City News Round Up: Friday, December 20, 2024

Holiday Edition!

No Round Up 12/27 - Look for us again on 1/3

Meetings & Agendas

Please check our agenda center for the full schedule of upcoming Committees, Boards, and Commission meetings. Read a recap of the December 16 City Council meeting. To view agendas, backup materials, and videos from past meetings, please visit portlandmaine.gov/agendas. The next City Council meeting is Monday, January 6 at 5PM and includes the State of the City Address from Mayor Dion.

Warming Shelter Open Overnight: 12/21,22+23
CommonSpace Maine will be opening the overnight (7PM-7AM) Emergency Warming Shelter this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, 12/21, 22 + 23, at 103 India Street, Portland. Read our Winter Warming Plan here. Contact Commonspace at 207-823-4273 for more information. ⁠

Upcoming Holiday Closures
Portland City Hall and City offices will be closed for the Christmas and New Year holidays at noon on Tuesday, 12/24, and all day Wednesday, 12/25, and Wednesday, January 1, 2025. There will not be a City News Round Up on Friday, 12/27. We’ll be back on Friday, 1/3. Please check our Health & Human Services website for their holiday hours + closures.

Holiday Trash + Recycling Collection Changes
With the holidays falling mid-week, please be aware of the changes to the trash + recycling collection schedule, learn more here. Additional questions can be directed to solidwaste@portlandmaine.gov. Check out ecoMaine’s Recyclopedia for all of your holiday recycling questions. 

• NO collection on Christmas Day, Wednesday, 12/25: ⁠Make-up collection will be on SATURDAY, 12/28.⁠ 
• NO collection on New Year's Day, Wednesday, 1/1/25: Make-up collection will be on SATURDAY, 1/4/25.⁠
• Find the Peaks Island holiday collection schedule here, and the Riverside Recycling holiday closure schedule here.

Grand Menorah Lighting at City Hall
Join Chabad of Maine for an unforgettable evening of light and joy featuring a spectacular Menorah lighting on Wednesday, 12/25 at 4PM. Savor the taste of the holiday with hot latkes and donuts, and take the celebration to the next level at their family-friendly Chanukah party.

NEW: Park & Work Program Enhancements for Downtown Employees
We are pleased to announce enhancements to the Park & Work Program, designed to provide more effective parking solutions for low-to-moderate-income employees in downtown Portland, Maine. Effective January 2025, eligible workers can now park in select downtown garages for half price for up to 9 hours. Click here to read the full update.

Treecycling is back! Don’t throw away your tree, RECYCLE IT!
For the month of January, there are THREE drop-off locations in Portland where you can drop off your Christmas tree to be recycled. Trees dropped off at any of these locations will be taken to Riverside Recycling to be chipped and mulched.⁠   1) Cutter Street Parking Lot, Eastern Promenade, the upper lot on the right, not the sliding hill lot; 2) Payson Park, Salt Shed area, by the Little League field; 3) Riverside Golf Course, North Course (9-hole), 1158 Riverside Street. Please make sure all ornaments, lights, + tinsel have been removed from your tree.⁠

Curbside tree collection will also take place for 2 weeks in January starting Monday, 1/6 through Friday, 1/17. Please leave your tree curbside, there is no set day of the week that crews will service your location. Christmas tree collection MAY NOT COINCIDE with the day of your trash & recycling collection. 

November Employee of the Month - Angel Davis-McBride
We’re going to start sharing our employees of the month with you here in the round up as well as on social media. City staff tell us our November Employee of the Month is one of the most friendly, welcoming faces at the Portland Jetport! Congratulations to Angel Davis-McBride, who was nominated and selected for this honor by her peers -from a workforce of over 1,300- in recognition of her role as Airport Deputy Director, Finance & Administration. This award is in recognition of her dedication, thoughtfulness and willingness to go above and beyond every day to assist team members in every division of the Jetport, always with a smile.

City Council Common Goals 2025
At a December 9 workshop, the City Council developed four goals intended to guide the Council’s policy work over the course of 2025: 1) Expand DEI practices; 2) Work to implement solutions to the housing crisis; 3) Develop sustainability strategies to address sea-level rise mitigation; 4) Explore creating an Office of Community Engagement, create opportunities for participatory budgeting, and evaluate the structural effectiveness of Council committees. Read the goals in full and learn Next Steps here. 

Important Changes for Portland Employers Start January 1
Portland businesses are reminded of the following changes starting January 1, 2025: 1) Paid Family Medical Leave Contributions Begin; 2) Increase to Overtime Exemption Threshold; 3) Minimum Wage Increase. Read this update for the full information.

Mavodones Landing Seasonal Removal
On Wednesday, December 18, Mavadones Landing was removed and stored for the winter. Learn more about Portland's Public Landings. 

New Portland Fire Chief Confirmed
Portland City Manager Danielle West selected Deputy Fire Chief Chad Johnston to be Portland’s next Fire Chief. Johnston joined the Portland Fire Department in 1999 and brings 25 years of experience to this leadership role. The City Council confirmed his appointment at its December 16 meeting. 

Request For Applicants - Day Space Pilot + Methadone Treatment Program
The City has issued a request for grant applications through its opioid settlement fund programs in order to create a day space pilot program and a methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in Portland. In 2017, the City joined several nationwide class action lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, which were intended to help pay for the social costs and massive damages caused by the opioid epidemic. As a result, the City has received approximately $1.38 million in opioid settlement funds to allocate toward opioid remediation and abatement uses. 

New City Zoning Map
On November 4, 2024, the City Council voted unanimously to approve ReCode, Portland’s first comprehensive rewrite of Portland’s entire land use code and zoning map in over 50 years. ReCode went into effect on December 4, 2024, one month after the City Council’s vote. Find the updated zoning maps + land use code, along with more information on ReCode here.

12/31: Rental Registration Renewals Due
Reminder to landlords and property managers: The annual rental registration process is currently open, and renewals are due by December 31. Rental Renewal Notices for 2025 were mailed out in November. If you did not receive a renewal letter for your rental property, please contact the Rental Registration office at rentcontrol@portlandmaine.gov. Visit the rental registration page for documents and information on rental registration.

Don't Miss Out! DIY Electrify Rebate Ends 12/31
Save money & save energy! The Sustainability Office is still offering rebates up to $250 to eligible Portland homeowners and renters for a list of eligible items - including weatherstripping, window and door caulking, pipe insulation, Window Dressers insulating window inserts, and more. This program expires on December 31, and we do not anticipate having funding for this program again in the near future. Click here to learn more about DIY Electrify.

Reminder: Register Your Dog by January 31
State law requires you to license your dog each year. Residents can register dogs online or at the City Clerk's office, learn more here. Register annually by January 31 to avoid the $25 late fee. Fees: $6 per year; $11 unneutered/unspayed. (A $1 transaction fee + a $1.75 shipping/handling fee is added to online registration transactions.) 

Winter Storm Operations
The fastest way to receive parking ban notifications is to sign up for our city alerts; you can choose to receive these via email and/or text message. Sign up today by visiting portlandmaine.gov/stayconnected OR text PortlandParkingBan to 38276. ⁠

The City’s residential sand and salt pile is located at the Little League parking lot at Payson Park. This sand and salt pile is for residential use only, contractors are not allowed. Residents can take two 5-gallon pails at a time.

New State Matching Grant - Businesses Impacted by 2023 Severe Storms
Portland businesses and nonprofits impacted by last year's severe storms can now apply for grants of up to $100,000. Grant recipients must match the grant amount with their own funds, insurance, or money from other sources. Applications are due by January 14. Visit the Maine Office of Business Development website to find the full information.

Portland Parks, Recreation and Facilities Updates 
Read all the latest updates in the November 2024 newsletter here. The 2024-2025 Fall/Winter/Spring Recreation Program Guide is now available to the public! The guide has information for all Recreation services the department provides through the Spring of 2025, and registration is now open. 

Elder Exercise: Drop-In Pickleball at Reiche
Join for a game of drop-in pickleball! 50+ exercise takes place at Reiche Community Center on Fridays, 12/6,13,20, 6PM-8PM, $5/residents. Contact cviney@portlandmaine.gov, 207-874-8873 for more information.

We’re Hiring!
Come make a difference with us, our wellness benefits are award winning! We are hiring across several departments in the city, with a variety of open positions: healthcare roles (RNs/CNAs), trades workers, before + after school recreation counselors, 911 dispatchers, community health workers, and more. Connect with our city recruiter to learn more, or apply today. 

DPW Paving Updates and Ongoing Construction Projects

Western Promenade Project to Resume Spring 2025
The contractor will be wrapping up details to stabilize the site for the winter this week as well as the week of 12/09; traffic impacts will be minimal. The Contractor will return to the site in the spring of 2025, and final completion is expected by 6/15/25. Read full details.

Visit portlandmaine.gov/PublicWorks for links to all the most recent DPW project updates.