Bangor council hears Sprague briefing, weighs permanent homelessness committee and code limits on camping

Former Councilor Sprague told Bangor City Council members at a Jan. 6 workshop that his short briefing paper — prepared as he left office — was intended as a discussion prompt rather than a finalized plan, and urged the city to develop coordinated, multiagency strategies for homelessness.

"Tents or encampments along the waterfront or in any small tent cities are inhumane, unsightly, unhealthy, and unsafe for the homeless and others in the community," Sprague said, describing visible encampments as the "tip of the iceberg" and urging the council to adopt common definitions to match services to needs. He told the council his briefing estimated about 11 encampments and "over 200 individuals" at the time the paper was written and said the city was spending large sums without a unified plan; he cited a study he attributed to Courtney that put the city's annual investment at about $10,000,000 (figures were presented in Sprague's memo and described to the council as estimates).

Staff…