Boston City Council Approves $16.3M in Public Safety Grants, Closes 2024 Session

BOSTON -- December 11, 2024, Boston City Council voted on more than two dozen dockets in its final 2024 session Wednesday, including $16,293,923 in public safety grants that sparked a rare floor fight over the city's relationship with a federal intelligence program. Councillor Julia M. Mejia moved to delay the $11,952,986 Urban Area Security Initiative grant, which partially funds the Boston Regional Intelligence Center and its gang database, arguing the body had held only one hearing with limited community input; the motion to table failed 9-4, and the grant passed 12 to 1 present. Councillor Henry Santana, chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice, defended the regional grant as essential for emergency preparedness, cybersecurity, and specialized response teams ahead of major 2026 events including the FIFA World Cup and the country's 250th anniversary. The council also unanimously approved a $4,460,897 HUD lead paint grant for low-income housing, $84,984 in public health worker wage increases under SEIU Local 888 contracts, and FY25 tax classification setting the residential rate at $11.58 and the commercial rate at $25.96, all with no state home-rule relief after a property tax reclassification petition died earlier in the week. The council adjourned sine die and is scheduled to reconvene January 8, 2025.