Boston Council Scrutinizes Arts and Tourism Budgets Ahead of FY24 Adoption

BOSTON — April 25, 2023 — Boston City Council grills arts and tourism officials over FY24 budget equity and artist displacement. At a Tuesday hearing chaired by Councilor Liz Breadon, Chief of Arts and Culture Cara Eliot Ortega presented a $473,000 year-over-year budget increase for the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, which awarded more than $600,000 to 160 organizations and more than $200,000 to 30 individual artists in FY23; a newly piloted Cultural Space Fund drew 147 applications totaling $22 million in requests against a $1.7 million award pool. Tourism Director John Borders IV confirmed Broccoli City Music Festival is coming to Boston in August and said the 2026 FIFA World Cup could bring upward of half a billion dollars in net economic impact to the city. Councilor Erin J. Murphy challenged Borders on the office's 13 percent budget increase being driven solely by a new deputy director position, prompting Borders to reply, "I will not argue with you." Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune pressed for stronger follow-through on community benefits agreements that promise artist space, warning the city is "leaving dollars on the table."