Boston City Council Closes Budget Hearings With Scrutiny of Assessing, Treasury Departments

BOSTON — May 26, 2026 — Boston City Council concludes its departmental budget hearings with scrutiny of assessing, treasury, and auditing operations ahead of FY27 deliberations. The Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by District 6 Councilor Ben Weber, heard Tuesday from City Auditor Scott Finn, who confirmed a Wolfen Company audit of the Main Streets program found an isolated incident and said a compliance officer position funded through expiring ARPA dollars will be absorbed into the operating budget at the start of FY27. Commissioner of Assessing Nicholas Arnello, who disclosed he is leaving the post after 20 years, defended the city's mass-appraisal methodology against allegations of systematic under-assessment of high-value properties, disputing Small Property Owner Association figures of $83 million in under-assessed luxury sales in 2026 on methodological grounds, while acknowledging that "there definitely are properties that are under-appraised and properties that are over-appraised." The department is carrying roughly 20 vacancies — about 13 percent below full staffing — with approximately $800,000 in salary savings built into the proposed budget. Deputy Budget Director Ian Donnelly fielded sustained questioning from multiple councilors on neighborhood capital equity, confirming that the Shaw Taylor Elementary School is advancing through the MSBA design process, that the Matta Hunt project is going out to bid for exterior work, and that the city's interest revenue is projected to fall by nearly half in FY27 as federal rates decline, reducing returns on the city's investment portfolio.