THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE WAS SENT OUT BY THE MAYOR WALSH COMMITTEE IN WHICH HE HAILS THE PASSAGE OF THE CITY BUDGET
I made a promise to the residents of Boston nearly six years ago to lead Boston in a way that is bold, and makes transformative progress in the areas that we know are most important to our residents, from housing to our transportation infrastructure, and from public safety to education.
I am proud to share another important milestone in our work. Yesterday, our citywide budget proposal passed the City Council unanimously. This $3.49 billion plan marks an increase of $176 million over last year’s budget and upholds our City’s strong record of proactive fiscal management, while putting the needs of our residents first.
Taken together, our investments prioritize high-quality and equitable services, touching every single neighborhood in our city. Our budget is truly a reflection of our shared priorities.
Below is a snapshot of investments you can expect to see over the next year:
SCHOOLS
The largest-ever school budget in city history provides a full-time nurse in every school, more licensed mental health professionals for our students than ever before, free menstrual products in dozens of schools and the guarantee of free, high-quality pre-kindergarten for all four-year-olds living in Boston within five years;
HOUSING
A 45% increase in funding dedicated to reaching the City’s housing goals of building more affordable housing and supporting homeless individuals;
TRANSPORTATION
New revenue that will be used to create new dedicated bus lanes, reconstruct sidewalks, expand our bikeshare infrastructure, and keep our transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair; and,
INCREASING POLICE FORCE TO 2,200
Bolstering our public safety by growing the size of our police force to over 2,200 officers, prioritizing diversity in our recruitment efforts, adding additional resources to investigate unsolved homicides and providing more trauma supports.
I invite you all to learn more about the ways we are setting Boston up for success both now and well into our future by visiting budget.boston.gov. I look forward to our continued partnership as we work to make Boston a better place for all.
MartyFollow @MartyForBoston
