On April 10, 2026, the Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations, chaired by Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, held a hearing on Docket 0163, a home rule petition for a special law authorizing a real estate transfer fee and expanded senior property tax relief. The hearing began at 10:18 AM and included opening remarks from council members, testimony from housing and aging officials, and extensive public comment. The petition would allow the city to impose a fee of up to 2% on the value of real estate transactions above $2 million, with exemptions for family transfers and affordable housing. The estimated revenue over the past four years would have been $180 million. The fee would fund affordable housing programs and increase the 41C senior property tax exemption.
Good morning. Uh, thank you all so much for being here for the record. My name is Gabriela Caladez Apata, District One City Councillor, and I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations. Today is April 10th, 2026, and the exact time is ten eighteen. This hearing is being recorded, and it's also being live streamed at Boston.gov forward slash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel 8, RCN Channel 82, Files Channel 964. Written comments may be sent to the committee email at ccc.go at Boston.gov and will be made a part of the record and available to all counselors. Public testimony will be taken in the middle of this hearing, and at the end. Individuals will be called on in the order in which they signed up, and we'll have two minutes to testify. If you're interested in testifying in person, please add your name to the sign-up sheet near the entrance of the chamber. And if you're looking to testify virtually, please email our central staff liaison, Michelle Goldberg at M I C H E L L E. At Boston.gov in your for the link and your name will be added to the list. Today's hearing is on Docket Zero One Six Three Petition for a Special Law regarding an act relative to a real estate transfer fee and senior property tax relief. This matter was sponsored by counselors Henry Santana, Rutsi Louis Jeanne, and Chair Durkin, and referred to the committee on January twenty-eighth of this year. Today I'm joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Rootsy Louis Jeanne, Councillor Liz Braden, Councillor Henry Santana, and Councillor Flynn. I'll now pass it before we go to the panel. I'll pass it to my colleagues for any opening remarks they may have, starting with the lead sponsor, Councillor Santana. Good morning. Um, and thank you, Counselor Colorado Sapata, for working alongside um me and my colleagues to make this hearing a reality. Uh, I want to thank Councillor Du Jan and Counselor Durkin for um joining me as co-sponsors, and thank you for our panel for spending this Friday morning with us discussing discussing this very important topic. Our city is in a housing emergency. Without intervention, these communities are at risk for displacement. This is this displacement tears at the fabric of our communities, and it's everyone's responsibility to guard against these harms. That's where our city can and should step in to fund property relief for our seniors and to keep communities together. We must tap into currently untaxed high-value property transfers. Wealth is increasingly being concentrated in an ever decreasing amount of individuals and companies. These individuals and companies need to pay their fair share, and that's the at the core of this policy. It's about fairness. It's about addressing gaps and inequalities and how we collect fees, and it's about being able to decide as being able to decide as a city how we take on and take care of our seniors and residents. These taxes are modest fees, and they're tailored to exclusively target the most high-value property transfers in our city. By exempting the first two million dollars of a properties purchase price, we ensure that our working class and middle class families won't be burdened. Through their tailored specific taxes, they have real impact by reducing financial burdens, we support our seniors and respect a right to Asian place. In short, by imposing transfers fees, we're asking the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share to support our most at-risk communities, the same communities this wealth is extracted from. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Councillor Santana. Councillor Louis Jen. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I want to thank the lead sponsor, Councillor Santana, for his work. I want to thank community for being here. Um this transfer fee is so needed in this moment. This is our third time on the Boston City Council hearing this matter. Um when I heard it the first time uh when we were under the Biden administration, and we were we still had ARPA money, it was something that we needed. Uh now under an administration that has been really challenging our ability to provide for our most vulnerable residents, we need it all the more. And given the financial situation and the challenges that we have here, the city level, we need to be thinking about for all of the reasons mentioned, uh alternative forms of revenue to do the work of providing ho housing and opportunity for our most marginalized, our most vulnerable residents. With this transfer fee, we're talking about uh something that could generate anywhere from 50 million to upwards of a hundred million dollars a year to help us do the work of uh ensuring housing as a basic right for all of our residents. So I think all of the folks who are here today for your advocacy. I know that so many projects could benefit from the support of this money. Overall, we're talking about um uh a transfer fee that would affect less than 10% of the housing portfolio here in our city. Uh, we've heard so many times from so many of our advocates and members of community from our seniors about how this would be important to them. The senior exemption that is part of this is also important under 41C. So we are really hoping that we can partner and work and collaborate with our State House partners. And once this passes the Boston City Council, as it has in the past, to make sure that we make housing a reality for all.