Council approves transportation grants and labor contracts, schedules emergency hearing on elections oversight

Boston City Council members on Feb. 26 voted to accept two major transportation grants, approved supplemental appropriations to cover increased labor costs for school transportation, advanced appointees to the city’s building-emissions review board and referred an emergency hearing after the state named a designee to oversee the city’s Elections Commission.

The actions come as councilors pressed the administration on safety, parking loss, and implementation details for new programs funded by the grants and as the council moved quickly to schedule public review of the state’s intervention in the city’s elections administration.

Councilor Durkin, chair of the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation, said the larger transportation grant — a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All award — will target signal upgrades at 50 locations citywide to prioritize pedestrian safety, reduce high‑risk turning conflicts and focus work in the city’s high‑crash network. He told colleagues the award will fund signal timing changes that “place a stronger emphasis on pedestrian safety by allocating more time for crossing pedestrians and minimizing high risk turns.”

Durkin also presented a separate grant for the city’s Bluebikes program that will fund replacement of aging stations, conversion of on‑street meter poles to bicycle racks and a two‑station pilot to electrify selected Bluebikes docks for on‑site e‑bike charging. The committee recommended both dockets move to the full council.

Councilor Flynn opposed the Bluebikes grant, saying electrification and added e‑bike speed could worsen unsafe behavior. "Hardly a day goes by where a constituent doesn't tell me about a moped or a bike going through a stop sign or red light," Flynn said, arguing the city should resolve compliance and licensing issues for faster devices before expanding them. Councilor Braden and others said the funding replaces existing stations and supports neighborhoods that rely on bike share for last‑mile connections.

Vote: Docket 0396 (Bluebikes replacement/electrification and bike parking conversion) passed by roll call, 12–1; docket 0448 (Safe Streets and Roads for All signal upgrades) passed unanimously.

School bus contract, funding move

The council approved a pair of related dockets moving money from the reserve for collective bargaining to cover cost increases in the Boston Public Schools transportation contract with Transdev. Councilors said the agreement raises wages for bus drivers and guarantees higher minimum weekly hours.

Councilor Aurel, chair of Ways and Means, summarized the negotiated changes delivered to the council: base pay increases retroactive to July 1, 2024; an increase in guaranteed weekly hours from 31 to 35; and adjustments to retirement and severance provisions intended to improve recruitment and retention. During committee hearings, administration witnesses said the pay changes are intended to stabilize a workforce that city and school staff described as hard to recruit.

Vote: Dockets 0112 and 0113 (supplemental appropriations and transfers to fund Transdev contract increases) passed on roll call (unanimous in the recorded roll calls).

Appointments to building emissions review board (BERDO)

The council advanced three nominees to the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) review board amid a short discussion about timing and the board’s pending workload. The appointees were presented as bringing expertise in community development, building design/retrofit and environmental justice: Jessica Boatwright (nominated by Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation), Lori Farris (nominated by the Back Bay neighborhood association) and Reginald Stovall Jr. (nominated by New England United for Justice and Community Labor United).

Councilor Colette Zapata, who chairs the Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency and Parks, said the board has active matters (including exemption reviews and requests for use of the equitable emissions fund) and the appointments would help the board reach quorum and continue its work. Councilor Flynn objected at the green‑sheet stage, asking for a hearing; the committee polled its members and the items were placed before the full council and advanced.

Delivery platforms ordinance remains in committee

Councilors heard a lengthy committee report and public testimony about an ordinance to regulate third‑party delivery platforms. Committee members, businesses and delivery platforms raised questions about driver registration, insurance and data sharing; the administration and industry described concerns about costs, data privacy and scope. The committee chair said the ordinance will remain in committee as members and staff refine fee structures, enforcement rules and data‑sharing language.

Elections oversight: emergency hearing ordered

Councilors accepted a late‑filed order calling for an emergency hearing after the Massachusetts secretary of state announced a designee to oversee the Boston Elections Commission following the November 2024 election. Councilor Murphy said the state action followed an investigation that found ballot shortages and communication failures on election day and that the council should hold an immediate session to clarify the scope of the designee’s authority, the specific corrective steps required and the effect on upcoming elections.

The council referred the matter to the committee on the whole for an emergency hearing and public briefing.

Votes at a glance

- Docket 0396 (Bluebikes station replacement/electrification; bike parking conversions): passed, roll call 12–1. - Docket 0448 (Safe Streets and Roads for All signal safety grant): passed, unanimous. - Dockets 0112 / 0113 (Transdev contract supplemental appropriations / reserve transfers to cover FY25 cost items): passed, unanimous roll calls recorded. - Dockets 0461 / 0518 / 0519 (BERDO review board appointments — Lori Farris, Jessica Boatwright, Reginald Stovall Jr.): advanced/passed after committee poll; placed on the full council agenda and adopted. - Docket (late file) — emergency hearing on state designee for Elections Commission: referred to committee on the whole for an immediate hearing.

What’s next

Councilors said the transportation grants and BERDO appointments will require oversight during implementation, and several members requested detailed follow‑up on timelines, safety rules, and equity impacts. The council scheduled the emergency elections hearing to clarify the state designee’s authorities and to outline steps for public communication before upcoming local elections.

(See the “Votes at a glance” section above for roll‑call outcomes recorded on the floor.)