Boston Council Hears FY25 Budget for Economic Opportunity and Labor Offices

BOSTON — May 6, 2024 — Boston's Ways and Means Committee scrutinizes FY25 budgets for economic opportunity and labor offices. Councilor Brian Worrell chaired the May 6 hearing, covering dockets 0670 through 0678 and taking testimony from officials across the Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet, the Department of Supplier Diversity, and the Worker Empowerment Cabinet. The Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion is seeking a 7 percent budget increase, while the Department of Supplier Diversity faces a corresponding reduction as funds are consolidated at the cabinet level for a shared technology project. Director Andre Lima reported 83 percent of the department's contracts of $10,000 or more went to minority- and women-owned businesses, against a citywide goal of 25 percent, and noted roughly $2.5 million in spending through new inclusive quote contracts since June 2023. The Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections reported a 32 percent budget decrease tied to a shift of workforce program costs to another office, and highlighted Boston as the first city in the country with a construction and demolition safety ordinance, with 125 contractor training seats filling within three hours of registration opening. The living wage is set to rise to $18.20 per hour on July 1.