Boston Council Ways and Means Hears BPHC FY2027 Budget (May 21, 2026)
Boston Council Ways and Means Hears BPHC FY2027 Budget (May 21, 2026)
On May 21, 2026, the Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Councilor Ben Weber, held the second hearing of the day on the Boston Public Health Commission's (BPHC) fiscal year 2027 budget, covering infectious disease, child/adolescent/family health, violence prevention, and behavioral health and wellness. The hearing began at 3:06 PM and included presentations from BPHC Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu and Budget Director Chris Valdez, questions from councilors, and public testimony. No votes were taken; the hearing was adjourned after public testimony.
Discussion Items
- Child/Adolescent/Family Health (CAF): Dr. Ojikutu reported that in FY26, more than 1,200 young people received clinical services and training through CAF programs, including the Boston Area Health Education Center (118 youth), Peer Leadership Institute (40+ youth), Start Strong, and the Youth Development Network (220 youth). BPHC staffs eight school-based health centers which served 1,200+ students with medical services and 346 students for mental health services. A six-week paid summer enrichment program will host 110 students.
- Maternal and Infant Health: BPHC continues implementing a fetal and infant mortality review (funded by a FY25 budget amendment) and has established a data-sharing agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and onboarded a nurse coordinator. The Healthy Start Systems Division provided coordinated case management home visiting to over 1,700 pregnant and parenting families in FY26, and during the November federal government shutdown, distributed food and gift cards to 9,542 families.
- Violence Prevention: The Office of Violence Prevention, led by Director Isaac Gbio, includes five programs. The Life Course Unit has three programs: Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), Promoting Potential Boston (ages 16 and under), and the Men’s Health Initiative (ages 25+). The Community Healing Response Network (formerly Neighborhood Trauma Team) provides crisis intervention and long-term behavioral health services. The Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence (DSG) Initiative, launched in early 2025, is funded at just over $300,000 with two FTEs. BPHC also developed a citywide summer safety plan announced May 20, 2026. Councilor Fitzgerald noted recent upticks in violence but Gbio reported shootings, victims, and homicides are down compared to last year and the five-year average. Gbio highlighted space activation events and partnerships with YOU Boston for youth employment.
- Behavioral Health and Wellness: The Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness has focused on youth mental health, workforce development, and social determinants. In October 2025, BPHC co-hosted the first annual Social Determinants and Mental Health Summit. The center has trained 121 school personnel in trauma-informed practices. Partnerships include Franciscan Children’s (served over 300 BPS students), UMass Boston (trained 43 mental health counselors, 142 therapeutic mentors, 7 school psychologists, and 191 UMass students; served over 1,900 clients and 1,000 youth), and the Boston Area Health Education Center (124 students enrolled, 100% completion rate).
- Community-Led Mental Health Crisis Response Pilot: Dr. Ojikutu announced an upcoming RFP for a peer-led pilot aiming to reduce police involvement in behavioral health crises. The pilot is funded at $1.7 million for 22 months and will launch in fall 2026 in one neighborhood (targeted at Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury). The design is meant to complement existing services, not replace them. Councilors questioned safety, coordination with BPD, and evaluation metrics. Dr. Ojikutu emphasized that the RFP will be issued in the next few weeks and a community advisory board will provide oversight.
- Infectious Disease: BPHC focuses on surveillance, outbreak investigation, and preparedness for FIFA World Cup and other major events. The wastewater surveillance program has been expanded to neighborhood-level detection for flu, COVID-19, measles, and RSV. BPHC hosted 27 free vaccine clinics and is combating vaccine misinformation. A 30% increase in health insurance enrollments was seen in FY26 (over 1,100 individuals enrolled or re-enrolled).
- Community Initiatives: Includes Breathe Easy at Home (asthma), tobacco prevention (1,200 merchant inspections, 701 permits issued, 32 tobacco and 40 secondhand smoke complaints resolved), and a new learning collaborative on nutrition and physical activity for young children.
- Councilor Questions and Requests: Councilor Louijeune asked about school-based health center locations and the need for more resources for domestic violence survivors. Councilor Fitzgerald questioned safety of the mental health pilot. Councilor Culpepper pressed on community oversight of the pilot. Councilor Durkin inquired about partnerships with Atrius Health Equity Foundation (remaining $5 million for 2028) and advocated for higher pay for street outreach workers. Chair Weber raised a potential pilot for food stipends for pregnant women based on research from Harvard School of Public Health.
- Letters and Comments: Chair Weber read questions from Councilor Coletta Zapata (on maternity leave) regarding the DSG initiative, community safety funding, noise complaints, and coordination with BPD. Councilor Flynn left early but thanked BPHC for work on HIV/AIDS and Asian health.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alexandra Dorellis (Louis D. Brown Peace Institute): Requested a three-year commitment of $1 million annually to sustain survivor support services for families impacted by homicide. She described the Peace Institute's long-term care model and partnership with BPHC’s Community Healing Response Network. Noted that approximately 64% of homicides served are in Boston, but the city contributes a small portion of costs.
- Multiple speakers from Boston People’s Response Campaign (including Amantala Sit, Amy Takanami, Khalik Williams, Maya Cherkai, Thara Venkataraman, Star Nunez, Shil Yu Wong, Esther Serra Luque, Maria Fong, Dr. Christine Mitchell, Happy Osuwa, Sarah Omki, Yasmin Bailey, Sherry Williams, Nayung Kim, Ariel Ellison, Charming Salamang, Shanique Chacon, Joaquin Atala Gutierrez): Unanimously urged the council to reject Mayor Wu’s proposed budget and fully fund a $4 million non-police, non-carceral, community-led mental health crisis response pilot. They argued that the existing $1.7 million pilot is insufficient and that the model designed by the community (the Boston People’s Response) should be implemented. Speakers cited personal and professional experiences, data on police violence against people with mental illness, the disproportionate impact on BIPOC and queer communities, and the success of similar models elsewhere. Several speakers also called for restoring cuts to youth jobs and other services.
- Sam (Boston Saving Lives Project): Supported non-police crisis response but also called for empowering fire and EMS, and expressed concern that the current capital budget does not allocate enough to parks and health infrastructure. Advocated for collaboration and avoiding false narratives.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken to approve or reject the budget. The hearing was informational and part of the council’s budget review process.
- The council will consider public testimony and commissioner responses in upcoming budget deliberations.
- BPHC will provide data on police-involved mental health calls and successful models from other cities (e.g., Lynn, MA) to councilors.
- The RFP for the $1.7 million peer-led mental health crisis pilot will be issued in the coming weeks.
- Several councilors expressed interest in further discussions on funding the Boston People’s Response model and other community priorities.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Um, sorry, for the record, my name is Ben Weber. I'm the District Six City Councilor and the Chair of the Committee for Ways and Means. Today is May 21st, 2026, and the exact time is uh three. Oh six PM. Uh I have a few plenaries to go through. Uh this hearing is being recorded, it's also being live streamed at Boston.gov slash city-council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel 8, RCN channel eighty-two, and uh and FIOS channel nine sixty-four. The council's budget review process encompasses a series of hearings beginning in April and running through June. We strongly encourage residents to take a moment to engage in the process by giving testimony for the record. You can do so in several ways. Number one, you can give testimony at one of our public hearings. Um by uh attending the hearing in person and signing up on the sign-in sheet uh near the entrance. We'll call in you in the order of your arrival. You can also testify at a hearing virtually. Use the online form on our council budget review website, or you can email the committee at cccc.wm at Boston.gov, or email our uh legislat our budget analyst Krishma Chon at K-R-I-S-H-M-A.CHOUHAN at Boston.gov, and you'll get a Zoom link to testify. Uh you can also testify in person or virtually at our the fourth, the fourth of four public listening sessions. The last of which will be Tuesday, May 26th at 6 p.m. right here in the chamber. Again, for that listening session, you testify in person or virtually. Each person, what we'll do for public testimony is we will hear from the panel, and then we're going to get a first round of questions from my council colleagues, and then we will call for public testimony at that time and then go for uh additional rounds of questioning uh from my colleagues. In lieu of testifying in person or virtually at a hearing, you can also email written testimony to the committee at ccc.wm at Boston.gov. You can also submit a two minute video of your testimony through the forum on our website. For more information on the council budget process and how to testify, please visit the city council's budget website at Boston.gov slash council dash budget. Again, in-person public testimony will be taken after the first round of questions. We'll hear from the panel and first round of questions from my colleagues. So each get about maybe six minutes if you're trying to calculate when you're going to testify. Each person will be called up uh one at a time, and you'll have two minutes to speak. And please, you know, at the beginning, identify your uh you tell us your name, where you're from, what organization you're with, and then we'll start the timer. Um, and uh again, if you're watching online and want to testify, email Krishmachon. It's K-A-R-I-S-H-M-A.C-H-O-U, H A N at Boston.gov, and you'll get a zoom link for the uh for to testify. Um, so this afternoon's hearing is on docket number 0733 to 0740, uh the Boston Public Health Commission's fiscal year 2027 budget. This hearing will cover um the topics including uh infectious disease, child adolescent family health, violence prevention, and behavioral health and wellness. This is one of a series of hearings to review the fiscal year 27 budget. This is also our second hearing of the day with the Boston Public Health Commission. Uh we covered uh other topics this morning, including uh recovery, uh substance abuse, um, and uh several others. We also heard from EMS. Um okay. These matters were sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and referred to the committee on April 8th, 2026. I'm joined by my colleagues on order of arrival. I I'm not sure who I'm gonna guess Councillor Flynn. It's the odds are, then Councillor Louis Gen, then Councillor Fitzgerald. If I'm wrong, Councillor Louis Gen, let me know. Um we've received a letter of absence from Counselor Warrell and uh have also received a letter from Councillor Coletta Zapata, who because she is on maternity leave, congratulations to her and her newborn son. I will parental leave. Okay, well, if you're on maternity leave or paternity leave or parental leave, I will read, and you're one of my counselor colleagues. I'll read your questions for you. Nobody else get any ideas about me reading questions for them if they're just out for any other reason. Um, so we're also joined by Counselor Culpeper. Uh so uh generally we uh waive opening statements uh and we go to the panel. I I just uh because uh counselor Flynn has uh has uh something to get to uh so we may not have questions.
openpublica.com