Boston Budget Approved: $937M for Schools, $196M for City Projects

By: David Ertischek

The Boston City Council unanimously approved the city's $2.6 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2014 on Wednesday, the last budget to be submitted by outgoing Mayor Thomas Menino. 

FY2014 begins on July 1, 2013.

“I am pleased that the City Council approved this budget, the final one of my administration. It invests in all neighborhoods and continues to build on the strengths and relationships that have propelled Boston forward,” Menino said in a statement. “I would like to thank Council President [Stephen] Murphy and Councilors [Mark] Ciommo and [Sal] LaMattina, the respective chair and co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee, for their leadership and support.”

The operating budget is a 5.2 percent increase from the FY2013 budget, raising $128.5 million.

"Statutorily, it’s the most important role that the council plays, and I was proud to cast an affirmative vote for several reasons," District 6 City Councilor Matt O'Malley said. "The $2.6 billion operating budget strengthens quality and allows for growth of enrollment of the Boston Public Schools, funds new public safety recruit classes, enables us to address climate change and increased recycling rates, and will facilitate new and increased housing stock."

Some of the project highlights for the coming year include the revitalization of Dudley Square, a $119 million development project of the historic Ferdinand building. This project broke ground in 2012 and is on schedule to be completed in fall 2014.

Work will begin on a new park for children with physical disabilities in the Charlestown Navy Yard, as well as an overhaul of recreational facilities at the West Roxbury Education Complex fields.

The Copley Boston Public Library will start construction in 2013 to redo the Johnson Building at the Central branch. This project will open the main floor to Boylston Street, improve and expand the Children’s room, as well as upgrade the Rabb Lecture Hall. Construction is continuing for a new library in East Boston, which will open in the fall.

Property taxes continue to be Boston’s largest revenue source, along with hotel, meals and other excise tax revenue, according to city personnel. Net state aid from the Commonwealth is expected to decline by $18.8 million from FY2013 budget levels. 

Other Highlights in the FY2014 Budget 

• Mayor Menino’s Housing Boston 2020 initiative is starting this year with a goal of creating 20,000 to 30,000 units of housing by the year 2020. 

• Additionally, one million square feet of city-owned real estate will be made available to small builders at below-market prices in 2013 and 2014 to increase homeownership among middle class families, according to a city press release.
• Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) will designate “girls only” time at sites across Boston to engage teenage girls in leadership, civic engagement and skill building programs. 
• Also, through a partnership with the WAGE project, Boston will host negotiation workshops to teach young women the skills required to negotiate for fair pay.  
• Boston will debut a program setting aside $1 million for youth to participate in a year-long budgeting process. Through participating in the budget process, young Bostonians will work to identify projects in their communities, vet those projects, and consider "trade-offs in making funding decisions."
• Digital learning expansion continues in Boston Public Schools, Libraries, and our Centers for Youth & Families. Initiatives will result in 10,000 more mobile computing devices for students, blended learning courses for residents at community centers, and the launch of an iPad lending program for residents.  
• The nation’s first City Hall To Go truck will transition from a pilot to an initiative with a set schedule that allows it to visit every neighborhood in Boston at least once a month.