[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6101983,"mediaKeyId","2806270-95dad4e6bdefba8bd72ccbe84915fece","parentId",2806270,"title","Boston audit hearing: city posts $88 million surplus; public safety, legal payouts exceeded budgets","audioSeconds",847,"startMs",940000,"endMs",1787000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2806270-95dad4e6bdefba8bd72ccbe84915fece&start=940&end=1787","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2806270-95dad4e6bdefba8bd72ccbe84915fece/thumbnail_940000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6101983/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Boston-audit-hearing-city-posts-88-million-surplus-public-safety-legal-payouts-exceeded-budgets","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101983-8c45c49314a9adcc58cdf841b30820d2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775904744&Signature=YJxO3dDuzgUQIiHhO50m-zPliRfiORIKyS7IQkirJ3K0rBAFDew80LYkFgcwm-wtj8OXTkeWLSSgHt6cFWYUa7P8UmthjD6LFnC~fl~PlnImeAOEtdsCizNv~xHwhUZ9LMh~L0-4SpXLvEefdSrI8jSFD9LQMooiD1P8lXGrsQnJPO-1AxMrMvMl8jHePJUhVBQkyKdsN1pMTSKyjn8sXWOH9wL4BebFIzlbIZ4p~jgGr5n2oWQJzR3L69aDsXHipD~0Dwkh7a1MBSSUay5yC0sw-ycr-T6L5xpPHhge2-okYDhlZmzBy2NKbyx6z6egV1d~ts2Xj9bnDtBODGePfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boston City, MA","date","2025-03-27T00:00:00Z","article","March 27, 2025 — The Boston City Council Committee on Post Audit, Government Accountability, Transparency, and Accessibility heard an overview of the city’s fiscal 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report on Thursday, where city finance officials said the city ended the year with an $88 million net surplus while some line items ran over budget.

The surplus was driven by revenue coming in above projections, Chief Financial Officer Ashley Grothberger said: “For fiscal year 2024, we ended the year with a net surplus of $88,000,000 and that was driven primarily by revenue coming in, above projections.” She identified investment interest as the single largest revenue driver, saying the city realized stronger-than-expected returns in a high interest-rate environment.

The report also shows “reportable deficits” on the expenditure side, Grothberger said, with most overspending concentrated in public safety (police overtime and fire) and in “judgments and settlements,” which officials called execution of courts. “These are areas where the city is allowed to exceed expenditure authority to meet the requirements of those particular lines,” she said, and added that overall revenue was sufficient to cover the overages so the city closed the year with the surplus.

Councilors pressed staff for further detail on the size and source of specific overruns. Councilor Julia Mejia, chair of the committee, questioned an apparent discrepancy between two figures she had seen for public-safety overages; she asked whether the difference reflected the difference between city appropriations and the General Fund presentation. City staff replied that the $88 million figure reflects the city appropriations comparison: “The FY24 budget was $1,636,000,000 and we actually spent $1.725 billion for a difference of $89,000,000,” Auditor Scott Finn said when clarifying the numbers.

Councilors also asked about the law enforcement trust fund, which committee members identified as holding about $11 million. Grothberger and others said the trust is a component unit under the treasurer’s authority and that detailed oversight and disbursement questions would require follow up with the treasurer’s office. “This trust fund has $11,000,000,” Councilor Mejia said; Scott Finn confirmed awareness of the account but said it was not under his department’s direct purview.

Committee members asked for additional breakdowns: which departments drove the execution-of-courts expenses, a department-level breakdown of public-safety overspending, and more detail on trust fund revenues and uses. City staff said they would follow up with the committee with more granular departmental data and answers about specific trust funds.

The committee did not take formal action at the hearing; staff and councilors agreed to pursue follow-up briefings and data requests so councilors can examine department-level spending, trust fund rules and receipts, and capital-versus-operating timing that affect year-end balances.

The hearing opened the record for written comments and sign-up for public testimony; no public witnesses were recorded in the session’s public testimony roster.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Boston City Council | Post-Audit: Government Accountability, Transparency and Accessibility on March 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","March 27, 2025 — The Boston City Council Committee on Post Audit, Government Accountability, Transparency, and Accessibility heard an overview of the city’s fiscal 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report on Thursday, where city finance officials said the city ended the year with an $88 million net surplus while some line items ran over budget.","taxTitle","Boston City, Suffolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",3381,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6101980,"Boston details $575M in FY24 capital spending; questions linger on White Stadium financing and Madison Park timeline",1971,1575000,3546000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2806270-95dad4e6bdefba8bd72ccbe84915fece&start=1575&end=3546","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2806270-95dad4e6bdefba8bd72ccbe84915fece/thumbnail_1575000.jpg","/articles/6101980/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Boston-details-575M-in-FY24-capital-spending-questions-linger-on-White-Stadium-financing-and-Madison-Park-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101980-79f6aec6a51af3422516bb3d589cab69/orig.mp4?Expires=1775904744&Signature=hQA9r~QNF8UfhcWC4rAqR-l2kMdaB~emv5zqRFvfJJqKSdBnyUuCpMNPHQPRw8PyCKlrjk4FfKOb1kjMrXBne8muKnmfH8-Fl3uy1rnkDqCaYqYCg5fqI8HvpUFwlYthyzelbWlJtEVh0Q0FC1kRS9L9W8EGGv5PBnMkXSt08ajlSvJ3BCVssXNS7kDQFFF-YPw-lE1kox0hlwqzZv7zi2kp2RMJ~csMNvd-gxHfLrBiaA~XcpakGacwmJQ3mYWMLu3rfSkTxXXXiVN~yxZYYopnCogsyciYKp04lBbz0dxJRDpfUPUTRigjp2KUW9G7gL5cqDQ4s5L6d3IKV1xJsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","March 27, 2025 — City finance officials told the Boston City Council Committee on Post Audit that fiscal 2024 capital outlays totaled $575 million, and explained how timing of bond sales, accounts payable and fund balances affect what appears on the city's Capital Projects Fund schedules in the ACFR.

\"There was $575,000,000 of capital spending in fiscal 24,\" Budget Director Jim Williamson said while reviewing the Capital Projects Fund schedules included in the city's ACFR. He and Chief Financial Officer Ashley Grothberger walked councilors through how the capital plan is a five-year planning document and not an appropriation, and how the city typically covers project spending with cash and then replenishes those capital accounts when it sells bonds.

Finance staff told the committee the capital projects fund balance stood at $87,000,000 as of June 30, 2024, while outstanding invoices (accounts payable) totaled about $127,400,000. Staff said those unpaid bills reflect work completed before June 30 that was paid after the fiscal year end, and that the balance will shift depending on the timing of the city's next bond sale. \"We are going out to do a bond sale in the spring,\" Grothberger said, adding that selling bonds replenishes capital project cash so the schedules will look different after proceeds are recorded.

Councilors sought project-level detail and protections against overcommitment. Councilor Julia Mejia asked a series of questions about White Stadium financing — including a $50 million loan authorization that appears in the record — and sought clarification on other described elements such as a $25 million construction escrow and a potential $45 million completion guarantee from a private entity identified in the discussion as BUSP. Finance staff responded that the administration present at the hearing had not been prepared to discuss the specific RFP and contract details for White Stadium and recommended those questions be addressed by the group overseeing that project.

The committee also heard from Gregory Maynard, co-founder and executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, on the Madison Park school project and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process. Maynard summarized MSBA procedures and timelines and warned that MSBA acceptance is not guaranteed. He told the committee the MSBA has two main programs (Accelerated Repair Program and Core Program) and that core-program projects require a rigid multi-module process. \"The MSBA paid for about 46% of the $256,000,000 high school\" in Somerville, Maynard said, and he noted Somerville's bid-to-completion timeline as a contrast: invited into MSBA in 2015 and ribbon-cutting in December 2021.

Maynard said Madison Park is currently at the Statement of Interest stage and, if invited, would enter the MSBA eligibility and design modules. He added that initial city estimates for Madison Park had risen from roughly $500 million to over $700 million in the fall of 2024 and that the MSBA invitation is not guaranteed. He projected, using a typical MSBA cadence, that construction would not start before 2029 and that the school would open years later if the city follows the Core Program timeline — a projection he characterized as contingent on MSBA acceptance and numerous variables.

Staff and the expert agreed on the importance of clear sequencing and long-term facility planning. Councilors asked for a breakdown of accounts payable by project category, an explanation of restricted fund balance changes, and details on how large new commitments would be sequenced without crowding out existing obligations. Finance staff said they would provide follow-up documentation and department-level information in future briefings.

No formal votes were taken in the session; the committee recorded the discussion and requested additional materials for oversight as the council heads into budget season.","City finance officials and an expert witness briefed councilors March 27 on Boston's capital plan, explaining the capital projects fund balance, timing of bond sales and major FY24 projects, while councilors and an outside expert pressed for clarity about White Stadium funding and Madison Park's MSBA process and timetable.","actionData","errors"]

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Boston audit hearing: city posts $88 million surplus; public safety, legal payouts exceeded budgets

Boston details $575M in FY24 capital spending; questions linger on White Stadium financing and Madison Park timeline