The Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee on Nov. 24 reviewed Document 1927, a message and order authorizing the City to accept and spend $2,607,000 in a community mitigation grant awarded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and to be administered by the Office of Budget Management.

Committee Chair Councilor Brian Morel opened the hearing and introduced administration presenters, who described how the funds would be distributed across recreation, public safety and transportation projects. "We will receive some of the funding to fund the Harborwalk extension project in the Little Mystic Channel, about 1,000,000 of it," Planning Department real estate and capital construction representative Gigi Munden said, describing a missing Harborwalk segment near Terminal and Chelsea Streets in Charlestown.

An administration program coordinator for the Community Mitigation Fund said, "622,000 was awarded to, for public safety," describing that award as the FY26 public safety allotment. The coordinator said the public safety funds will support advanced training, technology and cross-jurisdictional efforts for Boston Police Department units and partners, including the human trafficking unit and the Boston Regional Intelligence Center. "This allows for Boston's ability to mitigate the documented impacts involving human trafficking, organized crime, financial crime, drug distribution, child exploitation, cyber threats, as well as traffic related public safety concerns," the coordinator said.

Omar Khoshafa, budget director for Public Works and Transportation, told the committee the grant submission included partial or full funding for intersection improvements at Chelsea Street and Terminal Street and for four blue bag stations in Charlestown, measures intended to address casino-related traffic and safety impacts.

Munden said the Harborwalk project is in design and is expected to be bid by spring; she said the total project cost is "around $5,000,000" and that about $1,000,000 from this grant will be combined with other funds to complete the work, with spending and completion anticipated by 2027. "So we won't be applying in the next round," she said.

Committee members asked whether the grant includes services for people with gambling addiction. The administration said the award does not specifically fund gambling addiction services; rather, it is focused on public safety mitigation tied to casino impacts. The coordinator said the City has received expanded gaming mitigation funds since 2015 and offered to provide specific trend numbers for crime categories after the hearing.

Presenters described operational adjustments since the casino opened, including increased patrols on busy nights and closer coordination with the Massachusetts State Police and gaming security. The administration representative said that starting in 2025 the grant was administered as a block grant through the budget office, which subcontracts to multiple city agencies, and that the City has coordinated a law enforcement task force with other jurisdictions.

No members of the public signed up for public testimony at the hearing, and the committee took no vote on Doc. 1927 during this meeting. Chair Morel thanked staff and adjourned the hearing.