Boston City Council hears public pleas to override Mayor Wu's $13 million budget veto

BOSTON — June 24, 2024 — Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee holds public hearing on Mayor Wu's $13 million budget veto. Committee Chair Brian Worrell, District 4 councilor, convened the Monday session to gather public testimony ahead of a Wednesday override vote on the council's amended fiscal year 2025 budget, which added $15 million to Mayor Michelle Wu's original $4.6 billion proposal before the mayor vetoed more than $13 million of those amendments. The council's package included nearly $5 million for housing, nearly $5 million for college and career readiness, nearly $3 million for community safety programs, and $1 million for homicide response through the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, whose president Clementina Sherry and a delegation of homicide survivors testified that the mayor's veto left their burial assistance and case management services unfunded. Councilor Benjamin J. Weber highlighted an amendment moving $1.8 million from the Boston Police Department budget to delay a supervisory promotional exam and expand diversity in the department's ranks — a proposal the mayor rejected. Dozens of residents, including youth organizers, housing advocates, and formerly homeless veterans, urged councilors to override unanimously, with particular pressure directed at at-large Councilors Henry Santana and Enrique J. Pepén.