OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Boston City Council Regular Meeting – April 1, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, April 1, 2026
BodyBoston, Massachusetts
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, April 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:55:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

At this time I ask my colleagues and those in attendant in the audience to please silence their cell phones and their electronic devices, including myself.

0:14

Also pursuant to Rule 42.

0:16

I remind all in this chamber that no demand demonstration of approval or disapproval from members of the public will be permitted.

0:24

Thank you.

0:26

Mr.

0:26

Klerk, will you please call the role to ascertain the presence of a quorum?

0:31

And I will.

0:37

Councillor Kalerto Zapata.

0:39

Councillor Carl Pepper.

0:41

Councillor Durkin.

0:42

Council Fitzgerald.

0:45

Councillor Flynn.

0:47

Council Lugen.

0:49

Council Mejia.

0:50

Councilor Murphy.

0:52

Council of Penn.

0:53

Councillor Santana.

0:55

Councillor Weber.

0:57

And Councillor Wurrell.

0:59

A quorum is part of the President.

1:01

Thank you.

1:02

I've been informed by the clerk that a quorum is present.

1:06

Now it's my pleasure to introduce this.

1:08

I ask my colleague, Councillor Fitzgerald, to come forward and introduce this week's clergy.

1:13

Sister Jean.

1:17

And invite Sister Jean to join us as well up here.

1:21

And following the invocation, we will take uh recite this Pledge of Allegiance.

1:27

Thank you.

1:29

Thank you, Madam President.

1:31

Today we're honored to welcome Sister Jean Garbado of the Sisters of St.

1:35

Joseph of Boston, who will offer today's opening prayer.

1:38

Sister Jean Marie entered the Sisters of St.

1:40

Joseph of Boston in 1989 and made her final vows in 1995.

1:44

She holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College, licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Western Jesuit School of Theology and a doctorate of Sacred Theology from Boston College.

1:56

She currently serves as a part-time faculty in theology at BC's Woods College of Advancing Studies, where she teaches courses that encourage students to reflect on their life experiences through the lens of faith, ethics, and social responsibility.

2:09

Throughout her career, she has taught at a number of respected institutions, including Stonehill College, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, the College of the Holy Cross, and St.

2:18

John's Seminary.

2:19

She's devoted many years of her life working with Boston's youth, and I'll get to that in a moment.

2:24

And she was also worked for more than a decade as the youth advisor to Mayor Thomas Menino.

2:30

She's also written a book, A Holy Yet Sinful Church, Three Twentieth Century Moments and a Developing Theology.

2:35

I didn't know that, Sissa, which received recognition from the Association of Catholic Publishers for Excellence and Theological Publishing.

2:42

And her work is guided by a deep commitment to helping people connect faith with everyday life, encouraging reflection, conversation, and service to others.

2:50

Now, I just want to say on a personal accord, uh Sister Jean has been in my life since I was about seven years old, uh growing up in Jamaica Plain, going to St.

2:58

Thomas Aquinas Church on Center Street, uh, where there was no CYO.

3:03

Uh there was no community of faith around that church at the time.

3:07

And Sister Jean came in and completely turned the place around and had that place humming with all the children of the neighborhood, starting CYO basketball, starting our own CYO council, if you will, with presidents and vice presidents and all the like.

3:42

And so I was like, well, I'll go to Peru.

3:44

And uh, but what it turned out being was actually uh a place where we held uh a lot of orphans uh with aides, we had helped paint the hospital, we stayed at a maternity hospital because it was a place that really didn't have any hotels, it was not a place you visit.

3:59

And um I came back at 15 years old from that, and it really changed my life in saying, wow, how grateful I am for what I have and and it really sort of changed my whole lens to this day.

4:10

And so um she was also there when my father passed away.

4:14

She was the first person at the house to help take care of all of the things that happened with a funeral and pick out the psalms and the whole nine, and it's just such a huge relief in that moment, especially uh to have someone there to take care of that portion of your day while you're going through a trying time.

4:27

So uh she has always been there for me, and it's a great honor.

4:30

I don't know what she's gonna say uh at all.

4:34

Uh, but I am I am nervous and excited to please uh welcome Sister Jean-Marie Garbado.

4:40

Thank you.

4:46

I said to him, you invited me.

4:49

Be afraid, be very afraid.

4:52

Uh I'm actually very honored to be here among you.

4:55

Um I was born and brought up in the city of Boston.

4:58

The city means a great deal to me.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Safety█████████████13%
Arts And Culture████████8%
Youth Programs███████7%
Fair Housing██████6%
Immigration██████6%
Memorials█████5%
Public Education████4%
Public Health████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Boston City Council Regular Meeting – April 1, 2026

On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, the Boston City Council held a regular meeting at 12:12 PM in the Christopher Iannella Chamber, chaired by President Breadon. The meeting opened with an invocation by Sister Jean Marie Gribaudo and the Pledge of Allegiance. The council approved minutes from March 25, 2026, and addressed a wide range of items including grant acceptances, committee reports, collective bargaining agreements, new ordinances, hearings, resolutions, personnel appointments, and a consent calendar. The meeting adjourned at 3:07 PM.

Presentations

  • Councilor Worrell recognized the Holland Tech Boys Basketball team for winning the city championship for a second consecutive year. Coach Joe Chapman and players spoke about the team's hard work and the importance of public school athletics.
  • Councilor Louijeune recognized Ruth Rollins and the We Are Better Together Warren Daniel Hairston Project for their trauma-informed healing programs supporting families impacted by gun violence and incarceration. Rollins emphasized the need for caregiver support and systemic change.

Consent Calendar

The consent agenda consisted of 17 resolutions recognizing individuals and groups (dockets 0713–0729), including Adam Pinter, Edward McMahon, the Winship School Orchestra, Karen Coleman, Erik Grau and the Piano Craft Gallery, Beulah Fagan Providence, Luzmar Centeno, Zulhay Garcia, Demil Mahogany Ramirez Romero, Priscila Duran-Luciano, the Holland Tech Boys' Basketball team, Edna Humphrey, Elizabeth A. Rivers, Georges Alan Cavé, ZZ Ward, the We Are Better Together Warren Daniel Hairston Project, and a memorial for Paul B. McCarthy. Three additional late-filed memorials (dockets 0730–0732) were added without objection. All items were severally adopted.

Discussion Items

  • Grant Acceptances (0688, 0689): The council suspended rules and passed a $20,000 Local Food Policy Grant for the Office of Food Justice and a $13,735 Mass Commission for the Blind Grant for workforce development, both unanimously.
  • Reports Placed on File (0690, 0691): Communications from the Audit Committee (financial status) and the CFO (budget challenges) were placed on file without debate.
  • Committee Reports:
    • 0268 – Pension for Firefighter Leo J. Bracken: The Committee on Government Operations reported a new draft providing 100% disability pension via a special law. Councilor Coletta Zapata explained legal adjustments to ensure workability. Passed 12–0–1 (Councilor Mejia not present).
    • 0570 – Adams Elementary Window & Door Replacement: $20,200,000 appropriation (with expected $10.4 million MSBA reimbursement) including accessibility upgrades. Passed 13–0 on first reading, assigned for further action.
    • 0571 – School Window & Door Projects (Muniz, Mildred, Orchard Gardens): $1,100,000 for design costs. Passed 13–0 on first reading in a new draft, assigned for further action.
  • Matters Recently Heard (Hearings Status):
    • 0179 – Food Insecurity: Hearing held March 30; remains in Human Services.
    • 0270/0291 – Snow Removal/Snow Corps: Working session held March 30; remains in City Services.
    • 0374 – School Bus Delays/Special Ed Transportation: Hearing held March 31; remains in Education. Councilor Mejia noted a sharp increase in uncovered trips since December.
    • 0400 – Fire Department Grants: Hearing held; remains in Public Safety. Councilor Santana highlighted federal and state grants for training and cancer screening.
  • Collective Bargaining Agreements (0619, 0620): The council approved a $1,046,178 transfer from the Reserve for Collective Bargaining and a supplemental appropriation for BPS to fund a new contract with United Steelworkers 2936 (bus monitors). The contract (July 2025–June 2028) includes 2% annual base wage increases, a $1/hr flat increase in January 2026, and $0.70/hr for assigned monitors in January 2028. Councilor Louijeune noted the workforce is predominantly immigrants. Both passed 13–0.
  • New Ordinances and Hearing Orders:
    • 0692 – Pharmacy Stabilization and Access Fund: Councilor Culpepper introduced an ordinance to create a fund through BPHC to support independent and community pharmacies in underserved areas. Referred to Government Operations.
    • 0693 – Barriers to Gender-Affirming Healthcare: Hearing order referred to Public Health, Homelessness, and Recovery.
    • 0694 – BCYF Pools Conditions and Access: Hearing order referred to Human Services.
    • 0695 – Assessment of Fair Housing Implementation: Hearing order referred to Housing and Community Development.
    • 0696 – Boston Police Staffing Levels: Hearing order referred to Public Safety and Criminal Justice.
    • 0697 – Senior Exemption Income/Asset Limits (41D): Order to opt in to automatic CPI adjustments, referred to Ways and Means.
  • Section 17F Information Orders:
    • 0698 – BPS Student-Athlete Transfer Policies: Passed under suspension of rules.
    • 0699 – White Stadium Environmental/Transportation/Resiliency: Passed under suspension.
    • 0700 – White Stadium MWBE/Local Business/Workforce: Passed under suspension.
  • Resolutions Votes:
    • 0701 – Support for DHS Use of Force Transparency Act: Adopted 13–0.
    • 0702 – Demand ICE Not Staff Vacant TSA Positions at Logan: Adopted 12–1 (Councilor Flynn voted no).
    • 0703 – Declaring April 2, 2026 “Cardi B Day”: Adopted 13–0.
    • 0704 – Recognizing April as Fair Housing Month: Adopted 13–0.
    • 0705 – Urging Governor to Suspend Gas Tax: Failed 4–8–1 (Yes: Culpepper, Flynn, Murphy, Worrell; No: Breadon, Coletta Zapata, Durkan, FitzGerald, Louijeune, Pepén, Santana, Weber; Present: Mejia).
    • 0706 – Recognizing Senegal Independence and Flag Raising: Adopted 13–0.
    • 0707 – Renaming West Broadway Community Garden for Kimberly Parker: Adopted 13–0.
  • Personnel Orders (0708–0712): Temporary appointments for council staff passed under suspension of rules.
  • Late Files: Councilor Durkan objected to two late-filed matters, preventing their addition to the agenda.
  • Grant from Committee (0321): Port Security Grant of $140,426 for the Fire Department passed 13–0.

Key Outcomes

  • 13 unanimous votes on routine approvals (grants, collective bargaining, resolutions, personnel).
  • Docket 0268 passed 12–0–1.
  • Docket 0702 passed 12–1 (Flynn dissenting).
  • Docket 0705 failed 4–8–1.
  • Six hearing orders referred to respective committees.
  • Two 17F information orders passed.
  • Consent agenda adopted.
  • Meeting adjourned in memory of Teresa Basile, Paul B. McCarthy, Burton Cushing, Lori Williams Hubbard, Bessie Calliontzis, and Judith Gavin.

Meeting Transcript

At this time I ask my colleagues and those in attendant in the audience to please silence their cell phones and their electronic devices, including myself. Also pursuant to Rule 42. I remind all in this chamber that no demand demonstration of approval or disapproval from members of the public will be permitted. Thank you. Mr. Klerk, will you please call the role to ascertain the presence of a quorum? And I will. Councillor Kalerto Zapata. Councillor Carl Pepper. Councillor Durkin. Council Fitzgerald. Councillor Flynn. Council Lugen. Council Mejia. Councilor Murphy. Council of Penn. Councillor Santana. Councillor Weber. And Councillor Wurrell. A quorum is part of the President. Thank you. I've been informed by the clerk that a quorum is present. Now it's my pleasure to introduce this. I ask my colleague, Councillor Fitzgerald, to come forward and introduce this week's clergy. Sister Jean. And invite Sister Jean to join us as well up here. And following the invocation, we will take uh recite this Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Today we're honored to welcome Sister Jean Garbado of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, who will offer today's opening prayer. Sister Jean Marie entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston in 1989 and made her final vows in 1995. She holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College, licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Western Jesuit School of Theology and a doctorate of Sacred Theology from Boston College. She currently serves as a part-time faculty in theology at BC's Woods College of Advancing Studies, where she teaches courses that encourage students to reflect on their life experiences through the lens of faith, ethics, and social responsibility. Throughout her career, she has taught at a number of respected institutions, including Stonehill College, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, the College of the Holy Cross, and St. John's Seminary. She's devoted many years of her life working with Boston's youth, and I'll get to that in a moment. And she was also worked for more than a decade as the youth advisor to Mayor Thomas Menino. She's also written a book, A Holy Yet Sinful Church, Three Twentieth Century Moments and a Developing Theology. I didn't know that, Sissa, which received recognition from the Association of Catholic Publishers for Excellence and Theological Publishing. And her work is guided by a deep commitment to helping people connect faith with everyday life, encouraging reflection, conversation, and service to others. Now, I just want to say on a personal accord, uh Sister Jean has been in my life since I was about seven years old, uh growing up in Jamaica Plain, going to St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Center Street, uh, where there was no CYO. Uh there was no community of faith around that church at the time. And Sister Jean came in and completely turned the place around and had that place humming with all the children of the neighborhood, starting CYO basketball, starting our own CYO council, if you will, with presidents and vice presidents and all the like. And so I was like, well, I'll go to Peru. And uh, but what it turned out being was actually uh a place where we held uh a lot of orphans uh with aides, we had helped paint the hospital, we stayed at a maternity hospital because it was a place that really didn't have any hotels, it was not a place you visit. And um I came back at 15 years old from that, and it really changed my life in saying, wow, how grateful I am for what I have and and it really sort of changed my whole lens to this day. And so um she was also there when my father passed away.

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