Prepare for Week 5 Hearings on Boston’s FY25 Budget
The final week of budget hearings features White Stadium, Public Housing, the new Chief Climate Officer, and BPS' long-term facilities plan are all on the docket
This is the fourth week of budget hearings, and BPI is continuing our short preview of each hearing this week, including:
Which departments and offices are appearing at each hearing;
Where to find each hearing’s focus in the 1,194 page budget book;
The FY25 vs FY24 numbers from the budget book for that hearing;
Highlight which spending priorities laid out in the budget letter on pages 3 to 6 are for that hearing’s topic; and
What BPI is watching for in each hearing.
In this week’s budget hearings, this is what BPI is watching - read more below:
On Monday there are two really important hearings - Parks & Recreation, which is the main department dealing with White Stadium, is in the morning, and the Boston Housing Authority & Mayor’s Office of Housing, where the most important issue in the City, housing, is in the afternoon.
Tuesday has Law and Treasury in the morning, which could range over any number of issues, and the Environment Department in the afternoon - the afternoon hearing is the most interesting, with a newly appointed Chief Climate Officer and the Department’s oversight of the Landmarks Commission, which appears in chaos with a letter critical of the Wu administration from the Commission and the subsequent firing of the LC’s executive director.
A presentation is being given to the School Committee on Wednesday night and the Council on Thursday morning about the most anticipated issue of the budget season: Boston Public Schools revealing a detailed long-term facilities. This detailed plan was a key requirement of the June 2022 agreement between the City and MA’s Department of Elementary and Second Education, which prevented a state takeover of BPS. School closures and mergers are expected to be announced, and both the School Committee and City Council have expressed desire to see detailed accounting of how those moves will save BPS money.
WEEK 5
MONDAY, MAY 20 AT 10 AM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Parks and Recreation and Parkman Fund
Where to find in the budget book:
Parks and Recreation is from page 522 to 538
Operating Budget Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Parks and Recreation - $5,120,512 in FY25 vs $4,233,857 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
The Mayor touted “prioritizing green spaces” and committed $735,000 in additional staff and equipment to manage and maintain Franklin Park, including hiring a “new park administrator.”
What BPI is watching for:
Parks and Recreation is a major budget hearing every year, but this year there is special attention being paid to it because of the department’s involvement in one of the highest profile public-private processes going on in Boston: renovating White Stadium in partnership with the City’s new professional women’s soccer franchise. The budget for that renovation is split between Boston Public Schools and P&R’s capital budgets, but since White Stadium sits inside Franklin Parks, which is managed by P&R, expect a lot of questions about the project.
The other issue that BPI will be watching for is an discussion of reoganizing this department now that Boston has its own Planning Department. For example in neighboring communities, including Somerville and Watertown, DPW maintains the parks, while an office in the Planning Department is responsible for planning parks, leaving P&R focused mostly on recreation. With lots of discussion of how to tighten Boston’s budget, watch for questions about how P&R fits into the City’s org chart with a new Planning Department and a new Climate czar both being added to the City’s payroll.
MONDAY, MAY 20 AT 2 PM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Boston Housing Authority (no budget authority) and Mayor’s Office of Housing
Where to find in the budget book:
Boston Housing Authority is not in the budget book because the City Council has no budget authority over it
Mayor’s Office of Housing is from page 897 to 916
Operating Budget Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Boston Housing Authority’s budget is not listed in the budget book because the City Council has no budget authority over it
Mayor’s Office of Housing - $53,590,075 in FY25 vs $49,423,074 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
In her letter Mayor committed to:
Spend $40M on affordable housing, including housing vouchers; rental assistance; home ownership support; and homelessness prevention programs
Spent $2M for a Housing Acquisition Opportunity Fund
$1M for rental asssistance and decarbonization
What BPI is watching for:
Expect to hear what the administration is doing to address the high cost of housing at this hearing. That is important, because earlier this month BPI released a poll that showed the cost of living and affordable housing were among the most important issues for residents of Boston, but also issues that Boston residents felt the City doing the least to solve.
The Mayor’s Office of Housing is another department that in neighboring communities is not a stand-alone office, but instead part of the Planning Department, so BPI will be watching for any discussion of the office’s future.
The third thing that BPI will be watching for are any question directed to BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok about her recent letter in the Boston Globe, which forcefully responded to a report from the Boston Municipal Research Bureau that suggested the Wu administration may want to par back its FY25 budget in the face of declining office values and many fewer new construction projects. As seen from the fact that the BHA’s budget is not subject to City Council approval, the BHA is a quasi-independent agency, but the letter from Administrator Bok makes it clear that she considers herself a key part of the Wu administration.
TUESDAY, MAY 21 AT 10 AM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Law and Treasury
Where to find in the budget book:
Law is is from page 226 to 234
Treasury is from page 695 to 700
Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Law - $11,173,141 in FY25 vs $10,577,641 in FY24
Treasury - $5,849,440 in FY25 vs $5,671,162 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
There is no mention of either of these offices in the Mayor’s letter
What BPI is watching for:
This hearing could go in a number of different directions because these two offices both have wide-ranging responsibilities and are part of larger departments:
Law is a part of the Mayor’s Office, along with Intergovernmental Affairs, Elections, and the Mayor’s personal office.
Treasury is part of the Finance Cabinet alongside offices like Assessing, Auditing, Budget Management, Participatory Budgeting, and Procurement
TUESDAY, MAY 21 AT 2 PM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Environment Department and Office of Food Justice; plus Conservation Commission Revolving Fund and Distributed Energy Revolving Fund
Where to find in the budget book:
Environment Department is from page 522 to 538
Office of Food Justice is from page 540 to 547
Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Environment Department - $138,777,013 in FY25 vs $130,309,496 in FY24
Office of Food Justice - $ in FY25 vs $ in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
The Mayor committed $200,000 to “support emergency prepardeness for climate resilience and to update the climate action plan.”
What BPI is watching for:
There are two issue that BPI is watching for in this year:
What the Chief Climate Officer Brian Swett says about his role, which while the title is new, the position leading the City’s Environment, Energy & Open Space Cabinet is not. The previous leader of that cabinet was Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, who held the title of Chief of Energy, Environment, and Open Space and left the City on April 26. Most hearings this year have featured questions from Councilors about the demographics of the department or office before the Council, so the replacement of an African-American woman with a white man is likely to draw the Council’s attention.
The Landmarks Commission is part of the Environment, Energy & Open Space Cabinet, and it has been a source of chaos during this budget season. The same day that the Council’s budget hearings started the Dorchester Reporter and other outlets reported that the LC’s Executive Director had been fired after all sixteen Commissioners on the LC had sent a letter to City officials alledging “interference” from Wu administration officials. District 8 City Council Sharon Durkan, who as Chair of the COMMITTEE handles the LC’s business also suggested the Landmarks Commission should go under the purview of the new Planning Department. If Swett testifies at Tuesday’s hearing, expect to have Councilors ask about both chaos at the LC and its future in his Cabinet.
THURSDAY, MAY 16 AT 10 AM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Boston Public Schools - Long-Term Facilities Plan
Where to find in the budget book:
Boston Public Schools Capital Budget on pages 480 to 516
Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Boston Public Schools Capital Budget is $271,604,299 in FY25 vs $352,081,421 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
In her letter the Mayor committed $1.3B for Boston Public Schools’ capital budget, but didn’t have any other details. In the Wu administration’s budget presentation, officials added a little more detail - that money would be spent to renovate or rebuild 72 BPS schools. The presentations on Wednesday and Thursday will flesh that out more.
What BPI is watching for:
This is the most anticipated hearing on the whole FY25 budget process - BPI has written about this in the past. That’s because closing and merging schools is the most public and impactful part of BPS’ relationship with Boston residents - those who have children in BPS, and those who do not. The Boston School Committee and the Council have both made it clear that they expect a plan that achieves significant long-term cost savings - here is what City Council Ruthzee Louijeune said back in April when BPS first went before the Council:
To me, it seems that there are some inefficiencies right now in our Boston Public Schools budget. I will attribute a good portion of those inefficiencies to rightsizing Boston Public Schools and those are conversations that we're having now in terms of the mergers that need to happen.
The support from those two bodies for a wide ranging plan that closes many of the City’s 119 schools - many of which are small buildings built before World War II - could run into opposition from parents and teachers. The last time a Mayor of Boston attempted to do a long-term facilities plan it was Marty Walsh and his BuildBPS plan and his proposal failed in face of community opposition. Mayor Wu has not fared better in her two plus years in office, her only high profile attempt to set school building priorities - her proposal to move the John D. O’Bryant School to a renovated West Roxbury Education Complex - was withdrawn in the face of intense opposition from O’Bryant parents and the City Council.
BPI’s recent polling shows wide spread support among both the public and parents of BPS-aged children for a school building plan that closes small, old schools in favor of larger, new schools. Whether that support can be mobilized in support of a detailed plan remains to be seen.
Is there something you are watching for in a budget hearing either this week or in the coming weeks? Email BPI at info@bostonpolicyinstitute.org to let us know!
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