A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Boston was held in the Christopher A. Iannella Chamber, City Hall on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM.
President Breadon in the Chair. Present Councilors Coletta Zapata, Culpepper, Durkan, FitzGerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber, and Worrell.
City Clerk Alex Geourntas delivered the invocation, and the meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Chair moved to adopt the minutes from the March 4, 2026 City Council Meeting.
Motion prevailed.
ROLL CALL
APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 4, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
COMMUNICATIONS FROM HER HONOR, THE MAYOR:
Message and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of Two Million Three Hundred Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred Sixty-Six Dollars And Eighty-Eight Cents ($2,315,966.88) in the form of a grant, the FY26 State Elder Lunch Program Grant, awarded by MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs to be administered by the Age Strong Commission. The grant would fund nutrition services for older adults in the City of Boston, at a rate of $7.39 per meal for up to 313,392 meals.
Message and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of Ninety-Seven Thousand Dollars ($97,000.00) in the form of a grant, the FY26 Local Consumer Aid Fund Grant, awarded by MA Attorney General to be administered by the Office of Consumer Affairs & Licensing. The grant would fund staff costs, outreach materials, and operational expenses to conduct the Consumer Affairs program.
PETITIONS, MEMORIALS AND REMONSTRANCES
REPORTS OF PUBLIC OFFICERS AND OTHERS:
Notice was received from the Mayor of the appointment of Katherine Davis-Wheeler, as a Trustee of the Boston Groundwater Trust, for a term expiring March 9, 2030.
Communication from Councilor Pepén regarding stalled transportation projects.
MATTERS RECENTLY HEARD-FOR POSSIBLE ACTION:
Order for a hearing regarding elder scamming and fraud prevention.
Order for a hearing to discuss the regulation of Kratom in the City of Boston.
Order for a hearing on transparency and accountability in service provision and spending for English Learners.
Order for a hearing to audit Boston Public School's special education and return on investments.
Order for a hearing to discuss Boston's FY27 operating budget.
Order for a hearing to discuss Boston Public Schools' FY27 operating budget.
MOTIONS, ORDERS AND RESOLUTIONS:
Petition for a Special Law Re: An Act Relative to Military Buy-Back for Veteran Municipal Employees.
Order for a hearing to discuss the achievements of the Mattapan Square Task Force and other municipal support for Mattapan Square.
Order for a hearing on modernizing permitting systems to improve accessibility related to transportation, curbside management, construction, and development.
Order for a hearing to discuss strategies to prevent homelessness among students in the Boston Public Schools.
Order for a hearing regarding the use and impact of high-quality instructional materials in Boston Public Schools.
Order for a hearing regarding Boston Public Schools' efforts to improve chronic absenteeism.
Order for a hearing to discuss career and technical education in Boston Public Schools and its impacts on students' college and career readiness.
Order for a hearing to review the mid-year implementation and educational impact of the Boston Public Schools' FY27 budget.
Order for a hearing to examine Boston's 48-hour parking space saver policy following snow emergencies.
Order for a hearing to examine options to improve public safety and quality of life in the Nubian Square area.
Order for a hearing to discuss Boston Groundwater Trust and groundwater infrastructure in the City of Boston.
Order for a hearing to discuss the status of addressing potholes in the City of Boston.
Order for a hearing to ensure equitable investment, fiscal accountability, and academic excellence in the Boston Pre-K Program.
Order regarding a text amendment to the Boston Zoning Code to establish a neighborhood impact contribution requirement as part of the linkage program.
Resolution in support of the SPARK Act to expand opportunities for minority entrepreneurship.
Resolution in support of a temporary rollback for the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) and Stretch Energy Codes for five years.
Resolution commending historic graduation and dropout rate improvements in Boston Public Schools.
PERSONNEL ORDERS:
Councilor Breadon for Councilor Durkan offers the following: Order for the appointment of temporary employees Holly Margulius, Lily Sweeterman and Jessie Frasier in City Council, effective March 7, 2026.
Councilor Breadon for Councilor Durkan offers the following: Order for the appointment of temporary employees Holly Margulius, Lily Sweeterman and Jessie Frasier in City Council, effective March 14, 2026.
GREEN SHEETS:
Legislative Calendar for March 11, 2026.
CONSENT AGENDA:
Resolution recognizing VietAID's Tet Celebration.
Resolution celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Presentation School Foundation.
Resolution in memory of Mary B. "Mady" (Healy) Reardon.
Resolution in memory of Mary B. (McColgan) O'Toole.
Resolution recognizing Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Resolution in memory of Carvel Curry.
Resolution recognizing Dr. Michele Eisan-Smith.
Resolution recognizing Paul Chan.
Resolution recognizing Que Shing Chinese Music and Opera Group.
Resolution recognizing Chinatown Main Streets.
Resolution in memory of Francis H. Kelley.
Resolution recognizing the Tet in Boston Planning Committee.
Resolution recognizing the Boston Lunar New Year Gala Committee.
Resolution recognizing the Hanscom Federal Credit Union.
Resolution recognizing the Asian American Civic Association.
Resolution recognizing Hung Goon.
Resolution recognizing the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
Resolution recognizing the Chinese Merchants Association.
Resolution recognizing Barbara Caputo Kelly.
Resolution recognizing the Josiah Quincy Elementary School.
Resolution recognizing the Joseph Lee K-8 School.
Resolution recognizing Audrey Nagle.
Resolution recognizing Camryn Murphy.
Resolution recognizing Caitlyn Murphy.
Resolution recognizing Jerry Galvin.
Resolution recognizing David A. Casper.
Resolution recognizing the Gee How Oak Tin Association of New England.
Resolution recognizing the Eliot School.
Resolution recognizing Tufts Medical Center.
Resolution recognizing the Wang YMCA of Chinatown.
Resolution recognizing Pao Arts Center.
Resolution recognizing the Benevolent Asian Jade Society of New England.
Resolution recognizing the Families of Tom and Eddie Butler.
Resolution recognizing Cassandra Xavier.
Resolution recognizing Colonel Tim Murphy.
Resolution recognizing Patricia Giovanniello.
Resolution recognizing Kaori Cafe.
Resolution recognizing Chris Knox.
Resolution recognizing The Rink at Tall Ship.
Resolution recognizing Anne Marie Titcomb.
Resolution recognizing Bricks and Bubbles.
Resolution recognizing 15 women in honor of the Dominican Independence Day Breakfast.
Resolution recognizing three individuals for their prize-winning essays upon the second annual Crispus Attucks Essay Contest.
Councilor Breadon offered the following: Order for the appointment of central staff and City Council office staff employees in City Council, effective March 14, 2026.
The Chair stated that in absence of objection, 1 late-filed matter would be added to the Agenda. No objection being heard, the following matter was added:
The Chair moved adoption of a Consent Agenda containing the following items:
The items contained within the Consent Agenda were severally adopted.
Adjourned at 2:12 p.m. on motion of President Breadon, and in memory of Andre “Hollywood” Evans, Taylor Wornum, Damalai Reid, and Jim McIsaac, to meet again on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.
Attest:
Alex Geourntas
City Clerk