City of Portland Alerts

City News Round Up: Friday, October 10, 2025

Meetings & Agendas

Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings, and to view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings. Read a recap of the October 6 City Council meeting. The next City Council meeting is Monday, October 20, at 5:00 PM.

Upcoming Closures
City Hall and City offices will be closed Monday, October 13, in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day; trash and recycling will be collected as normal. 

City Hall & Canco Road buildings will also be closed Thursday, October 16, from 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM for an Employee Appreciation Event.

Update: Unitil Work on Tukey’s Bridge Now Starts 10/20
Starting Monday, 10/20, Unitil will be conducting gas pipeline maintenance on the Tukey’s Bridge section of the Back Cove Trail. Work will take place 10/20-10/24 and the trail will be closed to the public. Signage has been posted at trail entrances and at the main Back Cove Trail parking areas to alert trail users. Back Cove Trail will re-open for weekend events on 10/25-26, with Unitil finish work taking place the week of 10/27. Please contact Unitil for more information: 1-888-301-7700.

CDBG Pre-Application Meeting Coming Up on October 15
Is your organization planning to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds this year? Learn more and register for the upcoming Pre-Application Meeting on Wednesday, 10/15 at 1:OO PM. This meeting is a prerequisite to receiving the application. ⁠Applications open Monday, 10/20, and close Monday, 11/17, 2025.⁠ Direct additional questions to cdbg@portlandmaine.gov.⁠

Annual District Meetings Start October 16 - Save the Dates!
Annual District Meetings begin on Thursday, 10/16, with District 1. The rest of the meetings follow in October and November. All meetings are in-person and begin at 6:00 PM.  Visit our website to learn your district and find the full details.⁠ Mayor Dion, City Councilors, City Manager Danielle West, and City staff will be available to discuss neighborhood issues and answer questions from the public. ⁠These meetings are a perfect opportunity to provide feedback and discuss the issues that matter to you in our city. Free childcare will be available for kids ages 5-12! Pre-registration is not required, but helpful for our team.

Curbside Yard Waste Collection: November 2025
Public Works crews will be collecting leaf bags November 1-30. Please note that the leaf bag collection MAY NOT COINCIDE with the day of your trash & recycling collection. There is no set day of the week that crews will service your location. Unpredictable leaf amounts at the curb, staffing issues, and weather conditions are all obstacles that make it difficult for us to predict the exact timeframe of your collection. Please follow the curbside guidelines to help our Public Works team work efficiently and smoothly.

Veterans Day Parade
Save the date! The parade will take place on Tuesday, November 11 this year, beginning at 10:00 AM at Longfellow Square and proceeding down Congress Street to City Hall where ceremonies will take place. 

Congress Square Reconstruction Now Underway
The Congress Square Intersection reconstruction work began on Monday, October 6th. The public should expect traffic delays during construction. This project includes mill and overlay of the intersection, sidewalk and ADA improvements, installation of new traffic signal infrastructure, and lighting and landscaping improvements within the Congress Square intersection. Read the full traffic details and project timeline.

In-Person Absentee Voting October 6-30
In-person early absentee voting for the November 4, 2025, State Referendum and Municipal Election began Monday, October 6, in the State of Maine Room, adjacent to the City Clerk’s Office, on the 2nd Floor of City Hall. Regular hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. All ballots requested to date will begin going out in the mail Friday, 10/3. The last day to in-person absentee vote is Thursday, October 30, unless you have a special circumstance. The Clerk’s Office will be open until 7:00 PM on Thursday, October 30, only for voter registration and in-person absentee voting. Find answers to all of your voting questions here.

The external ballot drop boxes will be set up at City Hall and Canco Road and ready to receive completed absentee ballots 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Absentee ballots must be returned by 8:00 PM on Election Day. Absentee ballots must be returned via mail or the external ballot box outside of City Hall and Canco Road and not to your normal polling place.

Portland Police Expands Community Policing Offices 
The Portland Police Department announced the expansion of its Community Policing Offices, a step forward in strengthening relationships with residents, businesses, and community organizations across the city. New locations have recently opened at 443 Congress Street to serve the Monument Square area and at 80 Elm Street. 

Volunteer for the 2025 Window Dressers Community Build
WindowDressers is looking for volunteers for the Portland build October 10-20 to help build insulating window inserts for the community. No experience necessary. Learn more and sign up for a slot that fits in your schedule! 

Gorham's Corner Roundabout Project Public Meeting 10/23
The City, in coordination with Portland Water District, is actively designing a sewer separation and mini-roundabout project on Center Street and the intersection of Pleasant Street, York Street, Center Street, and Fore Street (known as Gorham’s Corner). A public meeting is scheduled for October 23, 2025, at 5:00 PM in the Kippy Richardson Room 24 in City Hall to hear public feedback and concerns.

10/25: Spooktacular Morning with the Kotzschmar Organ!
Celebrate Halloween in a fun and unforgettable way with Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ. Perfect for kids under 12, this lively, one-of-a-kind musical event features favorite movie tunes and spooky Halloween music performed by Portland’s Municipal Organist, James Kennerley, on the mighty Kotzschmar Organ. Don’t forget your costume for a festive parade across the stage at the end!

Annual Street Maintenance Parking Restrictions Back In Effect
Attention residents who live or park on the peninsula! Overnight street maintenance parking restrictions went back into effect on Wednesday, 10/1 (daytime also, in some areas). This applies to all citizens who live or park on the peninsula (and the Nathan Clifford area). Regulations are in effect annually from October 1 - May 31. Cars not in compliance with City street maintenance signs are subject to ticketing and towing. View the residential parking zone map and read the full details on our website. 

Nominate Your Tree to Light Up Monument Square this Winter!
Along with Portland Downtown, we are excited to announce a community-wide effort to find the ideal tree to illuminate Monument Square this winter season! Visit portlandMaine.com/Tree to learn more + submit your tree by November 1, 2025. The chosen tree will be carefully removed and transported from its current location at no cost to the owner. 

Take Our Survey - We Want Your Input on Emergency Planning! 
We want your input on emergency planning priorities. Please take our survey and tell us what is important to you! Visit our emergency planning project page to find more information about the work the City is doing to update our emergency operations plan and share your ideas for how we can share emergency preparedness information.

City Expands Walk-In Hours for Vaccine Clinics
The City’s Public Health Clinic has expanded its fall vaccine walk-in clinic hours (39 Forest Avenue) for eligible members of the public. Read vaccination recommendations on our full release.

GPCOG Invests $3.9 Million in Brownfields Redevelopment in Portland
This week, the Greater Portland Council of Governments announced it will be making $3.9 million in brownfields investments to transform old, vacant, and contaminated properties into new homes, childcare space, and community assets. Together, these projects will create 600 new homes — including 221 affordable apartments — double the capacity of a local childcare center, and generate hundreds of jobs.

Help Us Keep the Neighborhood Association Directory Updated
A reminder to our Neighborhood Associations to update your City-hosted pages on our website. Please take a look and be in touch with us if your info needs to be updated - whether that be info related to new leadership or if an association is no longer active. Thank you!

Tax Bill Payment Dates
All property tax bills were mailed the week of September 8. The first half of property tax payments are due on October 17, 2025, and the second half is due on March 20, 2026. Please remember we only mail the bills once. Property tax bills can be viewed and paid online. As a reminder, the new mil rate is $11.98 per thousand dollars of assessed value, a decrease of more than 25% from the projected FY26 mil rate prior to any revaluation. 

Join the 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer's October 18
Age-Friendly Portland invites you to the 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday, October 18, 2025! The Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support, and research. Learn more about the event, registering a team, and volunteering here!

New 2026 Allowable Rent Increases and Short-Term Rental Regulations
Landlords and tenants should be aware that the new allowable rent increase per the consumer price index (CPI) as part of the rent control ordinance has been published for the calendar year 2026. 

October Re-Forest the City Events
Save these dates for fall events hosted by the West End Neighborhood Association: Oct 21 (Tree Talk), Oct 28 (Film). Learn more about Re-Forest the City on their website.

Parks, Recreation and Facilities Updates

Public Works Updates

We’re Hiring!
We are hiring across several departments in the city, with a variety of open positions: healthcare roles (RNs/CNAs), trades workers, before and after school recreation counselors, lifeguards, 911 dispatchers, community health workers, and
more. Recently posted: Housing Program Manager. Come make a difference with us, our wellness benefits are award winning.

Past Alerts