Mayor Wu officially filed the 2024 fiscal year operating budget proposal with Boston City Council yesterday.
There’s a total of $4.28 billion proposed for the period from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024, marking a ~7% increase from the previous fiscal year’s budget of $3.99 billion.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the spending plans.
Investing in education
Let’s start with the big bucks. By far the largest spending area is education, with 40% of the budget focused on keeping Boston wicked smaht.
The city would set $374 million aside for maintaining Boston Public Schools buildings, plus $9.6 million to support students with special needs. There is also an additional $4 million in Universal Pre-K funding to add 350+ new seats for three and four year olds.
Going green
The city is riding toward a greener future with $1.4 million devoted to introducing electric Bluebikes across the biking system. There’s also $58 million in new capital funds for infrastructure improvements to create a more walkable , bike-friendly city.
To continue reaching for the city’s 2030 climate goals , $50 million would go toward ending the use of fossil fuels by upgrading systems at the Boston Housing Authority .
Backing the books
Good news for Boston bookworms. The spending plan has bookmarked $43 million for constructing new libraries in Fields Corner, Egleston Square, and Codman Square.
An additional $750,000 would expand weekday and Saturday hours at Boston Public Library branches.
Keeping Boston safe
Public safety is the third highest spending category. Think: The city’s police and fire departments.
Boston Housing Authority sites would receive $1.2 million for violence prevention programming + public safety staffing. Plans also include investing $582,000 in trauma-informed mental health services for high-risk youth through the Youth Connect Program .
There’s more funding to explore — check out the full budget proposal .