Auburn Council to Consider Final Approval of Syringe Service Regulations as Lewiston Residents Push for Tighter Rules

The Auburn City Council is scheduled to consider final approval Monday night of a new ordinance regulating syringe service programs, as neighboring Lewiston faces a renewed citizen-led effort to impose stricter limits on the distribution of clean needles.

The Auburn council will hold a workshop at 5:30 p.m., followed by its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Auburn Hall, located at 60 Court Street.

Councilors gave initial approval to the syringe service ordinance on June 15. The proposal limits the city to no more than two licensed providers and requires each program to maintain certification from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Providers would also need a municipal license from Auburn before operating.

The ordinance covers permanent facilities, mobile programs and delivery-based syringe services. Providers would be required to submit operating, security, disposal and community-engagement plans to the city.

Permanent and mobile sites would be prohibited within 250 feet of a school, while syringe deliveries would be barred within 1,000 feet of school property.

The ordinance would also require providers to place sharps-disposal containers at program locations and conduct daily inspections within 250 feet of their sites. Staff would be responsible for collecting discarded syringes and other litter at the end of each business day.

Providers making direct deliveries would similarly be required to inspect and clean the immediate area after completing a transaction.

Operating hours would generally be limited to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays.

The proposal also directs providers to take reasonable steps to prevent illegal drug use on or near their properties. Programs would be prohibited from knowingly distributing syringes to anyone younger than 18.

Auburn began considering local regulations after adopting a temporary moratorium intended to prevent syringe service programs from opening while officials developed permanent rules.

If the ordinance receives final approval, councilors are also expected to consider setting an annual licensing fee of $200 for each provider.

Lewiston Petition Seeks One-for-One Exchange

Across the Androscoggin River, former Lewiston City Councilor Eryn Soule and her husband, Marcel Leclair, have launched a citizen petition seeking to tighten Lewiston’s existing syringe service ordinance.

The petition collected approximately 966 signatures, exceeding the 941 signatures required to place the proposal before city officials. The Lewiston City Council may either adopt the proposed changes directly or send the question to voters during the Nov. 3 election.

The petition would require syringe providers to distribute no more than one clean needle for each used syringe returned. It would also impose a maximum of 20 exchanges per person each day.

The proposal would prohibit mobile syringe exchange units and require each provider to operate from a single physical location.

Soule and Leclair began collecting signatures in May, with many gathered during the June primary election and Lewiston school budget vote.

Soule previously attempted to include a one-for-one exchange requirement when Lewiston developed its ordinance in 2025. She had also proposed a daily limit of 35 syringes, but the council rejected those restrictions following opposition from public-health officials and harm-reduction advocates.

The council ultimately passed an ordinance without a one-for-one requirement.

Soule has argued that the city’s current policy does not adequately address concerns from residents and businesses about discarded needles in parks, on sidewalks and around other public areas.

“It all started when I was on the council and kept seeing all the syringes and the citizens who were constantly voicing their concerns about seeing the dirty discarded syringes everywhere,” Soule said.

The issue became even more personal for Soule after she was reportedly stuck by a discarded needle on April 6 while going about her normal day, according to Leclair.

“That was the final straw for both her and I, and that’s where this petition came into play,” Leclair said.

Soule said the proposal is not intended to eliminate syringe programs but to balance services for drug users with the safety of the broader public.

“We have to protect all individuals that live, work or visit our city,” Soule said. “We aren’t asking to take the program away, we are asking for a safer solution for both the user and the public.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline opposes the petition, arguing that the proposed restrictions could increase discarded needles, disease transmission and overdoses.

Public-health officials have similarly opposed strict one-for-one exchange requirements. They argue that limiting access to sterile syringes can lead people to reuse or share needles, increasing the risk of HIV and hepatitis C transmission.

Soule and other supporters contend that the existing needs-based model fails to provide sufficient accountability for syringes distributed into the community.

Under state policy, certified providers may give participants up to 100 syringes based on their stated needs, even if they do not return an equal number of used needles.

Lewiston’s current ordinance permits only one licensed syringe service provider, although that provider may operate from as many as two approved locations. Mobile units are prohibited, and providers must maintain Maine CDC certification and obtain a city license.

The ordinance also restricts where programs may operate and requires providers to maintain policies addressing litter, public drug use, nuisance complaints and calls for emergency services.

The Church of Safe Injection, which previously operated on Main Street, lost its state certification after the city condemned its building in 2025. Spurwink is now Lewiston’s only remaining syringe service provider.

The renewed Lewiston debate comes as Auburn moves toward adopting its own regulations. The neighboring cities are taking different approaches, with Auburn emphasizing licensing, location restrictions and mandatory cleanups while the Lewiston petition focuses on how many syringes may be distributed and whether used needles must be returned.

Other Auburn Council Business

The syringe ordinance is only one matter scheduled for discussion Monday.

During the workshop, Auburn councilors are expected to continue reviewing a proposed mobile home park rent-stabilization ordinance.

The proposal follows a temporary moratorium adopted by the city while officials considered rules governing mobile home lot-rent increases. The draft ordinance would establish a process for reviewing increases and comparing them with documented expenses incurred by park owners.

The regular meeting agenda also includes city appointments, police constable confirmations and the acceptance of asset-forfeiture proceeds for the Auburn Police Department.

Councilors are also expected to consider waiving a food-license fee for the Great Falls Youth Corp., which plans to operate the snack shack at Lake Grove Park during the summer.