Boston council panel reviews $2.6 million in workforce grants, no vote taken

BOSTON — July 1, 2025 — Boston City Council workforce panel reviews $2.6 million in job-training grants as federal cuts threaten programs. Chair Benjamin J. Weber convened the virtual July 1 hearing of the Committee on Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development, with staff from the Worker Empowerment Cabinet walking the panel through 15 grants supporting Boston's two Mass Hire Career Centers, youth employment programs, and a new climate-jobs initiative. Katie Gall, Director of Grants, told councillors that federal formula funds could be consolidated into a single block grant and reduced by roughly 30 percent starting in fiscal year 2027, and that a separate urban forestry pass-through grant of approximately $860,000 was effectively canceled by the federal government, with the city able to bill only $16,000. Deputy Chief Jody Sugarman Brazen presented a $200,000 Citizens Bank Foundation grant supporting the Boston Climate Jobs Alliance, which is backed by a $9.8 million NOAA award aimed at placing 484 people in 1,200 committed climate-resilience jobs; she said the NOAA funds were deposited in the city treasury before the administration change and the city is "as confident as one can feel" they will remain available through August 2028. Vice Chair Julia M. Mejia and Councillors Sharon Durkan and Edward M. Flynn each voiced support for all 15 dockets, which are expected to receive a formal vote at the committee's next meeting.