Boston Ways and Means Committee Reviews FY27 Budgets for ISD, Property Management, and Public Facilities

BOSTON — May 4, 2026 — Boston's Ways and Means Committee pressed three city departments on budget cuts, permitting timelines, and summer event readiness at a May 4 FY27 hearing. Inspectional Services Commissioner Tanya Del Rio said her department's proposed budget is $25 million and that it is absorbing savings through three extended vacancies and reduced contracted services, while reporting that average time to first review for plans-and-zoning applications has dropped from 35 days in 2025 to 33 days year-to-date in 2026. Property Management Commissioner Eamon Shelton said construction on a four-stop elevator to replace City Hall's decommissioned escalators is expected to begin late summer after FIFA Fan Fest concludes, and that the 67-officer Municipal Protective Services unit is currently at 64-65 staff and fully certified in first aid and de-escalation ahead of a busy summer. Public Facilities Executive Director Carlton Jones said the Fields Corner Branch Library and EMS Seaport Station are targeting a July 1 substantial completion date, while the first purpose-built community center in Boston history, the BCYF Grove Hall facility, is on track for 2028. On rodents, Assistant Commissioner John Ulrich said the city is the first in the country to deploy a new type of sewer sensor, with five installations beginning May 5, and that rodent-resistant barrels in Chinatown, the North End, and Boston Common will expand to Mattapan Square next.