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Boston council hears FY27 budget for economic opportunity, with leaders defending programs amid cuts
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Summary
City officials outlined FY27 plans for Economic Opportunity & Inclusion, Small Business and Supplier Diversity while councilors pressed on cuts to legacy-business grants, a drop in supplier-diversity operating funds, and requests for follow-up data on disparity studies and program outcomes.
Ben Weber, chair of the City Council Committee on Ways and Means, opened a fiscal‑year 2027 budget hearing for the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity & Inclusion (EOI), the Office of Small Business and the Department of Supplier Diversity on April 30.
Interim chief Donald Wright framed the cabinet’s mission as centering equity across programs and described the office’s structure — business strategy, nightlife economy, economic and strategic planning, operations and communications, policy and small business — and recent initiatives to recruit and retain businesses. “Our vision is of a resilient, equitable, sustainable, and vibrant city that centers on people,” Wright said.
Alicia Porcena, director of small business, outlined neighborhood work including technical assistance workshops, Main Streets programming, an outdoor‑dining permitting season that begins May 1, and the Restore Boston storefront program, which she said has completed 17 projects and has 17 more committed. “The TA program continues to be one of our largest and most widely used across the city,” Porcena said.
Andrea Carruth, director of supplier diversity, described procurement reforms intended to increase access for minority‑ and women‑owned businesses, including Inclusive Quote Contracts (IQCs), an Equitable Compliance Form and a public dashboard for tracking MWBE participation on major projects. Carruth said the IQCs accounted for $3,200,000 of a $115,000,000 pool for diverse supplier activity in Q1–Q3 and that Q1–Q2 contracting to certified MWBEs was roughly 10%, which she said represented about $84,000,000. She added that discretionary spending to MWBEs was about 11.6%, or roughly $72,500,000.
Councilors used the question periods to press for detail and outcomes. They asked whether a $350,000 appropriation reduction for the Reparations Task Force means the task force will end; Wright said he would follow up with more information. Several councilors also pressed for a schedule for a planned citywide disparity study; Carruth said a request for proposals (RFP) is being prepared internally.
On program continuity, the panel emphasized that several FY26 initiatives — many funded by one‑time ARPA dollars, such as the SCALE program — will not recur in operating budgets but that staff intend to continue technical assistance and neighborhood outreach where possible. Carruth described SCALE as an ARPA‑funded pilot that included grants and TA, and said the office will track longer‑term outcomes.
The committee asked the administration for additional documentation and follow‑up items, including: the RFP timeline for the disparity study; the scope and remaining funding for the Reparations Task Force; audit materials and communications around Main Streets grant changes; and conversion metrics showing whether SCALE participants subsequently secured city contracts. Wright and other panelists agreed to provide those materials.
The hearing included public testimony from neighborhood residents and small‑business owners urging restored funding for legacy business awards and investments to retain businesses in Nubian Square. The committee adjourned the morning session and scheduled related hearings, including the Office of Equity and Inclusion on May 12.
What’s next: the committee requested written follow up on the reparations task force funding, the disparity‑study RFP timeline and any audit reports or grant communications; staff committed to return those items to the council.
