This hearing, chaired by Councillor Ben Weber, reviewed the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 operating budgets for the Age Strong Commission, Boston Veterans Services, and the Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens, all within the Human Services Cabinet. The panel included Chief of Human Services José Masso, Age Strong Commissioner Emily Shea, Veterans Commissioner Robert Santiago, and ORC Executive Director Ashley Montgomery. The hearing featured public testimony and vigorous council discussion regarding significant proposed grant reductions.
Good morning. I don't want to get set up here. My name's Ben Weber. Oh, and a little feedback. And I am the Boston City Counselor for District Six and the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means. Today is May 14th, two thousand twenty-six, and the exact time is ten twelve AM. Uh I have a few preliminaries to get through here, so just bear with me. Uh this hearing's being recorded. It's also being live streamed at Boston.gov slash city dash council-tv and broadcasts on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCN Channel 82, and FIOS Channel Nine Sixty Four. The council's budget review process encompasses a series of public hearings from April through June. First, they can attend one of our hearings, uh, and give public testimony. They can either attend in person or virtually for a full schedule of our hearings. Uh you can go on our website boston.gov slash council dash budget. You can give testimony in person by coming to the chamber and uh signing in on the sign-in sheet near the entrance. You'll be called on in the order you've signed up. You can also testify virtually uh via Zoom. To testify virtually, sign up using our online form on our council budget review website, or by emailing the committee at ccc.wm at Boston.gov, or by emailing Karish Machauhan at K-A-R I S H M A. C H O U H A N at Boston.gov. You'll be given a zoom link and you testify on Zoom. You can also attend the fourth of four public listening sessions we have right here in the chamber. The fourth one, the last one will be Thursday, May 26th at 6 p.m. Again, right here. You can come and you'll have two minutes to to talk to the counselors. You can attend again, you can give testimony in person or virtually for that listening session also. Uh, when you're called to testify, you'll have two minutes. Please state your name, your residence, if you're with an organization, what organization you're with, and uh, and then you'll have two minutes to to speak. Um, in lieu of testifying at a hearing virtually or in person, you can submit written testimony by email by sending it to the committee at CCC.wm at Boston.gov. You can also just email you can snail mail it to my office and we'll submit it. But uh hopefully email works. If you have a problem, just reach out to my office and and we'll help you get your testimony submitted. You can also submit a two-minute video of your testimony through a form on our website. For more information on the city council budget process and how to testify. Please visit the city council's budget uh website at Boston.gov slash council-budget. Um, so for our public testimony, what we'll be doing is we'll hear from the panel. Then our my council colleagues will all get a chance to, you'll have five to seven, eight minutes to ask questions. Uh, and that's their first round of questions. They'll have second rounds and maybe even third rounds, but after that first round of questions that we hear from the panel, we're gonna call on public testimony. So then everyone who's here who wants to testify, everyone online, you'll have your chance after our first round of questions. Um again, if you uh to testify in the chamber, please sign in. Uh, or you can email for a zoom link, you can email Karishma at K-A-R-I-S-H-M-A.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 number 0733 to 0740, an overview of the fiscal year 2027 operating budgets for the Age Strong Commission, Boston Vets, and the Office of Returning Citizens, which is housed within the Office of Human Services, if I have that right. Okay, this is one of a series of hearings on the fiscal year 2027 budget. These matters were sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and referred to the committee on April 8th, 2026. I'm joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Flynn, sitting up here, uh, Councilor Murphy, Councillor Durkin, uh then Councillor Fitzgerald. Uh we uh waive opening statements at the budget hearings, just uh get get things moving. Um my colleagues will have a chance to speak uh uh I'll give them plenty of time for their rounded questions. But I'm just gonna introduce the panel and then uh we're gonna go to you. So we're joined by Age Strong Commissioner. Let me make sure this list matches this list. It does.