Boston City Council scrutinizes hundreds of vacant city positions ahead of budget season

BOSTON — March 4, 2025 — Boston City Council panel examines citywide job vacancies ahead of FY26 budget negotiations. The Committee on Labor, Workforce and Economic Development, chaired by Councilor Benjamin J. Weber, heard Tuesday from Chief Financial Officer Ashley Groffenberger, Chief People Officer Alex Lawrence, BPHC Chief People Officer Tanisha Peoples, and BPS Chief Human Resource Officer Frances Canty. Groffenberger disclosed that the city assumes $42 million in annual salary savings from unfilled positions — a built-in budget offset — and confirmed a fiscal year 2024 year-end surplus of $88 million, driven overwhelmingly by interest revenue. Lawrence reported 448 posted vacancies currently being filled, with notable wins: Boston EMS hired 82 EMTs since April 2024, lifeguard positions grew from 45 to 106, and parking enforcement officer fills are expected to reach 135 imminently following targeted hiring days. Peoples reported the BPHC cut its vacancy rate from 16 percent to 11 percent in under a year; Canty said BPS cut 330 positions following the end of federal ESSER funding and is now reviewing 18-month-old vacancies for elimination, with 11 open slots at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School held back by state licensure barriers.