City Manager Leah reported Monday that city public-health and BCAT staff worked with residents and railroad crews and that “as of this afternoon, city staff confirmed that all individuals have moved from the railroad property and that cleanup is well underway.” Leah said staff had offered phones, tents, long-term storage options, pet boarding, transportation and physical assistance to people who were living along the tracks.

The manager cautioned that the city-owned parcel near the tracks is landlocked and hazardous, describing a steep embankment and retaining wall that make safe access difficult. She said crews planned a city cleanup before expected snow and that staff will monitor the site to discourage people from returning.

Councilors pressed staff on where people had gone and who is tracking them. Ben Nunner, director of Bangor Public Health and Community Services, said a name-based outreach list maintained by the hub/HUD coordinator is “forever fluid” and outreach teams will meet after the holidays to check in and connect relocated people with vouchers and services. “Sometimes it’s hard to reach people even when they were in that space,” Nunner said.

Several councilors relayed accounts from residents and outreach conversations that some people reported receiving little or no help with transportation and leaving belongings behind. One councilor described four people who reported that a 60-year-old woman with cancer had lost contact with caseworkers and had no phone. “They were forced to leave some belongings behind,” the councillor said, adding that some who left marked tents reported later that their gear was gone.

Leah and public-health staff said they had made material assistance available before the railroad’s arrival—four storage totes, phones and staff accompaniment when requested—and that police and outreach staff took a non‑enforcement, safety-first approach while giving people time to pack. Staff encouraged anyone missing survival items to contact BCAT for help.

The council agreed to form a short-term advisory committee on encampments to develop next steps and nominate members in early January. Leah said staff will prepare a packet describing relevant ordinances and housing-code rules about camping on city property so the council understands legal distinctions among private property, city property and posted parks.

Leah said staff also plan to prioritize creating and posting a job description for a homeless-response manager to coordinate outreach, but cautioned that hiring will likely proceed after Jan. 1 because recruiting is slower over the holidays.

The meeting closed the encampment discussion by asking staff to follow up with outreach teams on where people who left the site have relocated and to report warming-center utilization figures in coming days.