Good morning.

My name is Ben Weber.

I'm the District Six City Councilor and the Chair of the Boston City Council on Ways and Means.

Today's April 22nd, 2026, and the exact time is 10.06 a.m.

This hearing is being recorded.

It is also being live streamed at Boston.gov/slash city dash council dash TV and broadcasts on Xfinity Channel 8, RCN Channel 82, and FIOS Channel 964.

The channels uh sorry, the channel, the council's budget review process will encompass a series of public hearings uh which began uh last week and will run through June.

Uh we strongly encourage residents to take a moment to engage in this process by giving testimony for the record.

You can do so in several ways.

First, you can attend one of the hearings and give public testimony.

We'll take public testimony at the end of each departmental uh hearing and also you can uh testify in person at two uh uh public testimony listening sessions.

The full hearing schedule is on our website at boston.gov slash council-budget.

Our scheduled hearings dedicated to public testimony are in person at City Hall on Tuesday, April 28th and 6 p at 6 p.m.

and again on Thursday, May 26th at 6 p.m.

You can give uh testimony in person here in the chamber or virtually via Zoom.

For in-person testimony, please come to the chamber and sign up at the sheet sheet near the entrance for virtual testimony.

You can sign up using our online form at our uh council budget review website, or by emailing the committee at ccc.wm at Boston.gov, or by emailing uh Krishma Choan, that's K-A-R-I-SHMA dot C H O U H A N at Boston.gov.

When you're called to testify, please state your name and affiliation, your residence, and limit your comments to a few minutes uh to ensure all comments and concerns can be heard.

Um in lieu of uh uh personally testifying, you can email your written testimony to the committee at ccc.wm at Boston.gov, or you can also submit a two-minute video of your testimony through the forum on our website.

For more information on the city council's budget process and how to testify, please visit the city council's budget website at Boston.gov slash council dash budget.

Um we'll be taking in-person testimony uh at this hearing, this morning's hearing after the first round of counselor questions, individuals will be called on the order in which they've signed up, and we'll have two minutes to testify.

If you wish to sign up uh for public testimony, have not done so already.

Again, you can uh sign up at the sign-up sheet, uh, or if you're a virtual, please email our uh director of legislative budget analysis, Chris Machon at K A R I S H M A dot C H O U H A N at Boston.gov for the zoom link and your name will be added to the list.

This morning's hearing is on docket numbers 0733 to 0740 and dockets uh zero seven four four to zero seven four six.

Uh an overview of the FY27 budgets for the environment department, the office of food justice, and the following revolving funds conservation commission, distributed energy, and birdo.

Uh this is one of a series of hearings to review the FY27 budget.

Uh for my colleagues' information.

This is the uh first year the Birdo Revolving Fund uh has been filed with us.

Um these matters were sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and we're referred to the committee on April 8th, 2026.

Um we uh we are joined by my colleagues in order of arrival.

No surprise here, councillor Flynn and then Councilor President Braden.

Um let's see.

Uh we've received a letter of absence from Councillor Santana.

Uh I'm now gonna introduce the panel.

Uh we have with us this morning.

Oliver Sellers Garcia, Commissioner of the Environment, Energy, and Open Space.

And Liza Wasserman, Director of the Office of Food Justice.

I don't know if the panelists have presentation, anything they want to opening statements.

Do you want us to go through the brief presentation first?

I think I think that would be so we're waiving opening statements in these budget budget hearings.

So the panel, the floor is yours.

Great.

Thank you so much, Council Weber, for the opportunity to present.

We have a few brief slides just to set the context.

Sorry, this is fast.

So in terms of uh thank you for introducing us, uh brought obviously my colleagues with me to help present um some successes from the current fiscal year budget uh and the return on investment there and our uh our proposed budget uh that is under your consideration for the next fiscal year.

We the orchard not making any might be at the end where it used to be.

Sorry, we can flip the order of some of these slides.

Go back to the um so just in terms of grounding uh what we're covering here today.

The environment energy and open space cabinet uh for the city is composed of five uh offices and departments currently.

Uh you'll hear from three of them today.

Uh the environment department, Office of Climate Resilience, and the Office of Food Justice.

Uh the Office of Historic Preservation were completing the RFI that was requested.

Uh, and then Parks and Rec has a hearing scheduled in a couple of weeks.

Um, and that is obviously from a budget perspective the largest uh in the cabinet.

Uh so here to focus on uh those three.

I think the you know, and just as a reminder, uh, in terms of government organization, we have created back in September of 2024 a climate council to help organize uh a number of our climate efforts and really uh operationalize an all-of-government approach uh that is still in effect in supporting both our policy and action plan agenda, uh, as well as making sure that we get the highest uh return on investments uh for uh the uh the budgets uh in this cabinet.

Uh so at a high level, I just want to sort of preamble for my colleagues.

Uh we you know, this is our response to uh the mayor's uh directive of uh of finding some savings, uh, and we you know we're able to uh to do that while preserving key services and programs that have been invested in over the last several years uh to minimize any potential negative impact uh on uh constituents and residents and businesses in Boston.

Uh and and I believe we've been able to do that.

Uh and so I think we've been able to preserve key services and programs that are critical not only to the environment and health uh of the city of Boston, but really support our focus on increasing affordability in the city, and whether that's uh reducing uh energy costs for constituents and businesses, uh reducing costs to the city uh in terms of our utility costs uh or increasing access to uh healthy and nutritious food uh in as an affordable fashion as possible.

Uh, we really are expanding uh our focus on supporting infrastructure that um solves uh critical needs in the city of Boston.

Uh so uh with that uh each of my colleagues will go through sort of their uh budgets uh and a brief sort of review of highlights of uh the current fiscal year and the investments that were made uh over uh the last nine to twelve months uh and then our focus for uh the upcoming fiscal year.

With that, I'll turn it over to Oliver Sellers Garcia.

Thank you, Councillor.

Great.

Um thank you, uh Chief Sweat.

My name is Oliver Sellers Garcia.

I'm commissioner of the environment department, and um I will share a little bit um as Brian mentioned about um the past year and the year ahead.

Um so I'll just start by saying happy Earth Day.

Um this is a uh auspicious day for our cabinet to be um presenting uh the budget.

And I I will just do some a little bit of high-level framing, which is that the environment department budget is really, I think the um what a budget designed for um environmental protection and climate action in 2026 looks like, with um more than ever setting realistic goals um tied to specific action that we can accomplish, guided more than ever by our um forthcoming climate action plan, um, really playing to our strengths.

We have so many um impactful programs that we are moving forward and continuing that serve constituencies across the city, and um a real focus on climate action that not only uh has um a climate impact, but that also improves quality of life and affordability.

So that's what you'll see in our accomplishments of this uh current year and our plans for next year.

Overall, the environment department budget is proposed with a 2.1% reduction, with a lot of that being accomplished with a one year only shift from contract services to revolving funds.

And we're really able to continue making the progress that we have made with this temporary measure.

I'll also note that the Office of Climate Resilience, which Chris will speak to, does include is included in non-personnel services in the environment department.

So in terms of our accomplishments, we really have so much that we'd like to share with you, but just a few highlights.

We launched our third round of clean air, clean community air grants, and we'll be holding Boston's first Boston area air quality summit on May 15th.

We also continue the important regulations, conversations with community members on updating the Boston wetlands regulations.

On the side of our own energy usage as a city, we've done a conversion of gas street lights to LED lights in Bay Village.

I'll talk a little bit more about in a moment about what else we've done behind the scenes, but we're working very aggressively to lock in more energy savings while continuing to build more renewable energy.

This year we completed solar installations and six buildings that will add two megawatts of solar capacity to the city and save an estimated 415,000 a year in electricity costs.

We'll be launching our 2030 climate action plan next week, which we're very excited about, which has 40 strategies on emissions reductions, resilience, climate justice, and workforce, paired with a new dashboard that provides a new level of accountability and information on understanding how we're having an impact and how to be accountable for our progress.

And also we have a lot of new initiatives that we launched this fiscal year.

I'll mention we continue our community choice electricity program that has saved over 260 million dollars for residents since its launch in 2021.

We are launching a new building material reuse program, which is all about how we can not just demolish buildings but salvage the materials and create a market for reusing high-quality materials.

And then you may have seen the news a couple weeks ago.

We're partnering with Mass CEC to launch Boston's first study of using thermal energy from the harbor and rivers as an alternative source of clean energy.

Wow, this is fast, isn't it?

Okay, so I I just want to do a tiny um zoom in on two programs that I think are just very important in the context of this budget year that are all about climate and affordability together.

So I mentioned we launched the Boston Energy Saver, which is a lot of things, but what residents see is a uh friendly face and a helping hand to figure out how to navigate the very complex world of making upgrades to your home or building or figuring out how to lower your bill next month.

We connect people with resources, we solve some of their problems on their own.

We've engaged over three, over a thousand um residents and helped uh over 300 in the last couple of months through our help desk.

We estimate that we've leveraged about 50 million dollars in mass save incentives, and um I do want to point out that we have uh set aggressive goals jointly with the utilities for heat pump installations and weatherizations for the next three years.

And in 2025, we are right on target with a third of that goal accomplished in each of those categories.

Um that is accessible at Boston.gov/slash save and 617-635 save.

The other program that I just want to highlight in this moment that is particularly relevant to the overall city budget is that the municipal energy unit in the environment department works behind the scenes to save energy costs.

Since more strategically purchasing energy starting in fiscal year 15, this program has saved 61.8 million dollars in avoided electricity costs.

Just a couple of months ago, we identified the possibility to switch some account classifications to larger energy usage rates that are lower than what they have been on.

That's projected to save 2.3 million dollars in the upcoming fiscal year with uh very little cost to implement.

Uh we also have implemented lots of um energy saving projects in our building, such as lighting.

I mean, those every year save 2.3 million dollars compared to what um we would be paying had we not made those infrastructure upgrades.

So I um focus in on those uh just to give you a sense of how important our uh focus on climate and affordability is together, which you'll see reflected in a lot of the programs that we are continuing this fiscal year.

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about my goals for um the next year, but which I will go very quickly.

Um but really in this um in this budget cycle, we are we are continuing to invest in all of the programs that I mentioned and moving them forward.

So, whether that is the expansion of the Boston Energy Saver to reach more neighborhoods, um to continue Birdo implementation and providing support.

We're also um really working on uh both um a vision for expanding um and maintenance of the urban wilds jointly with the parks department, the um continuing not just the energy reduction measures that I mentioned, but also strategically purchasing renewable energy, which is more important than ever in a time when um the renewable energy markets um need stable customers such as the city.

And I will mention again that um next week we will launch our climate action plan, 2030 climate action plan, which um really sets the stage for very practical work across the city implemented through the climate council that Brian mentioned, and that will really be the next phase of this uh department's work in climate.

And we continue to be a um to keep focus on um hiring and um retaining talent.

We had an excellent year last year in terms of hiring with very few positions vacant now.

And with that, I will pass it to my colleague Chris Osgar.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Oliver.

Uh Chair Weber, Council President Brennan, Councillor Kalazapada, Councillor Flynn, pleasure to see all of you.

Uh, thank you for your partnership uh in engagement and support of this work.

As Oliver mentioned, I'm Chris Osgood.

I have the great pleasure of leading our terrific Office of Climate Resilience team.

Um, this is a team that is focused on coordinating Boston's all-of-government approach to risk reduction, uh, looking at three principal climate risks extreme heat, stormwater flooding, and coastal flooding.

For our mayor, the focus is to shift from a decade of really good planning and demonstration projects that we have done with many of you and many of you in this room to a decade of implementation.

And that is implementation through implementing systems and projects and policies that help protect our people and our critical public assets and enhance our public realm, making sure that we're delivering on that objective that Boston can be a great place for families to call home for generations to come.

Uh in the upper left-hand corner of the slide, you see a quick summary of our budget as Oliver mentioned.

Uh, we have a shared services budget on the non-personnel line, so that our non-personnel budget is within the environment department.

Our personnel line is essentially the heart of our operating budget.

It covers the staff of the Office of Climate Resilience.

We have the good fortune to have some support from external funds, principally grants that help us advance our work.

Uh, and then a set of capital projects that are really focused on risk reduction across those three principal risks, uh, heat, extreme uh stormwater flooding, and coastal flooding.

As you see in the lower left, uh, there's been a lot of work by the office and across the administration over the course of this last year.

Uh that includes cutting the ribbon on the beautiful nine-acre restoration of the Madahunt Urban Wild, a project done in collaboration with the environment department and the parks department, uh, and a set of work which is opening up a new trail network and improving the ability of this uh environmental asset to handle stormwater and cool the neighborhood on extreme heat days.

Also in that lower left, you see an image of a project that's currently under construction in Charlestown.

It is a new piece of uh flood risk reduction infrastructure along Main Street that helps cut short a flood path that otherwise would impact a number of residents and some critical infrastructure in the Charlestown neighborhood.

In addition to those projects and others like those, we also were able to deepen our partnerships over this course of this last fiscal year, um recently launching our heat research agenda, the first of its type for our city, uh, really as an instrument to help us have better collaborations with our universities and help us identify the best best paths to keep people safe, uh, both over the long term uh and during heat waves and increasing risk to the people of the city of Boston.

As you see on the right side, there's a whole set of work which is continuing and advancing and accelerating in our city over the course of this next fiscal year that this budget supports.

That includes collaboration with our Office of Emergency Management to make sure that during the heat waves that we would anticipate over the course of the summer, that we're providing relief to our residents, particularly our most critical populations through communications, through things like nisting tents, and through some direct outreach and work to do policies for things like outdoor workers, something which was done in collaboration, Chair Weber with you.

Also a set of work done in collaboration with our parks department as well as Mass Audubon to expand our tree planting efforts across our city, both to increase shade, particularly in those parts of our city that have lower canopy cover, and to be able to sort of transform our urban heat islands into places that are cooler over time and protect the public health of our residents there.

In the lower right-hand corner of the slide, you see two images of some of the work we're doing really around coastal flood risk reduction over the course of this year ahead.

We'll be continuing to work with our Office of Emergency Management in delivering a set of interim solutions, and then importantly, over the course of the summer, we'll be working with the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers to release a plan looking at the long-term areas that the federal government would look to invest in flood risk-reducing infrastructure in our city.

So again, appreciate the great partnership and collaboration with all of you.

Look forward to your questions and comments and the budget process ahead.

And I'll turn it over to Elisa.

Good morning.

My name is Lisa Wasserman and I'm the director of the Office of Food Justice and really appreciate this council's support of our office over a number of years.

Our mission is to build a food system that is equitable, resilient, sustainable, and just I'm gonna share just a little bit about our accomplishments over the past year and over the past several years as we've significantly expanded and deepened our office's work in particular neighborhoods and really at a citywide scale to be able to look at systems change interventions.

We work closely with a number of other city departments, including Grow Boston, Boston Public Schools, Age Strong, Boston Public Health Commission, and many many community partners to carry out our mission as effectively as possible.

Because Boston has such a robust food access infrastructure, whether it's grocery stores, farmers markets, mobile markets, farm shares, food pantries, and so many other food access organizations and businesses.

We at the Office of Food Justice have really had the opportunity to impact residents most by supporting partnerships and critical food access and affordability infrastructure that supports the excellent work of these businesses and organizations and leveraging their efforts to really be sort of more than the sum of their parts to provide affordability and access for residents on the ground.

I would say in a year that was challenging at the federal and global level for conditions that made it harder for residents to be able to afford food.

Our work critically supported the ability of partners throughout the city to be able to help residents weather these storms, both at the time-limited crisis of this delay in SNAP benefits in November, and throughout with ongoing federal efforts to remove residents' eligibility to receive SNAP as well as the ongoing high cost of food.

So a few accomplishments of the awesome team we have at the Office of Food Justice, who really make all of these things happen with our partners in FY26.

Through our contracted services budget, primarily, we were able to build equitable access, improve equitable access, I should say, and distribution systems for fresh culturally relevant and more regionally grown food citywide, and especially with a focus on food insecure communities.

So just to highlight a few of those, through the citywide farmers market coupon program, we provided nearly 420,000 of fresh food at no cost to low-income Boston residents at any of the 20 farmers' markets across the city between June and October that were through coupons distributed by 35 different organizations and community health centers, ensuring that folks could really access food of their choice in the community of their choice while also supporting local farmers and food producers.

Similarly, on the front of making sure residents could afford fresh food of their choice through our double up food books program, which provides snap shoppers 50% discount on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating stores.

Since the beginning of that program in 2018, our office has distributed over a million dollars in discounts to snap shoppers for fresh produce.

Our initial seed investment of ARPA funds, thanks to the council's support for the Greater Boston Collaborative Food Access Hub in Roxbury has really begun to blossom in terms of utilization of the space this past year with quite a few partners, including ABCD, JP Center Food Hub, Rosie's Place, Maverick Landing Community Services, Fresh Start Food Network, and Food Link, all basing a portion of their operations out of the food hub in Roxbury and working with almost a dozen other collaborating partners to help move food in and out.

We were able to officially kind of partner with the YMCA and Mass General Brigham to more officially open that site this year and really it's it changes every week.

So a few examples of unique partnerships during the past year there was a shipment of bananas that moved through Chelsea that really could not be like no one organization could find homes for all of the bananas, and there are clearly many many households that could benefit, and so the hub was was critical in getting that those resources to residents who needed them.

At another point during the year, an entire tractor trailer of 15,000 pre-packaged meals also was not going to be going to people to eat it, it was going to go to waste.

And so the partnerships in that space made it possible to get those meals out to many many households in many neighborhoods.

And so when snowstorms and federal policy changes to SNAP also disrupted supply chains, the collaborative hub was able to function as a core stop gap space for operators in the emergency and local food spaces to connect with each other to have this cold storage that you've all heard me us talk about so much to connect and ensure that food wouldn't go to waste and that each community really would have a greater abundance of fresh food.

Similarly, the additional 12 ARPA funded cold storage grants that we provided to food access and food recovery organizations this year increased the cold storage available by 1337 square feet of cold storage, and those organizations increased their average number of clients served this year by 33% due to this support.

So I'll just close with one more piece of our work, which are our partnerships with Boston Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services, which has really made amazing strides and progress of for the good food purchasing program, which was started by the council's good food purchasing ordinance, and this year Boston Public Schools earned good food leader silver status from this organization that works with jurisdictions across the country called the Center for Good Food Purchasing.

And so that means that for the 2023-2020 school year, all of the food that BPS purchased gave them this exceptionally high rating in terms of the values behind the food that they purchased.

And this is a higher ranking than many of the districts or jurisdictions around the country have been able to achieve.

Coming from their initial baseline of the 2019 to 2020 school year.

So want to pivot a little bit to talking about our goals and our plans for FY27.

We our proposed budget for FY27 includes $109,852 for personnel and $610,000 for contracted services.

And combined with an additional $500,000 from the participatory budgeting FY26 process where residents voted to support food access for residents.

In addition, we will be developing looking at what initiatives we can develop to really do more to support affordability at locally owned independent grocery stores, developing a food access and food insecurity dashboard, evaluating the impact of our double-up food box program with a report that will be coming out this year, and looking at how we can support year-round fruit and vegetable affordability through both farmers markets and locally owned grocery stores.

Given the challenges with SNAP at the federal level, part we will be partnering with organizations on the ground to protect access to SNAP for the thousands of Boston residents that could be have already been and could continue to be at risk of losing their eligibility for SNAP.

We will be implementing recommendations, additional recommendations from our food recovery assessment, working with food waste generators, food recovery organizations, and the organizations that distribute recovered food throughout our neighborhoods.

And bodegas to understand their challenges and in parallel to identify what levers the city could use to support these stores to better weather the current storms, and we are advising the planning department's community and needs assessment where they are looking at grocery stores as part of the essential quality of life facilities in each neighborhood to better understand the existing landscape of grocery stores as food access infrastructure and what needs each of our neighbor neighborhoods might have.

Thank you.

And I will think we're not.

Thank you, Lisa.

So thank you, Chair Weber, for the opportunity to present this you know brief overview of sort of 2026 accomplishments and 2027 goals.

I think happy to take any questions we have really focused on delivering on core environmental and health needs and services and programs for the constituencies in Boston with a with a real focus on near-term affordability.

I'm making sure we're addressing that moment, but I'll look forward to your questions and the conversations here today.

Okay, uh thank you.

Uh been joined uh by Councillor Coleta Zapada, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Fitzcherald, but just uh Aliza, I had a question just uh clarifying.

So where you we got money from participatory budgeting from the recent vote?

How does that show up in your departmental budget like in your in your operating budget?

So just as a hypothetical if you if you got 200,000 in participatory budgeting, which I was that's the number it's 500.

500, okay.

So you got 500, but your operating budget when goes down 200 for this year.

Is are you really up to 300?

I how does that work?

How should we be thinking about that?

Um, that's a great question.

I think um, you know, fortunately there's a lot of alignment between the project that residents voted for and and suggested around grants to community organizations for food access with how we have worked with partners through our operating budget, and so you know we're um we're working through options right now and really want to make sure that we're honoring what the residents suggested and voted for, and I think it will um give us the opportunity to hopefully maintain uh the level of support for food access across the city that we have been able to support over the past several years.

Okay, yeah, so just to clarify Chair.

Um so one, the timing of the participatory budgeting, there's a long tail because it is very participatory.

Um so this is the funding that was allocated in the in the previous in the current fiscal year, like we don't know where it goes until very recently.

Um and so at the end of that process, there were projects and programs that made sense for OFJ to run coming out of that process.

This is not just sort of uh an amount of money that goes into the OFJ operating budget to do with it what OFJ feels it's it's what comes out of the participatory process.

So that is the FY26 decision of the participatory budgeting process.

You know, there'll be obviously an allocation to participatory budgeting for the next fiscal year as well, but the timing isn't such that we're you know we include it in the operating budget submission.

Okay, yeah, thank you.

Thank you very much for that uh clarification.

Uh okay, so I'm gonna go to my colleagues in order of arrival.

Uh we're gonna do six minutes uh after the first round and go to public testimony, and there'll be uh second round after that.

So counselor Flynn.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you to the administration team that is here.

Um here's my first question.

What are the contracted services that are seeing a $315,000 cut in the environment department's operating budget?

And another 1.6 cut in that department external funds budget.

Can you explain that?

Uh yes.

Um just for the for the panelists.

Just don't touch the buttons.

Uh we'll take care of that.

Okay.

Great.

Um, so for the the uh contract services, um the reductions are for um uh support programs related to Birdo implementation.

So these are um programs to um that directly um help with um for example um providing um a uh support by creating um additional um materials, for example, I mentioned the uh the condo um uh uh handbook, which we're doing this year, an example of something similar to that for next year, we're moving those services to um contract services, or we have a service that provides um free third-party verification, um, which is something that buildings that need to comply um have to uh have their data verified by a third party, and we're moving that to um the pollution abatement fund um for one year.

So it is um by and large, those are a couple examples.

It is uh what is being moved is entirely um Virto support contract services.

Right.

In in the 1.6 um the 1.6 from external funds.

Yeah, I think well, let me look into that, Ty.

Do you have uh you can zero in on that?

Or is is that actually OCR?

Some of the external funds involved S and Oliver and correct me on this.

It reflects largely grants, and so some grants are expiring over the course of this last fiscal year.

Um so you see some ebbs and flows in the external funds budget as uh grants uh cycle in cycle out.

As a small example of that, there's a grant from the Bar Foundation that has helped with our climate ready Boston implementation in the external funds budget uh that is sunsetting at the end of this fiscal year.

Okay, that's not necessarily a cut though.

If you have grants and the grants are expiring, that's not really a cut, right?

Um so just just briefly, the the services that you mentioned, how how how are we going to be providing those services that you mentioned are going to be cut?

Yeah, I I think let me um answer that question by just stating at the top.

Um we're actually not going to be cutting any of our planned services.

We're we are moving them from uh for one year from contract services to uh be funded by a revolving fund.

So um I'm I'm happy to say that we're we're not actually cutting any of the services.

Um we're we're continuing everything as had been planned.

Okay.

Um last week Boston announced that Virto reporting deadline had been extended to August, I guess.

Can you walk through where the free one-on-one technical support flexibility measures described in the press release announcing the changes can be seen in the budget?

Where where in the budget is that where in the budget are is the is reflected the sorry, just a clarifying question.

How has the extension affected um the budget?

Yeah, the the free one-on-one technical support and flexibility measures described in the press release announcing the change.

Where is that in the budget?

That is um uh in fiscal year 26 um operating budget, so that will continue for anyone who needs to avail themselves of that through June, and those um same services um will be available all the way through.

Um and if the contracts are um if it's the same contracts that we're working off of, they will just be um funded through uh the shift from the revolving fund that I mentioned.

So it's it's quite stable all the way through.

Okay.

Um the the eight jobs listed on the join the work to become a green New Deal city, all of whom appear to be working either in whole or in part in the environmental department.

Um how is filling those jobs been impacted, affected by the mayor's hiring delay and how will filling those positions affect the environmental department's budget as well.

Um so to clarify the question is um how has filling positions been?

Yeah, we um we've been able to um over the past fiscal year, we've we filled um a great number of vacancies, and I believe only have um three or four now.

Um I will be I will I will note that um as part of the to contributing to the 2.1 percent reduction um of the overall budget.

We've proposed um freezing um the hiring of an environmental policy analyst position, which um came from a retirement, and we're also actually receiving um uh fellowship funding for a two-year fellow that um no longer requires us for the next two fiscal years to have um funding from the um emergency employees line.

So that is the only impact it is um that we're having on the budget from hiring.

Thank you.

My final question, maybe I'll get the question in.

Mr.

Chair, should I should I ask it and then see when you go ahead?

I just want to be respectful to my colleagues.

Um with with Birdo regulations, I have heard of people in my district that wanted to do some particular upgrade to their condo, um, whether it's HVAC work.

Um so they want to get the HVAC work done, but then the added Birdo regulations are making it much more difficult for them financially to get that done.

Is that a concern you have heard?

And what is your advice for people that are in a condo group and they do need to get critical um upgrades to their apartments or condos, but they don't necessarily have the money because of the added birdo regulations.

Yeah, um, would you like me to answer that question?

Yeah.

Okay.

Um so I I don't know the particulars of um the cases that you've heard, but by and large, what we have heard is that um when folks want to make upgrades, um, the upgrades that they want, and this reflects what we know about the state of technology, all of the upgrades that anyone would make to a building, whether it is a big single occupant or a condo, they all go in the direction of reducing energy usage and decarbonization, which is exactly what Birdo is designed to do.

So we don't hear um, you know, Birdo is making it more difficult for me to do the upgrade I want.

It's more that I want to do the upgrade I want, which is good for me and good for Birdo, but I don't necessarily have the resources to do it now.

That's what we hear, and so that is why we have so many um flexibility measures for people to be able to come to us and develop a plan that puts the timing of their upgrades um on a special track so that it matches when they will have the resources.

So at the moment, uh the only buildings that are being roped into Birdo implementation from 2025 to 2029 are 35 units or larger.

Um and so happy to, you know, as always happy to take any particular cases that are coming to you through our Birdo helpline or reaching out to us individually to help walk folks through.

There is uh oftentimes some sort of misinformation out there.

Um upgrades to particular units obviously have to comply with the state building code, but Birdo does not, you know, um regulate a particular unit, it's buildings at a large scale.

Yeah, that's that was my concern.

Um there was one unit, one building I should say, in my district, more in the downtown area that is particularly in that situation.

So maybe I'll follow up with you to the great um off after the meeting.

Mr.

Chair, thanks, so give me an extra couple minutes.

Yeah, uh, thank you.

Uh Councilor Braden.

Thank you.

Good morning, everyone.

Good to see you all.

Um I was just wondering in terms of Bernoulli, how many buildings are currently out of compliance with Berdo reporting or emissions limits, and and how do you handle that if they're out of compliance for whatever reason?

Um we um we as you know we have um extended the deadline um from May 15th to August 15th.

So um we are not going to know until um a couple of months after August 15th what compliance with um emissions limits is because that is this is the first year, 2025 is the first year that um we um will have that information.

What I will say is that because uh Bertha was developed um so closely with property owners, we know um through some estimating that um the vast majority, somewhere between you know 80 and 90 percent are likely to be able to come in um meeting their um emissions limits.

So this is really a um a year that kind of sets the baseline for um future years.

Um in terms of reporting, um we have um so so keep in mind that around 6,000 buildings are covered by Birdo, and um we've had a um I'm trying to think how to simplify the numbers.

We we've had depending on the the category that you're looking at, whether it's um you know larger large buildings or medium sized large buildings, um, between 70 and 80 percent um reporting.

And that is about um uh comparable to other cities that have had building performance standards, um although there aren't that many that are you know, Boston's at the forefront here.

Um, but we expect that when compliance comes, uh emissions compliance is also something that comes into effect for buildings, reporting compliance will um increase as well.

Thank you.

Um and then uh I know one of the key areas uh and you mentioned was cut um cooling um trying to help us survive hot summers.

Um as you know Alston is an urban heat island, um, and we're wondering what plans do you have to ensure safety with hot summer months ahead.

Like are we getting up to a place?

The other question I have is just thinking about we we heard recently we'd increased our um tree canopy, but are we still is there still a loss of tree canopy on private spaces rather than an improving on public spaces?

That's the other second question and turn over Chris on the um emergency um response in terms of heat.

Uh so on canopy coverage, uh great question, counselor.

Uh so the report you're referring to, every five years we do uh a LIDAR survey of canopy coverage.

So we wait till full growth of leaves in the summertime and say how much um shade is being provided by a tree canopy in Boston.

Uh and we had a material improvement in the five-year period from 2019 to 2024, which was great because the previous five-year period showed no change.

Yeah.

Um we added uh a little over 150 acres, which is a real amount across the city, and it moved our total um unit by about half a percent, obviously, because the city of Boston is 48 square miles, it's a massive amount of land mass, but it's moving in the right direction.

Um we also saw uh significant increases in the uh canopy coverage that the public sector directly controls.

So that's street trees, you know, over um sidewalks and rights of way, that's uh trees and parklands, um, that's on buildings and assets that we own.

We saw a very large increase there in terms of you know acreage that was significantly offset by the reduction of tree canopy coverage on private sector residential lots.

Uh and so you know, we continue to uh try to um find better ways of encouraging private sector tree planting and coverage and appreciation for the benefits that private sector trees on residential lots uh provide uh and you know are integrating that into our um you know appropriate zoning uh review uh to say how do we actually increase the availability of housing and promote housing development while not promoting the cut down of of older trees.

I would highlight um two things that really moved us in the right direction of canopy coverage.

One is we now have an urban forestry unit that hopefully every city councilor is seeing in their neighborhood.

Yes, you know, we are maintaining trees in ways that we didn't for the previous 40 or 50 years.

Yeah.

Um and the best thing we can do for canopy coverage is actually pruning trees and not waiting for Mother Nature to do it for us, because then we usually lose the whole tree when that happens.

Uh and so we now have a goal of getting you know to every uh street tree and tree under our um care and coverage every five to seven years to prune it, you know, so that it is healthy for longer.

Um that has proven really successful in those investments that this council made are really you know returning an ROI.

Secondly, we are prioritizing the planting of new street trees in climate justice neighborhoods, and we have many throughout Boston, including um Alston Brighton.

Uh we plant about 2,000 trees uh every year, uh, and 40% of those trees are going in the 20% of land that is defined as climate justice in the city of Boston.

So we are trying to grow that canopy coverage in the neighborhoods where urban heat island is a more extreme issue.

That is the structural response over time to reducing urban heat, and we know that temperatures can vary up to 10 degrees or more on extreme heat day between a well canopy coverage neighborhood and a neighborhood with less scanty coverage in those types of events.

I'll transition for Chris to talk about our response on cooling centers, our response on splash pads and deployable you know, water features.

Um perhaps first talk about sort of what happens during a heat emergency, and then uh an additional point on the transformation of our public realm over time, and then third, sort of some direct uh people-based or people uh focused uh interventions.

So our Office of Emergency Management has a whole set of missing tents uh and shade structures to be able to deploy during the course of a heat emergency.

Very uh happy to have your recommendations and any member of the council's recommendations on locations that we should be setting those up as we head into any heat emergencies that we experience over the course of the summer.

Um in addition, uh we have a great interest in making sure that residents are simply informed of uh heat related risks and the steps they can take individually.

So delighted to work with any of you on amplifying that message, uh, particularly as we head into the summer, not just during heat emergencies, but all throughout the summer.

Um, one of the key ways uh in which we are providing shade uh in some of our neighborhoods is through some outdoor cool spaces, largely at our libraries and community centers, including one uh that is in your district, um, and happy to sort of uh at some point sort of walk through that location and think about other cooling resources that we may be able to make sure that we provide in Alston Brighton.

A quick additional note on on canopy cover, as we think about that long-term transformation that Chief Sweat spoke about, one of our key investment areas beyond street trees is on the private property.

As you mentioned, a lot of that is done through the Boston Tree Alliance in collaboration with Mass Audubon.

We have had a round of investment uh this past year of a half million dollars to uh six grantees to be able to expand tree planting uh on private property uh in places that have lower canopy cover uh historically and have higher uh heat during the course of the summer.

We'll have another round of that coming out uh next year uh with uh support from Inflation Reduction Act funding of about uh $320,000.

Um last quick note um a lot of these things are place-based, but really heat impacts people individually, so there's a lot of work by our office for early childhood focused on providing technical assistance to family child care providers uh during the course of summer months and extreme heat events, and this summer will be uh our first summer working uh under the uh new ordinance that uh uh this council passed in collaboration with the administration around heat illness prevention plans uh focused both on city contractors and um city employees who will be uh potentially most at risk from extreme heat events.

So there's a set of things that are less about the place and more about individuals who be most uh uh impacted and happy to work more on that with you as well.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you very much.

Councillor Coleta Zapata.

Six minutes.

Thank you so much, Chair, and I probably will have a second round, but I will um I'll go as quickly as I can.

Um good to see you all.

Thank you so much for your deep partnership.

It's a pleasure to work with all of you.

Boston is a um national role model as it relates to being a green new deal city and uh our standards, Office of Climate Resilience, Birdo, Chief, Eliza.

I'm sorry.

I should know your name.

Just what is it?

I'm sorry.

Thaisha, thank you for your work.

Um I apologize for that.

I was late.

Um, I have a few questions, just checking my own math, and uh I'll go through coastal resilience, food access and recovery, and then parks and specifically parks maintenance ahead of this year and all of our events.

Um to Chris, so in the coastal resilience slide, we had put 88 million to 91 million for for capital, and just confirming that that's the coastal resilience fund.

So of that capital budget.

Uh 75 million is the coastal resilience reserve.

Um the balance of that are a set of um coastal resilience, largely coastal resilience-related projects, uh, things like the Border Street Project, the one of the new projects, which is why one of the reasons to see an increase over the previous five-year capital plan is that the Amana School is now part of the city's capital budget and the design work which is happening there.

Um, and just of note, and as you know, some of the coastal resilience work, uh the capital projects are not just in this budget but are also in the planning uh cabinet's budget as well as within the park specific budget.

So efforts like Ryan Playground uh in your district or some of the work on the Four Point Channel are projects that are in uh other departments' budgets, but are all adding to the city's overall investment in coastal resilience.

Okay, and that leads into my next question, and thank you.

So we have the Border Street project, we have the Mokley Park Connector, we have the Mario Umana.

Is it safe to cleanly say like that's a part of the 75 million that's allocated?

So the UMANA is actually above the 75 million.

So the 75 million, there's the 75 million coastal resilience reserve, and then Border Street uh locally, Lewis, Romana, uh, and a small set of additional projects are above that 75 million coastal resilience reserve.

So we've been able to take the reserve and really use that, we think largely for a set of match efforts.

Um of that will be about leveraging it for the Army Corps project uh in the out years of the five-year capital plan, um, but some of that will also be able to help us advance move more quickly on some of the near-term projects that we've talked a lot about and you've been leading on.

Thank you.

And I was gonna ask, I know the last time we had talked um and we have our monthly meetings, which I appreciate so much.

Thank you for your again for your partnership and um just your transparency.

So there was discussion about just given the national landscape that we're seeing right now, trying to move away from maybe a matching model, still utilizing it for the Army Corps of Engineers, but trying to figure out how we can fine-tune it a little bit just to pay for some of these near-term coastal resilience projects.

How is that going?

What conversations have happened and any movement on that?

So I appreciate the question.

Um, I think first on the Army Corps and then on the reserve.

Um, so we have uh renamed it as the same line item, but we've renamed uh within this budget for transparency uh purposes to your point uh that the Army Corps collaboration in particular is a 5.7 million dollars.

That is both full funding of uh from the federal government uh as well as uh the city's 50% match for that work.

Um, as you'll see, sort of in the cash flows for the 75 million dollar uh uh coastal resilience reserve.

There is an expectation that we will use portions of that in advance of some of the other uh large grant uh or Army Corps investments in the out years.

I would expect that the near-term investment or use of that fund will be for projects like Lewis Street and Call Morph.

We do have the outstanding uh roughly 10 million dollar grant we will expect from the hazard mitigation grant program uh that the federal government uh runs, and the city is expecting to put a 10 million dollar match towards that uh towards that project, and so it would likely pull from that reserve for that purpose uh going forward.

Okay, thank you.

Um I'll go to food access and recovery, Eliza.

Um, you're amazing.

I appreciate you for uh answering our questions and being very um open to some of the ideas that we have, especially around food access uh and food recovery.

Um I have a question, just again double checking my math.

So OFJ budget is down 14% with 204 down in contracts.

Does that sound right?

Uh I apologize if you had gone over that and I missed it, but what contracts are we losing?

So our contracted services line item is a sort of a general, it doesn't is not broken down by specific contracts.

So um there are not specific contracts um that we're losing per se.

It is the general uh source of operating funds resources that allows us to work with for various grant programs and any contracts that we set up uh to support the work that the farmers markets and the community partners do.

Okay, I think that makes sense.

Yes, there's money that's going towards our third-party partners to support uh their work.

Uh we are prioritizing uh the places where uh we are supporting critical infrastructure that but for our support, you know, would be financially unstable.

Um so we want to make sure that uh farmers markets and that local neighborhood grocery stores are continuing to be you know part of the food ecosystem and the structural improvements that we need to make while you know being uh aware of sort of the challenges of SNAP benefits and you know direct food access programs.

Um so we're working through uh and the other things obviously this is what's coming out of the operating budget.

Elisa and her team work really hard on finding uh outside funding, philanthropic, corporate other partnerships where we can sort of continue to support our partners and use the full weight you know of the city's um support and gravitas to sort of you know bring attention to issues.

Right.

I know the um the Boston Foundation is very finally tuning into this, and I and I apologize, just really quick um one last question before my time is up, which it kind of is now anyway.

Sorry, Chair, can I ask a quick question?

Thank you because it's all it's on food access, just really quickly.

So that following up on his question with the money through participatory budgeting.

That was an FY26 decision, it's gonna be seen in FY27.

How will you operationalize that?

Where is that money going?

Um, how long will it take to get online because these organizations do need it?

It says it's for um the neighborhood fresh food initiative.

What will that look like operationally and where is it going?

Um, so I would say some of those options we are currently working through, given the changes to our operating contracted services for FY27, um, kind of what we have a federal grant for double up food bucks that is ending at the end of June, and we don't yet know if we'll be able to apply for an additional round of federal funding, which requires a one-to-one match.

So we I would say are um working through as we as we determine like what other funding resources are available, how to make the best use of both city operating funds and any potential external funds.

I I so I would say we're sort of in the early planning phase of that, just because it yeah, the information we have had for um a few weeks about the opportunity to work with community partners on that participatory budgeting initiative.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Okay, thank you very much.

Uh Councilor Murphy.

Um I'll go not in the order I was thinking, just to continue on that conversation.

Thank you all for being here.

So one thing I have been asking, and just kind of citywide for months now, like knowing that in probably even before December, every department was saying, like we're coming into some tough times.

When you propose your budgets, like what would you cut?

And then obviously when the administration came back, departments were notified what was actually cut from their departments.

Um, still waiting for those answers, but the question that was just asked if there is a number to you know food access and are we hoping that external funds will come back to replenish, and if not, then what?

And which external partners or even city um partners or contracts do need to be cut, knowing that they may not come back.

I mean, obviously, I don't know a very hopeful person they will, but if not, then what?

Yeah, no, let me frame and then Lizzie should expand.

On the answer, um just expanding on her on her answer to counselor um Claude Zapata.

One of the moving targets we have is there were federal grant programs that used to be like clockwork on certain months, they were like released, and there was okay, we update the application, we know it's coming.

That uncertainty, and those usually come with a leverage, so you have a local participation has meant that we're sort of we're being, I think, appropriately conservative in saying we want to wait to get that window of opportunity and understand is this going to be released in the next couple of months, make sure we have that leverage available in terms of that local participation to then go after those programs.

Um, and so there is one coming up in the next couple months that the food justice office of food justice has used historically to support its partners that we just want to be ready for.

So there is that element of a moving target where hopefully we'll use both participatory and operating funding.

So there isn't we're not trying to be cagey of like which particular program we're trying to maintain some flexibility with again this lens of where the city's investment from whatever budget is supporting infrastructure that otherwise would be financially a risk that is critical to food access in the neighborhoods.

That's what we prioritize.

And if there are other things that we can go to philanthropy or corporate partners to try to backstop reductions in our direct support, we will do that, and that's the the head space that we're in.

Yeah, I think I mean that's those are the decisions that we're we're gonna be making, and I don't foresee that we would be like cut just to your specific question about I don't foresee that there are specific partners we're working with that would be cut per se, as much as we're gonna continue the strategies we have had around supporting affordability, we may need to adjust the scale of some programs, or like uh the chief said, sort of be nimble about what we deploy when based on external resources available.

We did have a robust hearing um that went into my committee back on March 30th, that um council Flynn and I sponsored about discussing you know food insecurity across the city.

We did miss you Eliza there, but you know, public health was here, BHA, the conversations just around public schools, age-strong, there's so many city departments that you know, families and residents look to, but they're also going after grants and funding.

Um I'll run out of time, but hoping that you know oftentimes many city departments lean on each other for different things, and when there's I'd never say there's lots of money, but when we're not really cutting back and scaling, there's not as I think a close lens on who's actually paying for it when we think about you know, BPS does have a snow removal budget, so we're making sure Publix Works isn't expecting to shovel like so.

So we're making sure Publix Works isn't expecting to shovel like.

So are there money or grants in these other departments that we're making?

I mean, of course, we're making sure, but that we can lean on because this process that we'll be going through here on the council, and if amendments are being put forth, like how can we as a body, or how can I, as a counselor, make sure I'm advocating to make sure of that.

Obviously, your department is one of the biggest.

That's making sure food insecurity isn't happening, but almost every department has that somewhat responsibility supporting that.

Um yeah, I will say I I think it will be best if we can get back to you about specifics there.

There are definitely resources within age strong in particular and uh BPS that are support federal that they're able to tap into federal nutrition programs for school age um students.

Families and as well as older adults.

Um we work closely with those departments as well as the Boston Public Health Commission's chronic disease prevention and control division that has um we've been working with around a strategy for fresh food access as part of their reach grant, um, as well as Grow Boston's work to help people be able to grow their own food.

So um that I those are not dollar amounts that I give you right now.

No, that's fine.

Just making sure supporting one question before the buzzer goes off.

Um just shade and cooling spaces across the city, Chinatown obviously is a um I guess for a lack of better words a hot spot, but knowing um just diseases and just needs that are there.

Um Council Flynn and I have been at many events.

Tufts is a great partner and other, you know, just nonprofits that step up to support.

But is there a plan in place for that neighborhood in particular in the summer months coming up?

Great question.

So there has been a collaboration uh in part supported by the resilient cities network to do a Chinatown specific uh heat resilience plan.

Happy to um I can follow up and share that with you and of note.

Um some of the things which uh we have been looking at in Chinatown and discussing have now been piloted.

So uh as we have discussed in the past, um well, street tree planting in tree pits is a priority.

There's some places in some of our streets because of areaways where that's very difficult to do.

So it is in Chinatown on Harrison Ave where we first piloted these sort of large-scale um movable tree planters to be able to provide uh cooling on some of our streets in Chinatown, uh knowing that it's difficult to some of our typical interventions in other parts of the city um for infrastructure reasons are harder to implement there.

In the partnership with Boston Water and Food with their water truck.

Uh yes, exactly.

The water truck and the shade tents we on the um uh the plaza, those sorts of things have been part of the regular installations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair.

Yep.

Okay, thank you, uh Councillor Fitzgerald.

Uh and we've been joined by Councillor Culpepper here after Councillor Fitzgerald.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh much appreciated.

Thank you all for being here today.

Um unfortunately this year it just seems like the only question we have to ask every department that comes in front is how much you lose in and you know, and where does it hurt the most?

So I'll try and phrase it differently.

In that if you could advocate I'd say most of the cuts are coming probably from contracted services, uh, external personnel fund.

If which one are you worried about the most and if this council could advocate for anything in terms of the powers it holds, would you like to see reinstated and and I guess what which which cut feels the hardest to take this year for you guys if we had that ability?

Uh is it great.

In contracted services, is it is it in another department or what what is the what is the the what what are we losing that you guys want to see back?

Yeah, um I think at a high level it's a great question, counselor.

I I think at a high level uh we had because of conservative budgeting in the past from some of our um revolving loan funds, we had a little bit of capacity to take a one-year hit.

So honestly, our answer is we can always do more good work in the neighborhoods and the communities with a bit more money across our programs, but um there should not be a demonstrable drop-off in services from this budget this year because we're able to shift some expenses for one year only to some funds that have built up some reserves because we conservative budget how much money is coming in versus how much is going out.

Um that will not be the case next year, right?

Um and so I think these are the answers like you know, I'm I'm happy to have additional funds put in the areas that you know we're able to cut because it allows us to do a little bit more.

Um but there isn't anything that sort of uh is gonna be uh very negatively impactful the things that we've committed to.

And and I'm really happy that we're able to do that.

So there are no programs where it's like, oh, we're canceling this program that we thought we're gonna be able to continue last year, we're just not gonna be able to do it.

That was operating budget funded.

There are obviously programs that were externally funded that like have a window of opportunity.

We always try to work with our partners when it's external money to say this is the window of opportunity to spend that money, and that's not shifting to the operating budget when that's done.

So let's make sure those games or those programs are sustainable for you know the constituents that they're benefiting.

Right.

And so you're saying next year then when we're not gonna the one that's gone, then next year that question might be more partners.

If a similar ask was made of us next year, you know, we're not able to do some of the things we're able to do this year because those sort of reserves are you know um, you know, what will have been expended.

Was there anything that you saw in what was being cut this year that kind of gives you an idea of next year what you have to sort of forecast for and might have to think about um things that you filled in with some of the revolving fund money, but saying, hey, that's probably gonna be the same area next year if that's what we saw cut this year.

Um is there anything there that um Yeah, I mean, I so I think thematically, obviously, this is a big year for Birdo in terms of implementation.

We're gonna see what um responding uh buildings and and owners need, right, this year.

And so we'll have an answer, you know, come August about saying here are the areas where you know we actually um would want to see more um technical advice and services provided.

Um so that'd be one that jumps to mind.

Um as Chris mentioned in climate resilience, you know, we are in a period of ramping up on spending on both capital and operating, not on ramping down.

So we can obviously punt a little bit for a short period of time, but we're assuming more risk.

Every time we're punting decisions to reduce risk, that's just assuming the risk, you know, in the out years.

And then I think on on food in particular, we um you know, we're trying to solve a problem that has been with us for decades that is particularly pointed because of the confluence of federal and state um and local challenges, inflation.

We need to make changes to our food ecosystem.

And we know as the city council knows, you know, um very well, there are many aspects to our food ecosystem that are teetering financially, right?

We don't like to see grocery stores um close, we don't like to see farmers' markets go under.

So we need to, and we're spending a lot of time as as uh Elisa mentioned, trying to better understand what is the city's role in helping support those ecosystems uh and that infrastructure that is so critical to our residents.

And I think we'd have an answer next year about saying here are the places where you know we feel like some investment makes sense because we don't want that downward spiral uh around food access.

Thank you.

Uh staying on the food exercise only anecdotally, right?

I've got some friends working at teachers in BPS, and they they call me up knowing where I'm at, and they say, hey John, like every morning we got muffins and stuff for the kids, breakfast, lunch, and even some to go dinners, and you know, one kid will take one out of the 24 muffins and then the rest just go in the trash, right?

And they to them it just bothered me.

So my friend reached out to me and was like, There's gotta be something better we can do with this food.

What is set up now and what do we have planned for uh in conjunction with BPS, how to make sure any unused food gets into the hands it needs to um because I I'm sure there's data on how much food goes to each school.

I'm sure there's data about how much food is used, but I'm not so sure there's any data on how much gets thrown out every day, right?

And so, how do we find out what that number is and how do we sort of uh you know lower that number?

Yeah, so I will say that I know that the leadership of food and nutrition services and PBS BPS has the same concerns that um you mentioned.

Uh they I will say a few things because you did mention um breakfast specifically.

Yeah, um I it would be better to get details directly from them, but they uh BPS is working on sort of I would say strengthening and overhauling the system for um what some schools that offer breakfast in the classroom and improving sort of data tracking and uh giving more control to the classrooms to be able to align what they get with what students want, uh so that could cut down on some of that.

I I think the overarching uh challenge that all districts that get federal reimbursement for school meals face is there are a wildly complex set of regulatory um measures that uh USCA places on them where they can't actually sort of do things that are seem logical to us a lot of the time.

Um they can't reuse things a lot of the time between federal regulations and food safety.

Again, I'm not the the expert on some of these technical details, but uh they have been working in a number of schools to do some studies around things like fruit that um like weighing it, determining how much waste there is and what measures they can put in place at a training level for the many many staff um in that department to be able to reduce waste.

It is a bit it is a part of their uh multi-year strategic plan that they launched last year.

Great.

No, uh I appreciate that.

I just always think it's um you know, if you hear people waiting for food, and then on the other hand, we got food going into a trash can, it's almost like, well, we should probably just figure out how to join those two.

But um, I'm glad folks are thinking about it, whatever we can do to help that.

Uh no, my time is up, Chair.

Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you.

Counselor Culpepper, uh, six minutes.

Thank you, Chairman.

And uh good morning.

What a day, huh?

Budget cuts.

And so let's talk a little bit about about the specific budget cuts.

So your cut is 204,000, right?

Uh you're from the office of food justice or across the country.

Yeah, so we have three food justices.

Yeah.

And where are those specific cuts going to apply?

When you look at the good food purchasing program, the farmers market coupon program, the double program, the collaborative.

Where are those cuts going to apply?

Where are you applying those cuts?

With these five different programs.

Yes, so again, um for clarity, a lot of our funding comes uh also from sort of external sources.

And so as I mentioned before, we are not line iteming a particular program at this moment because we are uh in the midst of better understanding what are some of the federal funding cycles that we'd want match money to support.

The the lens with which we are bringing is not to um is not to you know, it's to hold harmless double up food books and programs for the farmers markets and programs for um that support local grocery stores financial sustainability because we don't want that ecosystem of food access um to be disrupted, and I think we can accomplish that.

But we're so you're saying that the good food purchasing program won't be cut or affected by these cuts, the farmers market coupon won't be affected by these cuts.

The double program won't be affected by the cuts.

The collaborative food access program won't be affected by the cuts.

And the cold storage grants, well, we can talk about that in a minute.

But those four, you're saying that you're preserving those and they won't be affected by the cuts.

Uh I mentioned the double of food box and the and the farmers market supports are ones that we're prioritizing, and we're working through analyzing um opportunities to sort of leverage uh you know funding support from other sources for other programs.

And the other so the good food purchasing program is is primarily and not is a personnel uh personnel supported for us.

Is it we don't we haven't um for the most part had um grants or or contracted spending for that um staff time and you know it's it's great that we are able to maintain our our six FTEs.

Um you're just loaning and staff.

There's not money actually going into the uh for the most part on our on our office's end, that's correct.

And then the the Greater Boston Collaborative Food Access Hub and the Cold Storage Grants were um one-time ARPA funded, which we are still continuing to disperse the remainder of those grants through December, um, but they were not part of the operating.

So it's gonna cut at the end of December.

Well, they they were time-limited grants for a specific project that those uh recipients are working on.

But at the at the end of December, the program's gonna stop.

Well, they were you looking for other funds to supplement what you're gonna lose in December.

So those two grant programs in particular were for capital infrastructure investments.

So those were grant programs where we had uh one, we had the Greater Boston Food Hub Collaborative, which is a major source of ARPA money to underwrite a multi-year police.

No, I understand, I understand, but maybe those were never intended.

But my those were never intended as annual operating programs, those are capital grant programs.

So they would just so you plan for them to just end it in the opera funds.

I I guess the issue I'm having the words I'm having challenged with is like cut or end.

They were never designed to continue.

Those were one on the city.

But they're gonna stop though, right?

Well, we will not be issuing another set of grant.

That's what I mean.

Yeah, right.

But the recipients of them did they and that was my next question about the recipients.

So that's my next question.

I have an example the impact on the recipients.

Yes.

So I will say two things.

Um for example, most of those grants, the cold storage grants, those entities were able to in some cases purchase a freezer, right?

So they have a variety of food sources, and the freezer has allowed them to tap into additional sources.

There may be some portion of those grants that they are using for ongoing costs.

It really depends on the grantee.

We gave them a lot of flexibility within the focus on cold storage, but the majority of the funds, they can still use that freezer for these food sources.

And we we um have a partnerships and community engagement manager in our team, and we have ongoing work with all of our partners to help them connect with each other, connect with other resources where those grantees would have been absorbed into that partner network where we are available to support them.

We've supported sort of technical assistance with ISD at times.

Um so I think you the point you're raising about when those gr final grant disbursements go out, um, will there be um you know a plateau or an impact on those organizations' ability to serve their communities is something that we are planning to can like collect information on and continue working with them to identify other ways that they can get their program supported?

Right.

And one more question, Mr.

Chair, if I might I had others, but I'm gonna just ask one more.

Thank you.

And so when you look at the 200,000 dollar cut, and you look at um the request to all of the departments was for a two percent cut for all the departments.

I think the mayor asked all the departments for two percent cut.

And your cut came out to be 25% for your discretionary funding.

Did you make that decision?

Or when you were asked for the two percent cut, what cut did you give to the uh let's say John Williams when they asked for that two percent cut, or did you were you the person that gave the department the 25% cut?

Do you see what I'm getting at?

So you were asked for a two percent cut, right?

But you ended up with a 25% cut, right?

Who made the decision to cut 25% instead of two percent?

So the the two percent cut just for clarity was across the board and her project, both contracting and personnel and operating.

Uh obviously, each of the departments and offices in the US cabinet are different sizes and scales.

Some are more dependent on personnel line items, some are more dependent on contract dollars to deliver services.

So it doesn't waterfall down completely consistently.

Um we work extensively with uh OBM you know for months on developing the mayor's proposed budget.

So it's not as if we submit something and then they just they change it and they submit something, they're our conversation about how do we accomplish that overall intent of an aggregate, a you know, a two percent cut across the board, and you're seeing you know, of three of the five offices that I uh the privilege over seeing sort of the best available response given the task that we were um given at hand.

Uh some felt cuts in different areas more deeply than others, uh, but in the aggregate, you know, we feel like this is you know responsive to the moment that we're in while continuing to deliver key services and programs.

And then you came up with the 25% cut?

The agreement it was you know, can we continue to deliver on our food program priorities on ecosystems with 200,000 dollars less in grant money?

Yeah, and and and we are confident you know that we'll be able to do that.

And was that your decision for the 25% cut, or was it in discussion with the analysts to try and trim the budget?

I mean, it's a it's a collective conversation and and decision, it's not who's a conversation with uh with the same folks who presented the full budget so Jim Williamson.

But who who would the c who was the conversation with?

I just say about the cut.

Who who was it with, not the folks, who were the folks?

You mean the names of the people who trust you're saying with it's it's with the Office of Budget Management, so Jim Williams and Johanna Bernstein, you know, um they all work for Ashley, you know, and the mayor's team on setting direction.

And so even though you're telling me now that you can live with these cuts, you're asking us to reverse these cuts in the letter to us.

We're asking you to reverse cuts in that.

Please support OFJ and Boston residents food security by reversing this cut.

I I think that may be from advocates, but I don't know.

It doesn't say I thought it doesn't say a name on here.

I just assume well let me ask you can I ask uh okay, okay.

Are we having a second round?

We are definitely gonna have a second for public testimony.

Okay, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um just gonna give myself six minutes, then we're gonna go to public testimony and then a second round.

Um just uh in terms of the so there's two hundred thousand dollars less in contractual services for food justice.

So uh you know what what what do you what's gonna be impacted by that reduction?

Is it is it not nothing?

I just some some somebody's not gonna get their grant.

So what what were those we had 800,000 last year?

Yeah, again, the um it's a reduction in the line item that covers all of the money that comes out of the uh OFJ to our partners.

So as Elisa had mentioned previously, we're not cutting off any complete programs, any partners.

We're absorbing you know reductions in um grants that had gone out last year, and this is a reduction of the amount that we have to go out this year.

Uh, but it's not like a a cancellation of any program that was um committed to.

Uh it's reduction in amounts, you know, that uh partners have supported, and we're still working through what are the opportunities to find other funding from philanthropic or from corporate donations or leverage differently to be able to sort of make those partners as whole as possible.

This is you know, but we are as you guys know, we're in a tough budget cycle across the board, and decisions that were made when there were state and federal grants available of us sort of contributing, you know, our leverage to get those, you know, we do have to you know think about what is the highest return on investment when those opportunities are not there, you know, for the resources that we have available.

Yeah, and so yeah, I mean Eliza, I just you've I mean everything we've seen so far, food security is increasing, correct?

I um yeah, although I will say the recent we're we're hopeful, I cannot say the the cause of this.

The recent Greater Boston Food Bank hunger report that came out did show a slight decrease in food insecurity for Suffolk County, which um you know, again, I can't I can't say the cause of that.

We're hopeful that the many many organizations that do this work on the ground, as well as folks like yourselves and policymakers really trying to address root causes of poverty and hunger are stabilizing things to some extent.

Um yes, the with grocery prices what they are.

Um it's it's a challenge for you know thousands of folks in our city.

Okay, and I I mean I dovetailing with counselor Fitzgerald's questions for for your office, you know, funding wasn't an issue.

Um, you know, what are some what or what are one or two things that you would really like to do in Boston?

What it may be maybe the answer is just increase funding for what you're already doing, but you know, if you if there are programs that you think we we could pour more resources into, what would you like to see?

Yeah, I mean, as as Chief mentioned, we're currently uh waiting to find out if the the federal funding that we have for double up food bucks that is ending, uh, will have another opportunity to apply for that.

Um and and I think um being able to provide the match funding for that will be important moving forward, which we have sort of that's part of the decision making process to keep that option open if we do have the opportunity to compete for another federal grant.

Um I think as we are in the process of conducting these conversations with locally owned independent grocery stores and bodegas, having more information about their challenges will allow us to better understand what are the what are their financial levers that the city could support?

Are there really other opportunities to support them?

You know, bringing them together, helping them to there may be other ways, but we we need to have that information from them first before we can really determine what the solution is.

Okay.

And I just I would add uh given Councillor Fitzgerald's question.

Um the measure for us of success isn't sort of how much money is going into food access, but how much food access is being provided by the investments that we're making, right?

And so I think we are getting much better at being able to understand what is the amount of healthy, you know, nutritious recovered food that is no longer going to waste and and actually able to go to Bostonians who need it.

Uh and that to me is where if we can focus on what are those choke points and is it cold storage, is it infrastructure, is it distribution networks?

Because we don't have in Boston a problem with a lack of food coming into you know the municipal boundaries of Boston.

It's a it's a matching program, making sure that the food is getting to folks who need it in the most affordable and efficient fashion.

Yeah, I guess and then uh in terms of cold storage, like what is is there a goal like uh for amount of capacity that we need uh or are you just trying to increase that's a great question.

Um it's definitely a moving target because the organizations are you know constantly shifting their program.

I think there are some folks here who could maybe speak to that better who would do the work on the ground um and write their life of a freezer or refrigerator right.

It's it's not a it's not a fixed point in time and then it's done.

So I know that we were one of the few municipalities across the country that was actually able to invest in cold storage with ARPA funds.

Primarily that support has in other parts of the country has come from private philanthropy.

Um and so we had a number of other locations and jurisdictions reaching out to us to sort of understand how they could replicate our model and you know if there are resources available in the future, it's something we we hope to learn from and see how we can support in the future.

Okay.

The next level down of that question, uh chair, is is it wholesale or retail cold storage?

And so we invested in both in this funding round.

There is some more capacity for use in the wholesale, um, and we want to make sure we're getting out the you know that last mile distribution cold storage as well.

Okay.

I I gave everyone else extra time, so I'm just gonna take advantage of the same.

Just uh in terms of birdo, I just took a quick questions.

Um will the extension of the deadline like impact the payments that are made for alternative compliance uh and our ability to collect those or the those funds flowing into the fund.

So let me let me do the rationale behind the extension that you can handle the the cash flow.

Um the reason that we extended uh burdo compliance by three months is I think very appropriately in the ordinance when we make a change to how compliance can be achieved.

We give people um 90 additional days to figure out if they want to take advantage of it.

So one of the things we heard from constituents was they wanted more flexibility on the purchases of recs and the application across calendar years.

We put that into place, and that triggered you know this three-month extension.

Um in the terms of the timing of payments, they have been available to make ACP's alternative compliance payments since they were able to file in you know early January or February through this August 15th date.

So we are you're asking us uh um at very appropriate hypothetical that we don't have any leaked experience in prior years to say how is this gonna impact cash flow because we've never had this cash flow before.

But so yeah, thank you.

Um Chair, the the answer is that we have projected that we have sufficient remainder in the equitable emissions investment fund to continue a next round of grants comparable to what is open right now, which is six hundred thousand dollars.

So if we keep it at just the regular business that um the fund has been doing for birdo grants um, you know, before alternative compliance payments came in, that's not going to be disrupted at all.

Um we, as Brian mentioned, expect to be getting alternative compliance payments um, you know, from the spring all the way into the end of the summer, and that um will be hopefully uh an opportunity to make much bigger grants, but it's probably not gonna throw off the cycle very much at all.

So I think the the short answer is it'll be minimal, but we have a solid um footing to continue our current.

Okay, just a quick follow to that.

Is this this is the first year seeking authorization from uh for use of the birto fund, or is that right?

And then why is why is this the first year as it's been around?

This is the first year that we're receiving funds that weren't already authorized from the operating budget.

So this is the first year that other people's payments because this is the first year that 2025 regulated building owners um are actually you know hitting performance targets that they are potentially cutting checks into the fund.

Okay.

We've never received outside funds other than the operating budget that you guys approve, you know, to go into that fund before.

Okay, thank you very much.

So we're we're gonna take a uh uh I don't know interlude here for uh for for public testimony in the order uh we have I have Greg Maynard, Alina uh uh Shrek Shrekenberger, uh Alex Talbman, and then Hassan Faruki.

Uh you're gonna have two minutes each to testify.

Hold on, give me a second here.

Just introduce yourself and then uh you get two minutes.

Hello, uh, my name is Gregory Maynard, and I'm the co-founder and executive director of the Boston Policy Institute.

There is an office missing from today's hearing and from the council's budget hearings, the Office of Historic Preservation.

The EEOS cabinet is made up of four offices Parks and Rec, Environment, Food Justice, and Historic Preservation.

The council is hearing from environment and food justice today and parks and rec on May 11th.

That leaves just one office not having a budget hearing, historic preservation.

This oversight is surprising given the office's importance and the fact it has a larger budget than food justice and the personal offices led by Chris Osgood and Brian Sweat.

The lack of a budget hearing isn't new.

Historic preservation, and therefore the entities it oversees, the landmark commission and the 10 agri architectural landmark and historic districts didn't have one in 2024 or 2025 either.

The Wu administration has a fraught relationship with the largest component of the office, the landmarks commission.

And then in April 2024, all 15 commissioners signed a letter which laid out six different examples of Wu administration officials interfering in the body's work.

After that letter became public, Marewoo fired the body's executive director.

The council has never held a standalone hearing on the allegations in that letter.

Since April 2024, historic preservation's inaugural director resigned, and a new chief was hired in September 2024, and a new deputy chief was hired in March 2025.

Leaving historic preservation out of this year's budget hearing is a particular oversight because it has a lot to do in FY27.

It is in the midst of creating an 11th Historic District for Charlestown's Monument Square and is playing a major role in the city's plans to celebrate the country's 250th birthday, which will also be supported by sponsors and philanthropic partners.

Something for the budget uh hearings to dig into.

The Office of Historic Preservation sits at the intersection of tourism and planning and is subject to a number of conflicting public policy demands.

It should have a budget hearing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Lena.

And then uh Alex Tabman.

Okay.

Yeah.

So introduce yourself and you get two minutes.

Good morning.

My name is Elena Straffenberger.

ABCD is one of Massachusetts' 23 community action agencies and serves over 100,000 individuals and families across Go to Boston, administering several federal and state programs.

We recommend that the City of Boston continues and increases its investment in food security programming.

Due to the rising costs of food and other household essentials, food and security has continued to increase in Boston and the nation at large.

Recent and upcoming changes to SNAP, also known as food stamps, has exacerbated this increase.

In Massachusetts, the data from the Good of Boston Food Bank in Mass General Bigham indicates that approximately 40% of households of 1.12 million people experienced food insecurity in the past year.

At the same time, SNAP enrollment has been decreasing rapidly due to the changes in eligibility and some cases fear of re-enrollment from still eligible immigrant populations.

As more of the changes to SNAP go into effect in the coming year, it is expected that enrollment will continue to decline despite the increased need.

ABCD operates seven food access centers across Boston and participates in the senior brown bag program, distributing hundreds of thousands of pounds of food each year.

All of our food access centers and senior brown bag sites have seen an increased need for food.

They have expanded the number of slats available for food pickup and consistently have full wait list, but many clients unfortunately must leave without food because we are unable to keep up with the demand due in large part to a lack of funding.

The fund these food access centers used to purchase food from the Good Boston Food Bank and other sources do not go as far as they used to due to increased cost.

The food, these food access centers is complemented.

The work of these food access centers is complemented by the ABCD Food and Security Program, which is a member of the collaborative food storage and distribution hub in Roxbury.

If you could wrap up, okay.

Um, through this hub, the food and security program is able to collect more fresh and recovered food from grocers, farms, and other entities to supplement what our food access center received from the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Alex.

Okay.

Uh dear counselors, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

Uh my name is Alex Tobman, and I'm the program director for food security at ABCD.

I'm also an elected steering committee member at the Boston Food Access Council, which represents an active membership of over 200 residents from every neighborhood across the city, and organizational partners from all sectors of Boston's robust food justice ecosystem.

We organized to realize our conviction that nourishing food is a right, not a privilege.

In the mayor's budget proposal, there may be cuts to discretionary spending that will impact the availability of double-up food bucks at grocery stores and farmers market coupons.

This will lessen residents' access to fresh, healthy, affordable, and nutritious food.

At a time when 40% of Bostonians are experiencing food insecurity, grocery prices are going up, and SNAP is in pre-fall, city investments in affordable and accessible food are not discretionary but imperative.

Farmers markets are centers for community cohesion in every neighborhood of Boston.

They bring high quality fresh food close to home.

They increase the purchasing power of public benefits dollars.

They have a multiplier effect on economic activity in the surrounding neighborhood, and they're a key mechanism for ensuring equitable market infrastructure citywide and for increasing the purchasing power of those navigating food and security regardless of their SNAP enrollment.

Double Up Food Bucks expands fresh food retail year-round by matching SNAP purchases of fresh produce in locally owned businesses.

Under OFJ's leadership, the Double Up program has scaled to several locally owned small businesses in Roxbury, Dorchester, East Boston, and Jamaica Plain.

It's a powerful example of how community design solutions with public investment can lead our city forward in challenging times.

Please support OFJ and Boston residents' food security by reversing this cut.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, and members of the committee.

My name is Hassan Faruqi.

I'm executive director of the Boston Climate Action Network, or BCAN, and I serve on the City of Boston's Burdo Review Board.

I'm a constituent of Councillor Fitzgerald, so it's good to see you here.

But looking closer, I was you know heartened to see that we're seeing an increase by about 5% to the personnel services line item, uh, while it's really the contractual services that's seeing the decrease of about 20%.

And so I think that's acceptable.

What's most important from our standpoint is that we are continuing the investments in the staff who deliver these really critical basic city services to lower energy bills, to improve air quality to create jobs and all the programs that you all have mentioned, really are administered by these by a relatively small number of staff.

So we're heartened to see that those staff will continue to have their jobs and continue to support the community.

Um and of course, it goes without saying, you know, enough is never enough when it comes to climate action.

There's not uh any amount that we could invest that would be too much because every dollar has so many dollars back in economic value in terms of lowering bills, raising wages, improving health, and so those are the of course long-term investments we need to see.

And I think it also speaks to why we shouldn't have to be in this situation uh like the one that we're in today.

We need to expand the state aid that we are getting uh and and find alternative, sustainable long-term revenue mechanisms for the entire city operating budget so that the current challenges, fleeting as they may be uh from the federal government, uh, are not impacting our ability to deliver services.

So, with that, uh, thank you, members of the committee, and um thank you to our partners in the administration as well.

I yield back.

Thank you.

Thank you.

If anyone uh we're gonna start again.

Second round, uh we'll do shoe for five minutes.

Um Councilor Flynn.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I I do want to go back to the bird of requirements, the financial um impact it is it's having on residents but also nonprofits as well.

I did hear from several nonprofits across the city that they are struggling to make these changes or to be in compliance with with Birto, including uh the Museum of Fine Arts, the New England Aquarium as well.

Um we downplaying the financial significance of the impact this will have okay.

Um so uh counselor Flynn, um you you raise an important topic, which I am happy to have the opportunity to respond to.

I think it is uh sort of zooming way back.

It is it is definitely a um large um financial undertaking that all of us as a planet have to do to rise to the challenge of um you know meeting what is required of us to reduce emissions and keep our uh society going, if you will allow me to muse a little bit.

But this program is actually designed very closely with property owners to um have it work on the um you know with the financial constraints that each property owner has.

And so when you think about um cultural institutions, um particularly um the MFA and New England Aquarium, if I'm not mistaken, they they both have um uh hard choke compliance plans in place, and they are excellent examples of how a the Burdo program is designed for property owners to be able to come to the table um without too much cost embedded in their work to say this is our situation, how can we either you know change some of our timing, how can we have custom emissions limits, which is what the aquarium did, um, that really work on our schedule of what we have available for capital increases, and um also to make the um annual compliance um more affordable.

We have um launched programs like I mentioned on helping procure renewable energy.

All told, um really the message for all buildings that are um covered by Birdo is if now in 2025 and 2026 you are facing hardship, we have a productive conversation to have to figure out how to help you because there really are individual pathways for every building in order to be able to comply without um too much cost.

Thank you.

So I want to go back to a question I asked earlier.

The eight jobs listed on the join the work to become a green new deal city, all of whom um will be working with these the environment in in the environmental department.

Could but can you walk me through the eight jobs, the salaries as well that you're looking to hire?

I'm sorry, I I I forgive me, I think I need a little bit more clarification of exactly where you're you're looking for.

Okay.

Counselor, my apologies.

Um I'm just looking on the join the work to become a green new deal city.

It's on the kind of the home page of the of the of the cabinet, and it lists available positions, building director of energy transformation, climate innovation analyst, energy analyst, energy management, renewable energy finance manager, climate policy, building project manager.

Yeah, um, I I believe we we'll have to double check on that website, but it must be a website that is um out of date.

Many of those positions have already been filled.

Okay.

Um, and I I think the most accurate um place to look for for the um so not in the home page then.

That's right.

We'll we'll make sure that's updated.

But okay, the the most accurate place to look for is the act of the current job openings and the citywide portal.

Okay, that's fine.

Um let me go to um let me go to Chris.

I know you talked about it earlier.

I was I was in Chinatown recently and talking to some of the residents about uh lack of tree canopy in the in the neighborhood.

I know this is something we've worked on together.

Um what can we do, Chris?

I know there's an ongoing plan, but is this a priority, or is this just um it'll be it it'll we'll get there when we can get there, or is it a case where it's a community of color neighborhood, they have the lowest tree canopy in the city, and it is a priority, which what do you what do you think?

So I think it is a very high priority for the city.

I think you see particularly around tree planting uh work as Chief Sweat mentioned.

Our Parks Farm has changed not only how they care for trees, but where they are planting trees, so that 40% of the street trees that we are planting are now in the 20% of Boston that have a higher social vulnerability index and a lower canopy cover today.

So changing what that uh where the investment happens as we discussed and as we've worked on, um there are also some specific interventions that we are trying in Chinatown around tree planting, uh given some of the subsurface infrastructure uh that uh in the neighborhood.

Uh so uh we are trying on that one block stretch of Harrison uh the additional street trees that we planted there uh last year or installed there last year.

Uh as you know that as a pilot, we're looking to evaluate that and see how we can be able to scale that up.

Both of those things are really led by our parks department.

We also realize that the investment around uh tree planting alone is sort of one part of a mix of resources we need to be able to provide uh in Chinatown and other neighborhoods that are impacted by extreme heat.

Um and that is why Councillor Murphy, your point that collaboration with Boston Water and Sewer around things like deployment of the uh of their water truck as well as some of the office emergency management's missing tents and shaded structures are sort of all part of the the set of uh interventions, and then uh with your collaboration, we've had a lot of good conversations with the Chinatown community itself about how we actually get the right message out around uh some of the public health messaging uh from our Office of Public Health Preparedness and the Office of Mercy Management.

Thank you.

And that's just a I just add um well one, if you know we have sufficient resources to plant trees where we can identify tree pits, right?

If there are locations, counselor, where you feel like we don't have underground conflicts that we aren't, by all means let me know, and we will plant trees there very quickly.

The challenge has been that the underground terrain in terms of utilities makes it so complicated that we need to do above-grade solutions.

And so we want to see if these above grade tree-sized planter pots are working, and then deploy them you know throughout Chinatown.

It is more expensive, but it is absolutely the right solution, you know, if the tree can accommodate that to bring shade tree.

The other particular project that we haven't talked about that I think your team is you know in the loop on in planning is the Phillips Square intervention.

Yeah, we are we're talking about a more permanent solution there, and can we add so everywhere that we can in Chinatown?

We're talking about how do we add shade and ideally shade from canopy coverage in trees, but if not at least from physical structures to accommodate what is one of the densest neighborhoods, not just above grade, but below grade.

Thank you.

When I was with Councillor Weber in Chinatown doing a city council, city council listening session a couple weeks ago, probably 70% of the conversation was about Phillips Square and having that access for residents, especially seniors.

Any quick update on that particular project where we where we're at, obviously residents want it.

It's critical to this to this neighborhood to have some place where that they can go to get a little bit of shade, especially during um 100 degree nights.

Yep, so that one is a is a joint, as you know, BTD and parks department effort.

So happy to update uh in one of those.

From my knowledge, we are at the end of design for phase one and moving forward with implementation.

It is a it's a multi-phase project.

Um, but I think the community has been engaged on the initial phase is pretty excited about what we're you know.

They have been, but they've been pushing me to get it to get it done, and I keep telling them we're going to get it done, but then I but then there's no there's no progress, and I I need to go to the residents say and say to them, well, in two months we're gonna get it done, or in four months we're going to get it done.

But what is the date where we're going to get it done?

Yeah, we'll we I will take that away and we'll get back to you with when we expect to break around on phase one.

Uh and again, that's a it's a joint parks partner BTD.

BTD currently, you know, it's a uh it's a public works project, but I'll get you a date.

Could could we do it this summer?

Uh I I that would be a goal to start to break ground, you know, this you know season.

So I think it's a priority.

Uh uh I'll I'll do everything I can.

I've I voted for them the mayor's budget um four years of oath of so I voted 12 of them.

Oh, and I voted all uh to prove all of them, and I'm asking something from my my constituents at community communities of color so that they can get a little bit of shade in the summertime.

And I'm always fighting with people to get something done.

I I need to get this thing done, guys.

Thank you, Mr.

Pennsylvania.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

Uh Councilor Braden.

Oh, and we've been joined by Councillor Rurell.

Thank you.

Um I'd like to talk a bit about I I really appreciate the intention to the attention to uh rising sea level and and flooding challenges uh along the coast.

But going inland to the river rain problems, like I know we have domestic watershed, we have the cars, and we have the Neponset watershed, and I'm just I'm specifically interested in the in the Charge River.

Uh I know stormwater extreme weather events, like we had a we had in August a couple of years ago, we had two inches of rain and two hours, and we were up to the gunnels and water, and we had basements being flooded and all sorts of crazy stuff happening.

Um where are we at on sort of enforcing our stormwater management plans with regard to planning planning department saying, you know, permeable parking spaces, permeable everything, permeable surfaces that can absorb three inches of water.

Um, you know, it sort of sort of take the edge of those extreme weather events.

Like uh how how are we making and then the other question was in terms of I understand that the state has lightened up on their um you know contaminant requirements for off outflow into the river into this, and then the knock-on effect of that is that we have pollutants and and uh microbes and all going out into the harbor and we have we have algae blooms that close our beaches in the hottest days of the summer when everybody just wants to be at the beach.

So um any thoughts on on how we can coordinate with other agencies at the state level or boss moderates or whatever, so to sort all marching in the same direction.

Sure.

I've been starting then um the start over Chief Sweat.

Um so the majority of the stormwater work that happens in the city of Boston uh is really managed by two different entities.

As you know, one is the Office of Green Infrastructure, with this which is within our streets cabinet, really thinking about how when we uh invest in our 800 miles of roadway and our 1600 miles of sidewalk, we are making those changes, uh, Council that you that you are looking at.

How do we have an increase in poorest uh surfaces?

How do we expand the amount of green infrastructure, or in some cases even uh gray infrastructure to reduce flood risk and improve water quality as it eventually gets to the harbor uh or the Charles River, Mystic River, or the Ponce River?

Um the other key partner obviously is the Boston Water and Sewer Commission uh and uh it is through their three-year nearly 70 million dollar capital plan focused on stormwater that they're looking at both reducing stormwater flood risk and improving water quality across the city, including obviously in in your district.

Um there is uh an additional set of work which our planning department is best able to speak about that really is looking at essentially your question.

How do we think about those policies that we have in place that address coastal flood risk that we should be bringing to address riverine flood risk uh in neighborhoods that are like Alston Brighton that for whom river and flood risk may be the principal factor?

And so I do expect that as one of those things which we'll be talking about more over the course of this year.

It is one of the recommendations in the climate action plan uh that will be published uh on Monday.

Uh and uh so I'm happy to have more conversations about sort of that intersection of planning zoning and uh stormwater flood risk reduction.

Yeah, um then the Office of Green Infrastructure Um who's who's who's leading that office right now.

Uh the director is Max Rome, uh, who is formerly at the Charles River Waters Assessment.

Of course it's Max Rome.

How can I forget?

He's one of our neighbors from Wallston Brighton.

And um, in terms of just you know, thinking of people paving over their park in their yards and and increasing the amount of Ashfeld, and that's c that's contributes to heat island um issues, but also it really speeds up runoff so that we end up having flash floods in the city that we wouldn't have expected maybe years ago.

Um what are we doing to actually educate um property owners about the benefits of having porous permeable infrastructure and and then and how are we enforcing um folks who don't obey the rules?

Sure.

Um so on the um again, some work that Office the Office of Green Infrastructure is doing, and then some work that the Boston Water Sewer Commission is doing.

Um the Office of Green Infrastructure has done and will be doing another round of uh work essentially helping small property owners be able to handle more stormwater on site through a a rain mail program, uh which I'm happy to follow up and give you some more details on.

Uh that's a program which will be rolling out over the course of the summer.

The principal entity though that's thinking about the things like transformation of asphalt surfaces on privately owned lots is the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.

Uh and in 2024, uh they created the Boston uh the stormwater program uh which not only has a stormwater fee component to it, but also a set of grants and credits uh to allow property owners to make transformations and encourage property owners to make transformations to their uh their properties to reduce on-site funding as well as runoff into streets or adjacent property uh properties.

I'm happy to follow up with you about um that program, and again, open to any both suggestions about that program uh but also collaboration on promoting uh the Boston Water and Sewer Commissions program.

Or just random the answer because you asked about regulation and enforcement as well.

Um the triggers for the city of Boston are on new projects, and that would go through depending on the scale of the project, planning department and ISD.

But modern Boston Water and Sewer Commission has to sign off on those plans.

So just for clarity for those watching, uh OCR does not have any regulatory function on private sector when it comes to groundwater infiltration.

Those are policies that you know will certainly be involved in setting and then enforcement is through both ISD and Boston Water and Sewer Commission.

Yeah, it's also offering more incentives from um like Boston Water and Sewer to do we have a rain garden, we throw all of our water gets into the yard and it doesn't go anywhere.

Um but it and encouraging other people to do similar things to try and uh it helps with drought in your yard, and that uh I better stop talking because my time's up.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you very much.

Uh Councilor Kaletta Zapada.

Thank you.

Um, and I realize that parks is May 11th, but I might not be here, so I'm just gonna ask these questions.

Um do my best.

Scott, I hope I'm not here anyway.

Uh no, that's a joke.

Um okay, so I uh what am I gonna ask about parks maintenance?

So I see a couple of dips on um operations and and maintenance um down from 21 million to 20 to 20 million.

Um I have some concerns about how that'll impact the services that we're delivering.

So my last round of questioning was very macro, this is very micro.

How are we just gonna make sure that we're picking up trash in our parks given all of the events, especially in my district, because we have Boston sale or the tall ships coming through, 250, and um we've had some challenges in the past, especially with East Boston.

There's just been some folks on leave when it comes to um I think people were taking FMLA and things just weren't getting done.

And so people were seeing this happen in real time in front of them.

So how are we protecting ourselves from that, even though there's a decrease in some of the funding?

Yeah, uh, it's a great question.

Uh I will um uh try to answer it at a higher level, and then we will follow up at a more detailed level because I didn't come prepared with the right folks or documents on parks department question.

Um we have been planning for what is supposed to be a bonker summer right for um you know at least 18 months.

So we as you mentioned we have tall ships, we have world cup, we have 250 celebrations.

Uh so the operating uh the OM team at Parks has been laser focused on how do we deliver for that increased demand of our services because folks are gonna want to you know be outside in our open space um and using it uh as appropriately, hopefully, um, but intensely uh and so the the budget that they put forward um was able to accommodate both that increase intensity this summer as well as you know the goal of being more efficient with our resources in terms of how do we deliver that.

So my expectation and what I am informed of is that you know we are um we have the plan in place, um we have the coverage available.

Um I would encourage folks certainly as always you use 311, we respond to that.

That gets directly into our work order system.

We will deal with that usually within a couple hours if it's like a an overflowing trash can, um, if not faster.

Um we've really refined that system significantly over the last few years to be responsive because the last thing we want is folks you know using our park and not you know um seeing it into shape and seeing you know refuse over the place.

Well, thank you.

And I um I we just had a conversation here last week about reviving a variation of the red shirt program, and parks did come up as a way to utilize the PowerPoint program, but then also trying to utilize our community partners.

Um Pierce Park Sailing Center was here to say, hey, please utilize our kids.

Like not only are we building leadership through sailing, but it's through civic engagement, and you know, they're they're here to help as well.

So there's a lot of folks that are um ready and willing to step up and and help our wonderful parks department's um staff members.

Last question is just around the greenway construction.

Um I know you probably not prepared to talk about it here, but uh are we on time with that?

Are we getting the alternative pathway on Orleans Street up and running?

There were some questions there about whether whether or not that would be implemented sooner rather than later.

But we will have to get back to you uh on up there.

I don't want to um overpromise or underpromise.

No problem.

That's that's on me for asking parks questions.

But um, no, just thank you again for your work.

Thank you for your leadership, everybody.

It's been a pleasure working with all of you.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Counselor Culpepper.

Uh one minute, no, just kidding.

Uh five minutes.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I wanted to come back to the food insecurity issue.

And uh I did find that this was Alex's testimony.

She testified about the 40 percent of household experience, food insecurity, according to that uh Greater Boston.

Um 2025.

I think uh Dr.

Watsman, you said that the Greater Boston Food Report said that the food insecurity level lowered in the past year.

I think Alex testified that the Greater Boston Food Report uh rose to 40 percent in 2025 down from uh 30 percent.

And so you talk about that inconsistency.

Because I think you said that the Greater Boston Food Report that came out said that food insecurity was lower than it was last year.

Alex testified that it was 40 percent uh Massachusetts household higher than last year.

Yeah, so thanks for bringing that up as well as it I'm appreciated hearing the testimony.

So I think the the key point is that 40 percent food insecurity in our state in our city is unacceptable and is really a day-to-day problem for your constituents, our constituents.

Um I was uh I was referring specifically to Suffolk County.

Um honestly, it's like a two percent reduction isn't that's basically stable at stable at too high a rate.

Is that in that greater Boston Food Report?

Two percent sound.

So I think she was referencing the statewide or one of her colleagues.

Um statewide uh it's it's high in Suffolk County, it's high in Boston, it's high across the state.

Um I think it's it's some of the community organizations have noted recently that it's interesting that there seems to be a small dip in in Suffolk County, but we don't it's anywhere near for 40 percent or 35 percent or 38 percent.

It's it's also done through a survey, so um this is data that honestly your conversations with your constituents are just as valid data as any kind of a report that's a survey.

Um so that that might be the discrepancy you were noting in what you heard right.

It was up 40 percent in the state and it's at 40 percent.

Interesting, yeah.

Interestingly, it went up from 2024 and 2025 though, but the percentage of African Americans affect that, and when you look at my district, I didn't see that there was a a decrease in food insecurity.

What I saw was that there was a increase in food security, especially my district, from what I've seen.

And when I asked about the reduction in the farmers market coupon program, last year was 418,625.

What did that fiscal year 27 cut do to that 418,625 dollars?

Yeah, so my hope is that it will not go down.

What we are planning for right now is this summer's program, and we between the current funds we are finishing out from FY26 and then some from FY27.

We are continuing that program.

Um we're making some process improvements in how residents receive the coupons, but the actual um amount of support going to residents is is gonna continue at that level this summer.

So there won't be a cut in that 418,000?

There will not be a cut this summer, and our hope is that as we're planning for the remainder of FY27 for the various efforts to address affordability through farmers' markets in each neighborhood as well as uh locally owned grocery stores that we're able to maintain our current level of programming throughout the remainder of FY27.

And is that the same for the double up program?

So that's the one where we purchase the refrigerators.

Um so the refrigerators is a cold storage grants we did through ARPA.

So for the double ups, will that be will that experience a hit?

Uh possibly that is we currently we've had a federal grant for that program through a USDA competitive grant program since 2021, and that is coming to an end at the end of June.

So we're hoping to apply with the right so I'm asking so that and and if this would be helpful to me.

If you could get back to me or to the council through the chair with the cuts so that we can look at where the cuts are and possibly make some amendments to put the money back.

Because I think when you look at the double program and the farmers market program, that's food that go goes directly to their table.

Yes.

And so we don't want folks losing meals, especially in my opinion, there's an increase in food insecurity in my district, especially when I look at what we give out with regard to those free food boxes and how quick they disappear on a Friday during COVID, they would last through Friday and Saturday.

And people think that because COVID is over, there's no more food insecure.

Those boxes now, 225 are gone within two hours.

And so whatever we can do to help keep food on folks' table, especially in district seven.

I mean, for all the the city of Boston, but I'm looking at folks in my district.

Uh just one question, Mr.

Chair.

Yes.

One final question.

Uh, with regard to the the tree canopies, you talked about them.

Under the that Boston Urban Forest Plan, what does that look like for Roxbury and Dorchester for this year?

For this year in terms of tree planting?

Yes.

Um I can get back to with our plan.

So every year uh so again in the aggregate and historically since um uh uh since the beginning of the wood administration, we've planted 40 percent of the trees in the 20 percent of the area of Boston designated as climate justice.

We opportunistically will try to grab like a full street as opposed to saying one tree here, one tree there.

So we plan out a spring and fall planting season um, you know, holistically through our office urban forestry.

That's true, the parks department who's not represented here, so that would be a topic for the May meeting.

But I'll make sure that they're ready to talk about it.

So where is that 20%?

Is it 40%?

Um 20%.

Where's that 20%?

In terms of designated neighborhoods that are that are urban heat island.

There are a number of them, and there are a number of them in Roxburgh.

With regard to my district, where we're I mean I'm happy to supply a map of sort of the boundaries of the chair.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Yeah, thank you, Councillor Culpepper.

Councilor, uh, you know, everyone's got an 11 minutes so far.

I'm gonna it's a five minute second round.

I'll give you six minutes.

All right.

Thank you, Chair.

And thank you to the panel for being here.

Um the urban community forestry uh fund.

I know it was a I believe I think it was a three year, five year plan.

Um was the initial 2026 appropriation of two million dollars.

Was that the total amount or what we're seeing um this year in FY27?

Is that a drawdown of the two million?

Can you just explain to me how it's broken out?

That is largely funding the Boston Tree Alliance program, uh, which is uh a path to be able to expand tree planting on private properties across the city of Boston.

Um we do expect there's a combination of funds we've used for that program, a portion of that is ARPA, a portion of that is Inflation Reduction Act funding.

Um we do expect throughout the balance of uh this fiscal year and actually all of next calendar year to be able to sustain that program at the same rate it's been for the last several years.

Uh we are in active work, a lot of leadership by the person who is directly over your shoulder in figuring out how in 2028 and beyond to make sure that we are continuing to sustain uh uh that level of investment.

But what we're seeing here is a federal investment towards this tree planting program uh that again will be sustained throughout this fiscal year.

Thank you.

Um then speaking of federal investments, can you tell me what I do see a dip in term of external funds?

How how much of that was federal grant?

I think we can come and unless I issue you go ahead.

Yeah, we we could get back to you definitively, but I'll just say scanning the um external funds that are just the environment department.

I'd say virtually none.

None?

Okay.

Yeah.

So we did the environmental department did not lose any federal grants in FY 26.

Environment department is that correct, yeah.

Okay.

Sorry, did you want to?

Yeah, we'll uh oh the gas stone do that, yeah.

I I will I stand corrected.

There is there's one grant that was um canceled that was one million dollars um for replacement of gas stoves in Dorchester and uh Okay, and that we replaced with the pollution uh abatement funding um from our own revolving fund.

So um the the reason in my head the answer is none is because there has been no impact.

But yeah.

Okay, so so we ate those costs, but climate resilience, we did have projects that were funded that the that funding had been rescinded in terms of projects that we hadn't gotten started on.

But as you know, like we try to build up multiple different funding sources to do these major projects.

So we we've lost a couple of wedges on a couple of projects that Chris and the team had deed up over the years that now we need to backfill and we're just you know we're further back, but it is not stopped current work from moving forward uh or ongoing work.

Got it.

And and I know we budget for um external funds.

Have we are we budgeting for a lack of federal funds, or are we budgeting for you know external funds through whether it's you know, any of these other revolving funds that we have, whether it's the MVP action grant, like just kind of get an idea of external funds.

Sure.

So I there's a different story for each of the offices.

So I think if you want to comprehend each other, because food justice is much more dependent on some of the federal uh you know, depending on when you arrive, we're talking about sort of leveraging some of the HUD grants, climate resilience is definitely dependent on external funds for capital purposes.

Right.

From an operating, just to set the table maybe I should answer from an operating FTE standpoint.

Um, we do not have any current employees that are dependent on funding from federal government uh in terms of uh personnel, but we do have capital and grants you know exposure.

Some of this is was talked about before is winding down of programs that you know were never intended to extend, that we're using ARPA money or IRA money, we're just getting the last of it out.

Right.

And some of it is ongoing grants or things that had been tentatively agreed to that have been rescinded from the worker.

Yeah, and and I would want to exclude ARPAR dollars from this conversation.

Yeah, yeah.

Um happy to give you two quick examples and happy also to follow up.

Um we uh uh had a a grant uh essentially from FEMA for investment in the Fort Point Channel for $10 million.

Uh that was uh going through the process of an award, it is a lengthy process of sort of um uh collaboration with FEMA to get the actual award that was rescinded before it was ultimately awarded uh in this budget.

What we essentially are doing is finding a different way to deliver more expeditiously flood risk reduction infrastructure that that grant was for for the Ford Point neighborhood.

Um that is a line item that's actually in the park's capital budget.

Again, happy to provide more details on that.

Um a second example of this uh which is less of a change of approach and more of a change of funding source.

Um we had uh an investment in a flood risk reduction infrastructure uh project in Mowgli Park that uh similarly was uh at least temporarily rescinded.

Um we have a different path to access federal funding for that project through a collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers.

So there has been changes in the way in which the federal investment has happened and we're it's impacting our strategy of where we're seeking funding or um how we're sequencing projects.

Got it.

And for you, it sounds like mostly capital.

Most exactly very much something.

Yeah, for environment, I would say that we're um fortunate that we do not rely on federal funding for um operating or capital with respect to um other external funds.

Um I I mentioned earlier in the in the hearing that we are um contributing to our cut by um shifting some um you know burdo support services to a revolving fund, but we project that we we plan for that and we expect that to be sustainable throughout the rest of this year.

Um and I will also, you know, Councillor Flynn is not here, but I will respond to his question earlier and and note that the reduction that he saw in external funds are all from um uh grants that as Chris accurately mentioned um were for resilience that are um sort of ending and going down or were planned for anyway.

So just to in the spirit of your question, how do you budget for um potential cuts in what might appear to be a cut is actually a planned completion of a um program?

Got it.

Um federal funding specifically, yes.

So yeah, so our we have a GusNIP grant uh that has been a matching grant since 2021 for 500,000, and then we've been using 500,000 in operating funds.

Um that ends at the end of June.

Um and I believe you had asked about personnel specifically related to so uh we do have a currently a temporary program manager who has been running that program that uh that position is set to um the contract is through the end of June with as it's being supported by uh the the federal grant.

Um and we do have other uh staff on our team who support that program with operating funds as as a percentage of time for several of us.

Um so depending on if we're able to get another federal grant, we will or shift some of the structure of the program, and we do hope to continue working with those stores to provide this kind of a uh specific fresh fruit and vegetable discount to snapshoppers.

Awesome.

And if you could just quantify, not not right now, but to the chair through the chair, we just get a dollar amount of the uh I think it's 500k you said, and then the temp position.

The dollar amount for the position.

For the position, right.

And then you said there was also dollar amount associated to I guess some of the staff in the office as well.

You could just get a dollar amount.

My my last question, I think, um, is around I'm gonna since I said it's gonna be my last question.

Um the no cost account analysis um that will save an estimated 2.3 million dollars a year.

Um does that I don't know if I want to ask that question now.

It's a good one, it's a good one.

He hasn't taken his hands off the chess piece.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

We're gonna be this question.

Yes.

Um I want to know about that and then also this uh the solar renewable energy certificates.

Um I just want to guess get a better understanding of how that works.

So you get you I guess we could talk about the the cost savings through the uh no cost account analysis and then the solar renewable energy certificates fund.

Yes, um, I I can easily answer the first question.

When you refer to solar renewable energy certificates, are you um referring to an external fund or something you saw in the presentation?

Uh it was the external fund.

Okay.

Just kind of get an understanding of how that works.

Yeah, okay.

Um understood.

So um we um the the reclassification is that our wonderful municipal energy unit um is um responsible for managing um all of the city's energy usage, our assets you know, across the city, very few of them actually owned by the environment department, and um and our um team found that um usage had increased in a number of accounts um that would allow it um all of these accounts to be moved to a rate class for higher usage users, which reduces the cost because that is how it works.

And so we project that just by doing this reclassification, we'll be able to save um 2.3 million dollars relative to what we would have been paying under the other rate classes.

So we are very excited about that.

What we'll do.

Yes, but that was in FY26, so that's for the savings is for FY27.

It's actually just for um you know 12 months.

Um so what we will do is that we will track the usage um to make sure that our projected savings really do um are verified with our estimates and then um make future improvements, and we're happy to come back and report um our where our projected savings expected.

Right.

Um and then I mean this is and that and that will start in June, July, or when when or something like that.

I'd say several of those um account classific reclassifications as have already started.

It's it's about like 40 accounts if I'm not mistaken, so they will hit gradually.

Yeah, and they're across city, some of them are schools, some of them are um as we it was based on historical use, and as Oliver's mentioning, you know, because there are literally hundreds of accounts that the city pays for, there's not one sort of city.

Um we're always trying to look for getting the most advantageous rate based on the use of that building.

Right.

And so we found I think it was over 100 over the last um 12 months.

And so as we find them, we put in the request to reclassify the rate, so it's not as if like they all go into effect June 1st.

It's every source, they change it in the next month, it's the better rate.

Yeah.

So does that cost savings go back to the environment department?

That is um that would make that the answer, counselor, and we would be your best friend.

That would be nice.

But yep, and the other one, the solar um so with with uh solar um what I what I will say is that that I'm gonna double check on why that is showing um total budget for um fiscal year 27 because it's actually a um old revolving fund that where we um sold um solar credits from um systems that we own, but that's no longer the the model that we use, and so um I'm gonna double check whether it's accurate to still keep it level um or not.

But but long story short, this is a we used to own solar panels, now we um rent the systems that we do because it's more um profitable.

Um so yeah, I I'll make a note double check on that.

Okay, and then um speaking on that, just let my honestly my second to last question uh how many residents keep getting five.

Are you using the clean choice energy program?

I just bring this up just because we hear about high utility costs often.

Just want to know how the program's going.

It it's about um 210,000 accounts, if I'm not mistaken.

Is that an increase from last year?

Uh there's it kind of it I can tell you that it is increased from around like I believe around a hundred and eighty or ninety thousand when the program launched in 2021.

So there it's been a lot of things.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, yes, that's right.

Yeah, if you want to just talk about the program a little bit.

Yeah, well, my question is what's and what's the plan for the future on that?

Great.

Um, well, I I can thank our um director of the municipal energy unit, Chris Kramer, who is give feeding me information live.

Okay, so but don't ask questions that are too complicated.

Thanks, Chris.

Um it's actually uh 219,000 BCCE accounts in um 2025, and um I believe that's around you know 70 percent of um eligible customers in Boston.

So there's room to grow, and I'd say that our plan is to um you know our rate is locked in through the end of 2027, so that will be continue to provide stability and most likely savings through that period.

But in the in the coming year, our focus is really to um do as much as possible to have eligible customers who would benefit from being in the program, in the program, and what that essentially comes down to, because um sadly this is the state of the world, it's getting them off of predatory third-party suppliers.

So through the CCE program outreach, through all the touch points we have with the Boston Energy Saver and all of the partners that we are recruiting to work with us to work with residents on um their questions on energy.

We really are looking to get more one-on-one assistance to get people into the program off of those suppliers that have been charging them so much.

And that is sort of a the way the program is going.

We we hope knock on wood to be aided by some changes in the state legislature, which would allow us to uh limit or prohibit those third party suppliers, which would be a huge increase in enrollment likely we would see to the program.

All of those are on the table and as our main focus for the program.

So just for clarity and then unplug, um Boston Community Choice Energy, like all the community choice energy programs around the state is an opt-out, not an opt-in.

So we sweep all eligible accounts that are just on Eversource into BCCE because the vast majority of time, the vast vast majority of the time our rates have been better and it saves customers money, but folks can opt out.

So they get a postcard that say if I want to just be on every source base, right?

For some reason, I'll opt out.

As Oliver mentioned, the the vast majority of folks who are not currently on BCCE are on third party suppliers from somebody else.

Oftentimes with a sweetheart, like one or two months you know, special deal, like you see at a bank, and then suddenly they're paying rates that are substantially more than BCCE, and they don't know it because people very rarely track rate over rate like changes each month in their electricity bill.

So we've been working really hard to let folks know.

Um we're very optimistic of some potential legislative changes that will empower this body to take some action.

But short of that, I just encourage anybody who's watching your constituents.

If you have a question about your energy bill, it's Boston Energy Saver, you know, go to you know Boston Algo Backs Save or 635 save.

We have folks on staff for free who will take a look at whatever you share.

We will audit your energy bill and say, you know what, the rate you're paying is actually higher than it would be you need to call your third party supplier and say, I don't want to renew my contract, or I want out so I can join this, and then we can get them a better rate.

And those contracts are renewable every month, or they yearly it depends on the third party supplier because the wild west other.

Some of them have cancellation penalties, some of them haven't only for a certain period of time.

Some unfortunately have like auto-renewal in them, so that you can't get out unless you like reach reach out to them and say I no longer want this.

That's why it's been a really challenging practice.

They the history of third party suppliers is that it predates Boston Community Choice Energy, so they were the only option out there back when it started.

That's no longer the case, and we do a better job for the constituencies in Boston of buying bulk power.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you very much.

Um these are the fun ones though, we can keep going.

Yeah, yeah.

Uh just in terms of grants that were lost.

I thought there was a like diversity and tree grant that we had.

Uh there may sorry and then maybe parts of the city.

When we were talking about grants, yeah, there's just these three offices, there may be parks department related grants that we'd cover in that hearing.

It was like the study because it had the word diversity in it, and it was, you know, the weekend.

When they're doing the word search in Washington, it had a yeah.

Uh the um well, so just uh a couple more questions for me, and then uh we'll we'll wrap up today, uh, unless Council has another question that will go on for 20 minutes.

Uh but uh um so it just uh it and when you're talking about the solar panels, is that the renewable energy and maintenance revolving fund?

Is that related to that?

Okay, I'll wait.

Um for that.

Uh I I guess for Eliza, in terms of the participatory budgeting funding that you know uh that was awarded.

Um what are the challenges in using that money?

Is there anything about that process that you that were that you're learning how soon can you put that money to use?

Um I don't know of any challenges.

We're um we're meeting with them next week actually, and they've kind of set up a very clear process for us to indicate kind of the the process we will use to determine how it will be set up and evaluated.

It's really kind of part of because of the ongoing nature of this budget process, uh, kind of simultaneously with finding out that that that those resources um were approved, you know, were voted for by residents for food access.

Um we it's really sort of us look understanding what uh external resources out are out there as we were talking about with the double up food box grant and figuring out um from sort of a really not interesting administrative like operations um set up like what the best way to get those resources out into the community.

I would say the fastest, but also right to help uh get folks the most amount of fresh food, right?

Because there's many different um ways of doing that.

No, I just I just I think we know from the amendment process that getting the money you know sort of allocated is half the battle, maybe not even half.

Whatever, you know, just trying to make sure that process is that we can help with that or uh to make sure that those are the things that we're gonna do.

Yeah, there have not been hurdles for us particularly.

That um the I think the yeah, there the transfer of funds is is a smooth process.

It's just sort of as we're planning for our farmers markets this summer and double up trend like determining the best use of the funds.

Okay, and then just I I know the food recovery assessment uh talked about working with ISD to make sure that the food recovery vehicles could park uh and and get the food.

Have has you made any progress on that?

Can we help in any way?

That is a real specific question, Count Chairman.

Um let me see.

I I would like to follow up on that, but I will say we have been in ongoing conversation with ISD and some of our partners about different opportunities to make sure sort of everyone's aligned and on the same page about situations where um like recovered food may be slightly divergent from like traditional practice where um with food pantries of like I what I see is used to dealing with just because of the way that the the dates may be on the food or or when they're how they're getting it.

Um I'm not I'm just trying to yeah, let me let me follow up with you.

It sounds like you're asking specifically about vehicle.

Yeah, if the I mean and if if if there's some work that can be done uh on our end to make sure those vehicles can park and uh not be ticketed or yeah, I don't I think that um that would fall more with BTD and BPD than with ISD.

So there are sort of a few different regulatory things that came up in that report um that you know j just curious, and then um so in your contracts, there's uh like a it looks like the last three years there's a contract with the YMCA.

Uh is that ongoing?

Uh is that funded for next year and what was that contract doing?

So yeah, we had uh one year contract with the YMCA that was we were able to renew to additional times, which is the limit that we have on number of renewals, and that was to support them as a sponsor for summer meals um for community sites, both in uh city locations like community centers, libraries, BHA, as well as uh other community-run programs uh that all of which offer summer meals, but have to go through what is considered an official sponsor that is um partners directly with DESE and USDA to provide the meals, which is YMCA plays that function.

Okay, but it's not BPS is the other sponsor for sites in Boston.

So our team, actually, our deputy director Melissa is here, has been working really closely with uh the YMCA and BPS and a number of other partners to identify how to continue supporting um summer meal sites um this summer as many open sites as possible.

Um we don't anticipate continuing that particular contract just because it the renewals are up, but we are working sort of from a personnel standpoint to make sure we have as many um open sites for for youth as possible this summer.

Okay, and then just last question.

Um I think Councillor Culpepper's alluding to it, like you know, in the amendment process, uh you know, yeah if there I and I I know the panelists think that the budget is probably perfect in every way and we we shouldn't touch it, but you know, if we were going to be putting money into food security, which of the line it sounds like contractual services would be the place where you could do the most good with that extra money, or is there personnel do you need more people?

Uh or okay, I don't know, you want to take over.

But I just if if you want to, you know, if we're looking to amend and we want to support food security, like which of your line items should we be looking at?

Um it's a great question.

That's a fair question.

I mean, I think uh I mean it's a team, right?

Yeah, and so uh if my answer to that question would be contract services gives the most flexibility and historically OFJ has operated through supporting partners to delivery to deliver programs, right?

Um you could 10x OFJ's budget tomorrow, and we're still not able to move the needle significantly on food access, right?

That's the reality of the problem that we have in Boston.

That's the reality of the problem that we have in Boston, and that's why SNAP is so important into these other programs is that the scale, so we are focused on the the ROI, the return on investment for infrastructure and systemic changes we can make that is easiest, that is most best served through contract services because that is the line item that we can then issue grants to say, oh you know, maybe we need another cold storage facility over here or you know, and a wholesale, or maybe we need you know, um, you know, a retail program there.

Uh but again, you know, we can always use more resources to address food insecurity.

That's the nature of this problem.

Um, and we're comfortable with this admission that we made that is consistent with you know our values, but you know, yes, we can always do more with more.

Okay, thank you.

Uh council, do you have any uh uh la last last questions?

Yeah, this will be the last last last questions.

Um the Birdo 2.0 revolving fund, what's the total amount in that revolving fund currently?

Yep.

Um we can get back to you on exact numbers.

Um, but the Equitable Emissions Investment Fund is that is technically what it's called, um, but we can just call it the the Birdo Fund.

Um was ceded with three million dollars from the operating budget um a couple of years ago and has largely been spent on um uh grants as well as programs to support um building owners directly with their individual buildings.

Um so we anticipate that it is it's um we're we have an open grant round right now of we're targeting around six hundred thousand dollars in grants.

We have um we estimate we'll have approximately that amount left um afterward.

So the balance is less than half of the three million that was ceded, but we already have plans for all of that.

Um and the revenue that will be coming in um is in the form of alternative compliance payments.

Um but the since this is the first year that um those will be made, we um we have a very wide range of what uh project because frankly we're we're happy if we get the payments, we're really happy if we don't because people are complying in other ways.

Um so that is what we we will have a lot to share back um a year from now in terms of where we are because that'll give us a clearer picture.

I just said the the intent behind forward funding it was some operating dollars was really like prime the pump on this new grant program that over time we fully anticipate that there will be building owners that use alternative compliance payments and fund the equitable emissions investment fund.

We want to make sure that like the recipients and the applicants understood this program.

So we just announced the second round of winners um through social media and impress release we're having events with them.

We know there's demand out there for this supply of funding to invest in energy efficiency in environmental justice neighborhoods focusing predominantly on housing, uh and and now they're aware of that.

And so you know that was the intent here was always that that three million we we weren't gonna continue to put operating dollars into that fund.

We're like priming the pump for a a burnout alternative compliant payment annual funding process.

Right.

Yep, no, yeah.

Um yeah, I I think I was hearing that um to backfill some of the contracted we were using a fund.

Was it which fund was it temporarily to shift some of those burden support costs that it's actually to a different fund called uh pollution abatement funding?

Which um covers uh work on air quality and um emissions reduction, which obviously is also you know burdo-related and currently funds Birto activities already.

Yeah, but it's a it's a different fund.

The equitable initials investment fund has really only been spent out on direct services.

Perfect.

And can you also provide me uh dollar amount for that revolving fund?

Yes, why don't we why don't we just do that if you don't mind um in writing?

Perfect.

Okay, yeah.

And um for the contracted services that were decreased, um in FY26.

How many recipients um received the grant um in the line item that was decreased?

Sorry, for which office?

Oh, I think it was was it?

Yeah, I think it was Office of Food Justice.

Yeah, yeah.

Um so it's not uh it's uh it's a little tough to answer because our whole contracted services is one lump.

There there aren't specific line items.

Okay.

So it's not like one line line item was decreased.

It's contracted services as a whole.

Right.

And how many vendors were you able to fund to con do your whole what that contract to services line item?

Uh I can I mean I can I'm trying to do some quick math in my head.

They're separate they're separate programs.

So there's like 20 farmers markets.

Right.

There are 35 organizations that distributed coupons, some of those are the same organizations.

Yeah.

I mean, roughly probably 55 or 50 to 55 if you look at farmers market, or I'm getting a little higher.

60, 65, okay.

Some pantomiming behind you.

Yes, I say 55 to 65 community organizations that distribute farmers market coupons, run farmers markets, uh small grocery stores and bodegas, um, and then some of the other food access organizations uh that through summer eats or uh other food pantry support.

Got it.

And then how would the in terms of recipient, how was how would the reduction I mean, hopefully we will continue to work with all of those partners.

At a smaller scale, like a smaller dollar amount, is that the idea?

Um you know, if we're we're optimistic, we're hopeful we may be able to compete for another federal grant or find find additional external resources so we won't need to reduce reduce those.

Um but yeah.

Yeah, but the that's the idea is to not eliminate programs that are directly and benefiting folks shopping at farmers markets or shopping at um, you know, using double food books, but uh you know, these are grant programs that have shifted over time in terms of the amount of money that we've been able to bring to them in this year's uh is a harder year.

But uh and and just in terms of participatory budgeting, like how do we think about this question with because there's 500,000 from participatory budgeting is going to you but right.

So hopefully there won't be a net decrease to these partners that we can work with in other ways.

Awesome.

And then my last question is um it's a big topic in District Four around the Talbot uh neighborhood triangle or Norfolk Triangle uh substations.

Uh have we talked about or are we thinking about any alternatives for stuff substations?

Yeah, I can see about the broader room that we can talk about that specific.

So uh to meet energy demand in Boston going forward, uh, we know that there's about uh six additional substations needed in Boston over the next 10 to 15 years.

Uh that is largely driven by current substations being at or over capacity, right?

And so right now that is one of the challenges of the lack of resilience in our grid is these substations are running, it's like running your engine too hot, right?

These substations are running really hot, and then they're getting extra capacity from substations further away, which is less efficient, and there isn't um capacity even for increasing demand of existing developments as well as you know, increasing development, um, as well as electrification.

So we are for me, the answer to your question is really yes, and we need to do everything we can behind the meter in terms of solar and battery and energy efficiency.

That will not um prevent us from still needing energy infrastructure to distribute demand where it is needed with supply where it is coming from.

Um because you know, at any given time a resident is exporting power and then it's importing power, and other development is export.

So those the substations what balances that input and output into the system.

Um so there is no alternative in my opinion, and based on you know what um technical information has been shared with us with this six substations in certain areas of the city, um, and the one you're referring to is the one that's sort of next up from the priority list from every source where there's been lots of conversations about do we have the right location, is it the right size, how does it best fit in the neighborhood?

Um, how does it get mitigated in terms of any negative impact of having it there and those conversations are ongoing?

Yeah, um I I will just say I think um Chief Sweat said it perfectly.

There's there's no way around the problem that we have, which is even to meet current demand, let alone what we know is going to happen in the future if we do all the right things for climate change, we're going to need a lot more electrical infrastructure in Boston.

And so the question for us is how do you do it well?

How do you do it with as much community um voice and influence?

How do you do it with the utilities and regulators understanding what our communities need and what the city's role is in bringing all of these parties together as opposed to you know dictating for ourselves where it should go because this is a complicated moving picture?

And what I will add just to give you a little more sense of where we see our um influence is that we um are fortunate to have received the a grant from the Bar Foundation a couple of years ago that has um taken shape in the last year as a project that we're doing with some very skilled consultants to look at the city and all of the um sort of parcels that are available, what are community members' priorities, what are different things that can be taken into account so that we're in a really good spot, and and we're doing this sort of not in conjunction with our source, but with their awareness and with some exchange of data, so that with every future community um, and it's uh it is it will benefit um Dorchester as well that we have these conversations, we're doing it from a much better position of saying like, well, have you looked down the street, or this actually makes sense because communities really value green space?

So that is what alternatives means in my mind it means actually zooming out and thinking of all the sorts of things that are alternatives not just one spot versus another because there's so many different things that come into play.

Right and um I know that Cambridge was able to build an underground substation but they had coordinated and negotiated that with you know a private developer.

So hopefully you know our planning department when large projects are moving forward you know maybe taking a look at you know seeing if that could be part of the community benefits knowing that we need right in order to support the grid and everything that goes on in our homes and to hit our energy goals that we need these substations so you know maybe that is a coordinating the conversation or part of the negotiations with you know large developers that are looking to build in Boston Carney Hospital I know there are already some that are approved I don't know if we could go back into that conversation but definitely something I just want to you know because it's underground you know it's it's a way better conversation for the community.

It's a point well made I want to manage expectations in that direction so there was a unique confluence of factors at Kendall Square that was happening one there was no new development uh gonna happen in Kendall Square until they solved that because that substation was over capacity already so that had the largest private sector subsidy of an electrical substation anywhere in New England.

It is the most expensive substation ever built in New England so but because and it you may remember like that happened at the peak of lab rental rates.

So we had companies saying I can't build my next 5000 square feet of lab space I'm willing to subsidize a below grade substation because there's a unique confluence it did not cost the ratepayers in EverSource any more than a traditional substation all of that additional cost was subsidized by the developers around that that benefited from that additional substation so to your point wherever we have a substation need in the city of Austin where there is alignment with new potential development we're totally talking about co-design with the planning department with EverSource and saying okay well you know if you need one in Charlestown what's happening in Charlestown then maybe it gets tied to if needle but there is a timing aspect to this that you can't you can only wait so long for large developments to materialize and then you know the electric utility saying oh like we're beyond capacity I need this sooner than that.

Right that makes it a point well made I just want to manage it.

All right thank you.

Okay thank you very much that's that's gonna be it for this morning's hearing we have two budget hearings uh tomorrow doubleheader in the morning office of uh labor compliance and worker protections and the law department and the afternoon participatory budgeting uh just want to thank everyone for being here there's an afternoon hearing on uh street safety so I'm gonna give central staff enough time to get ready for that so thank you very much this morning's hearing is now adjourned