSS, adding a $1,000 annual administrative fee, and updating high-strength wastewater surcharges to $2.70 per pound for BOD and TSS above 250 mg/L. The old BOD surcharge was $5.50 per 100 pounds. Four of eight current industrial users would meet the high-strength definition based on 2025 data. The Council unanimously approved the ordinance update.
• New Cingular Wireless Lease Fourth Amendment: Attorney Seth Perusa presented a 10-year extension of a cell equipment lease on the former Merck Tower. Rent would decrease at the start of the new term, and the amendment added an abandonment provision and other city protections. Councillor Kurtz noted the tenant had a unilateral renewal option and no city exit during that term. The Council unanimously approved the lease amendment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During the first public comment period (3-minute limit), several residents spoke about the Mechanics Park memorial for Johann Sebastian Duran Guerrero. Speakers criticized the removal of memorial barriers at 6 a.m., lack of transparency and community input, and the absence of public updates on the investigation. One speaker, Doug Emerson of Portland, asked the city to restore the memorial structures and protect the park as a gathering space. Eve McFeeders supported the protests but objected to profanity on a flag. Kelsey of Ward 5 proposed a mosaic/plaque and requested a special council meeting. Elena Betts criticized the early-morning removal and the Council President.
• During the second public comment period (5-minute limit), John Collins of Ward 6 raised election-integrity concerns and urged the city to prepare a public plan to keep federal agents away from polling places. Evan Lockwood of Ward 5 criticized the Council for being reactive rather than proactive on ICE enforcement and other issues.

City Manager Report

• City Manager Cornell Knight addressed the wastewater billing issue and rate increase. Customers would receive credits for overcharges; the total was $1.35 million and would take several months to apply manually. The city also planned to credit interest lost, but was still working with the billing provider. He reported that a previously approved 20% wastewater rate increase had never been implemented, and the newly approved 11.2% increase took effect September 1, 2026; many bills would therefore show a 31.2% increase along with credits. A customer letter and FAQ were being prepared.
• He also reported FY25 audit progress, City Hall ramp work, a tax commitment rate of $15.76 (8 cents below the Council's projection), and a temporary closure of the Middle Beach public access path beginning September 8 for fence installation.

Committee Updates and Other Business

• Councillor Mews said the Public Art Commission was updating its public art master plan, including memorial guidelines, and would meet September 10.
• Councillor Boston updated the Institutional Zone Review Committee's work, with a next meeting September 17.
• Councillor Kurtz noted the Citizens Advisory Committee's CDBG meeting was rescheduled to Thursday and would help guide approximately $400,000 in federal funds.
• Council President Beaupre gave updates on the Traffic Committee, Policy Committee, EV ordinance (tabled), landscape ordinance (returned for more work), and the city's new Purple Heart Community designation. He proposed moving Council rules out of the code of ordinances so changes could take effect immediately, and suggested Policy Committee review flock camera language.
• Councillor Vadney asked for an October presentation on Seeds of Hope, encampments, and cold-weather shelter capacity. The Mayor said staff would work on it.
• Councillor Kurtz relayed resident questions about the Mechanics Park memorial decision, offered to hold a citizen meeting, thanked York County EMA, and raised earlier budget items including a $25,000 homelessness-response appropriation and possible quarterly budget updates.

Key Outcomes

• All agenda votes in open session were unanimous: appointment of Jessica Mews; appointment of Louise Merriman; approval of Aug. 18, 2026 minutes; CY27-28 opioid settlement plan; police administrative assistant reclassification; York County EMA MOU/commitment letter; Oktoberfest permit; industrial pretreatment fee ordinance; and New Cingular Wireless lease amendment.
• The Council voted unanimously to extend the meeting until 10:00 PM.
• The Council voted unanimously to enter executive session under 1 MRS §405(6)(E) (legal matter) and 1 MRS §405(6)(C) (real estate matter). The Mayor initially said the real estate matter would be removed, then corrected that it would remain; no action was expected after the session.