Boston City Council Hears FY26 Boston Public Library Budget Presentation

BOSTON — May 6, 2025 — Boston City Council committee opens FY26 Boston Public Library budget hearing as capital projects advance. The Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell, heard from Boston Public Library President David Leonard and Chief Financial Officer Emily Tekarsik on Tuesday. Leonard reported 2.3 million in-person visits and a record 15,000 participants in ESOL classes for calendar year 2024, alongside 4.8 million digital items lent. A groundbreaking for the Fields Corner branch took place the day before the hearing, with active capital projects also planned for the Eggleston Square branch, the South End branch, and three housing-with-public-assets sites in Chinatown and the West End. The budget, referred by Mayor Michelle Wu on April 9, covers docket numbers 0822 through 0830; public testimony and council questioning had not yet begun when the transcript ended.