City Council
Ways & Means Committee Hearing on Dockets #0670-0678 & #0687-0688- FY25 Budget: Environment Department, the Office of Food Justice and related revolving funds
Agenda — 12 items
- 1 Ways & Means Committee Hearing on Dockets #0670-0678 & #0687-0688- FY25 Budget: Environment Department, the Office of Food Justice and related revolving funds
- 2 On the message and order, referred on April 10, 2024, Docket #0670, for Annual Appropriation and Tax Order for FY2025, the committee submitted a report recommending that the order ought to pass in an amended draft. The report was accepted; the order as amended was passed; yeas 10, nays 3 (FitzGerald, Flynn, Murphy).
- 3 Councilor Worrell called Docket #0671, message and order for Annual Appropriation for the School Department for FY2025, from the Committee on Ways and Means. No objection being heard, the matter was before the body. On motion of Councilor Worrell, the order was passed; yeas 10, nays 3 (Breadon, Mejia, Murphy).
- 4 On the message and order, approving an appropriation of Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000.00) to the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Liability Trust Fund established under Section 20 of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 32B, the committee submitted a report recommending that the order ought to pass. The report was accepted, the order was passed; yeas 13.
- 5 On the message and order, referred on April 10, 2024, Docket #0673, approving an appropriation of Four Million Dollars ($4,000,000.00) from the City’s Capital Grant Fund to address the impact of transportation network services on municipal roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure or any other public purpose substantially related to the operation of transportation network services in the city. Such funds will be transferred and credited to the Capital Grant Fund from revenue received from the Commonwealth Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Trust Fund, the committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass. The report was accepted; the order was passed.
- 6 On the message and order, referred on April 10, 2024, Docket #0674, approving an appropriation of Twenty-Nine Million Seven Hundred Eighty Thousand Dollars ($29,780,000.00) from the City’s Capital Grant Fund in order to provide funding for various transportation and public realm improvements. The funds shall be credited to the Capital Grant Fund from the Parking Meter Fund, the committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass. The report was accepted; the order was passed.
- 7 On the message and order, referred on April 10, 2024, Docket #0675, authorizing an appropriation Order in the amount of One Million Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($1,850,000.00) from Surplus Property Disposition Fund, credited to the Capital Fund for planning, design, and construction, for projects, the Lafayette Garage and Border Resilience projects, the committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass. The report was accepted; the order was passed.
- 8 Councilor Worrell called Docket #0676, an appropriation order in the amount of One Hundred Eighty-Four Million Seven Hundred Eighty Thousand Dollars ($184,780,000.00) for various capital improvement purposes for city departments including the Boston Center for Youth and Families, Boston Housing Authority, Boston Planning and Development Agency, Boston Public Library, Environment, Fire, Mayor’s Office of Housing, Office of Arts and Culture, Parks and Recreation, Police, Property Management, Public Works, and the Transportation Departments, from the Committee on Ways and Means. Hearing no objection, the matter was before the body. On motion of Councilor Worrell, the order was read a second time and again passed; yeas 12, nays 1 (Breadon). Councilor Mejia motioned to reconsider her vote; Yeas 12, present 1(Pepen). Docket #0676 received a second reading and again passed; yeas 11, nays 2 (Breadon, Mejia).
- 9 Councilor Worrell called Docket #0677, authorizing an appropriation order in the amount of Two Hundred Forty Million Three Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($240,375,000.00) for various capital improvement purposes for the Boston Public Schools, from the Committee on Ways and Means. Hearing no objection, the matter was before the body. On motion of Councilor Worrell, the order was read a second time and again passed; yeas 11; nays 2 (Breadon, Mejia).
- 10 Councilor Worrell called Docket #0678, an order authorizing the City of Boston to enter into one or more lease, lease-purchase or installment sales agreements in Fiscal Year 2025 in an amount not to exceed Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000.00). These funds are to be used by various City departments for the acquisition of equipment in furtherance of their respective governmental functions. The list of equipment includes: computer equipment (hardware and software), motor vehicles and trailers, ambulances, firefighting equipment, office equipment, telecommunications equipment, photocopying equipment, medical equipment, school and educational equipment, school buses, parking meters, street lighting installation, traffic signal equipment and equipment functionally related to, and components of the foregoing, from the Committee on Ways and Means. Hearing no objection, the matter was before the body. On motion of Councilor Worrell, the order was read a second time and again passed; yeas 11; nays 2 (Breadon, Mejia).
- 11 On the message and order, referred on April 10, 2024, Docket #0688, authorizing a limit for the Environment Conservation Commission revolving fund for the Fiscal Year 2025 for the purpose of securing outside consultants including engineers, wetlands scientists, wildlife biologists or other experts in order to aid in the review of proposed projects to the Commission, per the city’s ordinance protecting local wetland and promoting climate change adaptation. The revolving fund shall be funded by receipts from fees imposed by the Commission for the purpose of securing outside consultants. The Environment Department will be the only department authorized to expend from the fund and such expenditures shall be capped at Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), the committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass. The report was accepted; the order was passed.
- 12 On the message and order, referred on April 10, 2024, Docket #0687, authorizing a limit for the Distributed Energy Resource Revolving Fund for Fiscal Year 2025 to facilitate the purchase of offsets of greenhouse gas emissions which shall be associated with a portion of the electricity consumed by the City annually; and to operate, maintain, monitor and expand the City's existing solar arrays and Boston Public Schools' combined heat and power facilities. This revolving fund shall be credited with any and all receipts from the sale of renewable and alternative energy certificates and demand response program revenues produced by combined heat and power units located at Boston Public Schools sites and solar renewable energy certificates produced by the City's photovoltaic arrays. Receipts and resulting expenditures from this fund shall not exceed One Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($175,000.00), the committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass. The report was accepted; the order was passed.