Boston City Council Regular Meeting - June 24, 2026

The Boston City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 12:13 PM in the Christopher A. Iannella Chamber, City Hall. The meeting was presided over by Council President Liz Breadon, with 12 of 13 councilors present (Councilor Coletta Zapata absent). The agenda included final approval of the FY27 city budget, acceptance of state and federal grants, passage of multiple resolutions, and referrals of several hearing orders. The meeting was marked by a procedural dispute over outstanding information requests (17F responses) and a debate over committee jurisdiction for a hearing on the Boston Public Schools FY28 budget.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of minutes from the June 17, 2026 meeting (motion prevailed).
• Adoption of a Consent Agenda containing 44 resolutions recognizing individuals, organizations, and events (severally adopted).
• Personnel orders and late file matters for temporary appointments in City Council offices (passed unanimously under suspension of rules).

Discussion Items

FY27 Budget Final Approval (Docket #1222)

• Councilor Weber, Chair of Ways and Means, reported that the mayor returned a modified annual appropriation and tax order reflecting the council’s June 10 amendments with one modification: restoring a $1.4 million reduction to the Boston Transportation Department’s personnel line item, offset by a $1.4 million reduction in BTD’s contractual services. The council did not move to override the modification, so the FY27 city budget was approved as modified.
• Councilor Fitzgerald clarified that the original amendment was intended to use personnel underspend data provided by the administration, not to cause layoffs.
• Councilor Flynn spoke in opposition, criticizing the council for not prioritizing layoffs of paraprofessionals, teachers, and bus monitors (mostly women of color) in Boston Public Schools, stating, "This is a moral failure… We cut her job, but also we cut health care."
• Councilor Culpepper supported the budget, noting restored funding for the Office of Black Male Advancement, the Human Rights Commission, and other programs. She added, "The real test is whether we learn from this process."
• Councilor Mejia voted no, stating the budget restored only half of the $20 million sought and that the process is broken. She read a statement from the Better Budget Alliance criticizing the council for not rejecting the budget to maximize amendment power.
• Councilor Murphy voted yes, arguing that the administration’s claim of restoring jobs was misleading and that the council should have more transparency in future cycles.
• Vote: No override motion was made; the modified budget went into effect.

Capital Budget and Equipment Leases (Dockets #0738, #0739, #0740)

• Councilor Weber requested these dockets be taken out of order for second reading and final passage before July 1, 2026.
• Docket #0738: $384,705,000 for capital improvements across multiple city departments. Passed 11-1 (Mejia dissenting).
• Docket #0739: $13,855,000 for Boston Public Schools capital improvements. Passed 11-1 (Mejia dissenting).
• Docket #0740: Authorization for up to $28,500,000 in lease-purchase agreements for equipment. Passed 11-1 (Mejia dissenting).

Procedural Dispute over 17F Responses

• Councilor Flynn raised a point of order under Rule 13, stating that several of his Section 17F information requests to city departments remained unanswered for months, including one on BHA elevator access that received an "insignificant" response. He appealed the chair’s decision not to recess the meeting to obtain a written timeline from IGR. The chair (President Breadon) ruled against a recess, stating IGR promised responses by the next meeting. Councilor Flynn’s appeal did not lead to a recess; the council proceeded.
• Councilor Murphy noted she had 12 outstanding 17F requests, some pending for months.

Committee Referral Debate – BPS FY28 Budget Hearing (Docket #1188)

• Councilor Weber filed an order for a hearing to discuss Boston Public Schools FY28 budget, to be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
• Councilor Mejia, Chair of Education, moved to appeal the chair’s decision to send it to Ways and Means, arguing the hearing is about policy priorities and should be in Education. She stated, "If we're really serious about doing business differently, then you would allow me to chair that hearing."
• After a roll call vote, the chair’s decision prevailed 6-6 (with Councilor Coletta Zapata absent). A two-thirds majority was required to overturn; the motion failed. Docket #1188 remained in Ways and Means.

Grants and Donations

• Docket #1224: $1,200,000 MOTT FIFA Grant for police public safety during FIFA World Cup events. Passed under suspension of rules after Councilor Santana, Chair of Public Safety, explained the need for overtime and equipment. (Councilor Flynn requested clarification before voting.)
• Docket #1225: $100,000 in credits from Anthropic for AI-driven cybersecurity (Claude Opus 4.8). Referred to Public Safety Committee.
• Docket #1226: $25,000 donation from Cities Forward, Inc. for the Mayor’s Civic Summit. Passed under suspension.
• Docket #1227: Renewal of Inspectional Services constables for 2026-2029. Passed under suspension after Councilor Weber provided the number (7) and noted they are reappointments.
• Docket #0697: Ordinance to accept M.G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 41D, authorizing annual increases to senior property tax exemption income and asset limits based on CPI. The committee report was accepted and the order passed in a new draft 12-0. Councilors Louijeune and Worrell praised the advocacy of Mass Senior Action Council.
• Dockets #0792, 0913-0916: Five federal HUD grants totaling approximately $79 million for housing, homelessness services, affordable housing, HOPWA, and emergency solutions. All passed with 11-12 votes (Councilor Weber not present for some). Councilor Flynn expressed support but criticized BHA leadership on elevator access issues.

Ordinance and Hearing Orders

• Docket #1186: Ordinance to codify the Boston Homes Lottery Program by City Council District (introduced by Councilor Culpepper). Councilor Worrell added as co-sponsor. Referred to Government Operations.
• Docket #1187 (Pepén): Hearing to evaluate the Resident Parking Permit Program. Referred to City Services.
• Docket #1190 (Flynn): Hearing on impact of road races on basic city services. Referred to City Services.
• Docket #1191 (Flynn): Hearing on expanding urban tree canopy in District 2. Referred to Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks.
• Docket #1235 (Pepén): Petition for special law for increased pension for injured firefighter Richard Lopez. Referred to Government Operations.
• Docket #1236 (Worrell): Petition for special law to allow alcohol sales until 3 AM (building on FIFA pilot). Councilors Mejia and Louijeune added as co-sponsors. Referred to Government Operations.
• Docket #1237 (Culpepper): Hearing on the future of the Boston Human Rights Commission. Referred to Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Immigrant Advancement.
• Docket #1238 (Worrell): Hearing to explore a leadership and service year program for high school students. Referred to Education.
• Docket #1239 (Worrell): Hearing on Boston Finance Commission’s Budget Savings and Revenue Report. Referred to Post-Audit.
• Docket #1241 (Culpepper) & #1242: Hearing on waste transfer facilities and text amendment to zoning code to restrict waste-related uses. Referred to Environmental Justice and Planning committees respectively.
• Docket #1243 & #1244: Hearing and resolution regarding continuation of the Boston Reparations Task Force. Resolution (Docket #1244) adopted under suspension. Hearing order referred to Civil Rights Committee.

Resolutions Adopted

• Docket #1193 (Pepén): Recognizing June as Men’s Health Awareness Month. Adopted 12-0 after remarks about men’s health statistics.
• Docket #1194 (Pepén): Resolution in support of a local option for rent stabilization. Adopted 8-3-1 (FitzGerald, Flynn, Murphy dissenting; Durkan present). Councilor Pepén cited polling and a compromise between advocates and developers.
• Docket #1195 (Flynn): Resolution in support of Bill S.1247 criminalizing sexual assault by rideshare operators. Adopted 12-0. Councilor Flynn described a 2025 assault case.
• Docket #1196 (Mejia): Resolution calling for long-term public investment in school-year youth jobs. Adopted 12-0. Councilor Mejia noted the budget restored only $750,000 of the $6 million cut.
• Docket #1245 (FitzGerald & Breadon): Resolution recognizing Boston Medical Center’s 30th anniversary. Adopted 11-0 (Durkan not present). Multiple councilors shared personal connections.
• Docket #1247 (Mejia): Resolution supporting BPS building a long-term plan for multilingual learners. Adopted 10-0 (Durkan, Worrell not present).
• Docket #1248 (Flynn & Culpepper): Resolution in support of H.4554 to improve sickle cell care. Adopted 10-0 (Durkan, Worrell not present).
• Docket #1249 (Flynn): Resolution recognizing PTSD Awareness Month. Adopted 10-0 (Durkan, Worrell not present).
• Docket #1250 (Flynn, Mejia, Murphy): Resolution to support laid-off BPS employees and prioritize reemployment. Adopted 10-0 (Durkan, Worrell not present). Councilor Flynn criticized the council’s vote to cut jobs.

Key Outcomes

• FY27 City Budget: The modified annual appropriation and tax order became final after the council did not override the mayor’s modification. Total budget approximately $4.9 billion.
• Capital Budgets Approved: $384.7 million for city departments and $13.9 million for BPS capital improvements, plus $28.5 million in equipment leases (all 11-1, Mejia dissenting).
• Senior Tax Exemption: Ordinance passed to tie annual increases to CPI (12-0), effective FY27.
• Multiple Grants Accepted: $1.2 million FIFA grant for police, $79 million in HUD grants for housing, $25,000 donation for Civic Summit, and renewal of constables.
• Resolutions Adopted: 12 resolutions passed, including on rent stabilization, rideshare safety, youth jobs, sickle cell care, and support for laid-off BPS employees.
• Hearing Orders Referred: Over 15 hearing orders assigned to committees, including for parking permits, road races, tree canopy, reparations task force, and waste facilities.
• Committee Referral Dispute: Councilor Mejia’s appeal to move the BPS budget hearing to the Education Committee failed (6-6, short of 2/3 majority), leaving it in Ways and Means.