Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Wednesday that the city is facing a potential budget shortfall of as much as $80 million, mostly thanks to reduced tourism and business due to the coronavirus.
Walsh ruled out any municipal layoffs.
The mayor said his team is still working on a revised budget proposal that reflects the new reality and will be presenting it to the City Council next week.
But Walsh is resisting calls from some corners to make significant cuts to the Boston Police Department.
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On Tuesday, Boston City Council members heard some four hours of testimony from dozens of community activists and ordinary residents demanding the Council, which ultimately approves the city budget, make cuts to the BPD’s more than $400 million annual budget, arguing the funds would be better spent on things like education, health and youth jobs.
The demands come as cities around the country are reconsidering their police forces and policing practices, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Read more: Impassioned Testimony In Favor Of Boston Police Reform, Including A 10 Percent Budget Cut
Walsh pointedly said he has no plans to lay off police officers and doesn’t see budget cuts as a solution to community concerns.
“Cutting the budget, just cutting the budget doesn’t solve anything. Cutting the budget doesn’t solve racism, it doesn’t solve systemic issues,” Walsh said.
But Walsh repeated assurances that he is listening and will continue to listen to residents, community leaders and the City Council about potential reforms going forward.
“I think people need to understand what we’ve done in Boston in terms of reforming policing,” Walsh said.
But he acknowledged that “some people feel, accurately probably, that we probably haven’t gone far enough, so I’m committed to having those conversations.”
Walsh also spoke to new guidance and regulations as the city moves into Phase 2 of economic reopening this coming Monday, including progress on allowing more restaurants to serve outdoors.
The city has taken more than 500 applications for outdoor service under a new, expedited permitting process, Walsh said, and more than 200 have been granted those permits.
"If you have applied and received approval, you can begin outdoor service on your property or on an outdoor space outside your establishment or wherever has been deemed appropriate immediately," Walsh said, noting the rules are somewhat different in the North End, due to the density of restaurants.
Athletic fields and tennis courts will be open for individual sports, Walsh said, but group sports will remain prohibited.
And the city has posted new guidelines for houses of worship, which were allowed to open two weeks ago but have mostly remained closed.
Meanwhile, Walsh said City Hall has been deluged with complaints about nightly (and all-nightly) fireworks across the city and especially in his neighborhood of Dorchester.
Walsh is urging anyone setting off fireworks to stop.