Across both mayoral and council segments candidates connected property‑tax relief to broadening the commercial tax base through industrial development, downtown investment, and targeted grants; several said growth must be negotiated to protect residents.

Mayoral and council candidates at a Sanford forum largely opposed an AI/data center proposal or said it should be decided by voters, citing environmental, water and regulatory concerns and low local job projections.

At the forum candidates linked public safety concerns—open drug use, encampments, needle litter—and homelessness to police staffing shortfalls and state policy limits, while proposing treatment centers, housing, outreach and better disposal options.

Speakers at the forum expressed strong unease about a proposed ARIES gasification/biosolids plant — citing 450 tons/day and truck traffic — while others said DEP review, the city moratorium and negotiation are appropriate next steps.

At the July 1 meeting planning staff announced community outreach at Number One Pond, a grant-funded parking study intended to align local parking rules with a state change reducing parking to one spot per unit in growth zones by July 1, 2027, and two six‑month moratoriums (data centers and waste treatment facilities) that will lead to ordinance revisions.