Boston City Council approves bundle of grants, finance orders and resolutions; several hearings ordered

The Boston City Council on April 9 approved a series of budget and grant measures, adopted multiple resolutions, and referred hearing orders on public safety and overdose deaths to council committees.

Council action covered dozens of dockets listed at the start of the meeting, including annual appropriation and tax orders for fiscal 2026, limits on revolving funds for municipal programs, and multiple acceptances of federal and state grants to city departments and nonprofit partners. Many items were referred to the Committee on Ways and Means or to the appropriate subject committees for further review or were voted on and passed during the meeting.

The bulk of the items were routine acceptances of grant funding and limits on revolving funds. Examples included an appropriation message for fiscal 2026 operating and school budgets, an order authorizing up to $40 million in lease-purchase agreements for equipment and vehicles, and multiple revolving fund authorizations for parks, public safety, arts and schools. The council also accepted federal and state grants administered by the Office of Workforce Development, the Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works, and the Police Department, among others.

Councilors spoke briefly about a set of workforce and youth grants, with Councilor Gabriela Colette Zapata and Councilor Kendra Weber describing…