City Council

• Governing Body: Boston City Council
• Meeting Type: Regular City Council Meeting
• Date: July 08, 2026, at 12:00 PM
• Attendees: Council President Liz Breadon; Councilors Miniard Culpepper, Sharon Durkan, John Fitzgerald, Edward Flynn, Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Erin Murphy, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana, Benjamin Weber, and Brian Worrell. Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata was noted as absent due to maternity leave, though she participated in select roll call votes via remote means.

• Invocation: Sarah Harbaugh, a multi-faith chaplain at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, delivered the invocation, emphasizing the human need for kinship and the importance of care in governance.
• MAB Community Services Resolution: The Council expressed support for workers represented by SEIU 5509 at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MAB). The resolution calls for MAB to "promptly and meaningfully respond to all MAB members' contract proposals, and speedily reach a fair contract without delay."
• BPS Girls Sports Recognition: Councilor Weber recognized Clarita Prudencio (East Boston High School volleyball coach) and John Connolly (Parkway Travel Soccer) for their contributions to youth athletics.
• BPS City Basketball Champions: Councilors Santana and Worrell recognized the Condon School (K-8 Boys), English High (7-12 Boys), and Mildred Ave School (Girls Middle School) for their city championship victories.

• Docket 1311: Message and order authorizing $5,000,000 for a feasibility study and schematic design for the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School project. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
• Docket 1312: Message and order authorizing $850,000 for feasibility studies for window, door, and roof projects at various schools (Boston Adult Academy, Hurley School, Mendel Elementary, Kilmer K-8, and Leiden Upper). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
• Docket 1313: Message and order to accept a gift of a Perchon Gliding Horse valued at $8,500 from the Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit.
  • Outcome: Passed via roll call vote (10-0).
  • Votes in Favor: Culpepper, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell, Breadon.

Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice

• Docket 0970: Message and order authorizing the City to accept a grant of $1,073,239.34 for the FY26 Senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr. Community Safety Initiative. The grant funds 17 nonprofits to combat gang and youth violence.
  • Outcome: Passed via roll call vote (12-0).
  • Votes in Favor: Breadon, Culpepper, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell.

Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation

• Docket 0968: Order authorizing the Mayor's Office of Housing to accept and expend $30,000,000 from the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) Fund to support 10 affordable housing projects.
  • Outcome: Passed via roll call vote (11-0).
  • Votes in Favor: Breadon, Culpepper, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Mejia, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell.

• Docket 1332: Petition for a special law to increase civil penalties for illegal fireworks (fines up to $1,000 for use and $5,000 for sale). Referred to the Committee on Government Operations.
• Docket 1342: Resolution calling on BPS to fully partner with the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program.
  • Outcome: Adopted via roll call vote (11-0).
• Docket 1343: Resolution denouncing the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian nationals.
  • Outcome: Adopted via roll call vote (11-0).
• Docket 1344: Resolution supporting Senate Bill 3112 to extend the pilot program for 3:00 AM liquor license hours and social districts through August 2026.
  • Outcome: Adopted via roll call vote (8-2-1).
  • Votes in Favor: Breadon, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Louijeune, Mejia, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell.
  • Votes Against: Flynn, Murphy.
  • Abstentions (Present): Culpepper.
• Docket 1348: Resolution calling for a supplemental budget to restore funding for Boston Public Schools employees facing layoffs.
  • Outcome: Adopted via roll call vote (6-3-2).
  • Votes in Favor: Culpepper, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Murphy, Weber, Worrell.
  • Votes Against: Durkan, Pepén, Santana.
  • Abstentions (Present): Breadon, Louijeune.
• Docket 1351: Resolution denouncing violent assaults and harassment toward Boston Police officers and first responders.
  • Outcome: Adopted via roll call vote (10-0).

• Docket 1035: FY24 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant ($24,095) for training forensic examiners.
  • Outcome: Passed via roll call vote (11-0).
• Docket 1225: Acceptance of $100,000 in credits from Anthropic for the "strengthening of the city's cyber defense" using the Claude Opus 4.8 generative AI tool to automate vulnerability scanning and patching.
  • Outcome: Passed via roll call vote (11-0).

• Docket 1358: Order for a hearing regarding a community-based summer public safety plan for the City of Boston, introduced by Councilor Culpepper following recent violence over the July 4th weekend. Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice.