Council committee reviews redlines to codify Boston’s Office of Returning Citizens, sets annual reporting deadline

Boston — The Government Operations committee of the Boston City Council on Wednesday advanced discussion of docket 0138, an ordinance to codify the Office of Returning Citizens, after a two-hour virtual hearing in which councilors and city staff debated changes proposed by the administration and agreed on an annual reporting schedule.

Council President Ruthie Louie Jin, the lead sponsor, said the codification is intended to expand the office’s capacity and permanence after years of growth. “We want to make sure that this office remains part of our city's fabric,” she said, urging language that centers formerly incarcerated people in the office’s work and leadership.

The ordinance’s redlines submitted by the administration narrowed several duty descriptions and replaced specific terms such as “partnerships” with the broader term “collaborations.” City human services chief Jose Maso and Office of Returning Citizens Executive Director Ashley Montgomery defended the edits as wordsmithing intended to preserve flexibility while keeping the office’s operational goals intact.

Montgomery described the office’s model and recent outcomes: the ORC is staffed with 11 people, serves about 680 active clients, receives roughly 15 new registrations per week and reported an average client engagement length of about 368 days. “We currently have about 680 active clients enrolled in our services,” Montgomery said. She added that the office placed 86 clients in jobs year-to-date and that its housing specialist worked with 92 clients during the fiscal year, placing 49 into housing placements.

Councilors pressed staff on persistent barriers identified in a needs assessment — transportation, digital access, housing, and social supports — and on how the office is addressing them. Montgomery said ORC is expanding outreach beyond Dimock Street into Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan; partnering with the Boston Public Library and a city digital equity team for workshops; and coordinating with local organizations to provide bus passes and referrals.

A central point of contention was a redline that removed a requirement to collect and report data annually. After discussion, councilors and the administration agreed to retain a data-collection requirement and to require “an annual written review to the mayor and the city council by April 1” that would detail the office’s activities, outcomes and, if any, recommendations for policy or program changes. Council President Louie Jin said the April deadline would align reporting with budget season and help the council assess resource needs.

The committee also flagged several other edits: removal of explicit examples (such as a Department of Corrections housing voucher initiative), narrowing of the executive director’s enumerated duties, and deletion of explicit language about advocacy for legislative changes. Maso said compliance with laws and policies remains implicit in any appointed director’s duties and that partnerships could capture advocacy activities in practice, while councilors urged clarity on the office’s role in pushing for CORI (criminal record) reform.

There were no public speakers signed up for the hearing. Chair Ben Weber said the committee intends to bring the docket up for a council vote at the next meeting and set a Friday deadline to finalize redline language. “We want to make sure we’re ready to go next Wednesday when we have the council meeting to hopefully pass this forward,” Council President Louie Jin said.

Next steps: the administration will produce finalized redlines for the committee’s review by Friday; the council plans to consider the ordinance for a vote at the next full council meeting, with the ordinance set to take effect 90 days after passage if approved.