Boston City Council Takes FY25 Budget Testimony Amid Sharp Divide Over Police Spending

BOSTON — April 22, 2024 — Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee receives public testimony on Mayor Wu's $4.3 billion FY25 budget proposal. Chair Brian Worrell convened the April 22 hearing on dockets 0670 through 0678 covering the operating budget, capital fund transfers, and capital loan orders, and outlined a schedule running through a June 5 council vote on amendments. Multiple speakers affiliated with the Youth Justice and Power Union demanded the council cut the police budget, which they said is rising from $405 million to $455 million, with overtime alone climbing from $44 million to nearly $51 million. The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute asked for a four-year, $1 million annual commitment for homicide response, noting the city currently funds only about 8 percent of the organization's costs. Katie's Closet warned it may have to pull programs from 51 Boston Public Schools by August 1 without a central funding line, currently receiving only $232,000 of an allowable $1.1 million contract. The next public listening session is May 22 at 6 p.m.