Prepare for Week 1 Hearings on Boston’s FY25 Budget
The 2024 Budget Season is in full swing & BPI has what you need to know, plus BPI’s Op-Ed in Dot Reporter
Starting on Monday April 22nd the Boston City Council will start their budget hearings. BPI will be providing a short previews looking at the coming week’s budget hearings:
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.
Before getting to the budget, make sure to check out the latest issue of the Dorchester Reporter and provide a look at the budget hearing schedule and approval timeline.
While it is not on this week’s hearing schedule, participatory budgeting is a major issue in this year’s budget. In the April 18 issue of the Dorchester Reporter BPI’s Executive Director Gregory Maynard wrote about what participatory budgeting is, gives an overview of the years-long, and still on-going process Boston has gone through to launch it, and looks at the Better Budget Coalition, a large coalition l fighting for more money and more community control of the process.
Boston has by far the largest budget of any local government in Massachusetts, with the FY24 budget clocking in almost 5x more than the runners up, $881M in Cambridge and $847.7M in Worcester. The budget process that started months ago when Boston Public Schools offered their budget to the School Committee is scheduled according to rules laid out in the budget document above.
As you can see in the Budget hearing graphics and the timeline, the City Council’s legislative review of the budget ends well in advance of deadlines to vote on and pass the City’s budget. Once hearings are done towards the end of May, the process of amending the budget and the debate over City priorities between the Mayor and City Council will begin in earnest.
BPI will be monitoring and summarizing all the action, so make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us - we are on your favorite social media platform!
WEEK 1 - OPERATING BUDGET OVERVIEW, CAPITAL SPENDING, EQUITY & INCLUSION CABINET, PLUS TRANSPO & DPW
MONDAY, APRIL 22 AT 10 AM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Administration & Finance: Operating Budget Overview Presentation (incl. Revenue)
Where to find in the budget book:
Pages 10 to 74
Every office and department in the budget has an operating budget
Operating Budget Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
$4.64B operating budget in FY25 vs $4.27B operating budget in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
The letter focused on the operating budget and capital budget, and one big number is highlighted:
$344M increase, or 8% over last year
What BPI is watching for:
While this is an overview of the entire operating budget, this hearing is also the only time that revenue is on the agenda, so BPI’s focus will be on that latter issue. Revenue has become a hot-button topic as the pace of new construction slows (34% less new growth year over year the City writes on page 22 in the budget book) and questions about the long-term health of Boston’s budget grow. Here are the two things BPI will be watching:
What is the Wu administration’s revenue forecast for Boston over the next 5 years? BPI started a robust public conversation back in February when our report ‘The Fiscal Fallout of Boston’s Empty Offices’ laid out how Boston’s could lose up to $1.4 billion in property tax revenue over the next 5 years due to the declining value of office buildings. Wu administration officials did not answer questions about future revenue expectations at last week’s hearing for the tax increase they proposed - read BPI’s summary of that hearing. This hearing provides another opportunity to answer those questions.
How is implementation of the planning department ordinance going? There will be another opportunity to answer this question, but this hearing will include the first major indication of the bureaucratic and budget changes wrought by the planning department ordinance: the $42.4M of new revenue coming to the City of Boston from the Boston Planning & Development Agency. The planning department ordinance sends much of the BPDA’s staff to the City of Boston, and lays out a process where BPDA then pays the City of Boston for the services of the BPDA’s former staff. This revenue is that BPDA payment.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23, AT 10 AM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Capital Budget Overview
Where to find in the budget book:
Overview of Capital Budget on pages 83 to 100
Capital Budgets are included as part of each budget for an office or department that has one, and can be found throughout Volume II which starts at page 185 and Volume III that starts at page 624, including:
Boston Public Schools Capital Budget on pages 480 to 516
Boston Centers for Youth & Families Capital Budget on pages 794 to 803
Emergency Management Capital Budget on pages 953 to 954
Public Works Department Capital Budget on pages 1051 to 1083
Transportation Department Capital Budget on pages 1112 to 1137
Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
$4.7B FY25-29 Capital Budget for vs $4.2B FY24-28 Capital Budget
From the Mayor’s Letter:
There are a number of capital spending mentions in the letter:
The largest is $1.3 billion in capital spending on Boston Public Schools, but did not provide any details. The budget overview gets into more detail, writing “72 projects and programs with a total budget over $1.2 billion.”
$54.5 million in pool repairs and renovations at BCYF and BPS facilities - these are included in the BPS and BCYF’s capital budgets
$31M for Field Corner Library - this is on page 828
$65M for Grove Hall Community Center - this is on page 796
$75M is capital funding to “leverage state and federal resources” in planning and construction of a resilient coastline - read press coverage of Mayor Wu’s recent hiring of a new climate advisor
$14M in Capital Plan for renovation and reconstruction of Clifford Playground - the Boston Herald covered the challenges the playground and those families who used it faced from its proximity to Mass & Cass
What BPI is watching for:
There is one issue BPI will be watching for, and one that we won’t:
The capital budget left District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon “profoundly disappointed” as she told the Harvard Crimson in an April 12 article, so BPI will be watching for her questions, and whether any other Councilors feel their neighborhoods or policy priorities have also been short-changed by the capital budget.
The $1.3 billion for BPS is getting its own hearing on Tuesday, May 21, at 10 AM which is focused exclusively on BPS’ long-term facilities plan, so BPI does not expect much discussion of that.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23, AT 2 PM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Office of Equity; Black Male Advancement; LGBTQ+ Advancement; Women’s Advancement
Where to find in the budget book:
Office of Equity is pages 286 to 293;
Black Male Advancement is pages 240 to 245;
LGBTQ+ Advancement is pages 268 to 273; and
Women’s Advancement is pages 304 to 309
Operating Budget Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Office of Equity - $3,273,350 in FY25 vs $2,557,172 in FY24;
Black Male Advancement - $1,832,277 in FY25 vs $1,804,455 in FY24;
LGBTQ+ Advancement - $777,718 in FY25 vs $732,539 in FY24;
Women’s Advancement - $740,188 in FY25 vs $682,084 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
Adding $1M to the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet’s budget to do:
“This investment will advance our reparations work, support healthy pregnancies, provide additional translation and interpretation services to residents accessing city services, support individuals who need gender affirming identity documents and launch an equity study to learn how we can continue to support our Black men and boys.”
What BPI is watching for:
These offices all deal with major issues facing City workers and residents on relatively small budgets. Identifying needs with investments like the equity study will provide goals that map out future spending and actions - that’s important as budgets tighten in coming years.
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, AT 10 AM IN THE IANNELLA CHAMBER
Boston Transportation Department; Public Works Department
Where to find in the budget book:
Boston Transportation Department is on pages 1089 to 1137;
Public Works Department is on pages 1037 to 1083
Operating Budget Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Boston Transportation Department - $44,617,385 in FY 25 vs $44,680,858 in FY24
Public Works Department - $118,029,199 in FY25 vs $116,504,109 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
There are two investments highlighted:
The letter touted a “trash containerization pilot plan,” but it did not have a dollar figure attached to it - check out the April 2 Council hearing where this program is discussed
$155M for road and sidewalk resurfacing and reconstruction
What BPI is watching for:
BTD and DPW are two of the most prominent and talked about departments. With a lot of recent public incidents and issues, including:
Street Safety after the death of a 4 year old in Fort Point when she was struck by a car;
Years-long fight with North End restaurant owners over patio dining that has roped in both departments;
The creation of an office of pest control, an issue that DPW is closely involved due to its involvement in trash collection - check out BPI’s Weekly Transcript Round-Up of that hearing; and
Multiple high profile transportation projects around Franklin Park, with a dedicated bus lane proposed on Blue Hill Ave after a similar effort by the Patrick Administration over a decade ago failed and a controversial renovation of White Stadium that includes no on-site parking - the Dorchester Reporter has followed both issues closely - read their stories about Blue Hill Ave bus plans and White Stadium transportation plan
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, AT 2 PM IN THE IANELLA CHAMBER
Immigrant Advancement; Language & Communications Access; Commission for Persons with Disabilities; Human Rights Commission; Fair Housing
Where to find in the budget book:
Immigrant Advancement is on pages 274 to 281
Language & Communications Access is on pages 294 to 299;
Commission for Persons with Disabilities is on pages 246 to 253;
Human Rights Commission is on pages 262 to 267;
Fair Housing is on pages 254 to 262
Operating Budget Numbers in FY25 and FY24:
Immigrant Advancement - $3,382,987 in FY25 vs $3,322,811 in FY24
Language & Communications Access - $2,155,146 in FY25 vs $1,997,187 in FY24;
Commission for Persons with Disabilities - $883,502 in FY25 vs $778,406 in FY24;
Human Rights Commission - $514,879 in FY25 vs $624,395 in FY24
Fair Housing - $459,026 in FY25 vs $485,277 in FY24
From the Mayor’s Letter:
LCA is getting a part of the $1mm highlighted for Tuesday’s hearing for the other offices and staff listed under Equity and Inclusion.
What BPI is watching for:
This set of offices have been featured in a number of recent City Council hearings:
The powers of the Human Rights Commission played a major role in the debate over Councilor Julia Meija’s amendment to the planning department ordinance during the Council’s hours-long hearing - read more from BPI on that debate
Fair Housing has been a major issue for Council President Ruthzee Louijeune. She has held a series of hearings on the topic, including two the last few weeks, one on a lawsuit that plaintiffs say is “the largest of its kind in Massachusetts” against landlords and real estate agents who the plaintiffs charge refused to rent to Section 8 recipients and another on how to create a ‘right to counsel’ for low-income tenants. Check out BPI’s AI-generated transcript feed for those hearings.
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!
Boston Policy Institute, Inc is working to improve the public conversation - help us by following BPI on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Twitter, and LinkedIn.