AugustaNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Augusta City Council Election 2026

3 of 8 council seats are on the ballot, with 4 candidates running. Updated Oct 5, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Last day for in-person absentee voting at City Hall (Oct 29): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Voters choose one At-Large councilor citywide; Ward 1 and Ward 4 voters also choose their ward councilor. Terms are three years.

Last day for in-person absentee voting at City Hall · Oct 29

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01Budget and property taxes3 sourced facts

Where it standsCouncilors voted on competing amendments to the fiscal 2027 budget on April 30, 2026, and the city later set a 2026-2027 tax rate after a revaluation.

What's on the tableNext year's municipal budget, the tax levy and any further borrowing.

  • At the April 30, 2026 special meeting, councilors voted on budget amendments resulting in a 5 percent tax increase and a 7.4 percent tax increase as shown in the City Manager's adjusted budget. City of Augusta · Apr 30, 2026
  • After a citywide revaluation, the 2026-2027 tax rate was set at $14.23 per $1,000 of assessed value, down from $24.40 the year before. City of Augusta · Aug 5, 2026
  • Question 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot asks voters to authorize borrowing of an amount not to exceed $7,370,000 for Civic Center equipment, city buildings and facilities, a rescue vehicle and streets and sidewalks. City of Augusta · Nov 3, 2026
02Homelessness, shelters and housing4 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council enacted a shelter moratorium in December 2025, extended it in March 2026, and took up a Homeless Shelter Licensing ordinance in April 2026; the city is seeking proposals for a low-barrier shelter.

What's on the tableHow shelters are licensed and regulated, and whether and how the city supports a low-barrier shelter.

  • On December 18, 2025, the City Council enacted a Moratorium Ordinance on Shelters providing for a 90-day moratorium on the permitting of homeless shelters. City of Augusta · Mar 19, 2026
  • The Moratorium Ordinance on Shelters was extended by the City Council on March 19, 2026. City of Augusta · Apr 2, 2026
  • On April 2, 2026, the council took up order 26-051, an ordinance titled "HOMELESS SHELTER LICENSING," recommended by its Subcommittee on Homeless Shelter Licensing. City of Augusta · Apr 2, 2026
  • The city is accepting proposals to operate a 50- to 70-bed low-barrier shelter, with proposals due at 2 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2026. WABI · Aug 27, 2026
03Opioid settlement funds and needle exchange2 sourced facts

Where it standsOn August 6, 2026 the council enacted a moratorium on needle exchange services and rejected two opioid settlement grants to Zysk Recovery Partners.

What's on the tableHow the city spends its opioid settlement fund and whether it permits needle exchange services after the moratorium.

  • Order 26-105, a temporary moratorium on hypodermic apparatus exchange services ("Needle Exchanges"), passed on a 5-3 vote on August 6, 2026. City of Augusta · Aug 6, 2026
  • The council voted down a $50,000 Opioid Settlement Fund grant to Zysk Recovery Partners for a van (3-5) and a $14,750 grant for a recovery support program (0-8). City of Augusta · Aug 6, 2026
04Fixed-route public transportation2 sourced facts

Where it standsOn September 3, 2026 the council authorized spending up to $500,000 from the sale of 33 Union Street on fixed-route transportation, subject to annual review.

What's on the tableWhether the city continues to fund fixed-route transportation after the first review.

05Mobile home park lot rents2 sourced facts

Where it standsVoters will decide Question 3, a citizens' initiative on a Mobile Home Park Lot Rent Stabilization Ordinance, on Nov. 3.

What's on the tableThe next council would administer the ordinance if voters enact it.

  • Question 3 asks: "Shall an ordinance entitled "Proposed Mobile Home Park Lot Rent Stabilization Ordinance" be enacted?" City of Augusta · Nov 3, 2026
  • The proposed ordinance names the City's Bureau of Economic Development as its Administrator. City of Augusta
3 notes on these statements

The city council page lists Eric Lind (Ward 4) and Courtney Gary-Allen (At-Large) with terms ending 12/31/2026. City of Augusta

Robert Eric Austin is the only candidate listed for Ward 1 on the municipal sample ballot, and Michael Karagiannes (listed as "Karagiannes, Michael A") is the only candidate listed for Ward 4. City of Augusta · Nov 3, 2026

Council minutes record most votes as a count and name only the councilors who voted no, so this guide names no one as voting yes. City of Augusta · Aug 6, 2026

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. How should Augusta approach new housing construction?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted8 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.New · How Augusta is runWho runs Augusta, and what it costsWho the city manager is, council pay, whether the city is in the red, and where your property tax goes.

Key dates

  • Last day for in-person absentee voting at City Hall (the Thursday before Election Day)City of AugustaOct 29, 2026
  • Election Day, polls open 7 AM to 8 PM at the Augusta Civic CenterCity of AugustaNov 3, 2026

The seat math

6 stay (not up this year): Kevin Judkins, Joshua Lilley, Michael Michaud, Annalee Morris-Polley, Mark O'Brien, Stephanie Sienkiewicz3 on this ballot

8 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 5-vote majority.

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