Good afternoon, everyone.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I call to order today's meeting of the Boston City Council.

Viewers can watch the council meeting live on YouTube at Boston.gov backslash city dash council dash TV.

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

Also pursuant to Rule Forty-Two.

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

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, could you please uh take the roll call to ascertain the presence of a quorum?

Councillor Braden.

Here.

Counselor Collera Zapata.

Councilor Carl Pepper.

Councillor Dukin.

Councillor Fitzgerald.

Councilor Flynn.

Council Louis Jeanne.

Councillor Mehia.

Councillor Murphy.

Councillor Papin.

Councillor Santana.

Councillor Webber.

Counselor Rorell.

We have a quorum.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk.

I'm now asked Councillor Weber to come up and introduce today's clergy.

Following our invocation, we'll also recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

He's a tireless advocate for interfaith dialogue and human humanitarian causes, working to bridge gaps between communities and foster a spirit of unity across Boston.

It's always an honor and a privilege to be here with you with the council.

One of the most exciting places in the city of Boston.

And I say that even though I serve as chaplain for the police and fire as well.

Mentioned the longevity.

So let us pray.

Dear Lord, we gather today, as always, in sacred service to the people of Boston.

Diverse in background, but united in hope.

May this chamber continue to be guided by wisdom, integrity, and a deep commitment to the common good.

For every decision, as we know made here, touches individual lives, individual families, and neighborhoods across our city.

May we listen with open minds, deliberate and speak with clarity and compassion, and act with courage and fairness.

Dear Lord, grant us patience in moments of disagreement, humility in moments of certainty, and resolve in moments that call for leadership.

That our work reflect both policy and humanity, strengthening the fabric of our city.

In your name, O Lord, we ask this.

May this be God's will, and let us say Amen.

Under God and the result of liberty and borrow.

Thank you, Rabbi Korf.

We have two uh presentations today.

Consular Weber is recognizing Jack Folk and the winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon on Grand Marshal of the 2026 um Boston Marathon.

And then that's followed by Consular Murphy recognizing 911 call center operators.

So we'll start uh with Councillor Weber.

You've got five minutes, and then we'll follow with Consular Murphy.

Bring up Mr.

Foltz.

Okay.

And I'm back.

Okay.

Uh so yeah.

Um the Kentucky Derby, uh, the one with the horses, is called the Run for the Roses.

Fifty years ago in 1976, with temperatures hovering near 100 degrees in Boston.

We held a Boston Marathon for the ages called the Run for the Hoses.

Uh, and the winner of that race is standing up here with me, Jack Foltz.

Um the Boston Marathon was Jack's last chance at running a qualifying time for the 1976 Olympic trials.

Due to the extremely high temperatures, that was going to be a challenge.

But Jack thought if he could hang on with the leaders long enough, he might finish in the top ten and get his qualifying time.

Uh that was this was a different era of running.

People didn't run much for exercise.

Jim Fixes, the complete book of running, which helped Usher in the running boom wouldn't come out until 1977.

Uh, there were no support teams, marathon runners just grabbed what they were offered along the route.

Uh, due to the extreme conditions, it was the hottest Boston marathon ever.

Race organizers went out and told spectators to hose down the runners.

Jack took advantage of what was being offered, grabbing water and oranges from spectators and God knows what else, uh, and going through the hoses as um and as he entered the Heartbreak Hills, he started passing the leaders on his way to a victory.

That is the stuff of legend.

His winning time was two hours and 20 minutes.

And I think 19 seconds is that uh those aren't important.

But um uh Jack got his qualifying time, but probably left too much on the Boston course.

He quickly knew at the at the Olympic trials he didn't have the legs to make it to a 76 team that included the 72 Olympic winner, uh Marathon winner Frank Shorter and another Boston icon, Bill Rogers.

Um the story of Jack's victory in April 1976 still resounds today.

Also, um uh just uh I'd like to also recognize the winner of the women's race that day, Kim Merritt.

Um, but so Jack did not stop with that win in 1976.

He went on to coach and work as an advisor for the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge team, which since 1990 has raised over 140 million dollars for cancer research.

The goal for this year is to raise nearly 9 million dollars.

Uh he also coached uh a certain city counselor from District 6 who's standing behind me, or uh Matt O'Malley.

Um Jack is the only person uh most likely uh who has both finished first and last in the Boston Marathon.

Later in his career, he took the opportunity to run the course with race director D uh Dave uh Milkilvray, who would run after all the runners.

Uh Jack ran with him, and then right before the finish line, took a step back, and so he could finish actually last that year.

Um and in honor of his uh momentous run 50 years ago, Jack has been named the Grand Marshal of this year's marathon.

Uh I left my garden hose at home, uh, but it is an honor to welcome uh uh Jack Fultz uh to the city council today.

I have a resolution signed by all of the city counselors that we'd like to present to you.

Uh and I uh I'm up here with Councilor O'Malley, uh the district six counselor emeritus.

I don't know if you want to say a few words.

Uh I will just leave you with this.

Jack uh uh gave me a bracelet he gives to his runners, which each have uh sort of different piece of advice.

Mine, which I'm going to use in in my my life uh is uh don't feel too if you don't feel too slow, then you're going too fast.

So uh I will I will use that from now on.

Um Mr.

O'Malley, Counselor O'Malley.

Uh, would you like to say a few words?

Thank you, Counselor Weber, and uh good afternoon uh friends, colleagues, city councillors.

It is wonderful to be back in this chamber with so many friends uh who mean so much to me and meant so much to me for more than a quarter of my life when I had the honor to sit where Councilor McHea and Councilor Santana.

I moved around a lot, I was here for a while.

Um I am delighted to be with all of you.

It was ten years ago this very month that the council began honoring Boston Marathon legends uh at the meeting before the marathon, which of course will be Monday.

And uh we've had such luminaries as the uh Dick and Rick Hoyt, as Joan Benoit Samuelson, Des Linden, the winner of the 2018 race, uh Meb came in one time to hear us, and we began by recognizing Jack Foltz, because there is no one on this planet who encapsulates the spirit of the Boston Marathon as this year's grand marshal.

Uh and Madam President, Jack actually spent the night in Alston before he won, so I think he's the last Alstonian to uh win the Boston Marathon as well.

Um absolutely.

And it's obviously a solemn day today.

It is April 15th, it is one Boston Day.

I know all of us are thinking uh and praying and reflecting on particularly the lives lost, Martin and Crystal and Ling Z and Sean and DJ.

Um it was the hard one of the hardest days in Boston's history, it was certainly the hardest day in the marathon's history.

Um, but it underscored the resiliency of spirit that this city has.

And that's such a great indicator of what the race means to so many of us and what Jack Fultz has done.

His work with the Dana Farber Marathon team is nothing short of remarkable.

And there are several members here.

Uh I see Chris and Sarah Freeman and my dad, George O'Malley, who is uh alone raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to find a cure for cancer.

Um Jack is the heart and soul of the team, uh S O L E.

Uh, the other soul of the team, the SOUL, is the incomparable Jan Ross, Jack's partner who has done been such a uh driving force behind it as well.

Um we will find a cure for cancer because of the efforts of these athletes and because of the leadership of Jack Foltz and Jan and so many others.

So to be with all of you to celebrate this incredible man is just astounding.

And I'll leave you with this.

You've been very generous letting this old gray mare go on and on uh to talk.

But you know, the thing that Jack, Jack is famous for expressions, you leave the hay in the barn.

I mean, you could write a book about some of his folksy but really profound sayings, and one he's talked about that always resonated with me, both as a marathon and as a former counselor, is that running is such a great team sport.

And it doesn't seem that way.

You're running by yourself, you're running against your own time, your better time.

Um, but it's the crowds along the way, it's your fellow runners, it's the people who support you that get you across the finish line.

Um I think the same can be said for this this body.

You know, you're all individually elected.

There's some overlap, obviously, but working together and continuing to be that team is what makes this body in the city as strong and as good as it is.

So I'm delighted to be with each and every one of you.

Thank you, Counselor Weber, for hosting us, and I'd now have the honor of introducing the man of the hour.

Uh, your 2026 uh Boston Marathon Grand Marshal and the winner of the Run for the Roses 50 years ago this week, Jack Foltz.

Okay, the mic is mine.

So thank you, Councillor Weber, for that, and is it ex-counselor or former counselor O'Malley, known to me as Matt, a good friend.

Of course, he ran on our Dana Farber team five, six years ago, raised a lot of money, as he mentioned.

His father has as well 15 years, his dad running, both running in memory of Matt's sister, uh, who lost her battle to cancer having been treated at Dana Farber.

And uh so this one's for them as well, and uh and certainly back to Boston one uh day, um, uh remembering all that happened there and where we have been able to go from there.

So I have many other people to thank as well, certainly the Boston Athletic Association, of which I've been affiliated with in a multitude of ways, working for them, been a member of them, and um and running the race as many times as I had.

Um but today is just an absolutely tremendous honor.

I don't really have the words to express how how um flattered and and honored I am to uh receive this commendation and thank my friend Matt again for precipitating a lot of this stuff, if I may.

Um, the Boston City, and thank you also for all the city councillors who have signed this this declaration.

Um the Boston City Council has been very good to me over the years.

Um Matt mentioned when I came up here in 76 and um I stayed in Alston at a friend's, she was a student at Boston University, they were away in spring break.

It was hot, student uh apartments didn't have air conditioning, I had the windows up two o'clock in the morning, they're still partying on the streets of Alston.

I don't know how I was able to get any sleep and come back and and run the race as well as I did.

But when I came back the next year to uh defend my title, I stayed with another friend who lived right up over the hill here on Mount Vernon Street, top of Beacon Hill.

Showed up Saturday Friday night, parked my car, went in, we were partying whatever.

I got up Saturday morning to come out and go for a little run, my car was gone.

But oh my god, my car's been stolen.

Well, I you know, certainly called the police department and they reported the whole thing and finally found out.

No, it had been towed.

You were illegally parked.

Unbeknownst to me, I really thought I was legally parked.

So anyway, tracked it all down.

I called and called the the city department and found out they found out where it was, yes, it's been towed, you're gonna have a fine.

And I said, how much is the is the storage fee each day?

And I think they said it's three dollars a day.

I said, that's the cheapest parking in Boston.

I'll see you next week after the race.

And sure enough, I just left it there.

I and so the next day or the day after the marathon, I'd say I'd better go get my car.

So um the mayor was Kevin White at the time.

Um he preceded uh Councillor Flynn's father, uh Ray Flynn is our mayor.

And uh so Mayor White kindly sent an emissary to go down to the uh storage depot with me, get my car out of st out of tow, and didn't charge me a penny.

So thank you again, uh Boston uh City Council and the City of Boston.

But again, I'm just absolutely honored and and flattered to uh to be recognized for this.

Uh the whole Grand Marshal.

I was um honored with the same position 20 years ago for my 30th anniversary.

So I've had 20 years to kind of work on the wave.

We're hoping it doesn't rain so we get a chance to put the roof down and do that on Monday morning and and uh get to get to the finish line a little bit before all the runners.

But again, thank you all very, very much for the any of you who are running the race.

I know some of you are, have a very good race on Monday.

And uh, and again, the the bracelet was if you don't feel like you're going too slow, you're going too fast.

Now, specifically that pertains to the Boston Marathoners that I coach because everybody goes out too fast.

But it really does have universal application as well.

We all like to go into the projects of life and boom go zooming on on in, and then all of a sudden reality tends to hit us and slow us down.

So it's all about proper pacing, and no matter what endeavors we may we may take on.

So again, thank you all very, very much.

Um wonderful to be here and hope to see you all again.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

I think if teammates want to come up uh from Dana Farber for the answer.

Please, Chris, Sarah.

Jan.

There she comes.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Jan President.

Can everybody get in?

Can we see all the things?

Okay, there everybody see.

Great.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you again very much.

Enjoy the day.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Thanks, Bell PostgreSQL.

Thank you for the issues.

Thank you.

That's a possibility.

Thank you.

Oh, this is in the video, yes.

Okay, colleagues.

Uh I'll now invite uh Constantin Murphy to come forward for her presentation.

Council Murphy has a presentation recognizing Boston 911 call center operators.

If you folks would like to come forward, that would be great.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you.

So every year in the second full week of April, we recognize National Public Safety Telecommunications Week to honor the personnel in the public safety community.

And as we like to refer to them as our 911 call dispatchers and our EMS call takers, and we know the FIRE have their call takers also.

The 911 dispatches and call takers in Boston provide calm professional and life-saving support during emergency and non-emergency situations.

And anyone who has ever needed to call 911, you know it's probably the most stressful time in your life.

And I'm just so glad.

Thank you.

Chris, you brought in, I think you referred to them as your superstars.

We have Kaylee and also Alani, who's training, so thank you, Alani, for taking on this new career path.

It's important that we continue to support our dispatchers and support you know the work they do.

These highly trained professionals, including those represented by the SEIU local 888 and our Boston EMS call takers and dispatchers, serve as the first point of contact and coordinate police, fire, and EMS response.

Public safety to mount telecommunicators are often our unsung heroes who manage high stress situations and increasing call volumes to protect our Boston residents.

So we're just honored to call you in.

I think every year we should recognize you.

I know Councillor Flynn has a few words to say also, but we're just happy to support all you do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I also want to say thank you to the incredible job these men and women do every day, protecting the residents of our city, supporting the residents of our city and our visitors.

Honored to be here.

I want to say thank you to Councillor Murphy for bringing forward this National Public Safety Telecommunications Week proclamation to these unsung heroes of Boston.

Thank you, Council Murphy.

And I do just want to add one thing.

It ties into the Boston Marathon as um I'd say the busiest weekend coming in Boston.

You're probably going to be extra busy, so thank you ahead of time for that.

So would you like to say a few words?

I'd just like to thank the council, members of the council for recognizing the uh telecommunicators of the city of Boston.

Um they are unsung heroes.

I've I've had the pleasure of leading the um operations division of the police department for the last 13 years.

And uh they truly do great work up there.

Um the civilian employees and uh they they are uh the unsung heroes of the city of Boston.

Um I didn't uh also recognize our counterparts at Boston EMS uh who work alongside us and also the fire alarm operators over at Boston Fire as well, work just as hard.

So thank you very much.

Appreciate it.

Just want to say thank you, City Council, for this recognition.

Thank you for your continued support.

Uh I just want to say uh thank you on behalf of Boston EMS uh for your recognition.

Thank you for that.

You do as well from Boston EMS, and um to the men and women that work at Boston EMS in dispatch operations.

And to the men and women that work at Boston EMS and dispatch operations, I just want to say thank you for your service.

Thank you for that you do every single day, day in, day out, and be in one Boston Day.

This is especially meaningful as we have many people that are working in dispatch operations as we speak that have that have worked on that day as well.

So again, thank you.

Just ask our colleague Stigma for a photograph.

Oh, anyone else to speak?

No, it's good.

Okay.

I'll ask my colleague Sigma for a photograph.

Yes.

And we're going to have a quick photograph with the lunch and learn folks.

Mayor folks are here as well.

So take care.

So this morning.

Are they here?

I'd like to take a moment to invite the Massachusetts Immigration and Refuge Immigration and Refugee Coalition, Mira, to join us at the front for a photograph.

As they're only able to be here briefly.

They provided an a really incredible lunch and learn session just before this meeting at the invitation of Councillor Weber.

And just a reminder, this is just for a photo only, and we won't be taking any remarks at this time.

So thank you.

Very good.

Thank you.

Oh, yeah, because I think that you know that's the first one.

Oh my gosh.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, would you please amend the attendance to reflect the Councillor's Coletta Zapata?

Councillor Pepin, Councillor Santana, and Councillor Warrell.

Louis Jeanne and Councillor have joined us.

Thank you.

Now on to the first order of business, which is the approval of the minutes from the meeting of April 8th, 2026.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed say nay.

The ayes have it.

The minutes of April 8th meeting are approved.

We are now on to communications from Her Honor the Mayor.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0792?

Doctor 0792.

Message and order authorizing the City of Boston, acting through its mayor's Office of Housing to apply for and to accept and expand the federal physical year 2025 Continuum of Care Grant Fund from the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development in an amount not to exceed 50 million dollars.

These funds will be used to support program and provide services and housing to persons experiencing homelessness.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Docket 0792 would be referred to the Committee on Housing and Community Development.

Madam Clerk, can you please read Docket 0793 through Zocket 0795?

Dr.

0793, method and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of $50,000 in the form of a grant.

FY26 Airmark for four corners awarded by the mass executive of Office of Public Safety and Security to be administered by the police department.

The grant would fund support of police overtime and visible patrols in the Upams Corner, Bowdoin Street, Geneva Ave, Grove Hall, Washington Street, Four Corners, Old Road, Blue Hill, Columbia, in the Dorchester and Roxbury section of the City of Boston.

Message and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of $50,000 in the form of a grant, FY26 AMAP for Area A District, awarded by Mass Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to be administered by the police department.

The grant would fund the purchase of ADA complaint barriers with the Area A District.

Docket 0795.

Message and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of $45,080 and 39 cents in the form of a grant.

The FY26, municipal road safety grant awarded by the United States Department of Transportation, passed through the Mass Executive Office Office of Public Safety and Security to be administered by the police department.

The grant would fund high visibility traffic enforcement of motor vehicles laws, including but not limited to speeding and aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving and occupant protection, as well as traffic safety equipment.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Santana.

Councillor Santana, the Chair of Public Safety and Criminal Justice, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

Monday we have a hearing on the Boston Police Department grants are currently in committee.

An upcoming including these three dockets during the heating, we heard from Deputy Superintendent Sean Martin, Assistant Bureau Chief of Bureau of Fuel Services, Superintendent Lenita Culane, Bureau Chief with the Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis.

We also received a letter of absence from Councillor Pepin.

At the hearing, we learned that the Boston Police Department of Office of Research and Development manages roughly 28 million in active grants at any given time and writes about 13 million in new or renewed applications annually.

The first docket uh the clerk read docket 0793 through 0794.

So we're starting with docket 0793 and you would like to suspend and pass.

I would like to suspend and pass these grants.

Sorry, I thought I was at um matters recently heard.

So I will I would like to suspend and pass these um grants.

Um Madam President.

Okay.

So Councillor Santana, Chair of this public chair of public safety and criminal justice, seeks to suspension of the rules and adoption of docket 0793.

All in favour, please say aye.

Thank you.

Um there's another docket 0794.

Um I understand uh councillor uh Caleta Zapata, did you wish to speak on that issue?

That was in a district one, but if you had an if you had a if you wanted to speak to that, I would allow you.

Um, thank you so much, Madam President.

I was just gonna rise to support that because it's in A1 has to do with ADA accessibility um barriers, I believe.

So I just wanted to rise and support my colleague and bring this forth.

So that was all.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Thank you.

Councillor Santana seeks suspension of the rules and adoption of docket 0794.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

The ayes have it.

Docket zero four nort has been adopted.

Councillor Santana seeks suspension of the rules and adoption of Docket 0795.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

The ayes have it.

Docket 0795 has been adopted.

Thank you, Councillor Santana.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0796 through Docket 0800?

Docket 0796.

Message in order for the confirmation of the reappointment of David Samson as an alternative member of the Back Bay Architectural District Commission for a term expiring December 31st, 2030.

Docket 0797.

Message and order for the confirmation of the reappointment of Robert Weintrap as a member of the Back Bay Architectural District Commission for a term expiring on December 31st, 2029.

Docket 0798, message and order for the confirmation of the reappointment of David Dixon as a member of the Boston Landmarks Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2028.

Docket 0799, message and order for the confirmation of the reappointment of Kristen Hoffman as an alternative member of the Boston Landmarks Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2026.

Docket 0800 message in order for the confirmation of the reappointment of Kristen Hoffman as a member of the Ford Point Channel Landmarks District Commission for a term expiring on June 30, 2026.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Docket 0796 through Docket 0800 will be referred to the Committee on Planning Development and Transportation.

We're now on to reports of public officers and others.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 08101 through 8006?

Docket 0801.

Notice was received from the mayor of the appointment of Danny Bess, Darlene Lombos, Arin Travasso, Greg Janey, Haleen Chernow, Jill Reynolds, Joanne, Joan Phillips, Kenzie Bach, Kevin Churchwell, Kristen Driscoll, Michelle Archolos, Michael Firestone, Ronnie Dugan, Sasha Stanhard, Sharon Scott Chandler, Estua Really McNaught, and Tony Tita as the Boston Private Industry Council, Boston's Mass Higher Workforce Board effected April 6, 2026.

Docket 0802.

Notice was received from the mayor of her absence from the city from Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 9 a.m.

will turn in Sunday, April 5th, 2026 at 5 p.m.

Docket 0803.

Notice was received from the City Clerk in accordance with Chapter 6 of the ordinances of 1979 regarding action taken by the mayor on papers acted upon by the City Council in its meeting of March 4th, 2026.

Docket 0804.

Communication was received from the City of Boston.

Connect individuals to treatment and recovery programs.

Docket 0805.

Communication was received from Councillor Murphy and Flynn clarifying their request for an independent performance audit of the city operations.

Docket 0806.

Communication was received from Councillor Finn regarding outgoing APA funds to non-profits and small businesses in the city of Boston.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Docket 0801 through 0806 will be placed on file.

We are now on to reports of committees.

Madam Clerk, could you would you please read Docket 0163?

Docket 0163.

The Committee on Government Operation to which was referred on January 28, 2026, Docket 0163, petition for a special law and act relative to real estate transfer fees and senior property tax relief.

Submit a report recommended that the that the home rule petition ought to pass.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Chair recognizes Councillor Collat as a part of the Chair of Government Operations.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

As chair of the Committee on Government Operations, I rise to present the committee report in recommending that it ought to pass for Docket 0163, a home rule petition relative to the real estate transfer fees and senior property tax relief.

Boston is facing a housing emergency driven by rising cost, constrained supply, and outdated tools that no longer meet the moment.

This petition does two things.

It creates a targeted locally controlled revenue stream for affordable housing and it expands long overdue tax relief for our seniors.

First, on the transfer fee.

This policy is tightly calibrated and narrowly defined.

It exempts the first two million of any transaction, meaning that it does not touch the vast majority of homeowners in our city.

It is explicitly designed to apply only to high-value, often speculative transactions where significant project profit margins already exist.

And this is a substantial change following negotiations from the State House.

This is not a broad-based tax.

It is a targeted tool that captures value at the point of sale when liquidity when liquidity is the highest and redirects it into the production and preservation of housing that our residents can actually afford.

Analysis presented to the committee showed that this could have generated approximately 180 million dollars over four years.

Revenue that we currently do not have at a time when federal resources like HUD and ARPA are declining and development revenues are slowing.

Second, this is an up to 2% authorization, not a mandate.

It requires local acceptance by ordinance, preserving council oversight and flexibility.

It allows us to calibrate the policy responsibly over time and directly responds to prior concerns raised at the State House about rigidity and overreach.

This bill also builds long-term safeguards.

The two million exemption can be adjusted every five years based on market conditions, ensuring the policy remains targeted and does not creep into the middle market.

And importantly, it allows the city to define exemptions and eligibility through ordinance so we can protect family transfers, support affordable housing development, and respond to changing conditions without having to return to the legislature each time.

All funds are directed to the neighborhood housing trust, a proven and disciplined vehicle that already supports housing creation and preservation.

And finally, the senior relief component.

This is an essential part of this homework petition.

The proposal increases the base exemption from 500 to 1,500, ties eligibility to 50% of the area median income, and raises outdated asset limits.

Today, two-thirds of single seniors in Boston cannot meet basic living costs.

And so this is a direct data-driven intervention to help residents age in place with dignity.

This is an all-above approach, which I think we should all get behind.

It pairs revenue generated with targeted relief.

It addresses both supply and stability and reflects years of iteration, including adjustments made specifically in response to state house feedback.

Other municipalities, I believe it's about 19 across the Commonwealth, are pursuing similar tools.

And so I appreciate the fact that the lead sponsor, uh Council of Santana and Root C Louis Gen had put this forward.

This needs to get up to the State House expeditiously so we can have a hearing on it before the legislative schedule wraps up in July.

And so for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote yes, and my recommendation is that it ought to pass.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Chair Collada Zapata.

The Chair recognizes Council Santana.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

And I want to thank Chair Councillor Councillor Calada Zapata for your diligent work on this important issue and understanding the urgency that this requires right now.

Boston's in the middle of a housing crisis, but we have a number of tools within our toolbox that we could use to address it.

One of these tools is a real estate transfer fee, which would allow for the city to fund affordable housing solutions following the transfer of high value properties.

The fund would be diverted to the programs with which will help our neighbors find affordable long-term and stable housing.

These programs are tailored to address the impacts our housing prices has on our most vulnerable populations, especially low-income families and our seniors.

They will help with senior property tax relief, housing acquisition, housing creation projects, and low-income renter stability and senior homeowner stability.

This way, those benefiting from the most high value property transfers will contribute to housing justice for our most vulnerable residents.

Through this fee, we can better address the housing crisis that impacts most of Boston, a city in which over 50% of renters are cost burdened by imposing a modest tax on the most high-value real estate transfers.

I hope my colleagues would join me in supporting this measure and have this home rule petition and pass this home rule petition today.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Santana.

The chair recognizes Councillor Lu Jen, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I want to thank the chair for moving this forward expeditiously.

I want to thank the lead sponsor, Councillor Santana.

I want to thank the councillors who've come before, including Councillor Edwards, now Senator Edwards, who's been continuing to push this issue, and former city councillor, former mayor Kim Janey.

The transfer fee is about us doing the work to support one of the greatest needs that we have in the city.

We all get calls every single day from people facing eviction, from people who need housing.

I cannot count the number of calls that I get from constituents from people who know me in my prior life as a housing attorney who our our residents need housing and they need housing that is affordable, and that means something different to a number of people.

The only way that we're able to provide the range of housing that is necessary from the very low income to the missing middle is if we have more revenue to do that.

The federal government, even before this administration came forward, abdicated its responsibility to house those who are very low income, so it often falls on us to do that.

We heard testimony from the Asian C from the Asian CDC, from East Boston CDC, from the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network, from uh Chinese Progressive Um Association, from so many others, about from Mass Senior Action Council, about the need for us to have more revenue.

This is a modest fee of 2% on homes valued at more than $2 million.

Originally, when this uh when this transfer fee was first proposed by council, then councillors Janie and Edwards, um it included the first two million dollars.

There's been discussion in the public realm about what is the right balance, what is the right amount so that you don't stifle growth so that we and at the same time do the work of affordable housing.

It is a balancing act, and there are trade-offs.

After those conversations happen, the first two million dollars of our property is now exempt under this order under under this home rule petition.

That means that if you have a home that is valued at 1.99 million dollars, um, no home in the neighborhoods that I live in on my street or the street next to it or the street after are valued at that amount.

But let's say you are in a home that is valued at 1.99 million, this wouldn't count.

If you are at a home that's valued at 2 million, it does not count.

If you are at a home, if you are in a home, if you're selling a home that is valued at 2.1 million dollars, it will only count for that point one because the first two million dollars you keep that is it is exempt from that.

So there will be a fee on that point one, and that is 100,000 of value, that's what that equals, and a 2% fee on that is $2,000 to go into a bucket that we desperately need to do the work of creating more housing in our city.

Um it is I think this is smart legislation.

When you go and you look and you go to policy forums around the country about what we can do to build more affordable housing, a transfer fee is always one of the top results.

This would only affect about 10% of transactions in the city of Boston.

So we're not talking about a super we're actually talking about a super minority of transactions that this would impact, and it doesn't impact anyone while they're living in the home.

It only happens at the time of the sale.

And I think that's incredible incredibly important.

It's only happening when there's extra wealth extraction happening, when there's money and transfer uh uh transfers happening, when money is changing hands.

So I just want to say that this is incredibly important.

I don't know how we are going to do the work that we have to do of building affordable housing if we don't have things like the transfer fee.

We heard that very clearly from residents here.

I heard it yesterday from members of the Chinese Progressive Association Association when we were in Austin Brighton, Bao Lin was thanking us for the work that we did on the transfer fee and also the senior tax exemption.

Mass, we have so many of our residents who are uh house rich and cash poor.

Many of them are members of uh the Mass Senior Action Council who came before this body several times to ask us to increase the senior tax exemption under 41C.

I hope that's the work that this body can do.

We are gonna do what we can via 41D, I which I introduced a few weeks ago, which will be something that the Boston City Council itself can do to uh make sure that the caps on 41C are adjusted for the cost of living to increase the eligibility amounts.

But this is something that we can do, and I hope that our state house partners are ready to partner with us on the transfer fee so that we can do the work of building affordable housing in our city.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Lugen.

This chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

You have the floor.

Thank you, madam chair.

During these challenging economic times, I think it's critical for us to demonstrate fiscal discipline, fiscal responsibility, transparency, accountability.

I do not support another tax, especially during these challenging economic times.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

And anyone else The Chair on the Committee on Government Operations seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of dock at 0163.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Madam Clerk, would you please take a roll call vote on dock at 0163?

We'll call vote on Docket 0163.

Councillor Braden.

Yes.

Council Braden, yes.

Council Coleta Zapata.

Councillor Coletta Zapata, yes.

Councillor Calpepa.

Yes.

Councillor Calpepa, yes.

Councilor Durkin.

Councillor Duken, yes.

Councillor Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes.

Councillor Flynn.

No.

Councillor Flynn, no.

Council Louis Gen.

Yes.

Council Louis Gen, yes.

Council Mehia.

Council Mehia, yes.

Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, no.

Council Peppin.

Yes.

Council Peppen, yes.

Councillor Santana.

Yes.

Council Santana, yes.

Council Webber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes.

Council Warrell.

Yes.

Council Warrell, yes.

11 in the affirmative.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Docket 0163 has passed.

Madam Clerk, would you please read Docket 0755?

Docket 0755.

The Committee on Government Operation to which was referred on April 8, 2026, Docket 0755.

Message and ordinance establishing a revolving fund for physical year 2027.

Persoon to Mass General Law, Chapter 44, Section 53E and a half to support the establishment and operation of bike share program with the City of Boston.

Submits a report recommended that the ordinance ought to pass.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

The chair recognizes Councillor Coletta Zapata, Chair of the Committee on Government Operations.

Thank you, Madam President.

I rise again today as the chair of this committee to present Docket 0755 and recommend that it ought to pass.

This is a very straightforward but important ordinance that allows the city of Boston to establish a bike share revolving fund for fiscal year 2027 pursuant to MGL Chapter 44, Section 53E and a half.

In simple terms, what it does is create a dedicated self-sustaining funding mechanism to support the ongoing operation and expansion of our bike share system.

Instead of relying on general fund dollars, this revolving fund captures the revenues the system already generates, user fees, sponsorships, and advertising, and reinvests those dollars directly back into the program.

That means for better maintenance, more stations, expanded access, and a stronger system overall without competing against any other city services in the annual budget process.

Revolving funds are a well-established financial tool that provide transparency and accountability.

The revenues are clearly defined and allowable expenditures are limited to the operation of the bike share program.

And the total spending is capped here at 1.4 million dollars for FY27 through the corresponding order.

It ensures that what the system earns is what the system uses.

And importantly, this supports our barter goals as a city.

Bike share is not just a transportation amenity, it is a climate tool, a congestion mitigation strategy, then a means of expanding affordable first and last mile connectivity for residents across Boston.

As we continue to invest in multimodal transportation and reduce barriers to access, having a stable funding structure in place is critical.

I'll note that this is a time-sensitive matter tied to the upcoming fiscal year.

Establishing this fund now ensures continuity of operations and positions the transportation department to effectively manage and grow the system starting July 1st.

For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Carata Zapata.

The Chair of the Committee on Government Operations seats seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of docket 0755.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed say nay.

Madam Clerk, would you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0755 Roll call vote on Docket 0755?

Councillor Braden.

Yes.

Council Braden, yes.

Councillor Coletta Zapata.

Yes.

Council Colera Zapata, yes.

Councillor Calpepa?

Yes.

Council Calpepa, yes.

Councilor Durcan.

Yes.

Council Duncan, yes.

Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes.

Council Flynn.

Council Flynn, no.

Councillor Louis Gen.

Yes.

Councillor Louis Gen, yes.

Councillor Mejia.

Council Mejia left.

Um, yes, Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes.

Council Peppin.

Yes.

Council Peppin, yes.

Councillor Santana.

Council Santana, yes.

Council Webber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes.

Council Worrell.

Yes.

Council Worrell, yes.

12 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Um Madam Clerk.

Docket 0755 has been passed.

We're now on to matters recently heard.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0218?

Docket 0218.

Order for hearing to review the effectiveness of the Boston residents' job policy and improving equity and employment standards on projects throughout the city.

Chair recognizes Councillor Warrell, the Chair of Committee on Labor and Economic Development.

Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

The Committee on Labor and Economic Development hosted a virtual hearing on Monday, April 13th at 10 a.m.

to review the effectiveness of the Boston Residence Job policy and improving equity and employment standards on projects throughout the city.

From the council, we are joined by Council President Braden, Councillors Murphy, Louie Jen, Weber, Santana, and Coletta Zapata.

From the administration, we're joined by Jordy uh Jody Sugarman, uh Deputy Chief of the Worker Empowerment Cabinet, along with Christopher Brown, our BRJP manager of the cabinet.

For the amendment the administration review the BRJP local hiring goals for public projects and private projects over 50,000 square feet, including targets of 51% for Boston residents, 40% for people of color, and 12% for women.

Between October 2025 and March 2026, 142 projects were monitored, totaling approximately 3.8 million work hours.

Of these, 90% of ours went to Boston residents, 42% to people of color, and 7% to women, indicating that Boston resident and women's participation remain below target.

Deputy Director Sugarman Brazen and BRJP manager Brown noted the city's limited enforcement authority, which primarily includes corrective action, meetings, and potential sanctions for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Councillors raised concerns about ongoing disparities, particularly for Boston residents and women, and emphasize that meeting benchmarks for people of color did not necessarily translate to access to quality jobs with living wages, benefits, and growth opportunities.

Disparities persist across trades with workers of colors, Boston residents, women, and especially women of color, disproportionately represented in lower paid roles.

Councillors also discussed the need to strengthen enforcement mechanisms so BRJP goals function as enforceable standards rather than as um aspirational targets.

Public testimony was provided by Wheezy Wals Wallstein, uh jobs co-director at Action for Equity, who highlighted that full BRJP BRJP compliance could result in 1,500 Boston residents gaining quality jobs, generating an estimated 436 million economic impact.

Testimony also raised concerns about non-union contracts engaging in low-wage, unsafe labor practices and recommended disaggregating BRJP data by union and non-union contractors to benefit to better identify gaps.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Docket 0218 will remain in committee.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0320?

Councillor Flynn, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I I just wanted to highlight to the to the chair that I was at this hearing.

Um I know my name wasn't mentioned, but I just wanted to um set the record straight.

I thought I said your name.

Sorry.

No.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you to correct the record.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0320, 0476, and 0756?

56 or 59.

Okay.

Message and order authorizing the city of Boston to accept and expend the amount of 57,500 in the form of a grant for the FY25 port security grant program awarded by the United States Department of Homeland Security to be administered by the police department.

The grant would fund the purchase of a new 31 feet life proof boat, the replacement of the engine on the 31 feet safe boat and the 38 feet safe boat.

And finally, the recoloring of the Kivak Patrol Boat and Ice Rescue Training.

Docket 0476.

Order for a series of hearing regarding all city of Boston grants administered by the Boston Police Department.

The docket 0759.

Message and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of 10,925,140 and seven cents in the form of a grant, FY26, counter on manned aircraft system grant program awarded by the United States Department of Homeland Security, passed through the MA Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to be administered by the police department.

The grant would fund increasing BPD ability to detect, identify, track, and monitor on manned aircraft systems within the city of Boston.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes the chair of public safety.

No, beg your pardon.

Councillor Santana, you have the floor.

Public safety and criminal justice.

Thank you, Madam President.

On Monday, we held a hearing on the Boston Police Department's grants that are recurring in committee and upcoming, including these three dockets.

We heard from Deputy Superintendent Sean Martin, Assistant Bureau Chief, Bureau of Fuel Services, Superintendent Lenita Culane, Bureau Chief with the Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis.

Ryan Walsh, who is the director of Bureau of Regional Intelligence Center, and Maria Cheavers, the director of the Office of Research and Development.

I was joined by my colleagues, Councillor Ed Flynn, Councillor Aaron Murphy, Councillor Roosey Dewey Gen, Councillor John Fitzgerald, Councillor Culpepper, and Councillor Ben Weber.

We also received a letter of absence from Councillor Pepin.

At the hearing, we learned that the Boston Police Department of Office and Research and Development manages a roughly 28 million in active grants at any given time and writes about 13 million dollars in new or renewed applications annually.

Docket number 0320 will provide funding for the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week, law enforcement unit responsible for patrolling 42 square miles of Boston Harbor.

The Port of Boston is home to Logan International Airport, Conley Cargo Terminal, Flynn Cruise Terminal, the Boston Fish Pier, the Charleston, the Charlestown Carport, the USC sector, Boston, the USS Constitution, and numerous hotels and venues where the public gather.

Protecting the citizens of Boston and the infrastructure of Boston Harbor is essential to the safety and economic well-being of the entire New England area.

Docket number 0759.

The Boston Police Department has received the C UAAS grant funding to develop a deployable system for detecting and mitigating unauthorized drones.

This will support major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, critical infrastructure protection, and emergency response.

The project includes upgrading the existing detection system, acquiring advanced sensors, and creating a mobile platform for real-time airspace monitoring.

It also covers personnel, overtime, and training costs.

And docket 0476 remaining committee.

Thank you, Madam President.

0476.

Okay.

Um Councillor Councillor Murphy, you have the floor.

Thank you.

Um thank you to the chair for holding this.

I know in the past I said it at the hearing, but we've done this or you've done it for the fire department, and we were able to go through a lot of the grants for the police at this hearing.

I did just want to highlight something that Deputy Superintendent Martin told us, which I'm happy to hear, especially coming into tall ships and all of the festivities in the summer that ramp up anyway across the city, but that we will be providing scuba training for all of our police and the marine unit going forward, and it's not going to um if you don't have it, you can still you know apply and get um called up to that unit, but we'll make sure that we're providing that training.

So that was something I was happy to hear.

And on the drone front, too.

A lot of good questions from our colleagues asked about that, but it was just an informative hearing and looking forward to passing this grant.

And just want to also thank that.

It was said if questions do come up over the next, you know, what, seven months, nine months, that we can still call them in or at least have conversations through the chair.

So thank you, Chair, for that.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

Councillor Flynn, I understand that you uh may have wished to speak on the previous batch of public safety uh dockets, and I um and I was um didn't see your light.

Would you wish to comment on this batch or then I'll come to Councillor Vigen?

Thank you, madam chair, and thank you for that courtesy.

Want to say thank you to Councillor Santana for an informative hearing.

He had the right people there.

Thank you to my colleagues asking good questions.

It was a good feedback back and forth, and I think the I'm I'm supporting all of these um dockets, and it's important for us to provide the uh public safety professionals with the tools that they need to do their job to keep us safe to keep visitors safe as well.

And uh again, I just want to say thank you to Council Santana for a well-done meeting.

Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Thank you, Council Flynn.

The chair recognizes Councillor Le Vigen, you have the floor.

Thank you, um Madam President.

I want to start by acknowledging um and thanking the BPD for the work that they do, um, especially as we ensure that we are as safe as possible during these large events that are going to happen.

FIFA World Cup, uh side note for those who are interested in uh planning out events and community grants just came out yesterday to help community put out grants uh to put on events for the FIFA World Cup.

We have the FIFA World Cup, Tall Ships America 250, have my 250 Bunker Hill Cup here, mug here, and other major events ahead.

Um and so I think it's important that we are proactive as possible in getting money from the federal government for um public safety.

The drone grant is nearly an 11 million dollar grant, and it's a significant public investment.

It's the first time that we have ever as a city applied for this funding, and we've only received limited, and I did I want to thank um IGR, we did get redacted information, but it was very heavily redacted yesterday based on the grant application and it's and the implementation plan.

We still don't know exactly what is to be purchased.

We know that it's not drones, that it's drone detection at the amount of eleven million dollars, but there's still close to 11 million dollars, but there's still a lot of um of information that we don't know.

Information from the BRIC, uh Ryan Walsh from the BRIC was here, referenced substantial new detection, tracking, mitigation, and counter-drone capabilities, but there wasn't a lot of specificity.

So I hope that the administration and the BBD will fully comply with the surveillance oversight ordinance before any of this technologies is deployed, including submission of any required surveillance impact reports and request for authorization as required pursuant to the ordinance.

We have enough time so as not to rely on the exigent circumstances provision of the ordinance, which we know last year uh there was an issue with a relying on that exit and circumcircumstances provision.

So I hope that we are proactive and that the BPD and the administration is proactive in and in giving this uh council information rather than uh uh relying on a clause that is only for when we're not able to plan ahead.

Um, I also hope that BPD and the administration return prepared uh during upcoming budget season to provide a detailed public accounting of what is to be purchased, what these systems will do, how they'll be used and what safeguards will govern them, and what long-term financial obligations this acquisition creates because this is a one-time grant, and so we need to know uh in order to support this work going forward, uh, because it the the lifespan is somewhere but they said about three years after that it's after that money is gone.

Will it then be part of the operating budget for us to maintain this new um uh data system?

So um I just wanted to put that up there because there's still a lot of unknowns.

Uh preparing for major events is important, and it should, but it shouldn't come at the expense of public oversight.

Uh it is a balancing act, and I want to thank the chair.

It was uh it was a hearing that you allowed me to go three or four rounds of questioning, and I really appreciate that because I did have a lot of questions regarding this technology because any time you are um using substantial amounts of public funds to engage in activity that is um shrouded in uh secrecy.

We just have a responsibility of oversight here on this body.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um thank you.

Uh docket zero four seven six will remain remain in committee.

The chair of the committee on public safety and criminal justice seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of dockets 0320 and 0756, and we'll take a vote on each of those uh dockets one at a time.

Yes, and five nine.

Oh beg your pardon.

Zero seven five nine.

There's another docket called zero five nine five.

So um excellent.

So uh we'll start off with docket zero seven zero three two zero.

The chair on the committee on public safety seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of docket zero three two zero.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Madam Clerk, would you please take a roll call vote on docket zero three two zero?

Roll call vote on docket zero three two zero.

Councillor Braden.

Yes, Council Breedon, yes, Councillor Calera Zapata, yes, Councillor Caletas Apata, yes, Councillor Calpepa.

Counselor Dirken.

Council Dirken, yes.

Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Councillor Fitzcheryl, yes.

Council Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes.

Council Louis Gen.

Yes.

Councillor Louis Gen, yes.

Council Mehia.

Council Mehia, yes.

Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes.

Council Pepin.

Papan, yes.

Councillor Santana.

Yes.

Council Santana, yes.

Councillor Weber.

Yes.

Councilor Weber, yes.

Council Verrell.

Yes.

Council Verrell, yes.

13 votes in the formative.

Thank you.

Docket 0320 has passed.

The Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of Docket 0759.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed say nay.

Madam Clerk, would you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0759?

Roll call vote on Docket 0759.

Council Braden.

Yes.

Council Braden, yes.

Councillor Coletta Zapata.

Council Coletta Zapata, yes, Councillor Cal Pepper.

Council Cal Pepper, yes.

Councilor Doken.

Council Doken, yes, Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Councillor Fitzgerald, yes.

Councilor Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes.

Council Louis Jen.

Yes.

Council Mejia.

Council Mehia present.

Council Murphy.

Yes.

Council Murphy, yes.

Council Pepin.

Councillor Pepin, yes.

Council Santana.

Yes.

Council Santana, yes.

Council Rural.

Councillor Warel, yes.

Council.

Councilor Weber.

Council Webber, yes.

Twelve vote and affirmative one present.

Thank you.

Docket 0759 has passed.

Madam Clerk, would you please read Dockets 0733 through 0740?

Docket 0733 to Docket 0735.

Order for the FY27 operating budget, including annual appropriations for department operations for the school department and for other post-employment benefits.

Docket 0736 to Docket 0737.

Order for capital funds transfer appropriations.

Docket 0738 through Docket 0740.

Order for the Capital Budget including loan orders and lease purchase agreements.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, the chair recognizes the chair of the Committee on Wales and Means.

Councillor Weber, you have the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

Yesterday we kicked off formally the budget season with a couple hearings on the operating budget and the capital budget.

Yesterday morning we held hearings on Docket numbers 0736 to 0740 to review the operating budget for FY27.

I'd like to thank my colleagues who are in attendance, Councillor Flynn, Madam President Braden, Councillors Culpepper, Fitzgerald, Papin, Santana, Durkin, Louis Jen, and Murphy.

The committee also received a letter of absence from Councillor Coletta Zapata.

We were joined at that hearing by uh CFO Ashley Graffenberger and the uh OBM director, Jim Williamson.

Uh we were provided with an overview of the proposed operating budget of 4.9 billion dollars, uh which uh reflects a 2.1% uh growth over last year, which is the lowest rate of growth since 2010.

Uh the reason for that is the city uh we were told is that the city is navigating a uh tight fiscal environment where health care uh uh cost increases do eat up most of the increases in the budget uh resulting in some really tough choices, but you know, unlike other cities, the proposed budget uh you know achieves uh roughly a balance of providing city services without relying on a prop two and a half override uh or um a uh uh dip into our reserves, uh which might uh impact our bond rating, make it more difficult to borrow money in the future.

Uh just like to point out a couple things.

Uh we heard how uh health care insurance costs are expected to increase by 97 million dollars, and that is after some savings have been achieved uh recent negotiations uh with uh the unions.

Uh and we've also uh are going to achieve some savings by extending the payments on um sort of scheduled payments for for pensions and for uh capital budget borrowing.

We're gonna pay off slightly less of that in the first five years.

Um, and this will create some savings in the budget.

And we also heard how we are focused on or the budget focuses on core city services.

While there's over a $20 million reduction in all departmental budgets, it's designed to protect the quote unquote bread and butter of city services, which is to you know make sure our libraries or BCYF centers are funded, or recruiting classes for police fire and EMS are funded.

And you know, but at the same time that the the what is being cut are programs.

That's why we talked about large cuts to offices like the Office of Immigrant Advancement and the Office of Blackmail Advancement, you know, offices that provide grants are seeing large cuts, and those are really important programs.

And I'm sure we'll be talking about you know uh what it means uh to our residents to have grant programs being cut uh while at the same time knowing that those are being cut to preserve uh city jobs.

So, you know, uh it's uh overall sort of the the theme is a belt tightening uh budget that seeks to preserve city services and our triple A bond rating.

I look forward to diving deeper uh into specific departmental numbers uh during our hearings.

In fact, we have two hearings of BPS the next couple days uh and and many more hearings the next few weeks.

Uh we'll be looking uh uh to ensure that the city uh you know continues to operate and provide for our residents under what looks like a tight framework.

We also talked about revenue uh estimates and how those are conservatively uh estimated for for various reasons, and I'm sure we can talk more about that later on.

So, as the chair of the committee on ways and means, I recommend that dockets uh 733 through 735 stay in committee.

Just briefly address uh the other dockets that we uh that were read into the record, um 736 to 740, which dealt with the capital plan.

We had a hearing yesterday afternoon.

Uh I'd like to thank my colleagues, Councillor Flynn, Madam President Braden, Counselors Copeper, Fitzgerald, Pepin, Santana Durk, and Louie Jen and Murphy.

The council, the committee also received a letter of absence from Councillor Coletta Zapata.

Um we are uh we were joined by uh several members of the administration, including CFO Groffenberger, OBM Director Williamson, Chief of Operations Dion Irish, Interim Chief of Streets, Nick Gove, Chief Climate Officer Brian Sweat, Senior Deputy Superintendent of Operations for BPS, Dr.

Sam Depina, Deputy Director of Capital for Capital Ian Donnelly, and Interim Parks Commissioner Kathy Baker Eclipse.

We are presented with a capital budget of 4.4 billion dollars for fiscal years 2027 to 2031, uh covering 329 projects across the city.

Uh a few takeaways that uh we have generally to maintain our triple A bond rating.

We set a goal of only uh of limiting borrowing to seven percent of the operating budget each year, whereas in prior years we were farther away from that, around five percent.

The last few years were as our as our operating budget you know does not go up by a lot, we are borrowing much closer to the seven percent limit.

Uh so we're trying to uh figure out how we can uh do uh more for less on that uh capital budget.

Um thing we've done is to is is where we used to try to pay off 35 to 40 percent of uh capital uh borrowing within the first five years.

We now have uh trying to pay off 30 percent of that over the first five years, and by extending the payment, we're not expecting to see savings next year, but but uh maybe in the budget in a couple years, although I will add we were also told that over the long term that will cost money.

Anyone who's paid off a mortgage over a longer period of time knows that it does, you know, you're you're paying interest and uh it doesn't save you money in the long run.

Uh using our capital budget spending, we're focused on uh you know, state of good repair, 1.4 billion dollars we were told is dedicated to the uh to streets uh and uh you know to for repair of roads, sidewalks uh and bridges, uh data-driven uh uh school investments.

We are told how the city is utilizing the facilities condition assessment to make apples to apples comparisons across all municipal buildings, which is intended to ensure that capital dollars for BPS are spent where the money is needed.

Um I just want to thank everyone who participated in those hearings.

I look forward to uh uh uh a thorough uh budget season, and it says the chair of the committee on ways and means I recommend that these dockets remain in committee also.

Thank you.

Uh thank you, dock at 0733 through 0740 will remain in committee.

Um Madam Clerk, could you read please read Doc and 0763?

Docket 0763.

Message and order for your approval, an order authorizing the City of Boston to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

MSBA is statement of interest for Melvin H.

King South End Academy located at 90 Warren Ave in the South End of Boston.

The statement of interest describes and explains the differences and the priority categorizing for which the city of Boston may be invited to apply to the MSBA in the future.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Weber, the Chair of Ways and Means.

You have the floor.

Okay, and I'm back.

So thank you, Madam President.

This morning we held a hearing in the Committee on Ways and Means on Docket Number 0763 to review a statement of interest that the city would like to submit for the uh Mel King South End Academy to be considered for MS MSBA funding.

I'd like to thank my colleagues who are in attendance, counselors uh uh Flynn, Murphy, and Louis Jen uh and Kurish Machon and and Ethan from Central Staff for their assistance uh in helping us uh uh carry out the hearing.

I'd also like to acknowledge the committee received a letter of absence from Councillor Pepin.

The MSBA's grant program is a non-entitlement competitive program.

Submitting a statement of interest is a critical first step in the MSBA's program for school building construction addition or renovation or or repair grants.

It allows districts to inform the MSBA of deficiencies that may exist in a local school facility and how these deficiencies inhibit the delivery of the district's educational program.

During today's hearing, we heard from BPS Chief of Capital Planning, uh Deliver and Stanislaus, Public Facility Senior Project Manager, Brian McLaughlin, Assistant Director of Project Controls and Compliance, Anita Tavarez, and the uh oh, I'm sorry, uh yeah, um, and uh Heather Trockey, Assistant Director in the Office of Specialized Services for Boston Public Schools.

Um we heard about the intention of the city to submit a statement of interest for a new core project for the Mel King Academy in order to advance repairs for a full state-of-the-art therapeutic school.

The school committee will be presented with a statement of interest tonight.

Um in order for this application to move forward, uh, they need to submit the application by uh Friday, so that is why we held a hearing.

Uh we heard we this was submitted to us last week.

We had a hearing this morning, and I'm seeking acceptance of the committee report passage of this docket today so we can get this application process started.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Councillor Culler Pepper.

You have the floor.

Madam President, I 100% support this letter of interest.

I met with the school superintendent some time ago.

We talked about the challenges that the Melbourne H.

King School, the South End Academy was having.

She told me this was coming up, and so I'm excited to see that we're gonna get it in by Friday.

I'm excited to see the council uh ways and means chair bring it forward in such an expeditious way.

And when we look at where the Mel King South End Academy is now, we look at some of the needs, and we've been working with the needs incrementally.

This is the big step forward in bringing the Melbourne H.

King School to where it needs to be to service these young folks.

Thank you, Madam Chair, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper.

The chair recognizes Councillor Flynn, you have the floor.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and um I stand because the Mel King Academy is in my in my end district two, I should say, and I know it's um also just outside of the border of Council Fitzgerald and in Reverend Culpepper as well, so all three of us know this school very well.

I also wanted to highlight about a month ago myself and Council Mejia went on a meeting with some parents concerned about the services at the school, but this the parents are really advocating for more services and support for the students at the Mel King School, which we which which we agreed, and we're trying to do the best we can to support our students there.

They they need it.

I believe this school is struggling right now, and even though we go through this process of asking the mass school building authority uh for more for funding so eventually they could build a new school.

We also have to recognize that we have challenges at this school, but we can't give up on the students.

50% of them are African American.

About 30% of them are Spanish.

And we have to ensure that every every child, every student has the opportunity to get a good education, and that we don't give up on any students for any reason.

And we need to ensure that this budget, especially the BPS budget, reflects the services that these see that these students need and deserve so that they can live a healthy and happy life.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

The Chair of the Committee of the Committee on Ways and Main seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of Docket 0763.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0763?

Roll call vote on Docket 0763.

Councillor Braden.

Yes.

Council Breedon, yes.

Councillor Coletta Zapata.

Counselor Coletta Zapata, yes, Councillor Calpepper.

Yes.

Councillor Calpepa, yes, Councillor Doken.

Councillor Doken, yes, Councillor Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes, Councillor Flynn.

Yes.

Councillor Flynn, yes.

Councilor Louis Chen.

Yes.

Councillor Louishan, yes, Council Mejia.

Councilor Mehia, yes.

Councilor Murphy.

Councilor Murphy, yes, Councillor Peppin.

Councillor Peppen, yes, Councillor Santana.

Yes.

Councillor Santana, yes.

Councilor Weber.

Yes.

Councillor Webber, yes.

Council Rural?

Yes.

Council Web Raleigh, yes.

13 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Zocket 0763 has passed.

We're now on to motions, orders, and resolutions.

A reminder that under Rule 39, remarks on new matters not up for a vote today should be limited to three minutes for the lead sponsor and two minutes for the co-sponsors.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0807?

Docket 0807.

Council Rural offered a following ordinance to address private ways potholes.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Council Rail.

Counselor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'd like to add Councillor Murphy as a regional co-sponsor.

Councillor Murphy still added.

Thank you, Madam President.

I am of belief that all of our streets should be public roads because private ways are a relic of the past.

And the reality is the people living on those streets right now aren't the ones who requested or made that decision to make their road a private way.

In many cases, that choice was made generations ago.

Yet today's homeowners are the ones that are left carrying the financial burden.

What this ordinance does is straightforward.

Right now, under city code, uh the city can step in to fill uh fill potholes on private ways, but it limits those repairs to temporary materials like dirt, gravel, or cinder.

Uh meanwhile, on public roads, we use asphalt.

This ordinance says if the city is going to fill potholes on private ways, then they should do it the same way that they do on public streets is with asphalt.

Uh, this ordinance not acts is not about asking the city to do everything.

It's about asking the city to do the minimum when it comes to safety, accessibility, and fairness for residents who pay the same amount as taxes or same rate as taxes as everyone else.

Uh that is not too much axe.

Um, I think it's a reasonable ask.

Um again, it's not fixing the whole street, uh, just making sure that we get asphalt in those craters and those potholes that are on these private ways.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Council Raoul, for adding me.

I have um gotten a flat tire in one of these potholes in West Roxbury um off the parkway, and we really need to have a bigger conversation.

So thank you, Council, for even bringing up if we should even continue to have private ways.

I do think the conversation needs to start there, and then make sure that going forward we're having decisions not just about potholes being filled, but also trash pickup and snow removal.

I know as an at-large city councilor when I'm at events across the city that people do come up and talk to me if they're living on these streets and they're struggling for these basic city services, and they're they're not understanding why.

So I think it's a good idea to have the conversation specific to the potholes, but also a bigger conversation going forward in this body.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Cloth Pepper, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Mejia, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, and please add the chair.

Thank you.

Docket 0807 will be referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

Yeah, I think I got it.

You got it?

Yeah.

Council.

So thank you.

Zero and zero seven, we refer to the Committee on Government Operations.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docker 0808?

Document 0808.

Councillor Culpepper offer the following ordinance and establishing a minority business enterprise procurement readiness pilot program.

Chair recognizes Councillor Culpepper.

Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to add a substitute file, document number 0808.

I'd like to add Councilor Mejia as a second original co-sponsor.

And I'd like to request suspension of the rules and add Council Will as a third original co-sponsor.

So Council Mahia as a second is so added.

And the third one.

Councilor Willwell.

Councillor Warell.

And seeing and hearing no objections, Council Warrell is a third.

Thank you, Madam President.

I want to start by acknowledging that this work is grounded in community.

This idea came directly out of conversations with the District 7 White Stadium Task Force, where we had real no objections.

Pardon me, uh Councillor Culpepper.

You wanted to substitute from the docket that was originally found.

Yes.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

You may continue.

Thank you, Madam President.

I want to start by acknowledging that this work is grounded in community.

This idea came directly out of conversations with the District 7 White Stadium Task Force, where we had real and honest discussions about how we can create more opportunities for black and brown contractors to participate in large-scale public and private projects here in Boston.

I also want to thank Aaron Wright, who is here today.

He's the chairperson of the White Stadium White District 7 White Stadium Task Force and who has worked tirelessly in helping to draft this pilot program.

His leadership has been immeasurable in helping to bring this ordinance to the council today.

At its core, this ordinance is about equity.

But it's also about opportunity and accountability.

They require us to look at who is getting contracts, who is building in our neighborhoods, who is being left out of those opportunities.

This ordinance is a step in that direction.

It recognizes that for too long, Madam President, and my colleagues, black and brown contractors have faced structural barriers to accessing major projects, whether it's access to capital, bonding requirements, or simply not being in included in procurement pipelines.

If we are serious, if we are truly serious about equity, we have to be equally serious about removing those barriers and impediments, creating clear pathways for participation.

And just like we think about how our public spaces reflect our values, we should also think about how our public investments reflect those same values.

Who benefits from the work we fund?

Who is at the table?

And are we creating systems that are inclusive by design, not just an intention?

This ordinance, Madam President, moves us toward a more equitable contracting environment, one that expands opportunity and strengthens our local economy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councillor Culpepper, the chair recognizes Council Mejia.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, and I want to thank Councillor Culpepper for adding me as an original co-sponsor on this ordinance, and I'm proud to stand alongside him as we continue to do this work.

This builds upon many conversations that we've had with small businesses and minority-owned businesses across Boston who continue to show up, stay ready, and are asking for opportunities to complete, to compete and to grow.

And we're um years out of the uh disparity study, and while we're hearing commitments, such as the vision for 50% MWBE participation in projects like White Stadium, we're still hearing from businesses that those dollars are not consistently reaching them.

I'm looking forward to continuing this work with you and our colleagues and to making sure that our processes are aligned with the outcomes we say that we want to see.

And I just want to note for the record that you know, oftentimes, you know, when we have an opportunity to really move the work of equity forward, it's opportunities like this that really help us do just that.

Um I understand that the city is in a crisis in so many ways, and I think that if we are really serious about the reckoning that we are all grappling with, this is an opportunity for us to not just you know develop this initiative and and get this ordinance passed through the legislative process in a timely fashion, um, but to also see it um in fruition in terms of implementation.

I think that we often have a problem here on the council is that sometimes we have these big ideas and they get passed, and sometimes when it comes to the implementation, that's what we fall short.

I'm hoping through the working sessions as we continue to navigate this process that we can put some real um guardrails in terms of what success is going to look like, how we're going to measure that success, and what accountability is going to look like when we're not hitting the mark.

So looking forward to doing that work alongside my colleagues.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jim recognizes Councillor Warrell.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you to Council Cole Pepper and Council Mejia for their leadership around equity and contracting and also small businesses.

Um I think creating a program like this one proposed here is the intentional uh strategies that we need to make sure that we're reducing barriers and providing resources and support uh for our small businesses to uh gain major contracts, uh whether it's reducing the barrier to obtain a bond or insurance uh or just build up the capacity.

Uh, these are the types of programs that we need for our small businesses.

So look forward to this conversation and to looking forward to designing this program.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Raleigh.

Uh, would anyone like to add their name?

Um, councillor um Durkin, Council Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Louis, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Peppin, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, Constable Warrell, and please add the chair.

Thank you.

Dock at 0808 will be referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

Madam Clerk, could you please read doc at 0809?

Dock at 0809.

Councillors Durkin and Santana offer the following order for a text amendment to the Boston zoning code with respect to pack and minimums for residential development.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Councillor Darkin.

Thank you so much.

And uh thank you, Council President.

I'd like to add you as a third co-sponsor.

Thank you for your support.

Seeing and here hearing no objections, uh, I'm so added.

Thank you.

This morning, Councillor Santana and I are introducing a zoning tax amendment to eliminate parking minimums for off-street parking requirements for new residential development citywide.

This reform has the potential to lower housing costs and accelerate housing production.

If your packet seemed a little heavy today, there's a 35-page amendment here, which touches the base code and every neighborhood article.

As we enter the budget cycle with slowing revenue growth and projected deficit, we know that our property tax base remains the city's largest and most stable source of funding.

At the same time, time and time again over the last several years, this body has convened to ask ask ourselves what we can do for the most pressing challenge of the day, the high cost of housing.

In this economic environment, we know it is harder than ever to build.

Housing production is at historic lows, costs are rising, and residents are being priced out of the city.

We know we need to do everything we can to increase affordability and expand the housing pipeline.

The proposal I'm introducing today is a culmination of over a year's worth of work.

I have filed a hearing order last January.

In December, we held a hearing in the Planning Development and Transportation Committee where we heard from the housing and zoning experts about the effectiveness of these reforms to lower costs and increase housing production.

This tax amendment eliminates cost like parking mandates from our zoning code.

These requirements did not always exist.

These rules were established in the 1950s out of the falls, thinking that parking would reduce congestion.

Instead, they made it harder to build housing and force developers to build more parking than we actually need.

According to the MAPC, shows that there's a report that shows that over one-third of all parking in Boston sits empty overnight.

Meanwhile, these mandates increase construction costs, making it harder for developers to get the projects off the ground, especially smaller projects.

The cost doesn't stay with the developers.

It's passed to tenants' runs, regardless of whether they own a car or not.

Let me be clear.

Developers will be able to build parking based on the needs of each project rather than the outdated rules of the zoning code.

Cities across the country and the Commonwealth have shown us that this policy works.

Boston eliminated parking minimums for affordable housing in 2021, thanks to my predecessor, Kenzie Bach.

Cambridge did this citywide in 2022, Somerville in 2024, and cities like Austin, which doesn't even have a subway.

Seattle, Minneapolis, Buffalo have enacted similar reforms.

At this financial moment, we must use every tool available to support development and make our city more affordable for Boston residents.

This reform is a common sense, immediate step we can take to lower housing costs, support housing production, and build a stronger, more sustainable city.

I said this back in December, and I'll say it again.

The real question is whether we actually have the political leadership to get this done.

The facts are on our side.

Thank you, Councillor Durkin.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Santana.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I want to thank Councillor Durkin for your leadership on this and on many other fronts on housing fronts.

To truly address housing affordability, we need to use every tool available to us and move away from policies that make it more expensive to build and live in our city.

The zoning amendment is a step in that in the right direction.

As Councillor Duncan mentioned very clearly, eliminating parking minimums doesn't mean eliminating parking.

It just means not having specific amount of parking requirement for new development.

We've already ended that requirement for some affordable housing developments, and it's time to expand that to other new residential developments.

Medium rents are now over $3,000 a month.

More than half of Boston mentors are cost burdened, and yet our current zoning code requires parking minimums, adding cost and ending projects before they even get a chance to begin.

This amendment removes that barrier.

I am proud to be a co-sponsor on this amendment to address our city's housing housing needs.

And I look forward to working with my council colleagues, the administration, and the plan department to see it through.

Thank you.

And again, thank you, Councillor Dirken, for your leadership.

Thank you, Councillor Santana.

And thank you, Councillor Dirken, for adding me as a third co-sponsor.

In Austin Brighton, we've been on this journey with development over the last 10 years, which is functionally eliminated parking minimums with huge projects being approved with little or no parking in some cases.

This has given developers flexibility to build what the neighborhood neighborhood needs and wants.

And it's really imperative that it's a way to decrease the cost per unit of housing.

In order to add uh housing like one unit per one parking space per unit, it costs about 75,000 to 100,000 per parking space to build a below grade parking unit parking space.

So this inevitably is added on to the cost of the housing and makes it more and more difficult for developers to make the numbers work.

In some cases, we've worked with developers to uh reduce parking requirements and to really make the uh the project more possible uh and making it make it more viable as a project.

So I really look forward to the process and uh the discussion as we uh move this um this or this ordinance forward.

So thank you so much, and uh I appreciate your partnership on this.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Louis Gen.

Councillor Pepe and Councillor Weber, and I'm already on.

Thank you.

Uh thank you.

The doc at zero eight zero nine would be referred to the Committee on Planning Development and Transportation.

Madam Clerk, could you please read doc at 0810?

Dock at 0810.

Councillor Calera Sapata offer the falling.

Order for hearing to discuss workforce pipeline opportunities between the Wenfwood Institute of Technology and the City of Boston Inspectional Services Department.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Caleta Zapata.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I rise to introduce this hearing order focused on building a stronger workforce pipeline between the city and Wentworth Institute of Technology, specifically into ISD.

Boston is home to world-class institutions that are already training the next generation of architects, engineers, and construction managers.

Wentworth, right in our backyard, is producing graduates with the exact technical foundation that we need for critical roles like plans examiners.

These are very um, these are the very professionals responsible for reviewing projects, ensuring code compliance, and quite frankly, determining how quickly housing and development can move forward in our city.

But here's the challenge.

Too often we are losing this talent.

We're watching graduates trained here, ready to contribute, leave public service pathways and go directly into the private construction industry.

I don't blame them.

They probably make more money there.

And while that industry is important, the reality is that we're left with vacancies and key municipal roles that slow down permitting, delay housing production, and strain our existing workforce.

So this hearing is about being intentional.

How do we build a direct structured pathway from classroom to city service?

This can mean internships, co-ops, apprenticeships, and even curriculum alignment that prepares students not just for the private sector, but for public sector careers.

It also means having an honest conversation about barriers, whether it's civil service requirements, compensation, or lack of awareness about these career paths in the first place.

This isn't just a workforce issue, it's a capacity issue.

Incapacity and ISD directly impacts our ability to build housing, support economic development, and deliver for our residents.

We already have the talent, and the question is whether or not we have the systems in place to capture it.

And so this hearing is a first step into answering that question thoughtfully and collaboratively with our academic partners, the administration, and with a clear goal to invest in a pipeline that keeps Boston's talent working for Boston.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Coleda Zapata.

Anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkin, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Mejia, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Centana, Councillor Weber, Councillor Borrell, and please add the Chair.

Dock at 0810 will be referred to the Committee on Labor and Economic Development.

Madam Clerk, could you please read docket 0811?

Docket 0811.

Councillor Murphy and Flynn offered a falling order for hearing to review animal control enforcement, leash law, compliance, dog licensing, and public safety in the city of Boston.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Murphy.

You have the floor.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

So we're filing this order, the City of Boston through the Boston Animal Care and Control and Applicable Municipal and State Laws maintains clear regulations governing dog ownership, including leash requirements, licensing mandates, and public safety protections.

The Boston law requires that dogs be kept on a leash and under control when off an owner's property.

It prohibits dogs from running at large and mandates that all dogs over six months of age be licensed annually with proof of rabies vaccination.

And I do know I don't know the exact percentage, but I think less than 10% of our dogs citywide are licensed, so I think it's an important conversation to have.

Additional laws require dog owners to properly dispose of animal waste and comply with state regulations related to humane treatment, including restrictions on tethering and provisions governing dangerous and aggressive dogs.

Despite the existence of these clear and established laws, residents across the city continue to report concerns regarding off-leash dogs, unlicensed animals, and inconsistent compliances in public spaces.

Numerous constituent complaints submitted through the city's 311 system directly to animal control and through calls and emails to my office and I bet many other offices highlight an ongoing challenge related to enforcement, response times, and clarity around jurisdiction and responsibility.

These concerns have also been raised through direct in-person conversations with residents across neighborhoods, including both the dog owners and those without dogs, reflecting a shared concern about safety, accountability, and quality of life in public spaces.

There remains public confusion regarding appropriate responses to dangerous dog incidents and the legal standards governing intervention, including recent high-profile regional cases that have raised concerns about the use of force and safety protocols.

Ensuring that animal control laws are not only well written but also consistently enforced, clearly communicated and adequately supported by staffing and resources is essential to maintaining safe and respected shared public spaces.

So I'm looking forward to this hearing.

I do just want to highlight also it happens to be National Animal Control Week.

So later in the agenda, we are going to be recognizing the Boston Animal Control and Care and the great work done by Alexis and her team.

But I think it's important that we have this conversation, that we're able to clearly communicate to residents.

I have two dogs, I am out with them often, and am not even myself able to answer consistently what expectations are, and depending on which park you're in, or if you know different paths that people take their dogs.

So I think it's an important conversation to have.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Murphy.

The chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Councillor Murphy, for adding me as an original co-sponsor.

Last week I had a call with a neighbor in South Boston.

He's a BC High student named Awley.

And he was asking me and advocating for more enforcement when it came to leash laws, and also about how we are able to do a better job of dog owners cleaning up after their after their dog.

Reviewing leash law compliance in Boston is critical to ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, pets, and visitors in shared public spaces.

Consistent enforcement helps prevent injuries, reduces conflict, supports responsible pet ownership, while also reinforcing public confidence that existing laws are applied fairly and effectively across all neighborhoods.

Years ago, we had a meeting at Metal Havana Park in South Boston on this issue because a four-year-old girl was bit by a dog.

We continue to have issues.

While a mass put dog park is just across the street.

We all have our dogs.

We owe it to the residents of our city to enforce the law to be responsible and to do our best to provide a safe and healthy environment for all.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Merc.

Councillor Flynn.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Mejia, Councillor Pepin, Councillor Santana, Council Weber, Councillor Warrell, please add the chair.

Docket 0811 will be referred to the Committee on City Services.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0812?

Docket 081 to Councillor Flynn and Murphy offered a following order for a hearing to discuss Boston alleged noncompliance and lack of transparency in the use of federal funds.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The City of Boston received $560 million in federal funding for pandemic recovery, which was fully committed by the end of 2024.

It must be expended by the end of 2026.

In May 2025, it was reported that a particular Boston Main Street program allegedly misspent APA funds.

There is concern that this incident may or may not be isolated, and that additional instances of possible fraud may have taken place, or maybe the city of Boston asked particular grantees to send back money.

On March 4th, 2026, the City Council passed Docket 0491 requesting certain information.

The council received a response from the administration on April 2026.

However, when asked whether the City of Boston communicated with any organization that received these grants to return the funds back to the city, the limited response stated, we are unable to comment on that on this at that time.

That obviously did not address whether the city requested the return of APA funds from any organization.

It does not matter if it's 30 million dollars or three dollars.

It's taxpayer money.

It is critical to determine whether the city of Boston has identified similar cases and whether it has communicating with any with any organizations regarding the returning return of APA funds.

In January, I wrote a letter to Boston's former Chief of Economic and Inclusion Office seeking information relating to the misappropriation of federal funds, as well as whether the city communicated with any organization that received these funds.

Ultimately, these questions were unanswered until this docket 0495 0491 was filed.

I also wrote a follow-up letter to the current Chief of Economic and Inclusion on Monday.

In my opinion, it is critical that Boston is in compliance with city, state, and federal guidelines, regulations.

We must demonstrate fiscal discipline, transparency, and accountability, especially when we're spending taxpayer money.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Counselor Flynn, the chair recognizes Council Murphy.

You have the floor.

Thank you.

Um I think it's always a good idea, especially when a once-in-a-lifetime infusion of $560 million came through the city, and I was here on the council when we allocated and sent all that money back out to many nonprofits.

I think it's time now to really take a hard look at not only how the money was spent, was it effective, and also if any money was spent inappropriately.

I do want to highlight that yes, we have heard and know that there was one main street program that did use the money inappropriately.

It doesn't in any way mean that other that that puts any bad light on any of the other great main streets across the city.

But when we're talking about this may not be isolated, we're not just addressing the Boston Main Streets, we're addressing the hundreds, every single organization, nonprofit, company that received any federal funding.

We want to take a look.

I think it is absolutely our responsibility to um check on that, make sure the money was spent appropriately, and if not, what actions we need to take going forward.

So looking forward to this hearing, and hoping that we'll get the answers because I know many times, many different ways, trying to use what limited power we do have on this council.

We've been trying to get those answers, so looking forward to this hearing.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Cold Pepper.

And Councillor Fitzgerald, and please add the chair.

And Councillor Mahee, I beg your pardon.

Docket 0812 will be referred to the Committee on Post Audit.

Madam Clerk, can you please read Docket 0813?

Docket 0813.

Councillor Flynn offered a following order for a hearing to discuss gambling and predatory marketing in Chinatown.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

Counselor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, may I add Councillor Murphy on this?

Councillor Murphy so added.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

A public health approach to problem gambling views gambling related issues as more than just an individual addiction.

It also recognizes them as a community influenced by environmental conditions, public policy, and larger social systems.

Chinatown has been the target for casino advertising, marketing, and free casino transportation 52 times a day.

Asian gamblers make up almost 25% of local casino patrons, almost three times the percentage of the Asian population in Massachusetts.

Law enforcement agencies in the city, state, and federal levels should prioritize the identification and event and investigation of illegal gambling operations in Boston's Chinatown in other impacted neighborhoods.

There was a three-part series recently on the Boston in the Boston Globe about this specific issue.

We have illegal gambling taking place in Chinatown.

A well-respected community leader said, Why isn't this law being enforced?

Are we looking the other way?

I know it's not popular for me to say that, but we can't allow gambling sites in any neighborhood, illegal gambling sites in any neighborhood to take place and look the other way.

Chinatown residents experience high concentrations of poverty, limited English proficiency, social isolation.

Asian Americans are the least likely racial group in the United States also to seek mental health services due to stigma.

There is a significant gap in available resources, including prevention, intervention programs that are culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible.

And the final analysis, gambling culture is everywhere.

In fact, one half of men aged 18 to 49 have on their cell phone and app so that they can gamble legally.

But what happens when that person spends their money at a gambling facility, and that money should be used for their child's milk or bread or to pay a bill.

That's what's happening across society.

And I'm not the police on all of these social issues, but I do feel like I have an obligation to stand up and say something about it.

Because I see a lot of families being negatively impacted by legal and illegal gambling, and I do think we have a responsibility to do something about it.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

The chair recognizes Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Council Flynn, for adding me.

You did a good job explaining the problem here and why we need to have this hearing soon.

I'll just add that we know that large businesses and illegal gambling sites are targeting a very vulnerable population here in Chinatown, and they need our support.

So I'm looking forward to this hearing, but also advocating and getting them the support they need.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkin, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Louis Gen, Council Mejia, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, Councillor Warrell, and please add the chair.

Thank you.

Docket 03, no, 0813 will be trying to be referred to the Committee on Public Health.

We take docket number 0814 first and then do 081.

We want to take them out of order.

Then do 0815.

You don't want to do zero.

Okay.

And then zero.

Second tax.

Thank you.

All in favor of taking uh 0815 ahead of 014?

Okay.

Uh council, hang on, where were we?

Um the previous docket was sent to the committee on public health.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket Zero 0815?

Docket 0815.

Councillor Carl Pepper offered a falling order requesting certain information under Section 17F regarding the release of certain body one camera footage from the Boston Police Department.

Thank you, Madam Clerk, Madam Clerk.

Councillor Culpepper, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, this 17F builds directly on the testimony we heard on Docket 0638 from the Boston Police Department's attorneys.

One of the things he recommended was that we file a 17F if we wanted the information.

And the questions that remain unanswered regarding the release of the body worn camera footage.

If the Boston Police Department's position is that footage is not released during ongoing criminal investigations, then this council has a responsibility to examine what happens in all other cases.

This is why this order requests body camera footage and related records for the past year in incidents that did not result in criminal investigations, as well as those involving settlements, civil proceedings, or alleged misconduct.

As a hearing made clear by the questions for my colleagues during the question of the attorney for the Boston police, we asked questions about policy protocol for the releasing of footage that must be applied, and we all agree it must be applied consistently across all incidents.

At the same time, this request also focuses on several recent and serious incidents involving the use of deadly force.

In those cases where lives have been lost or serious harm has occurred, the stakes are simply too high to accept a lack of transparency.

This body deserves a full and accurate understanding of what happened.

And this council needs the information necessary to conduct proper oversight.

Madam President, this is not about assigning conclusions.

It's about ensuring access to facts.

By requesting footage, reports, and investigative materials, we are working to ensure that decisions around use of force can be reviewed, policy policies can be evaluated, and public trust can be strengthened.

Ultimately, this 17F is about making sure that transparency is not selective but consistent, and that this council has the information that it needs to fulfill its responsibility to the people who live in the city of Boston.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Council Culpepper.

Councillor Culpepper seeks suspension of the rules and passage of Docket 0815.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

Thank you.

The eyes have it.

Thank you.

Docket 0815 is passed.

Now we'll go back to Docket 0814.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0814?

Docket 0814.

Councillors Cold Pepper and Morale are for the falling order for summons.

Chair recognizes Councillor Culpepper.

Madam President, I'd like to withdraw Docket number 0814.

I've had conversations with Commissioner Cox.

He's assured me that he's ready, willing, and able to work with us to set a date to come before the council to provide the testimony that we need in this case.

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper.

Docket 0814 has been uh withdrawn.

Madam President, I'd also like to make it clear that in 0815, we were adding a substitute file that has already been passed out to all of the counselors.

I just want to make sure.

Yes, I think uh counselor can seconded that substitution.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0816?

Docket 0816.

Councillor Flynn offered a following order requesting certain information under section 17F relative to mopeds and e-bike in Boston.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I filed this 17F as a follow-up on last week's hearing.

I requested detailed data on crashes involving Moped CD bikes over the last five years.

Those involving third-party food delivery drivers.

I also requested comprehensive information on injuries, hospital transports, enforcement actions, insurance requirements, registration processes, and the role of delivery companies in ensuring accountability.

I also raise concerns about public safety, legal liability, and how the city tracks, regulates, provides enforcement, and responds to violations or serious incidents involving these vehicles.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

Uh Council Flynn seeks suspension of the rules and passage of Docket 0816.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed say nay.

The ayes have it.

Docket 0816 has passed.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0817?

And Docket 0817.

Councillor Flynn offer the following order requesting certain information under Section 17 F relative to the City of Boston insurance and liability coverage.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

During these this budget process and during these economic challenges, it's important for me to be prepared for the budget to better understand the financial impacts of lawsuits, legal settlement settlements on the city of Boston and the burden they place on taxpayers.

It's important that we examine the cost for insurance and liability coverage along with total settlement payouts over the last five years.

It's critical to ensuring transparency during these challenging and economic times.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Councillor Flynn seeks suspension of the rules and passage of Docket 0817.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed say nay.

Thank you.

The ayes have it.

Docket 0817 has passed.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0818?

And Docket 0818.

Councillor Mejia offered a follow-up resolution in support of upholding the democratic principle of no taxation without representations.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Council Mejia.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

And I'm really excited.

Today is tax day, so April the 15th.

If you haven't done your taxes, you better do it.

But anyways, in celebration of every single dollar that we make, we want to make sure we understand how we're spending our dollars, and in celebration of our 20th and 50th year anniversary of this country's founding.

I am really excited to file this resolution reaffirming the principles of no taxation without representation.

This morning we stood with community leaders, parents, students, and advocates who made one thing clear.

Residents feel left out of decisions that directly impact their lives.

Too often engagement feels like a formality, not something that shapes outcomes, and even when it's input, it is clear it's not always reflected in the decisions that we make.

This is especially important as we review the FY27 budget.

We're seeing cuts to youth jobs, workforce programs, and supports for women, black men, immigrants, veterans, LGBTQ plus residents.

And in BPS, we're seeing reductions in student facing roles.

As a council, we've been filing, you know, we're here to be hopefully filing amendments, but we should we shouldn't also uh just stop short of that.

We need to start restoring what it looks like to have uh faith in in our processes.

This resolution puts us on the record.

Residents deserve more than to contribute, they deserve a real role in shaping decisions, including this budget.

We've heard that direct we heard that directly this morning from voices like Edith Basil, Suleika Soto, John Smith Sears, um, and many others from the Education Freedom Project and others calling for transparency, accountability, and real inclusion.

As we move through this budget process, residents are asking us to stand with them and reflect their priorities in our decisions.

If we're going to honor Boston's history, then we have to learn how to practice it.

And no taxation without representation must be a real way in how we go around how we decide to govern.

And so I'm really looking forward to passing this and uh doing the people's work.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Flynn, Councillor Louis Jeanne, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, Councillor Orell, and Councillor Culpeper, and Councillor Durkin.

Councillor Fitz, have we got Councillor Fitzgerald?

Thank you.

And please add the chair.

Councillor Mejia seeks suspension of the rules adoption of Docket Zero 818.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed say nay.

The ayes have it.

Um Madam Clerk, could you please take the roll call vote on Docket 0818?

Roll call vote on Docket 0818.

Councillor Braden.

Yes, Council Braden, yes.

Councilor Coletta Zapata.

Councilor Calpepper.

Council Cal Pepper, yes.

Councillor Dugan.

Yes.

Councilor Durkin, yes.

Councilor Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes.

Councilor Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes.

Councilor Louisian.

Yes.

Council Luigian, yes.

Council Mejia.

Council Mejia, yes.

Councilor Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes.

Councillor Peppa.

Council Peppan, yes.

Councillor Santana.

Yes.

Councilor Santana, yes.

Councillor Webber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes.

Council Rural.

Yes.

Council Rural.

Yes.

12 votes and the affirmative.

Thank you.

Docket 0818 has been adopted.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0819 Docket 0819?

Councillor Mejia offer the following.

Resolution in support of the administrative administrative transparency, equable student and community representative and freedom of speech in higher education.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Council Mejia.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

And I would like to add uh Councillor Culpepper as an original co-sponsor.

Councillor Culpepper so added.

So today we're filing this resolution in support of the administrative transparency and equitable representation and freedom of speech in higher education.

Boston is home to a world-renowned institutions, but what we continue to hear from students, faculty, and staff is clear.

They feel shut out of decisions that impact their daily lives.

At a recent uh education committee hearing, members of the Northeastern University community raised concerns about reduced cultural center hours without notice, rising in tuition prices without transparency, declining black student enrollment, lack of communication around protections for international students, and the absence of accountability when student government actions are ignored.

And this is not just about Northeastern.

We're seeing similar patterns across all institutions, including our very own public colleges, especially as we continue to see attacks on DEI and culturally relevant programming.

If these institutions are meant to be models of democracy, then transparency, shared governance, and freedom of expression must be embedded and prioritized.

This resolution calls for clear communication, meaningful representation and decision making and accountability to communities that these institutions serve.

And so many of these institutions are not paying their fair share, and they're occupying so much space in the city of Boston, and they have to be held accountable and responsible to listening to not just the students but the also the residents that live in the surrounding area.

So as we continue to navigate these conversations, while this might be a symbolic resolution, my hope is that we can continue to do this work in partnership with the students and making sure that not only do they have a voice at the table, but the residents that live and work within the surrounding communities also feel heard and affirmed.

So I understand that the president of the North E of Northeastern is making over three million dollars, I think that was, or something along those lines.

It is crazy that people are getting paid as much as they are, but then they still um continue to ignore the merry people who they're profiting off of.

So I'm looking forward to passing this resolution.

It's not hostile, everybody relax.

Um it's just a symbol of affirming the voices of young people, faculty, and students.

So looking forward to doing just that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Mahia.

The chair recognizes Council Cole Pepper.

You have the floor.

Madam President, I thank Council Mejia for adding me as an original co-sponsor, and for your leadership and continued advocacy for students.

Your advocacy for faculty and your advocacy for all the communities across the city of Boston.

Madam President, I had the privilege of chairing part of the March 23rd, 2026 education committee hearing on higher education transparency.

But that cannot be the end of this conversation.

Boston is one of the world's great college cities, home to students from across the country and the globe.

With that distinction comes responsibility.

What we heard at the hearing was clear.

Too many students, faculty, and community members feel disconnected from decision making at their institutions.

Concerns around transparency, rising costs, access to resources, and meaningful participation in governance persist.

Higher education should mando transparency, accountability, inclusion, and open dialogue.

That means creating real pathways for participation, ensuring clear communication, and protecting free expression.

We're calling for greater transparency, more inclusive government, and stronger engagement with the communities these institutions serve.

Because when people feel unheard and uninformed, and when they feel heard and informed, we strengthen not just our campuses, Madam President, but when they're heard and informed, we strengthen our entire city.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Cold Pepper.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Councillor Murphy.

Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, Council Warrell, and please add the Chair.

All in uh Councillor Mejia and Councillor Cole Pepper seek suspension of the rules and adoption of Docket 0819.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed say nay.

The ayes have it.

Docker 0819 has been adopted.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0820?

Dr.

0820.

Council Flynn offer the following resolution recognizing an international holocaust room member and stay.

Thank you.

Chair recognizes Council Flynn.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Over the over the weekend, I had the opportunity to join several several counselors in the mayor.

To honor, to remember, to recognize, to think about the six million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust.

This resolution resolution acknowledges the six million people that were killed, but we also acknowledge the survivors for their incredible resiliency.

And the vow never to forget what happened at the Holocaust.

Across the street from Boston City Hall is the Holocaust Memorial.

After the event on Sunday, we walked from State Street to the to the memorial and placed a wreath and thought about all the all the people that were were killed, including many many children.

And this day is not is not a celebration, it's a vow really to remember and to ensure that this never happens again to address anti-Semitism in our city in our country.

Because we know anti-Semitism is a major problem.

But what is important for us to do is to come together and to respect everybody, respect our immigrant roots here in Boston, but also vow that we will always remember the six million people that were killed.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

The chair recognizes Council Weber.

Thank you very much, uh Madam President.

As a Jew descended primarily from Austrian and Lithuanian Jews, you know, I I you know I'm honored to continue the struggle uh for survival for Jews in this world.

Um Austrian Jews, one of the first countries taken over by the Nazis uh during World War II.

And in Lithuania, um my descendants were in uh Vilna, um, one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe with about 80,000 Jews uh by the end of 1941.

All but 10 percent of those the members of that community were wiped out.

Um I one of my uh my grandfather's uncle uh ended up fighting for fighting the Nazis with the Soviet Union.

They had a um it was a Lithuanian brigade that was often stationed in front of the Soviet troops to absorb uh Nazi fire.

Uh his he was with a brigade that was in fact wiped out uh and he had to uh uh scramble across a frozen lake to warn uh the rest of the Soviet Army was later recognized for his his bravery.

It was that kind of spirit that you know uh despite you know the the horrible events of the Holocaust, you know, the people could rise up and continue to uh to to fight is something that stays with me today.

Um happy uh well I'm not happy, but I I'm I'm honored to be able to stand here uh you know uh um as a Jew to be able to recognize this day and and remember the six million victims uh who were Jewish in the Holocaust.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Weber.

The chair recognizes Councillor Durkin.

You have the floor.

Thank you so much.

Um, and I want to thank um Councillor Flynn for bringing this forward.

Uh, we all had the honor.

Um, Council Luigi and Councillor Flynn and I had the honor of attending GCRC's um Yam Shoah Community Holocaust commemoration this weekend, uh, which was a remembrance for the six million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust.

Um, we heard from Magna Bader, a Holocaust survivor that was um taken from her home at age 14 to Auschwitz.

And so we should never forget, and we should always remember.

And so I want to thank Councilor Flynn for bringing this forward as the granddaughter of a Spanish Jewish immigrant.

Um that all of our lives are shaped by uh by our forefathers and folks who came before us, and um it's really really important that we always remember.

Thank you.

Chair recognizes Councillor Louis Jenne.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

As Councillor Durkin stated on Sunday, I was able to attend Yamshoa commemoration.

Um, and I just want to thank the Jewish um uh JCRC and Jeremy Burton for the for inviting us and for um welcoming.

I think just like the most powerful even I want to thank you know, Ben told this is a I know this is very personal for you and your family, Ben, Council Weber.

So thank you for sharing um and uplifting and always fighting for and um doing the work of justice from within the Jewish community, and I know that there's a very important role here of memory, and this woman was nine Magda who shared her story was 90 is 96 years old, and as she told the story about the last time that she saw her parents at the age of 14, she was crying.

And like just the idea, the image of seeing a 96-year-old woman in a wheelchair, still crying over the loss of her parents, just it it's uh impacts me um forever, and it highlights the role that memory plays in making sure that atrocities like that never happen again.

She talked about how she was in a swamp, and she had no idea what day or time it was until she saw her first American soldier who was an African American soldier that told her about what day and what time it was that gave her a sense that she could one day be liberated.

And so um I mourn for her.

Um, at the age of 96, still crying at the loss of her parents, and uh want to thank again everyone who opened that space so that we can continue to do the work of justice for that.

These events were happening.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Louis.

Um we should never forget the horror and the annihilation of the Jewish community in Europe, across Europe in World War II, uh, and just what the Nazi regime did in that time.

They also annihilated Romani.

LBG uh queer people, LGBT people, people with disabilities, and trade unionists who were fighting for labor rights and basic rights, and anyone who disagreed with them was annihilated.

So, in this moment, I think it's very, very important to remember and try and commit ourselves to make sure that a horror of this scale or any scale should never happen again.

So thank you, Councillor Flynn, for bringing forward this resolution.

Would anyone else like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councilor Durkin, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Louis Jenne, Councilor Mejia, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Peppin, Councillor Santana, Council Weber, Council Warrell, and please add the chair.

Councillor Flynn seeks suspension of the rules and adoption of docket zero eight to zero.

All in favor say aye.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0820?

Councillor Braden.

Yes, Baden, yes, Council Colera Zapara.

Council Cal Peppa.

Yes.

Called Peppa, yes, Councilor Doken.

Yes.

Councilor Dopin, yes, Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Councilor Fitzgerald, yes, Councilor Flynn.

Council Flynn, yes, Councilor Louis Jen.

Yes.

Council Louis, yes, Councillor Mejia.

Yes.

Council Mehia, yes, Councilor Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes, Councilor Peppin.

Yes.

Council Peppin, yes, Councilor Santana.

Yes.

Council Santana, yes, Councilor Weber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes, Council Warral.

Council Weber, yes, 12 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Dock at 0820 has been adopted.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docker 0821?

Docker 0821.

Councillor Murphy and Flynn offer the following resolution recognizing National Animal Control Officers Appreciation Week.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Councillor Murphy.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

National Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week is observed each year to recognize the dedicated professionals who protect the health, safety, and welfare of both the residents and the animals in our communities.

The City of Boston's animal care and control division works year-round to enforce animal safety laws, respond to calls for service, investigate cases of neglect and cruelty, and provide critical services to residents and their pets.

Boston's animal care and control offices respond to thousands of calls each year in rescue and care for animals in need, including domestic pets and wildlife across the city.

Under the leadership of Alexis, the Animal Care and Control Division continues to provide compassionate care, public education, and essential services to residents and animals alike.

The animal control offices, shelter staff, administrative personnel, and volunteers work tirelessly, often in challenging and unpredictable situations.

And we know we're continuing to advocate, and hopefully soon they'll have a new space, a new building, to protect the animals, support residents, and promote responsible pet ownership.

These professionals are an essential part of Boston's public safety and public health system, serving as first responders in situations involving injured animals, public safety concerns, animal welfare.

And I have visited several times, and one thing, I'm not sure if everyone knows this, but they also take in animals when there are residents who may need to go to the hospital or won't be home, and they take them in and care for them if they don't have anyone else to take care of their animals, which is a wonderful service to provide to people who may not have other family members to help them when they need to leave their home.

I um hope that all of our colleagues will support us in recognizing the compassion, professionalism, and dedication demonstrated by the animal care and control team, and that we can vote on this today in support.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

Counselor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Council Murphy, for adding me as an original co-sponsor in recognition of National Animal Control Officer Week.

Let's honor the dedicated professionals right here that work for the City of Boston, who work tired tirelessly to protect both animals and residents in our neighborhoods.

The animal control officers play a critical role in promoting public safety, enforcing laws, ensuring the humane treatment of animals, often in challenging and unpredictable situations.

Their commitment, compassion, professionalism, and service makes our neighborhoods safer and be more responsible places for all.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkin, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Louis Jeanne, Councilor Mejia, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, Councilor Warrell, and please add the chair.

Councillors Flynn and Murphy, Murphy and Flynn seek suspension of the rules and adoption of docket 0821.

All in favor say aye.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0821?

Roll call vote on Docker 0821.

Councillor Braden.

Yes.

The brain and yes.

Councillor Calera Zapata.

Councilor Call Papa.

Yes.

Council Doken, yes, Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald.

Councillor Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes, Councillor Louis Jen.

Yes.

Council Louis Gen, yes, Councillor Mejia.

Council Mejia, yes, Councillor Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes, Council Papan.

Yes.

Council Papin, yes, Council Santana.

Council Santana, yes, Council Webber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes.

Council War.

Yes.

Council Weber, yes.

Twelve vote in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Docket 0821 has been adopted.

Madam Clerk.

Could you please read Dock at 0822?

Docket 0822.

Councillors Murphy and Flynn offered a fall line.

Resolution recognizing National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Murphy.

You have the floor.

Thank you.

I'd like to suspend the rules and add Councillor Santana, please.

Hearing and seeing and hearing no objections, Councillor Santana is so added.

Thank you.

And I know at the beginning of the meeting, we did recognize our 911 EMS call dispatchers.

So I don't need to go too far into it, but this resolution I'm hoping we all support.

And it is fitting and was said earlier that this is one Boston Day.

We know the work they do year-round, but especially during this busy week in the City of Boston and the upcoming events coming up.

Just want to uplift and support not just the workers, the unions who work hard to give them a livable wage and a working conditions that they deserve.

So just want to make sure we continue to uplift and thank such a critical department in the city of Boston.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

Councillor Flynn, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, I'm not, I'm not going to speak.

Chair recognizes Councillor Santana.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President, and thank you, Councillor Murphy, for including me in this.

I just wanted to rise and I'm looking forward to supporting this resolution.

But really just want to thank all the workers.

Um I think as we heard it during the presentation, on some heroes here in the city of Boston who do amazing work and often goes um thank list.

So I was very happy to see Councillor Murphy and Councillor Flynn being able to bring a group of them onto the chamber and that we can show their appreciation.

But looking forward to uh supporting this and looking forward to supporting the work that they do every single day on behalf of the residents of Boston.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councilor Durkin, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Louisian, Councillor Mejia, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Weber, Council Raleigh, and please add the Chair.

Councillors Murphy, Flynn, and Santana seek suspension of the rules and adoption of docket 0822.

All in favor say aye.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0822?

We'll call vote on Dr.

0822.

Councillor Braden.

Yes, Braden, that's Councillor Colada Zapata.

Councilor Calpepa.

Yes.

Councilor Calpepa, yes, Councillor Durkin.

Council Durkin, yes, Councillor Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes, Council Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes.

Councilor Louisian.

Yes.

Council Luigian, yes, Council Mejia.

Council Mejia, yes, Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes, Council Peppin.

Yes.

Council Peppin, yes, Councilor Santana.

Yes.

Council St.

Anna, yes.

Council Webber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes.

Council Rural.

Council Worrell, yes.

Twelve votes in the affirmative.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Docket 0822 has been adopted.

Docket 0823 has been withdrawn.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket 0824?

Docket 0824.

Councillor Culpepper offer the following resolution in support of renaming Ruggle Station to honor and further a relation of the Boston's values, reflection of the Boston values.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Councillor Culpepper.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to add a substitute filing for document number 0824.

And I would like to add, thank you.

And I would like to add Counselor Mejia as a second original co-sponsor and request suspension of the rules to add Council Worrell as the third co-sponsor, third original co-sponsor.

And if I could add a fourth, I would add Council Durkin as the fourth.

But I know I can't.

Thank you.

Counselor Mejia is added as a second co-sponsor.

And seeing and hearing no objection, Councillor Warrell is added as a third.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would also like to request suspension of the rules to vote for passage of this docket 0824.

This is ultimately about how we choose to tell the story of our city.

Who we honor, whose contributions we uplift, and whether the names of our public spaces reflect the values we stand for today.

Ruggle Station, as we know, is named after a figure connected to a legacy that includes slavery.

At a time when Boston continues to strive toward equity, inclusion, and a more honest reckoning with our history.

Is it it is appropriate that we revisit those decisions?

At the same time, this resolution is not just about looking back, it's about moving forward.

Phyllis Wheatley represents the very best of Boston's history.

Despite being enslaved, she became a pioneering poet and the first African American to publish a book, leaving a lasting intellectual and cultural legacy, not just in Boston, but across the world.

Naming a major transit hub in Roxbury at the Phyllis Wheatley would be a powerful recognition of our contributions and a reflection of the community it serves.

We have taken steps like this before, most notably with the renaming of Dudley Square to Nubian Square, showing that when we engage communities and act thoughtfully, we can align our public spaces with our shared values.

An online account petitioning to rename Ruggle Station has over 1700 followers.

We need to follow the will of the community.

This resolution does just that.

It sends a clear message that Boston is committed to honoring history in a way that is inclusive, representative, and rooted in truth.

I urb my colleagues to support this resolution.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Cole Pepper.

The chair recognizes Councillor Mahia.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President, and I want to thank Councillor Culpepper for adding me as an original co-sponsor and bringing this resolution forward.

Renaming Ruggle Station to honor Phyllis Wheatley is about more than just the name.

It's about who we choose to uplift in our public spaces and whose stories we censor in our city.

Phyllis Wheatley was a trailblazer, a black woman, an enslaved person, and one of the first published poets in this country.

Her legacy is deeply tied to Boston Black poets in this country.

This is an opportunity to align our infrastructure with our values to reflect a Boston that honors Black history, resilience, and contributions that have shaped the city and this nation.

And I am proud to stand in support of this resolution, and I really do hope that this resolution turns into action and that we can make it happen.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Council Ram.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you to Council Cole Pepper for adding me as an original co-sponsor.

You cannot tell Boston's history history without telling us black history.

To tell the real story of Boston is telling the story of the brilliance of Boston's history.

And that we should be uplifting the role that Phyllis Wheatley played.

Not only for former slaves, not only for African Americans, but for all women in the 18th century.

This is an easy call.

Now be remiss not to mention the work of Matthew Wheedman, who first gave life to this push and started this petition.

Thank you again for Councillor Cole Pepper and the community that's behind this effort and look forward to supporting and voting on this resolution.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The chair recognizes Councillor Louis Jeanne, and then we'll go to Councillor Pepin.

Thank you.

I just rise in support of this resolution.

Want to thank Councillor Cole Pepper for filing this and want to thank Matthew White Weedman, the librarian who has been on this for the renaming for quite some time.

Phyllis Wheatley has such an important history here in the city of Boston.

It would pair well with the statue of Phyllis Whitley that is on Commonwealth Avenue that is part of Boston's women's heritage trail.

And I think it's incumbent upon us, especially in our 250th year.

We're celebrating the nation of this country, uh, the birth of this country as we know it, that we continue to do the work of reckoning um with uh with the parts of our history that are not so uh savory but are still important for us to acknowledge and rectify where possible.

So just want to thank um counselor for violence, want to thank the advocates, especially uh Matthew for all the work that they've done to bring us to this place so that we can have a real conversation about it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Chair recognizes Councillor Papin.

You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President.

I also want to rise in support of this resolution and um thank Councillor Cole Pepper for bringing this to the chamber.

Uh you know, for many years I would get off at Ruggle Station to go to the O'Brien High School in Roxbury.

And I didn't, as a as a teen, I didn't realize what that what the name means, right?

So now that now as an adult, you get to really understand the dark history behind people.

Um, and especially one like um the Ruggles last name, you really we really have to take that serious.

And then I also wanted to say that last about two years ago, my office actually participated in an effort to rename Bussey Street.

To rename Bussey Street in the intersection of in the districts between Council Weber's district and my district, and it had it had also had a nice nasty history, but we chose a name floor away of someone that we to honor someone that was enslaved and someone that actually played a role in the development of Boston.

I know that a lot of my council colleagues were there, so I'm just glad to see this um be brought up to the chamber today, and I support it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Chair recognizes Councillor Dirk and Councillor Dirkman, you have the floor.

I just want to thank um Councillor Culpepper.

I know that you know there's not an easy, you know, and simple process for us to start a conversation, but I think it's an important one, and um particularly Phyllis Wheatley is so important to Boston's history.

Um, I am really lucky to have the women's memorial in um district date and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

Um, and getting to walk by her and the other women that are honored there.

Um, it would it would mean a lot to have to have another important thing in Boston named uh after her.

And then in addition, um, this station is very close to district date, so I walk through it all the time, and a lot of my constituents do as well.

So uh so thank you for your acknowledgement, and I think this is an important conversation to begin.

Thank you, Councillor Durk.

And the chair recognized Councillor Flynn.

You have the floor.

Thank you, madam chair, and uh please add my name.

I want to say thank you to Reverend Cole Pepper for bringing this forward.

It's an important conversation for us to have to celebrate the incredible service to incredible uh to celebrate and honor the life of Phyllis Wheatley and sacrifices as well, and as Councillor Durkin mentioned, the wonderful memorial on Commonwealth Ave.

I was at the Friends of the Public Garden event last night, and that's what a lot of the residents of downtown Boston or Back Bay and Beacon Hill were talking about is um the wonderful memorial but of Phyllis Wheatley.

But I also want to support and stand with Reverend Cole Pepper for bringing us bringing this forward as we rightfully honor a real hero in our country, Phyllis Wheatley.

Rob Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

Would anyone like to add their name?

Councillor Jerkin already, Councillor Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Council Louis Gen, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Pepin.

Country Santana, Councillor Weber, Council, Council Rail's already in.

Uh please add the chair.

Counselors Cold Pepper, Mehia and Lorel seek suspension of the rules and adoption of Docket Zero 824.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed saying.

We'll go vote on Docker 0824.

Council Braden, yes.

Council Caldpepper.

Yes.

Council Cal Pepper, yes, Councilor Durkin.

Duncan, yes, Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Yes, Council Flynn.

Yes.

Flynn, yes, Council Louis Jen.

Yes.

Council Louis Yen, yes, Council Mejia.

Council Mojia, yes, Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes, Council Peppin.

Council Peppin, yes, Council Santana.

Yes.

Council Santana, yes, Council Weber.

Council Webber, yes, Council Web L.

Council Weber.

Yes, 12 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Docker 0824 has been adopted.

Madam Clerk, could you please read Docket Zero 825 0825?

Council Flynn offer the following resolution opposing the proposed 1,000 cap on the Mass Health Adult Dental benefits.

Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn.

Counselor Flynn, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

In recent week, dental professionals at the Massachusetts Dental Society have expressed concern over proposed 1,000 annual cap on mass health, adult dental benefits, which would limit access to medically necessary care for working families, our seniors, immigrant communities, persons with disabilities.

Concerns were raised that restricting dental coverage increases emergency visits.

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine is located in the heart of Chinatown.

It is a trusted neighbor and community partner, not just in Chinatown and the Southland, but really across the city, across the country, providing accessible and quality dental service for students, especially at Josiah Quincy Elementary School.

To our seniors and immigrant neighbors, I also see these dental students, especially in the summertime in Chinatown at the Chinatown Gate, talking to residents, talking to anyone that comes up to them at this little booth, and they're talking about how important it is for dental hygiene, a critical service they provide.

Wonderful, wonderful students.

And I love to see them going into Josiah Quincy school, as I mentioned, and they're they're giving kids an opportunity to get a dental exam.

Many of these kids, many of these students, I should say, um, don't really have access to dental care, and it's it's it's through Duff's Tufts dental school students that really provide exceptional services.

I also know that at the VA it they don't offer dental for most uh disabled veterans for various reasons, unless unless you're a hundred percent disabled and for other categories as well.

But dental dental care is critical.

It's it's health care.

If people don't have the right, if the people don't have access to dental care, they eventually would go to the emergency room, and that's where we'll spend a lot more money on the patient instead of working with the patient as they come in and seeking dental care.

I want us to try to do more outreach and support of programs that provide dental care in the city of Boston, especially to our BPS students, to our seniors, and it's also, in my opinion, a mental health issue as well.

If people are not comfortable with their dental work, they'll often not go out in public for various reasons.

Um I think it's about compassion, I think it's about respect, I think it's about dignity.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Chair recognizes Councillor Murphy.

Counselor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, thank you, Councillor Flynn, for filing this.

It's um important that we do recognize, and you did state a council Flynn that dental health is directly connected to our overall physical and mental health.

And I do just want to also uplift that many of our community health centers are expanding services like South Boston Health Center and others who are providing dental care right there at the health centers.

And I know in your um districts tof medicals right there in Chinatown and is providing for the residents there, so it's important that we expand because m almost always what I hear from people, it's the lack of insurance coverage that keeps people from getting dental care that they need.

So looking forward to supporting this and making sure we can do whatever we can on this body to expand coverage for dental care.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Would anyone uh like to add their name?

Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkin, Councilor Fitzgerald, Councillor Luigian, Councilor Mejia, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber, and please Councillor Warrell, and please add the chair.

Councillor Flynn seeks suspension of the rules and adoption of docket zero eight two five.

All in favor say aye.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on Docket 0825?

Rule call vote on Docket 0825.

Councillor Braden, yes.

Council Braden, yes.

Councillor Calera Zapata, Council Culpepper.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes, Council Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes, Councilor Louisiane.

Council Louisiana, yes, Council Mahia.

Council Mehia, yes, Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes, Council Pepin.

Council Pepin, yes, Council Santana.

Council Santana, yes, Council Weber.

Council Weber, yes, Council Rural.

Yes.

Council Rural, yes, 12 votes and affirmative.

Thank you.

Docket 0825 has been adopted.

We're now on to personnel orders.

Madam Clerk, um, can you please read the many?

Do we have we have can you please read the personnel orders?

Personal order, docket zero eight two six, counselor braden.

Personal order, doctor 0827, Councillor Braden.

Personal order, Dr.

0828, Councillor Braden.

Personal order, Dr.

0829, Councillor Braden for Councillor Mejia.

Thank you.

The chair moves for passage of Docket 0826 through 0829.

All those in favor say aye.

The ayes have it.

Personnel orders have been passed.

Before I move on to the green sheets, is there anyone who would like to add their name to a docket that they may have missed?

Missed or I may have missed one of them missed.

Zero eight zero nine.

I'd like to be added to that document.

Zero eight zero nine.

Zero eight zero nine.

Counselor Durkin had submitted.

That was on the amendment to the Boston Zoning Code.

Excellent.

Okay, thank you.

Uh Councillor Lugen.

Um thank you.

Uh Madam Chair, could you please can you please add my name to Dockets 0810?

Got that?

So make sure that Assistant Clerk.

Zuri 810.

Do you got it?

0810.

Okay.

Um 0811.

And 0819.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um we're now on to green sheets.

Um is anyone looking to pull anything from the green sheets?

Umber, chair of uh Wes and Means, you have the floor.

Uh thank you very much, Madam President.

I'd like to pull docket uh numbers 0570 and 0571 from the green sheets.

Uh they're uh they're located on page 169 in the agenda packet and page 22 in the green sheets.

Absent objection, the motion of the committee chair is accepted and docket 0570 and 0571 are properly before the body.

Councillor the um Madam Clerk, could you please read those two dockets intocket 0570 message and order authorizing the city of Boston to appropriate the amount of 20 million two hundred thousand dollars for the purpose of paying costs for the windows and doors replacement project at the following schools?

Adams Elementary School.

This includes the payment of all costs incidental or related there to as for which the city of Boston may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, set amount to be expended under the direction of the public facilities department on behalf of the city of the Boston Public Schools.

Docket 0571 message and order authorizing the city of Boston to appropriate the amount of 1,100,000 dollars for the purpose of paying costs for the windows and doors replacement project at the following schools.

Margarita Monel's Academy, Mildred Avenue, um K8 School, Orchard Garden School.

This includes the payment of all costs incidental or related to there to and for which the city of Boston may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Set amount to be expended under the directions of the public facility department on behalf of the Boston Public Schools.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Uh Councillor Chair Wes Means, the floor is yours.

Thank you.

These dockets are for appropriations in the amount of 21.3 million dollars for window and door replacements at four schools.

Uh and uh you know uh more specifically 20.2 million for the Adams School in East Boston, 1.1 million for the Margarita Mouniz Academy and JP.

Uh the Mildred Avenue K through eight school in Mattapan and the Orchard Garden School in Roxbury to through the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Thursday, March 26th, the Committee on Ways and Means held a virtual hearing on these two dockets and during our April 1st council meeting, the committee uh asked for a first reading of these dockets and for further action.

Uh we we voted in support of them.

As you know, loan orders require two votes uh by the council, a minimum of two weeks apart.

Therefore, as the chair ways and means I am asking for a second reading today and a vote on these two dockets in order to allow uh these MSBA applications to move forward in the process.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Umcelor Weber, move for second reading and passage of docket zero five seven zero.

All in favor say aye.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket zero five seven zero roll call vote on docket zero five seven zero?

Councilor Braden, yes, Braden, yes, Council Collaras Apata, Council Calpepa, Council Calpepa, yes, Councilor Duncan, Council Doken, yes, Council Fitzgerald, Council Fitzgerald, yes, Council Flynn.

Yes, Council Flynn, yes, Councilor Luis Gen.

Council Luis Gen, yes, Council Mehia.

Council Mehia, yes, Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes, Councillor Peppin.

Council Peppan, yes, Councillor Santana, yes, Councilor Santana, yes, Councilor Weber, yes, Weber, yes, Council Royal.

Council Weber, yes, 12 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Docket 0570 has received a second reading in the affirmative and has passed.

Councilor Weber moves for passage of Docket 0571.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Um Madam Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on Docket Zero Five Seven One?

Roll call vote on Docket 0571.

Council Braden.

Yes.

Council Braden, yes, Council Caletas Apata.

Council Calpepper.

Yes.

Council Call Pepper, yes.

Councillor Dukin.

Yes.

Can yes, Council Fitzgerald?

Council Fitzgerald, yes.

Council Flynn.

Yes.

Council Flynn, yes.

Council Luigian.

Yes.

Council Luis, yes, Council Mehia.

Council Mehia, yes.

Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes.

Council Peppen.

Council Peppin, yes, Council Santana.

Council Santana, yes, Council Weber.

Yes.

Council Webber, yes, Council Rao.

Yes.

Council Worrell, yes.

Twelve votes in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Docket 0571 has received a second reading in the affirmative and has passed.

We're now moving on to lift files.

I'm informed by the two seconds.

Okay.

I'm I'm informed by Madam Clerk that we have six uh personnel orders and two 17 Fs.

Um absent objection, these late file matters will um didn't chair the final order.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, could I just ask are some of these late files relating to personnel matters?

We have personnel orders, yes.

They're not they're not as are they part of that?

This personnel orders and two late to um and two uh 17 F's.

I've just received them up here now.

Um I am concerned about going forward on personnel matters if someone should be in the system, the human resources system, so that they're I don't even know who they are for this, but for their process of payment for pay or to get them off onto the system so that we can get them into, or if they're getting a raise.

I don't want I don't want to see um a family, an employee uh be impacted because of what is happening here on the council.

I I would I would ask us we can we can deal with the politics and and uh and all of that, but let's not take it out on dedicated and professional city employees that might want to get on the payroll as city council is city council staff.

Thank you, thank you, council.

Madam Chair, I'm I'm trying to I'm trying to be respectful.

Someone um one of my colleagues interrupted me.

Um continue.

Thank thank you.

And I just I just want us not to um take it out on a city employee that works at the city council.

So um I I'd ask us to go forward.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

Uh Councilor Murphy, you have the floor.

Thank you.

So it seems to be a new trend that we block it before they're even read, and if they're read into the record, people can block it after the fact, but we have been just blocking them straight out, which means they're all blocked together.

But I do want to go on record saying there is absolutely no violation of open meeting law when late files are processed properly, which all of these are.

Currently, Mayor Wu has been filing late files when she was the counselor she did, and then councillor Campbell often filed late files too.

It is a tool we have.

We should not take that tool away from us.

If certain people don't want answers, if 17 F's are blocked today, if they answered them on time, the next meeting isn't until April 29th.

We'll be three and a half weeks into our short budget season.

I'm asking for questions, and one of my 17 F's is just saying that there is an outstanding 17F.

I'm refiling it.

That is three weeks overdue, and I'm asking for it to be answered in a second request.

And one is that three times Karishma has forwarded and requested RFIs that have not been answered, even though three times in the last month, she's been requesting it.

So I had put it into a 17F, especially after the meeting yesterday, when both yes, we can certainly do that, is what um Ashley and James both said yesterday.

So I'm hoping that this body allows information to come back so we can do our job during the budget season properly, and that we can and also because hearings the next date to even hold a hearing is maybe the end of June, beginning of July.

So this is important information, and blocking it just to block it is not not a good thing to do.

Thank you, Council Murphy.

Council Durkin, you have the floor.

Council President Braden, the Council President for the last two years routinely took non-controversial matters prior, and we're not so my objection is to the two 17F matters, which I believe should be publicly noticed prior to being voted on.

And so I would ask that you separate that you divide the question and that we pass the personnel matters and then and then go to the other matters.

So I no motion to divide the question.

Thank you, Councilor Durkin.

Can we have a second?

We'll divide the question.

We're going to we're going to set the second part of it.

I'm going to decide that we're going to divide we're going to split them.

We're going to divide.

No, yeah, one thing first, thanks.

No, no.

We're going to take now to go fully, but no, I'm I'm speaking.

We're going to start with the personnel orders.

I agree with Councillor Flynn that this is an important matter.

Folks, that uh we want to get on the we get them on the payroll, and we need to get them paid.

So we're going to have the um the personnel orders.

Could uh Madam Clerk, could you please read the personnel orders uh into the record and we will approve those?

Personal order.

Council Braden for Councillor Peppin.

Um second person in order, Councillor Braden for Councillor Flynn.

Third personal order, Councillor Braden for Councillor Murphy, fourth um personal order, Councillor Braden for Councillor Murphy, fifth personal order, Councillor Braden for Councillor Murphy, and six, Councillor Braden for Councillor Murphy.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Um the chair moves for passage of uh these late uh file personnel orders.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

The ayes have it.

These late filed personnel orders have passed.

Late file personnel orders.

Okay, certainly.

Madam Clerk, could you please take a um roll call vote on the late file personnel orders?

Councillor Braden, yes, Council Braden, yes, Councillor Calera Zapata, Council Calpepa, Council Calpepa, yes, Councilor Durkin.

Yes, Councillor Durkin, yes, Council Fitzgerald.

Yes.

Council Fitzgerald, yes, Council Flynn.

Yes.

Council Lu Gen, yes, Council Mehia.

Council Murphy.

Council Murphy, yes.

Councilor Papan.

Yes.

Council Peppin, yes.

Councilor Santana.

Yes.

Council Santana, yes.

Council Webber.

Council Webber, yes.

Council Rural.

Yes.

Council Worrell, yes.

Eleven in the affirmative.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

So back to the other question of the the 17 F's.

Under normal uh order, when you have a 17F in the ordinary or in the regular order of business, it's usually a courtesy to our colleagues to pass their 17F requests.

These are two late files.

No, no, no.

No, no, you haven't got the floor.

I will uh bring these two forward for uh consideration.

All those all those okay.

No, I don't need any commentary.

Thank you very much.

Since there's been an objection to these C217 Airflate files, these two uh will uh go on file.

Thank you.

We are now on to announcements.

Please remember these are for upcoming dates and events.

Uh we want to start by wishing uh Candace Morales of Central Staff a very happy birthday on the 21st.

Would anyone else have uh put your light on if you have um announcements?

Okay.

We're moving on to memorials.

Would anyone like to uplift a name?

Um if you put your lights on.

Um council Louis Jeanne, you have the floor.

Thank you.

Um a lot of my colleagues have mentioned how today is one Boston Day, and just want to uplift the memory of those who um tragically passed away as a result of the Boston Marathon bombing, including Martin Richard, Lindsay Lu, Christo Campbell, Sean Collier, and Dennis Simmons.

Um as the marathon happens on Monday, as today's one Boston Day.

You may remember those who have passed away.

I also wanted to, a number of community members have lost loved ones, and I just wanted to uplift them at this moment.

Uh, our chief of equity, Maria Angelie uh Soli Severa lost her grandmother, um, Obi Ojimba, former employee of the Office of Blackmail Advancement, also um, he lost his mother, uh Rosendale activist Nancy Horowitz uh lost her mother, um Adele Bardin, uh Obi's mother, Gladys Baptiste Ojimba, and um my fellow uh congregant, and um we worked together on a number of issues at Morningstar Baptist Church, Joyce Dennis, she lost her sister, Doris Elaine Changler.

So just wanted to uh lift up the memory of their beloved ones and um hold them in our prayers.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Louis Gen.

The council recognizes Councillor Flynn, and then we'll go to Councillor Mejia.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I wanted to acknowledge the passing of Miss J.

Pan of Boston, an educator, founder of a vocal studio program, passed away recently at Brigham and Women's Hospital after a courageous battle.

She was 45 years old.

She's survived by her parents and her daughter.

Miss Penn arrived in Massachusetts as a visiting scholar, becoming the first foreign visiting scholar in the Department of Music at the University of Massachusetts.

She frequently participated in performances organized by the Asian American Association of Boston.

Her contributions include the Asian American Festival held at the Massachusetts State House, students from her vocal studio program and her daughter, the Boston-based Chinese entertainer, singer, Maribel Pan, was also actively participating in many of these Asian American Day festivals at Boston Common that I also attended with them.

So just want to acknowledge her passing, but also remembering her contributions of educating young people, especially and bringing them bringing music and arts and culture into the Asian community.

A tremendous loss.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Councillor Flynn, uh JD Jen or Yen.

Yeah, it's it's it's the last name is is Pian.

It's Pen G, yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Chair recognizes Councillor Mejia.

You have the floor.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Um, last week uh we lost my uncle, um, Andres Mendez.

So I just want to close out uh today in his memory.

He came to this country in the early 80s at a time when um learning how to speak English was a a difficult task for many folks who have come here at an older age.

Um he recently passed, he was he had he was struggling with Alzheimer's and to watch my uncle over the last week.

We got notice that he had only a few more days left with us.

Um so we were all very grateful to have had an opportunity uh to see him off.

And I just want to uplift his name, Andrés Mendes and my entire family in this moment as we mourn the loss of our beloved Andres Améndez.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Mejia.

I will um I've I omitted to uh ask for uh the consent agenda.

Um I've been informed by the clerk that there were no additions to this consent agenda.

The question now comes on uh move comes on approval of the various matters contained within the consent agenda.

All those in favor uh say aye.

Thank you.

The consent agenda has been adopted.

I apologize for that.

On behalf of Councillor Louis Jeanne, Doris Allain, on behalf of Councillor Louis Jeanne Adele Bardon, on behalf of Councillor Louis Jeanne Gladys Baptiste Ojimba, on behalf of Councillor Flynn, Dean JD Penn, on behalf of Councillor Mejia, Andres Mendez, on behalf of all of the City Council, Martin Richards, Ling Ling Zu Blue, Crystal Campbell, Sean Collier, Dennis Simmons, and on and also on behalf of the City Council, Geraldine Miller, Sean Pax Grandmother.

A moment of silence, please.

The chair moves that when the council adjourns today, it does so when they amended of the aforementioned individuals.

The council is scheduled to meet again in the INLA chamber on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026 at 12 p.m.

A reminder that there will be no council meeting next week, and I hope everyone has a happy marathon Monday.

Thank you to my colleagues.

Thank you to Madam Clerk for standing in for the clerk today.

Thank you to Central Staff, the Clerk's Office, and all and the Council's