MY NAME IS BRIAN. WE'RE OUR DISTRICT FOR CITY COUNCILOR AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS. IS MAY 21ST, 2024. THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED IS ALSO BEING LIVE STREAMED AT BOSTON.COM OF BACKSLASH CITY COUNCIL DASH TV AND BROADCAST ON EXPANDED CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FIOS TEN ON 964. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS WILL ENCOMPASS A SERIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT BEGIN IN APRIL AND WILL RUN THROUGH JUNE. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS BY GIVING PUBLIC TESTIMONY.  FOR THE RECORD, YOU CAN DO THIS IN SEVERAL WAYS. ONE ATTEND ONE OF OUR HANDS AND GET PUBLIC TESTIMONY. WE WILL TAKE PUBLIC TESTIMONY AT THE END OF EACH DEPARTMENT TO A HEARING AND ALSO HAD TWO HEARINGS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY. THE FULL HEARING SCHEDULE IS ON OUR WEBSITE AT BOSTON.COM BAGS COUNCIL DAS BUDGET.  OUR NEXT SCHEDULED HEARING DEDICATED TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY IS TUESDAY, MAY 28TH AT 6 P.M.. YOU CAN GIVE TESTIMONY IN PERSON HERE IN THE CHAMBER OR VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY.  PLEASE COME TO THE CHAMBER AND SIGN UP ON THE NEAR NEAR THE ENTRANCE.  VIRTUAL TESTIMONY YOU CAN SIGN UP USING OUR ONLINE FORM ON OUR COUNCIL BUDGET REVIEW WEBSITE OR BY EMAILING THE COMMITTEE AT C C W M AT BOSTON.COM.  WHEN YOU ARE CALLED TO TESTIFY PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION OR RESIDENCE AND LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO A FEW MINUTES TO ENSURE THAT ALL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS CAN BE HEARD TO EMAIL YOUR WRITTEN TESTIMONY TO THE COMMITTEE AS C W M AT BOSTON DOT GOV OR THREE SUBMITTED TWO MINUTE VIDEO OF YOUR TESTIMONY THROUGH THE FORM ON OUR WEBSITE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PROCESS BUDGET WEBSITE AT BOSTON.COM BACK BACKSLIDERS COUNCIL BUDGET. TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKETS NUMBER 067030672 OR IT IS FOR THE FY 25 OPERATING BUDGET INCLUDING ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AND FOR OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS . DOCKET NUMBER 067320675 OR IT IS FOR THE CAPITAL FUND TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS DOCKET NUMBER 067620678. ORDER FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET INCLUDING LOAN ORDERS AND LEASE PURCHASE AGREEMENTS. THESE MATTERS IS SPONSORED BY MAYOR MICHELLE WU AND REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON APRIL TEN, 2020 FOR THE FOCUS. THE FOCUS OF THIS HEARING WILL BE DISCUSSED AT FY 25 BUDGET FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AND OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE. TODAY I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER ARRIVAL FLYNN FLYNN COUNCILOR WEBER, THE VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ,VICE CHAIR PEPEN AND COUNCILOR BREADON. I WOULD LIKE TO NOW INTRODUCE TODAY'S PANELIST. TESTIFYING ON BEHALF OF THE ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION INTERIM CHIEF OF ENVIRONMENT ENERGY AND OPEN SPACE INTERIM CHIEF OSGOOD. INTERIM COMMISSIONER OF THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT. INTERIM COMMISSIONER SALAZAR GARCIA DIRECTOR OF FOOD JUSTICE. DIRECTOR WATCHMEN AND DIRECTOR OF ADMIN AND FINANCE DIRECTOR ROGERS. THE FLOOR IS NOW YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD AFTERNOON.  ALL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. AGAIN, I'M CHRIS OSGOOD. I HAVE THE HONOR OF SERVING AS THE INTERIM CHIEF OF ENERGY ENVIRONMENT AND OPEN SPACE. THIS IS A CABINET THAT HAD THE GREAT FORTUNE OF BEING LED BY ROBERT MURRAY. I'M A WHITE HAMMOND UNTIL LAST MONTH AND NEXT MONTH BRIAN SWETT WILL BE STEPPING IN AS OUR NEW CHIEF OF ENERGY ENVIRONMENT AND OPEN SPACE AND AS THE CITY'S FIRST CHIEF CLIMATE OFFICER. THIS IS A CABINET THAT HAS BEEN ADVANCING THE VISION OF THE MAYOR A VISION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADVANCING AN ENERGY TRANSITION, INCREASING DECARBONIZATION, IMPROVING COASTAL RESILIENCE AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE BROADLY AND DOING ALL OF THAT WORK ON A FOUNDATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. I'M JOINED HERE, AS THE CHAIR SAID BY A SET OF COLLEAGUES BOTH ON THE PANEL AND IN THE IN THE STANDS THAT INCLUDED STATION ROGERS, OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE. THE MAYOR'S GREEN NEW DEAL DIRECTOR AND OUR INTERIM COMMISSIONER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT PERMANENT OLIVER SELLERS GARCIA AND LIZA WASSERMAN ARE OUR DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE. ALSO WITH US TODAY ARE ALICE BROWN, OUR HEAD OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY DIVISION HENNEPIN THE HEAD OF OUR CARBON NEUTRALITY DIVISION AND JULIA RATHER WHO'S ALSO ON OUR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE TEAM. OVERALL AS YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET THE MAYOR HAS SET FORWARD IS A BUDGET THAT VERY MUCH FOCUSES ON HOW WE MAKE THE CITY OF BOSTON A HOME FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO WHAT THIS CABINET DOES AND FUNDAMENTAL TO THE BUDGETS OF THE TWO DEPARTMENTS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE ROUGHLY $5 MILLION OPERATING BUDGET. THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR CITY, THE RESILIENCE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, THE HEALTH OF OUR FAMILIES AND THE QUALITY OR OPEN ENVIRONMENTAL SPACES ACROSS BOSTON AND FOR OUR OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE.  THEY ARE FOCUSED ON MAKING THOSE SYSTEMIC CHANGES THAT MAKE SURE THAT OUR ENTIRE FOOD SYSTEM IS MORE SUSTAINABLE, MORE EQUITABLE AND MORE ACCESSIBLE TO FAMILIES ACROSS OUR CITY. SO I'LL TURN IT OVER FIRST TO OLIVER AND THEN TO ALLISON WHO WILL TALK THROUGH THE WORK THAT'S LAID OUT IN OUR FY 25 BUDGET.  GREAT. THANK YOU CHAIR COUNCILORS AND CHRIS AGAIN MY NAME IS OLIVER SELLERS GARCIA I AM THE GREEN NEW DEAL DIRECTOR IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND I'M SERVING AS THE INTERIM ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER FOR THE LAST FOUR WEEKS AND AS YOU KNOW, THIS DEPARTMENT HOLDS REALLY KEY ONGOING FUNCTIONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE AS WELL AS A HOST OF NEW AND SPECIAL INITIATIVES ON CLIMATE CHANGE FISCAL YEAR 24 WAS A REALLY STRONG YEAR IN CONTINUING THIS WORK.  THIS THIS BUDGET INCLUDES A FEW CHANGES INCLUDING THE THE MOVE OF SOME GREEN NEW DEAL ROLES FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET AS WELL AS SOME INVESTMENTS IN A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN UPDATE AND WETLANDS ORDINANCE AS WELL AS SOME CAPITAL RESILIENCE PROJECTS. AND THIS HAS BEEN, AS I MENTIONED, A GREAT YEAR FOR MOVING FORWARD ON THE CLIMATE AGENDA FROM THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT. TOO MANY HIGHLIGHTS TO MENTION BUT I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE FOR EXAMPLE ADVANCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BERTO BOSTON'S REALLY CUTTING EDGE BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARD LAUNCHING A HOST OF NEW RESILIENCE AND NATURAL RESOURCE RESTORATION PROJECTS THE IMPORTANT AND CUTTING EDGE WORK OF RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLATION AND PROCUREMENT AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY AS WELL AS BRINGING IN A NUMBER OF GRANTS TO SUPPORT THIS WORK . I WOULD LIKE TO SAY BEFORE HANDING IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE DIRECTOR WASSERMAN THAT I AND I COULDN'T HELP BUT SAY IN MY ROLE AS GREEN NEW DEAL DIRECTOR THAT THIS IS NOT THE ONLY PORTION OF THE BUDGET WHERE YOU WILL SEE CLIMATE WORK REPRESENTED. IN FACT IT'S ALL OVER THIS YEAR'S BUDGET SO YOU'LL SEE I'M IN HEARINGS THAT YOU'VE HAD AND ONE'S FORTHCOMING AND OF COURSE IN THE BOOK REALLY A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CABINETS LEADING PARTS OF THE GREEN NEW DEAL AGENDA WHICH IS REALLY THE THE INITIATIVES THAT ARE AT THE INTERSECTION OF CLIMATE JUSTICE AND LIVABILITY AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE IN A IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLACES.  THIS IS A A DEPARTMENT THAT IS AT THE CORE OF THIS AND I VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS AND OF COURSE PROVIDING FOLLOW UP INFORMATION TO YOUR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THAT.  ALL RIGHT.  YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN AND COUNCILORS. MY NAME IS ALIZA WASSERMAN AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE.  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MEET WITH US AND I'M EXCITED TO HEAR YOUR QUESTIONS AND CONNECT WITH YOU OVER THE COURSE OF THE COMING FISCAL YEAR.  SO THE OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE IS MISSION IS TO BUILD A FOOD SYSTEM THAT IS EQUITABLE, RESILIENT, SUSTAINABLE, UNJUST . AND OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN THE OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE, WE'VE BEGUN TO BUILD OUT A BROADER SCOPE AS WE ARE PART OF THE EEOC CABINET WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN OUR CORE FOCUS ON ADDRESSING FOOD ACCESS IN THE CITY WHILE WEAVING IN THE SYSTEMIC CHANGE GOALS OF OUR OFFICE TO IMPACT THE FOOD SYSTEM AT LOCAL NATIONAL LEVELS AND BEYOND. WHILE WE ADDRESS THE FOOD SYSTEMS CLIMATE IMPACTS. I JUST WANT TO REALLY QUICKLY THANK THE AFGE TEAM BECAUSE IN PARTICULAR AFTER RESTRUCTURING OUR TEAM LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE SEVERAL POSITIONS AND WE NOW HAVE SIX PERMANENT STAFF WHICH IS EXCITING TO MOVE INTO OUR 25 CLOSE TO OUR FULL STAFFING. WE WERE AT HALF THIS NUMBER KIND OF COMING OUT OF THE ACUTE PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC AND WE REALLY NEED THE FULL STRENGTH OF THE TEAM TO CONTINUE TACKLING THE CHALLENGES AND TO DO SO IN NEW WAYS.  OUR FY 25 PROPOSED BUDGET IS ROUGHLY A MAINTENANCE BUDGET AT 1.389 MILLION WHICH IS A 1% INCREASE OVER OUR AVERAGE 24 BUDGET TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PERSONNEL COST OF LIVING AND JUST OVER 800,000 OF THIS IS CONTRACTED SERVICES WHICH IS HOW WE DO MOST OF OUR WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO RUN FOOD ACCESS PROGRAMS AND RESOURCE THE WORK OF THE MANY GREAT FOOD ORGANIZATIONS IN BOSTON. I'LL JUST SAY MENTION A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THIS YEAR. ALL OF WHICH FALLS UNDER BEGINNING TO IMPLEMENT THE FOUR STRATEGIC GOALS THAT WE DEVELOPED IN FY 23 WITH GROW BOSTON AND SUPPORTING MANY OF THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS CONTRIBUTING TO ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY AND IMPROVING THE FOOD SYSTEM IN BOSTON.  I DO WANT TO SAY BEFORE MENTIONING THOSE HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ARE STILL BEING FELT BY OUR POPULATION STATIONS IN BOSTON AND FOOD IS A KEY AREA WHERE THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE FOR SOME TIME TO COME. JUST YESTERDAY THE BOSTON GLOBE HAD AN ARTICLE THAT DID HIGHLIGHT SPECIFICALLY HOW MUCH SHOPPERS IN BOSTON HAVE SEEN THEIR GROCERY BILLS RISE CONSIDERABLY FASTER THAN OTHER METRO AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND FASTER THAN OVERALL INFLATION. AND SO THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS INFORMED THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE PURSUING AND THE WAY WE WORK WITH DOZENS OF PARTNERS ACROSS THE CITY IN EACH OF OUR FOCUS AREAS WE HAVE ACHIEVED A NEW LEVEL OF STRATEGY AND PROGRAM DELIVERY THAT CONTINUES TO CENTER RESIDENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST RATES OF FOOD INSECURITY IN THE CITY AND TO CENTER THE THAT THE GOALS AROUND FOOD ACCESS WHILE TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES.  SO A FEW OF THOSE WAYS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO BUILD EQUITABLE ACCESS AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS FOR FRESH CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND OR REGIONALLY GROWN FOOD CITY WIDE . WE PROVIDED $402,000 WORTH OF FRESH FOOD AT NO COST TO BOSTON RESIDENTS AT 23 FARMER'S MARKETS THIS PAST SUMMER THROUGH FARMER'S MARKET COUPONS DISTRIBUTED BY A 25 COMMUNITY BASED PARTNERS. 86% OF THOSE COUPONS WERE USED BY RESIDENTS TO GET FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND THE BALANCE WAS FOR OTHER FRESH FOOD AND THAT'S THAT'S THEIR CHOICE. THEY CAN SPEND IT ON LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS.  AND THEN VERY RECENTLY WE LAUNCHED NEW COMMUNITY OUTREACH LEADERS GRANT PROGRAM THIS SPRING WHICH IS FUNDING FIVE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS TO TRAIN 40 OUTREACH LEADERS IN TEN AT LEAST TEN NEIGHBORHOODS TO BUILD COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR PEER TO PEER OUTREACH AND EDUCATION ABOUT FEDERAL AND STATE NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN A HOLISTIC WAY SO THAT RESIDENTS WHO MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE FOR SNAP CAN FIND OUT IF THEY ARE AND CONNECT THEM WITH SOME A PARTNER THAT CAN HELP THEM ACTUALLY ENROLL AND HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THE PROGRAMS THEY MAY ALREADY HAVE ACCESS TO LIKE HIP AND OTHER FARMER'S MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAMS, SUMMER MEALS, SUMMER EVENT AND FOOD BOX.  AND THIS WAS REALLY CREATED IN RESPONSE TO COMMUNITY REQUESTS FOR MORE OF RESOURCING OF THIS TYPE OF OUTREACH WITH LONG TERM GOALS TO REALLY BE BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITY CAPACITY TO LEVERAGE CITIES IN ANOTHER AREA, TO LEVERAGE CITY FOOD PROCUREMENT TO INCREASE PURCHASES FROM REGIONAL PRODUCERS AND BIPOC PRODUCERS BY CITY DEPARTMENTS.  WE'VE BEEN SUPPORTING BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR NUTRITION SERVICES THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT CHANGES THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH SUPPORTING SOME VENDOR OUTREACH AND HELPING TO DEVELOP EXTERNAL PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT WILL ENABLE US TO BRING MANY MORE PARTNERS TO THE TABLE TO SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS. AND THEN FINALLY BECAUSE OF THIS THE STATISTIC I MENTIONED EARLIER THE QUOTE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE NEED FOR FOR FRESH PERISHABLE FOOD IN MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE AND HOW MUCH THAT NEED HAS SUSTAINED AND INCREASED.  WE ARE WORKING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CITY CAN DO TO IDENTIFY SYSTEM WIDE STRATEGIES TO SCALE UP THE RESCUE OF SURPLUS FRESH FOOD SAFELY IN BOSTON THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR WE PARTNERED WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL TO COMPLETE A FOOD WASTE AUDIT AND ARE IN PROCESS OF CURRENTLY OF CONDUCTING A FOOD RESCUE ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE THE BEST WAYS THE CITY CAN IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES TO INCREASE RECOVERED FOOD. AND WHEN WE COMPLETE THIS ASSESSMENT IN JULY, WE EXPECT IT WILL HELP US DETERMINE THE BEST WAYS TO MEET OUR GOALS OF INCREASING FOOD RECOVERY FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS AND STRENGTHENING PATHWAYS THAT CONNECT FOOD INSECURE RESIDENTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO ACCESS FRESH, HEALTHY RESCUED FOOD.  AND IN THE MEANTIME ON WORKING ON THAT THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF COUNCIL REPURPOSING ARPA DOLLARS WE ARE SUPPORTING A GROUP OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE FOOD DISTRIBUTION HUB TO SUPPORT CITY WIDE FRESH FOOD STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION THAT IS IN PROCESS.  IN FY 25 WE PLAN TO DO A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WILL STRENGTHEN AND BUILD ON THAT WORK. WE WILL BE EXPANDING THE BOSTON DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS PROGRAM TO PROVIDE SNAP INCENTIVES FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. I WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE ACTUALLY AT AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 3 STORES. WE WILL BE BEGINNING AND COMPLETING A COLLABORATIVE PLANNING PROCESS WITH FARMERS MARKETS FARMERS, RESIDENTS WHO RECEIVE OR PARTICIPATE IN FOOD ACCESS PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO DETERMINE A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR THE CITY AND THESE PARTNERS TO ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY AT FARMER'S MARKETS BEYOND THE CURRENT ROUND OF ARPA FUNDING THAT HAS BEEN HAS ENABLED US TO DISTRIBUTE FARMER'S MARKET COUPONS FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS INCLUDING THIS THIS COMING SUMMER AND TO HELP DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT FARMER'S MARKETS PARTICULARLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR TO BETTER MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS. WE ALONG THOSE LINES ARE ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT THROUGH THAT PROCESS WHAT STRATEGIES THE CITY CAN IMPLEMENT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LOCAL FARMERS SELLING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AT FARMER'S MARKETS THROUGHOUT THE CITY PARTICULARLY IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.  AND WE WILL BE FULLY IMPLEMENTING THE GOOD FOOD PURCHASING PROGRAM ACROSS CITY AGENCIES AND DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL AS PART OF THAT PROCESS AND PARTNERING WITH ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS AND BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF SHARED VALUES BASED FOOD PURCHASING METRICS.  AND LASTLY, WE WILL BE CONTINUING OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH GROW BOSTON TO IDENTIFY LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS WHO RECEIVE SEVERAL HUNDRED ADDITIONAL RAISED BED GARDENS.  THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE PAST YEAR AND WILL BE CONTINUING FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. SO WE CONTINUE TO BALANCE RESPONDING TO NEEDS THAT THE BROADER SYSTEM OF FOOD ACCESS ORGANIZATIONS IN BOSTON HAS WITH BUILDING NEW WAYS THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO SOME OF THE RAPID RESPONSE ISSUES THAT HAVE COME UP INCLUDING SUPPORTING COORDINATION OF THE CITY RESPONSE TO ROLLING OUT THE NEW FEDERAL SUMMER EBITA PROGRAM WITH BALANCING THAT WITH THESE LONGER TERM GOALS. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN AND LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU FURTHER. THANK YOU.  WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COUNCILOR MEJIA AT CANTOR FITZGERALD HAVE BOTH JOINED US. NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONS. COUNCILOR FLYNN, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM THAT IS HERE AND THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF BOSTON.  LET ME AND I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE CHRIS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL TEAM THAT YOU HAVE AND THE RESPONSE IN TERMS OF GETTING BACK TO RESIDENTS, GETTING BACK TO GETTING BACK TO ME WITH IN BEING INCLUSIVE AND DOING THE BEST YOU CAN IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATING AND WORKING WITH US SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOUR TEAM. LET ME ASK ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ONE QUESTION ABOUT FOOD ACCESS.  ON ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS IN CHINATOWN? THEY HAVE THE HIGHEST ASTHMA RATE IN THE CITY FOR FOR MANY REASONS. CERTAINLY THAT'S ON IT'S PRACTICALLY ON 93 MASS PIKE CLOSE TO SALT STATION TRAIN BUS STOP DEPOT, A TRUCK ROUTE FROM MAINE TO FLORIDA ALL OTHER POLLUTION. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ASSIST THIS IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY WITH THIS PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE?  SURE. I'M A COUNCILOR . I'M HAPPY TO TAKE THAT WITH THE THE CAVEAT THAT I'M SURE I WON'T BE ABLE TO COVER ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AND I WILL ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO FILL IN AND GET BACK TO YOU ON A MORE COMPLETE LIST. BUT ABSOLUTELY, I THINK YOU YOU BRING UP THE FACT THAT THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS HIGH ASTHMA RATES AND AIR QUALITY BUT IT'S ALSO A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES LAYER ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. THERE'S LIMITED ACCESS TO OPEN SPACE.  THERE IS NO HEAT RISK THAT COMES FROM THAT THAT EXACERBATES THE AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH PROBLEMS.  A NUMBER OF THINGS ADDRESS CHINATOWN MORE SORT OF GLOBALLY AND INDIRECTLY WITH THE WORK OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE. SOME OF THE ARPA WORK THAT HAS BEEN GOING IN FOR RESILIENCE WHICH WILL ADD MORE ENERGY STABILITY AND INDOOR COOLING WHICH WILL IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH THERE AS WELL.  I THINK IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT THIS IS A AN AREA THAT IS SUBJECT TO THE WORK OF THE IPCC WHICH DOES A LOT TO WORK WITH IMPROVING AIR QUALITY FROM MOBILE SOURCES AND OTHERS IN THE AREA.  AND I'D SAY THAT THE GOAL IS FOR A NUMBER OF SPECIFIC CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED INITIATIVES THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THIS AREA TO TRY TO TARGET THE CONCERNS OF CHINATOWN GOING FORWARD.  DO ANYTHING OTHER. NO, GO AHEAD, CHRIS.  JUST BUILDING ON OLIVER'S COMMENTS, TWO THINGS THAT I WOULD NOTE AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT OUR PRIORITY OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION AREAS ARE.  CHINATOWN IS CERTAINLY ON THAT LIST AND AS YOU KNOW WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY COMPETED FOR A FEDERAL GRANT THE NEWEST GRANT WHICH ESSENTIALLY IS TARGETED EXACTLY ADDRESSING THIS HOW DO WE INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF OPEN SPACE AND ADDRESS SOME OF THE AIR QUALITY CONCERNS THAT EXIST WITHIN YOUR DISTRICT SO AS THAT WORKING FORWARD DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE WITH WITH YOUR OFFICE ON ADDRESSING THIS WHAT HAS BEEN A LONG TERM PRIORITY OF THE MAYOR AS YOU KNOW. YEAH, THANK YOU CHRIS. THE ONE TIME AS YOU KNOW THE THE SOUTH END HAD A LARGE ASIAN COMMUNITY AND THROUGH THE RE REDEVELOPMENT IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES MANY OF THE ASIAN MANY OF THE CHINESE RESIDENTS WERE DISLOCATED FROM THAT PART OF OF OF THE SOUTH AND BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE APPLIED AND I THINK YOU MENTIONED WE APPLIED FOR THAT FEDERAL GRANT WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO CONNECT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED, RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN DISPLACED SO BASICALLY CONNECTING CHINATOWN IN THE SOUTH AND HOPEFULLY CONNECTING RECONNECTING THE IMPORTANT ASIAN COMMUNITY IN IN THAT AREA. BUT SOMETIMES I THINK PEOPLE FORGET ABOUT CHINATOWN AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THIS ISSUE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME AND THEN LET ME STAY ON THIS ISSUE AS WELL. MAKE CONSTITUENTS IN CHINATOWN ALSO HAVE A HIGH NEED FOR FOOD ACCESS. AS YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE RESIDENTS RELY ON FOOD AT THESE DISTRIBUTION CENTERS IN AND AROUND THE ROXBURY AREAS THE SOUTH END AREA, THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THE CHINATOWN AREA DOWN TOWARDS THE COPLEY AREA.  ARE WE ABLE TO FOCUS AND SUPPORT RESIDENTS WITH CULTURALLY SENSITIVE FOOD FOR THE CHINESE COMMUNITY, FOR THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET THAT CAN HELP THEM?  YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU. AND IT'S ONE THAT IS TOP OF MIND AS WE SORT OF BUILD OUT ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS. SO I WOULD SAY THAT FOCUS IS WOVEN INTO A LOT OF OUR PARTNERSHIPS. I WILL SAY SPECIFICALLY THAT'S BEEN ONE OF THE SUCCESSES I THINK OF THE FARMERS MARKET COUPON PROGRAM BECAUSE WE HAD LAST YEAR ACTUALLY $70,000 OF COUPONS WERE SPENT AT THE CHINATOWN FARMERS MARKET AND THEIR VENDOR SELLS A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PARTICULAR CROPS THAT FOLKS IN THAT COMMUNITY ARE LOOKING FOR AND THAT WAS FAR AND AWAY THE HIGHEST OF OVER TIME AS WELL AS THE HIGHEST MARKET SORT OF USAGE OF THE COUPONS IN THE CITY BY ALMOST DOUBLE ANYWHERE ELSE.  SO THAT'S YOU KNOW, ONE SUCCESSFUL ASPECT OF THE WAY THAT PROGRAM HAS BEEN STRUCTURED WHERE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY FOLKS WHO ARE IN NEED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND GET THE RESOURCES OUT TO THEM AND THEY HAVE THE CHOICE OF WHERE TO SPEND IT AND A LOT OF THEM ARE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF VOTING WITH YOUR COUPON DOLLAR IN TERMS OF . SO THAT WILL CONTINUE THIS YEAR AND WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING WITH MARKETS IN GENERAL ACROSS THE CITY TO IDENTIFY KIND OF SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED AND IDENTIFYING VENDORS THAT THEY MAY BE LOOKING FOR FOR CERTAIN FOODS AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE PLANNING TO REALLY ASSESS THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS. SO WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION AND A CONSULTANT TO ACTUALLY GET INPUT FROM RESIDENTS ACROSS THE CITY ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IN THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM SO THAT WHEN WE BUILD SOMETHING THAT'S MORE SUSTAINABLE THAT'S NOT LIKE OH THIS IS JUST FOR A FEW YEARS AND THEN IT GOES AWAY AND THEN IT'S A NEW THING WHICH OBVIOUSLY NOBODY LIKES THAT IN TERMS OF THE PARTNERS AND THE AND THE RESIDENTS WE CAN WE CAN PRIORITIZE THINGS LIKE THAT BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GET AND OBVIOUSLY FARMER'S MARKETS ARE NOT THE ONLY SOLUTION. THEY'RE NOT YEAR ROUND YET. I MEAN MOST OF OUR COMMUNITIES SO I WOULD SAY ONE OTHER PREVIOUSLY FUNDED INITIATIVE FOR A CULTURALLY RELEVANT MOBILE MARKET ACTUALLY GOT IT. IT WAS FUNDED PREVIOUSLY BUT THE TRUCK THERE WERE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES AND THE TRUCK ONLY JUST GOT STARTED BY THE YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON TO ACTUALLY ROLL OUT THIS INITIATIVE IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. AND SO THEY'RE CURRENTLY SORT OF BUILDING OUT THEIR MODELS LIKE WHERE WHERE IS THIS RESOURCE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE AND WHAT NEIGHBORHOODS AND GETTING INPUT FROM FOLKS ABOUT WHAT KIND OF FOOD THEY WANT. SO I THINK THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE EXAMPLES.  THE LAST MY TIME IS UP TO 8 SECONDS. COULD I MENTION ONE OTHER PROGRAM THE WOMEN'S LUNCH PLACE NEAR THE COPLEY LIBRARY? I THINK IT'S ON NEWBURY STREET . MY MY FRIEND VOLUNTEERS THERE. VIVIEN LEIGH.  THEY DO AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB SUPPORTING ASIAN RESIDENTS. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT MANY TIMES WITH MY WIFE LAST MONTH.  CAN YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMEN'S LUNCH PLACE AND TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY NEED FROM THEM? BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY DO EXCELLENT WORK THERE AND AND I WANT TO APOLOGIZE.  I DON'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF. I'M SORRY I THINK WE STILL HAVE MORE TIME BECAUSE I KNOW THIS CHAIR IS VERY GRACIOUS HERE.  YES. AND IS I MEAN I WAS JUST GOING TO DO SOME WORDING.  YEAH. YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT PART OF PART OF WHY WE'RE DOING THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH LEADERS GRANTS IS THAT THE PEER TO PEER OUTREACH TO HELP FOLKS UNDERSTAND HOW TO ACCESS BENEFITS THAT THEY MIGHT ALREADY BE ELIGIBLE FOR AND DOING THAT IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES THROUGH A PEER TO PEER PROCESS IS ONE OF THE WAYS WE ACTUALLY CAN BUILD LONGER TERM RESILIENCE TO FOOD INSECURITY AND HELP PEOPLE BE ABLE TO ACCESS THINGS IN AN ONGOING WAY SO I HOPE THAT IT CAN ALSO SERVE THAT PURPOSE WHERE IF SOMEONE IS ABLE TO ACCESS SNAP THAT THEY CAN CHOOSE TO BUY WHATEVER FOOD THEY WANT IN THE SAME WAY THE REST OF US DO.  THANK YOU AND I KNOW THE OFFICE OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS IS A CRITICAL DEPARTMENT AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING AND THANK YOU MR CHAIR, FOR GIVING ME AN EXTRA A MINUTE. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR WEBER, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU, CHAIR. DIRECTOR WASSERMAN SO FOR KIDS ,YOU KNOW WE'VE HEARD 5000 KIDS AND EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS OR HAVE IN THE LAST YEARS, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ENSURE THAT THOSE KIDS ARE GETTING YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO FOOD?  THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION AND I WILL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ABOUT THE ANSWER TO THAT IN CONVERSATION WITH BPF.  OKAY. AND I GUESS AS A AS A FORMER COMMUNITY GARDENER FOR RAISED BEDS AND THINGS, I DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I MADE AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO KEEP THE BUNNIES AWAY BECAUSE THEY'LL JUST EAT EVERYTHING THAT YOU GROW AND YOU'LL HATE THE BUNNIES AND IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT BUT. OKAY SO I JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR FOR THE REST OF YOU. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BERTO 2.0. IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE BUDGET THAT WE THAT WE NEED THAT WE HAVE TO DO WE HAVE TO PUT IN MORE MONEY OR DO WE HAVE WHAT WE WHAT WE NEED IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING THESE GOALS? ARE THERE STILL STEPS WE HAVE TO TAKE?  YEAH. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.  BERTO IS AS YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY THE SINGLE LARGEST LEVER WE HAVE FOR REDUCING EMISSIONS AND IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. SO I ALWAYS APPRECIATE ANY QUESTIONS FOR BERTO. AND IT IS IT IS WELL RESOURCED IN THE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CHUNK FOR CONTINUING IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL AS RECENTLY THE THE BERTO BOARD HAS APPROVED FUNDING TO CONTINUE ADDITIONAL WORK FROM THE EQUITABLE EMISSIONS REDUCTION FUND. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE DETAILS OF THE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES BUT REALLY WE FEEL THAT WE ARE WELL SET UP TO CONTINUE THE CORE WORK OF BERTO FOR THIS YEAR WHICH IS SUPPORTING PROPERTY OWNERS WITH DEVELOPING PLANS AND DOING THE WORK NECESSARY TO MEET THEIR UPCOMING REPORTING AND 2025 MILESTONE THE FIRST IMPLEMENTATION MILESTONE. OKAY. BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THE KEY IS THAT WE'RE MAKING SURE THESE BUILDINGS ARE ARE REDUCING THEIR EMISSIONS OR NOT MAKING EMISSIONS BUT SO WE'RE GOING TO KNOW THAT FROM THE MONITORS THAT THEY HAVE IN THE BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, IN MY AREA THAT'S WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE DATA.  YES, COUNCILOR YES. THE THE THE KEY TO BERTO COMPLIANCE IS REALLY BEING ABLE TO HAVE PROPERTY OWNERS AND MANAGERS HAVE THE DATA AND ABILITY TO PROVIDE THAT DATA TO THE CITY AND THAT IS THE WORK THAT HANNAH AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN DOING QUITE A LOT OF AND HAVE MADE STRIDES.  THERE ARE STILL OF COURSE THAT THIS APPLIES TO OVER 6000 BUILDINGS AND THERE'S MORE THAT NEED TO BE CONTACTED BUT THE THIS IS THE THE YEAR AND A HALF MOMENT REALLY WHERE THE ALL OF THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN GOING INTO PLACE IN TERMS OF BUILDING CAPACITY FOR ALL THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS TO COLLECT THAT DATA AS WELL AS TO YOU KNOW PUT TOGETHER THE DECARBONIZATION PLAN YOU'LL PROBABLY HEAR ME SAY THAT A MILLION TIMES OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF. THIS IS THE PLANNING YEAR AND THIS IS WELL RESOURCED IN THIS BUDGET.  AND ARE THERE ANY OBSTACLES TO AGAIN GETTING THE MONITORS?  I MEAN ARE THERE SMALLER BUILDINGS IN THE BERTO THAT SAY THEY NEED THAT ARE EITHER CAN'T COME UP WITH THE MONEY OR I DON'T KNOW WHAT WHAT YOU'RE FACING OUT THERE?  YEAH, IF IF YOU'D LIKE I WOULD LIKE TO GET BACK TO YOU TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SORT OF SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THERE. BUT I WOULD SAY JUST IN GENERAL I'LL JUST REPEAT AGAIN IT'S REALLY ABOUT MAKING THE CONNECTION AND PROVIDING THE TRANSPARENT RESOURCES WHICH YOU KNOW THE TEAM DOES HAVE TO BE ABLE TO COLLECT AND UPLOAD THE DATA. OKAY.  I'VE MET WITH CONSTITUENTS IN WEST ROXBURY. THEY HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE WEST ROXBURY LATERAL PIPELINES, THE GAS PIPELINE THAT THE SPECTER OPERATES. DOES THE CITY PLAY ANY ROLE IN IN MONITORING THAT OR THE EMISSIONS OR TO I GUESS THAT'S WHAT ROLE DOES THE CITY PLAY AND IF ANY ENSURING THE YOU KNOW SAFETY AND HEALTH OF PEOPLE IN WEST ROXBURY. YEAH WELL COUNCILOR GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING THAT ISN'T ACCURATE. I'M GOING TO ALSO GET BACK TO YOU IN WRITING. BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT WITH ALL INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE YOU KNOW, THE STREETS, CABINETS AND OTHERS DO THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION DO MONITOR AND PERMIT ALL UTILITY WORK AND THAT SORT OF THAT. BUT THE BASELINE THERE IS SAFETY WHERE YOU KNOW THIS GOES INTO ANOTHER TERRITORY AS YOU KNOW THE GAS SYSTEM TRANSITION WHICH IS ANOTHER QUESTION ALTOGETHER BUT ABSOLUTELY FROM THE FROM THE SAFETY STANDPOINT I'M HAPPY TO GET BACK TO YOU ON WHAT EXACTLY THAT PROCESS IS AND DOES THE CITY TAKE ANY POSITION ON I GUESS THE INSTALLATION OF MORE GAS INFRASTRUCTURE?  MY MY SENSE IS THAT THERE'S MORE BEING BUILT THAT THE THE GAS COMPANIES ARE PUTTING A NEW PIPELINE.  ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THAT OR HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH UTILITY COMPANIES ABOUT YOU KNOW BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO GET ON AND GET OFF THAT AND LET'S SEE LESS OF IT AND NOT MORE BUT YOU YEAH.  COUNCILOR WU THAT'S THAT'S IT THAT'S LIKE THE BIG CLIMATE CHANGE QUESTION ISN'T IT? SO I WILL I'LL ANSWER IT FROM A FEW DIFFERENT ANGLES TO SAY THAT YOU KNOW FROM A FROM A POLICY LEVEL MAYOR WHO HAS MADE IT PRETTY CLEAR THAT SHE ENVISIONS A FOSSIL FUEL FREE FUTURE BUT IS VERY REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT WE YOU KNOW, THE AGGRESSIVE STEPS WE NEED TO TAKE WITH ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH AND SO ONE THING THAT I'LL MENTION JUST A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS RELATED HOW THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT HAS PARTICIPATED. SO OF COURSE ONE ONE OF THE KEY THINGS THERE IS TO RECOGNIZE THAT A LOT OF THE SORT OF THE LONG TERM PLANNING AS A BACKS INTO INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY IS REGULATED AT THE STATE LEVEL BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT'S POLICY TEAM HAS WORKED QUITE A LOT WITH YOU KNOW, PROVIDING COMMENT AND STAYING ON TOP OF THE CASES OF THE EPA THAT REALLY MAP OUT THAT TRANSITION WHERE WE CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR A YOU KNOW, TRANSITION AWAY FROM NEW INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAINTAINING IT.  I WILL ALSO SAY THAT REALLY WHERE WE OLD MORE POWER DIRECTLY AT THE CITY LEVEL IS IN THE THINGS THAT REDUCE DEMAND THE GAS SYSTEM SO FROM YOU KNOW LARGE PROJECTS SUCH AS THE FRANKLIN FIELD GEOTHERMAL PROJECT WHICH ARE REALLY POTENTIALLY GOING TO UNLOCK A WHOLE NEW WAY OF ENGAGING WITH THE GAS UTILITIES TO ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WORK ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DECARBONIZATION IN HOMES REALLY DO A LOT TO REDUCE THE DEMAND ON GAS INFRASTRUCTURE.  OKAY. AND JUST QUICKLY IN TERMS OF YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE EVALUATIONS OF TREE COVERAGE, TREE CANOPY IN MY DISTRICT WEST ROXBURY. JP THE COVERAGE IS GENERALLY GOOD BUT IT'S BEEN GOING DOWN AND THERE ARE SEEMS TO BE A LACK OF NEWER TREES. IS ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING TO ADDRESS THAT? YES, I WILL SAY THAT THIS IS I WILL ASK CHRIS TO JUMP IN. AS YOU KNOW THE CHIEF FOR A FEW MORE WEEKS OVERSEEING THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WHICH INCLUDES URBAN FORESTRY INSIDE OF IT. BUT OF COURSE ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED AND THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH THE URBAN FORESTRY TEAM.  IF I MAY JUST VERY QUICKLY ON ON REALLY IDENTIFYING THE LOCATIONS WHERE THERE'S OVERLAPS IN HEAT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLACES AS YOU MENTIONED WHERE THERE'S MORE PLANTING TO DO.  BUT I ALSO THINK THE URBAN FORESTRY TEAM IS TAKING IT IN A NEW DIRECTION OF REALLY UNDERSTANDING HOW TO MAINTAIN AND THE SORT OF LONG TERM HEALTH OF THE CANOPY AS OPPOSED TO JUST NEW TREES AND PERSONNEL BUT SOMETHING TO ADD. THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD WAS JUST FIRST TO UNDERSCORE THE POINT THAT OLIVER MADE A POINT THAT POINTS COMMISSIONER WOODS MADE YESTERDAY THERE'S BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN NOT ONLY THE CAPACITY TO PLANT TREES BUT THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN AND CARE FOR THOSE TREES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY NOT ONLY ARE ALIVE THROUGH THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THAT WARRANTY PERIOD BUT ARE ACTUALLY CONTINUING TO BECOME THOSE TREE TREES THAT WE ALL WANT ALONG ALONG AND SORT OF THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF BOSTON.  BUT ADDITIONS TO THE WORKS ARE WITHIN OUR PARKS AND ON OUR STREETS. WE ARE CREATING SOME PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND CANOPY COVER ON PRIVATELY OWNED PARCELS AND THROUGH A RECENT PROJECT. HAPPY TO GIVE YOU SOME INFORMATION ON THIS WITH THE BOSTON TREE ALLIANCE WE ARE SETTING OUT A SET OF GRANTS FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO PLANT TREES IN PARTICULARLY IN AREAS THAT HAVE A LOWER PERCENTAGE OR CANADA CAN BE COVERED THAN OTHER AREAS IN THE CITY. SO I'M HAPPY TO GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS ON THAT. BUT IT'S ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE ARE OVER THE LONG TERM INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF CAN BE COVERED PARTICULARLY IN THOSE AREAS AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE LESS.  OKAY. THANK YOU, JEFF. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY BROTHER'S KEEPER OF UMASS BOSTON HAS JOINED US THE SOON TO BE GRADUATE ACCOMPANIED WITH THEM IS PROFESSOR COOPER WHO I'M A BIG FAN OF AND THEN ONE OF THE ALUMNI ADVISORS FROM MY TEAM, ABDULLAH BECKETT. HE'S DOING GREAT WORK AND ALSO ALUMNI ADVISOR JUSTIN SANTIAGO AND ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY JASON FROM THE BMA BLACK MALE ADVANCEMENT. WELCOME TO OUR COUNCIL HEARING ON FOOD JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENT. NOW WE'LL GO TO NATUROPATHIC JOYCE.  THANK YOU CHAIR AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE GENTLEMEN UP THERE THAT ARE GRADUATING ON THURSDAY. MY SISTER ALSO GRADUATING FROM UMASS BOSTON ON THURSDAY SO SHOUT OUT TO Y'ALL FOR DOING THAT. TO THE PANELISTS HERE TODAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOR BEING HERE FOR JOINING US TO ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS UM I HAVE SOME GOOD QUESTIONS THAT PERTAIN TO MY DISTRICT SPECIFICALLY. THE FIRST ONE IS REGARDING CRANE LEDGE WOODS.  IT IS AN URBAN WILD AND HIGH PARK LOTS OF ACRES THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PUSH TO PROTECT THAT LAND THAT MIGHT.  NOW I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT EFFORTS ARE WE TAKING AS AN ADMINISTRATION TO TRY TO PROTECT THIS LAND ELSEWHERE TO MAKE MORE OF THE PROPERTY AND FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PROPERTY AND THE ISSUE? BUT LET ME MAKE SURE THAT I SORT OF KNOW WHAT THE LATEST IS AROUND PROTECTING CRANE LAND AND I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. I APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH, THERE'S DEFINITELY STILL A STRONG DESIRE FROM THE RESIDENTS IN BOTH ROSS ROSLYN HIGH PARK AND MATTAPAN AS WELL TO PROTECT THAT LAND ABSOLUTELY FROM ANYTHING.  THERE'S ALSO A ANOTHER GREAT PROJECT THAT'S BEEN ON HOLD. IT IS THE DEPOSIT RIVER PATHWAY BY THE EDGEWATER NEIGHBORHOOD.  THE RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. APPARENTLY THERE'S A HOLD UP WITH DCR ABOUT WHO TAKES OWNERSHIP OF THE MAINTENANCE. IT'S AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION BECAUSE.  THIS PART OF THE CITY CAN REALLY USE THAT LOVE. IT'S AN ACCESS POINT TO THAT AND UPON THE RIVER THE RESIDENTS WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT PATHWAY. BUT WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY UPDATES FROM THE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE. WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?  WHAT CAN WE DO TO EXPEDITE IT SO THAT THIS PROJECT COULD GO THROUGH? YEAH.  COUNCILOR BROOKLYN, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION AND I AGREE THIS IS A A REALLY EXCITING PROJECT, A BEAUTIFUL SPACE AND AN AMENITY AND RESOURCE IN YOUR DISTRICT. I'D LIKE TO GET BACK TO YOU IN WRITING THE DETAILS SO YOU CAN SORT OF LIKE QUOTE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.  BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT SLOWLY BUT SURELY WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS WITH THE WITH DCR THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION RECREATION AND THAT IS REALLY WHERE SOME OF THE HOLDUP IS AND WE WE'RE OPTIMISTIC THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL BE SORTED OUT. I APPRECIATE THAT.  I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU DO FEEL THAT THERE'S OPTIMISM THERE JUST I'M GETTING EMAILS FROM RESIDENTS FROM THE EDGEWATER COMMUNITY ASKING ME TO PLEASE PUSH FOR THIS. SO IF I CAN PUT THAT ASK ON YOU ALL TO JUST ABSOLUTELY KEEP ME UPDATED, LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING I CAN SHARE WITH THE RESIDENTS.  ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT GREATLY APPRECIATE THE IN REGARDS TO FOOD JUSTICE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU HERE I AM WANTED TO KNOW IS THERE ANY WHAT'S THE UPDATE ON OTHER REFRIGERATORS THAT ARE GOING TO DIFFERENT FOOD PANTRIES ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED IN THE CITY OF BOSTON I KNOW THERE'S A THERE'S A GREAT INTEREST TO BRING SOME OF THOSE TO THE ARCHDAILY COMMUNITY CENTER THE MENINO CENTER ONE OF THEM TO HIGH PARK. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S THE UM IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON THAT OR WHAT'S THE PROCESS TO TO REQUEST THOSE? YES SO THANK YOU COUNCILOR IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AND AS ALWAYS I APPRECIATE THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT AROUND FOOD ACCESS SO WE BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR FOOD RESCUE ASSESSMENT WHICH INCLUDES A WHOLE PROCESS WHERE WE HAVE A COMMUNITY GROUP THAT'S DOING ENGAGEMENT WITH PANTRIES AND RESIDENTS WHO WHO ARE USING DIFFERENT FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS SITES TO FIND OUT LIKE WHAT THEY WANT THE CITY TO DO AND WHAT SOME OF THEIR DIFFERENT BARRIERS ARE.  WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THEN IS AFTER THAT'S FINISHED IN JULY THEN WE'LL HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE THINGS THE CITY CAN DO AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO DEPLOY SOME OF THOSE FUNDS THROUGH A GRANT PROGRAM TO, YOU KNOW, SOLICIT PROPOSALS FOR DIFFERENT PARTNERS AROUND THE CITY TO HOW THEY WOULD USE FUNDS FOR COLD STORAGE COORDINATION. WE DON'T WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ALL THAT INPUT BEFORE WE KIND OF MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT THOSE FUNDS ARE USED FOR AND HOPE THAT SORT OF LATE SUMMER OR EARLY FALL YOU'LL BE SEEING SOMETHING THAT WE WILL, YOU KNOW, BE BLASTING OUT VERY FAR TOO MANY OF THE DIFFERENT PARTNERS SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF THE OPPORTUNITY THAT'S GREAT, NIAMH AND I ONE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO. I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN VERY ACTIVE MY DISTRICT SPECIFICALLY AND FROM WHAT I KNOW FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM RESIDENTS THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS OUT THERE AND ESPECIALLY THE THE FOOD PANTRY THAT HAPPENS IN IN THE MENINO CENTER. THEY APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALL TAKEN TO TO HELP THEM. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, I GUESS ONE MORE QUESTION ONE MORE QUESTION REGARDING FOOD JUSTICE.  JUST CURIOUS IF A RESIDENT CALLS THAT THEY NEED IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE WITH FOOD THEY NEED GIFT CARD ACCESS TO TO GROCERIES, WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR THAT AND CAN WE THE COUNCILORS GIVE GIVE YOU GUYS A REPORT?  YEAH. THANK YOU. AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING WE WORK TOGETHER ON WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH WITH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CABINET FOR QUITE A WHILE SO I WILL SAY THAT WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE GIFT CARDS. WE HAD SOME FROM FROM COVID THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS WITH THAT WE HAVE EXHAUSTED AND THAT WAS REALLY FOR, YOU KNOW, THAT IMMEDIATE RESPONSE THAT WAS REALLY FOR FOLKS WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM COVID.  BUT THEN WE WERE ABLE TO USE FOR OTHER SORT OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS AND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WE WE BOTH YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T WANT TO STRETCH THEM OUT AND HAVE TO SAY NO TO PEOPLE WHO NEEDED FOOD SO WE I THINK ARE KIND OF CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO GET THE MOST UPDATED INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS BASED ON POPULATION IS, YOU KNOW, A SENIOR WHO NEEDS IS IT A FAMILY OR ARE THEY DO WE YOU KNOW, ARE THERE POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE FOR A PROGRAM LIKE SNAP OR WORK AND THAT WOULD BE KIND OF SOMETHING THAT WOULD SUSTAIN THEM OVER A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME AND OUR OUR TEAM HAS BEEN KIND OF WORKING TO REVAMP THE RESOURCES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VITAL CONNECTIONS. ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND PROJECT BREAD AND AND THE GREATER BOSTON FOODBANK TO SEE LIKE WHAT IS THE BEST WAY THAT ALL THESE DIFFERENT PARTNERS CAN PROVIDE INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES AND NOT HAVE THEM BE EITHER DUPLICATIVE OR IN CONSISTENT BECAUSE IT'S LIKE THESE THINGS CHANGE ON A MONTHLY BASIS.  SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE TEAM IS KIND OF UP ALWAYS UPDATING WHAT RESOURCES WE ARE ABLE TO SHARE WITH SOMEBODY WHO CALLS US OR WHO CALLS 311 OR A COUNSELOR'S OFFICE. THANK YOU FOR THAT.  NO, I HAVE VERY FOND MEMORIES OF DOING FOOD DELIVERIES WITH YOUR FOR YOUR OFFICE BACK IN THE DAY SO JUST REALLY THANKFUL OF THAT PROJECT AND JUST LOOKING TO WHAT ELSE COMES FROM THAT OFFICE IN MY DISTRICT IN THE FUTURE BUT JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU ALL DO VERY, VERY MUCH GRATEFUL FOR THE EFFORTS, THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT YOU DO MY DISTRICT BUT THAT'S IN REGARDS TO THE QUESTIONS I OWE YOU THE REST OF MY TIME. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR BREADON AND THE FLOOR IS YOURS. YOU GOT ME . THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. GOOD TO SEE YOU.  LET'S SEE.  I'M EXCITED. I REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS WHOLE GREEN NEW DEAL FOR BOSTON IS AN INTRODUCTION INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND INTERAGENCY AND ALSO INTERGOVERNMENTAL EFFORTS TO NOT ONLY ADJUST OURSELVES IN THE CITY, THE STATE AS WELL. I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES THAT WE GOT FOR THE ARTS AND PROUD SCENARIO TO RECONNECT ALSTOM ACROSS THE PIPE PART OF THE I-90 PROJECT.  SO THAT'S REALLY EXCITING. ONE CONCERN WE HAVE IS JUST THINKING ABOUT ELECTRIFICATION AND HOW WE'RE ALL YOU KNOW,  GOING AWAY FROM GAS HEATING AND GAS AND COOKING AND ELECTRIFYING EVERYTHING I KNOW IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER WHEN IT'S REALLY HOT STRETCH OF LIKE SEVERAL HOT DAYS WE GET FRY NIGHTS AND I'M JUST WONDERING IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF JUST GENERATING GREEN ENERGY LIKE I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF RENEWABLE GENERATION YOU KNOW LIKE FROM WIND AND SOLAR.  I'M JUST THINKING HOW LIKE IS A GRID REALLY UP TO BEING RESILIENT ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE INCREASED LOAD THAT WE HAVE AT PEAK TIMES BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN IT GOES DOWN IT'S PRETTY IT IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION FOR ESPECIALLY FOR OLDER OLDER ADULTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.  SO THAT'S ONE QUESTION AND THEN THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND ALLSTON BRIGHTON HAS A SIGNIFICANT URBAN URBAN HEAT ISLAND AROUND YOU KNOW THE AMANDA SORT OF COMMONWEALTH OF CORRIDOR AND MTA IS WE HAVE A PROJECT IN OUR CAPITAL BUDGET TO YOU KNOW IT'S BEEN IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET FOR A WHILE. WE'RE NOT GETTING THERE YET BUT JUST TO IMPROVE REALIGNING THE TRACKS AND AND MAKING IT MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY ETC. BUT I REALLY FEEL THAT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE DO SOME MORE GREENING OF THAT CORRIDOR IMPROVING OUR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BECAUSE WE WERE UNDER THAT STORM WE HAD LAST LAST AUGUST WHEN IT DROPPED TWO INCHES OF RAIN AND IN 2 HOURS I THINK THE TI CLOSED DOWN BECAUSE THE LANES WERE FLOODED BUT ALSO JUST EVEN GREENING GREENING THE SPACE AND INCREASING OF OUR TREE CANOPY WE'D LOVE TO HAVE A VERDANT COMMONWEALTH OF JUST NOT QUITE AS NICE AS DOWNTOWN BUT A LITTLE MORE GREENERY ALONG THAT WOULD REALLY HELP.  AND SO THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS JUST THE INLAND FLOODING I KNOW THERE'S A HUGE EMPHASIS IN A VERY URGENT NEED TO ATTEND TO OUR COASTAL RESILIENCE IN TERMS OF SEA LEVEL RISE AND STORM INUNDATION . BUT YOU KNOW, INLAND FLOODING IF WE GET A BIG STORM THAT SITS ON US FOR A FEW, YOU KNOW, AND DROPS A LOT OF RAINFALL, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SEVERE INLAND FLOODING ISSUES IN ALLSTON.  AND I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT HOW WE ARE WORKING WITH HOMEOWNERS AND JUST TO REALLY HELP ADDRESS THE STORMWATER MANAGER AND ISSUES THAT WE HAVE.  ONE CONCERN WE HAVE IS THAT YOU KNOW WITH INCREASED DEMAND FOR PRESSURE AND PARKING FOLKS ARE LANDLORDS REPAVING OVER THEIR YARD THE YARDS AND YOU KNOW RENTING OUT PARKING SPACES IN WHAT WAS FORMERLY A PERMEABLE GREEN SPACE AND THEN WHAT ARE WE DOING TO INCENTIVIZE SORT OF HOMEOWNERS AND NONPROFITS TO DO GREEN GARDENS AND BIO SWALES SORT OF THINGS?  AND THEN ANOTHER ISSUE THAT CAME TO US WITH THE FOOD PANTRIES AND WE'VE AN INCREDIBLE FOOD PANTRIES THAT TEND TO BE NONPROFITS THEY WORK A LOT OF VOLUNTEER LABOR. THEY WORK ON THE RUN ON A SHOESTRING.  AND ONE ISSUE THAT CAME TO US RECENTLY WAS THAT THEY'RE HAVING PAY A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR A FOR FOOD TO TAKE THEIR CARDBOARD AWAY.  THEY HAVE A LOT OF THEY HAVE A LOT OF CARDBOARD CARTONS AND THE I THINK IT'S MAYBE TRYING TO FIND DIFFERENT DIFFERENT VENDORS BUT THEY'RE HAVING TO PAY TO HAVE THEIR CARDBOARD CARTONS TAKEN AWAY.  THEY DON'T GET ANY AND THAT'S THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE THAT LITERALLY PUTS A STRESS ON THEIR LIMITED BUDGETS. AND THEN THE OTHER ISSUE IS JUST ALLSTON BRIGHTON. WE ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE AN URBAN WE HAVE A FOOD DESERT AND WE HAVE THIS SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE LARGE NUMBERS OF ELDERS AND FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A GROCERY STORE, A WHOLE FOODS THAT THEY CAN'T REALLY AFFORD TO SPEND MONEY IN AS TOO EXPENSIVE ON A LIMITED BUDGET SO REALLY TRYING TO THINK ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN REACH THOSE MORE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. I THINK THAT'S A GOOD START IF YOU ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND PROBABLY BE IN GOOD SHAPE.  THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNSELOR. I'LL I'LL DO MY BEST TO PICK AT SOME OF THESE. SO STARTING WITH THE FOR THE FIRST QUESTION ABOUT ELECTRIFICATION AND PEAK MANAGEMENT AGAIN THIS THE COUNSELORS ARE ASKING ALL THE RIGHT BUT VERY BIG QUESTIONS AND I'LL SAY THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES AS WE LOOK LONG TERM TO SEE HOW WE CAN INCREASE ELECTRIFICATION AND ALSO CREATE A GRID THAT HAS MORE CAPACITY BUT THAT IS ALSO MORE RESILIENT. I WILL SAY THAT ONE OF THE THE BIGGER ACCOMPLISHMENTS I'D SAY OF THIS YEAR AND I WANT TO GIVE A LOT OF CREDIT TO FORMER CHIEF REVEREND WHITE HAMMOND IS A MUCH FRANKER CONVERSATION WITH THE UTILITIES ABOUT PRECISELY THIS ISSUE WHERE I THINK THE REALITY IS THAT BEFORE IT HAD BEEN NOT REALLY ENGAGING ON THE PROBLEM AND MORE KIND OF ON A SITE BY SITE BASIS OR JUST THE SORT OF BIG EXISTENTIAL AND REALLY OVER THE LAST YEAR THERE'S BEEN MUCH MORE WORK ON FIGURING OUT HOW THE CITY CAN PLAY A ROLE IN HAVING AN EQUITY BASED APPROACH TO HELPING OUR UTILITY PROVIDERS INCREASE, HARDEN, BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS NECESSARY FOR REGION WIDE ELECTRIFICATION BUT ALSO PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HOSTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND I'D SAY THAT YOUR DISTRICT IS IS LIKE OTHERS YOU KNOW WITH NEW UNIQUE SITUATIONS IN SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE BUT ALSO WITH SORT OF THE THE GLOBAL ISSUE OF HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN BUILD THIS INFRASTRUCTURE IN A WAY THAT REALLY IS THERE AS YOU MENTIONED, TO PROVIDE THE BACKUP POWER THAT IS NEEDED AS IT IS MORE NECESSARY FOR EXAMPLE ON A HOT NIGHT TO HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. I WILL SAY THAT COMPLEMENTING SORT OF THE BIG INFRASTRUCTURE YOU'LL I'M GOING BACK TO SOMETHING I SAID EARLIER IT'S SORT OF LIKE THE BIG AND THEN THE WHERE DOES IT MEET DEMAND AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT LOT OF THE PROGRAMS THAT YOU KNOW ARE WORKING ACROSS THE CITY AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE ARE REALLY ABOUT HELPING PROPERTY OWNERS BOTH OF RENTAL PROPERTIES AND HOMEOWNER RESIDENTS TO CREATE BUILDINGS, RETROFIT BUILDINGS THAT ARE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT AND THEREFORE ACTUALLY MORE RESILIENT TO AN OUTAGE THAT WHERE TEMPERATURES STAY COOLER FOR LONGER IF THERE IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO IT'S REALLY A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS AT ONCE THAT ARE NECESSARY JUST TO FOLLOW UP AND THINKING ABOUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A NEW PLANT WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT COMING INTO THE CITY AND REALLY WANT THEM TO PLAN LIKE BPA HAS ALWAYS SORT OF BEEN APPROVED, VERY FOCUSED ON DEVELOPMENT AND AND WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY DOING THE DOING THE MATH ON EXACTLY OKAY . ALL THIS DEVELOPMENT MILLIONS OF SQUARE FEET IS HAPPENING WITH ONE OF THE INCREASED DEMAND ON OUR ON OUR UTILITIES AND WHAT VULNERABLE ARE THESE AND ARE WE NOT ADDRESSING. SO I'M HOPING THAT WHEN WE HAVE THIS REALLY INTEGRATED CONVERSATION WITH OUR WITH OUR NEW PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND AS A CITY DEPARTMENT THAT I'M NOT SAYING THEY WERE ALWAYS WAY OUT THERE AND DIDN'T TALK TO US BUT I DON'T THINK WE REALLY INTEGRATED THOSE CONVERSATIONS TO THE EXTENT THAT WE NEED TO WITH THE CHALLENGES WE'RE FACING. APPRECIATE THAT, COUNCILOR . SO I'M HAPPY TO ADD SOME TO THE TO YOUR SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH QUESTION IS IF YOU WANT TO GET TO THE FOOD JUSTICE QUESTION BUT YOUR JUST ADD TO OLIVER'S COMMENTS ABOUT URBAN HEAT ISLAND FIRST HAPPY TO GO THROUGH THE COMMENT OF I THINK IT'S PHASE THREE SORT OF DESIGNED WITH YOU IN THE STREETS TEAM AND FORM THAT CONNECTION BROADLY AS YOU KNOW AS WE THINK ABOUT CLIMATE RESILIENCE. TO YOUR POINT IT'S JUST ABOUT SEA LEVEL RISE AND STORM SURGE. IT'S ALSO ABOUT EXTREME HEAT AND EXTREME PRECIPITATION.  SO WITH GREAT CREDIT SORRY DAVIS I'M A I'M A CLIMATE READY TEAM WAS A SET OF THINGS ARE GOING TO BE COMING OUT OVER THE COURSE OF THIS SUMMER INCLUDING SOME GREEN ROOFS ON SOME TARGETED BUS STOPS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF BOSTON WHICH SHOULD BE HELPFUL IN THE COMMENT OF CORRIDOR OR SOME POP UP MISTING STATIONS, SOME ADDITIONAL WORK AT PCI CENTERS ALL TO BE ABLE TO SORT OF ADDRESS URBAN HEAT ISLAND ISSUES ACROSS OUR CITY AND IN YOUR DISTRICT ON INLAND FLOODING.  I KNOW THERE'S SOME VERY, VERY LOCALIZED WORK THAT IS IMPACTING YOUR DISTRICT. THAT IS PART OF THE REASON WHY THE MAYOR THE OFFICE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND APPOINTED KATE ENGLAND TO LEAD THAT GROUP. THAT BUDGET HAS BEEN INCREASED SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST SORT OF REVIEWING DESIGNS BUT THAT AS A LENS WE'RE ACTUALLY BUILDING MORE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS OUR CITY AND THERE'S SOME SPECIFIC WORK I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP ON IN YOUR DISTRICT AROUND THAT. TO YOUR POINT ON PLANNING AND THEN ZERO WASTE BEFORE TURNING IT OVER TO LISA, AS YOU AS YOU KNOW, I THINK WE BOTH HAVE A BIG INTEREST IN BEACON PARK YARD AS A VERY INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY TO FUNDAMENTALLY ADDRESS YOUR FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD QUESTIONS FROM THE VERY START. IT'S VERY RARE THAT WE HAVE THAT MUCH SPACE TO THINK ABOUT HOW DO YOU CREATE THE SUBSURFACE UTILITIES THAT ARE RIGHT AND SMART FROM THE START TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THE OPEN SPACE AND TREE LINED STREETS THAT ADDRESS URBAN HEAT ISLAND FROM THE START TO GET TO PUTTING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE DEALS WITH THE STORMWATER CONCERNS IN THAT AREA FROM THE START AND THAT WORK IS BEING LED BY BEN SINCLAIR AND THE BP PR TEAM, THE FUTURE PLANNING TEAM. SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT ABOUT THIS WORK. AND THEN QUICK NOTE ON ZERO WASTE BEFORE PASSING COVID ALL THESE ARE THINKING ABOUT SORT OF HOW WE SUPPORT MORE GROUPS IN SORT OF HANDLING THINGS LIKE CARDBOARD IN TERMS OF THE COST AND CHALLENGES OF RECYCLING. IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING OF INTEREST TO US. SO HAPPY TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN BE A THOUGHT PARTNER AND YEAH AND I'M REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO SITTING DOWN WITH AND HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT ALL OF THIS. CHRIS ANDERSON THANK YOU. AND ONE QUICK SORRY ONE FOUR JUST TO CONNECT SORT OF YOUR QUESTION AROUND STORMWATER ALSO DOES CONNECT BACK TO COUNCILOR MARK HIS QUESTION YESTERDAY ON STORMWATER FEES. A LOT OF THE INTENT OF THE STORMWATER FEE IS TO BE ABLE TO INVEST IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OR THAT IS EXACTLY SORT OF AT THE SOURCE OF THE PAIN THAT RESIDENTS ARE FEELING ACROSS THE CITY. WE HAVE A RAIN GARDEN IN OUR YARDS. WE DON'T PUT ANY WATER ON THE STORMWATER SYSTEM SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A SHOW AND TELL IN A FEW WEEKS TIME. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME BY, LOOK AT IT. YEAH THANK YOU SO.  YOU SHOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR A WAIVER. YEAH IT'S $8 A MONTH SUBJECT I'LL JUST YES I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO HEARING MORE SPECIFICS FROM THE PANTRY IN YOUR DISTRICT ABOUT THE CARDBOARD RECYCLING COSTS. MAYBE WE CAN PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND THINK ABOUT IF THERE ARE SYSTEMIC STRATEGIES.  I KNOW THE PANTRIES ALL OVER THE CITY ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK AND YOU KNOW THE DEMAND HAS NOW GONE UP AND UP AND UP AND THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO LIKE PATCH TOGETHER BUDGETS AND YEAH DEAL WITH LINES AND WITHOUT THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED. SO IF THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO KIND OF DECREASE THAT ADDED COST, I'D REALLY LIKE TO TO THINK ABOUT IT. SO WE'LL FOLLOW UP ABOUT THAT. WE HAD A SPECIFIC QUESTION FROM ONE PARTICULAR AND THEN WE ASKED TO RUN DIFFERENT FOOD PANTRIES AND I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. SO I THINK THERE'S ONE WAY TO CENTRALIZE MAYBE CARDBOARD RECYCLING OR SOMETHING AND YOU KNOW GET A VENDOR THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP YOU KNOW, I THINK IT MIGHT HELP BUT YOU KNOW, I'M HAPPY TO BRAINSTORM SOME SOLUTIONS. YEAH. AND WE YOU KNOW, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK WHO MIGHT AND THERE MAY BE SYSTEMIC STRATEGIES IN TERMS OF LIKE WHERE THEY'RE GETTING THE FOOD FROM AND YEAH UM AND JUST I KNOW, I HAVE I SOMETHING THE OTHER THING THAT YOU MENTIONED ABOUT ELDERS NOT BEING ABLE TO THE FOOD DESERT IDEA AND THE SORT OF AS CONGRESSWOMAN PRESLEY CALLS AND FOOD APARTHEID YOU KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT BE LIVING RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO A REALLY NICE GROCERY STORE YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY THEIR FOOD THERE. SO THAT'S A PROBLEM. YEAH. NO THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT.  I THINK IN YOUR DISTRICT WE SORT OF ARE AWARE OF SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES AND WE WE DO WORK CLOSELY WITH AUSTIN BRIGHTON HEALTH COLLABORATIVE THAT IS I THINK ALWAYS SORT OF PIONEERING NEW INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO MEET THE NEED AS WELL AS KIND OF CONVENING FOLKS MORE AND MORE TO KIND OF LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOOD BASED COMMUNITY BASED STRATEGIES. SO THEY ARE ONE OF THE GRANTEES FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH LEADERS WHICH JUST TO SAY I THINK IS AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE COMMUNITY BEST TO BE DOING THE PEER TO PEER OUTREACH IS REALLY THAT IT'S THAT THAT GRANT IS FUNDING IS REALLY DESIGNED TO HELP FOLKS BECOME AWARE OF FEDERAL AND STATE PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN AND POTENTIALLY GET RESOURCES. WE KNOW THAT LIKE THE MONTHLY SNAP BENEFIT IS NOT AS HIGH AS IS AS IT SHOULD BE BUT THERE ARE RESOURCES LIKE THAT THAT CAN HELP PEOPLE IN THE LONGER TERM ESPECIALLY SENIORS YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON THEIR PARTICULAR LIKE INCOME ELIGIBILITY ETC. BUT YEAH, HAPPY TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT AND SORT OF BRAINSTORM PARTICULAR SOLUTIONS AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. KASSEM HERE THE FLOOR IS YOURS . THANK YOU, CHAIR AND THANK YOU ALL. I'M GOING TO PICK BACK UP ON THE ENVIRONMENT. I'M GOING TO START WITH THAT AND THEN I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY.  SO I GOT FOR 8 MINUTES SO FOUR FOR EACH. THAT'S THE GOAL.  THAT MEANS THAT YOUR ANSWERS BETTER BE LESS THAN A MINUTE. OKAY.  SO I'M CURIOUS AROUND THE STORM GOING TO GO BACK TO THE STORM WATER SITUATION BECAUSE I GOT A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN CALLING ME ABOUT THAT TAX AND I'M ALL ABOUT HOW DO WE SEIZE A MOMENT TO DO EDUCATION PARTICULARLY WITH IMMIGRANT OWNED BUSINESSES WHO HAVE NOT WHO WHO STRUGGLE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE JUSTICE CONVERSATION AND SO CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT IF ANY OPPORTUNITIES YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT AS AN ENTRY POINT TO DO SOME EDUCATION AROUND THAT SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE WHY NOT JUST GETTING A TAX BUT HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND HOW THAT HELPS THEM? AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT ALONG COLUMBIA ROAD THE THE THAT THEY ALWAYS HAVE FLOODING AND ALL OF THOSE BUSINESSES ARE THE ONES THAT ARE IMPACTED. SO I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IN MY OWN LITTLE HUMBLE WAY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE WORLD THAT YOU OPERATE IN HAVE MANAGED TO EDUCATE THESE IMMIGRANT OWNED BUSINESSES ABOUT CLIMATE JUSTICE AND HOW IT'S ALL INTERCONNECTED. SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU'RE THINKING IS AND FRAMING IS AROUND THAT.  ALSO CURIOUS AROUND I WANT TO STAY ON THAT SPACE AROUND EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT. I FEEL LIKE WHEN FEEL LIKE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE IT FEELS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN FOLKS WHO ARE EVERY DAY LIKE TRYING TO JUGGLE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN CONDITIONS IN VHA THAT ARE JUST NOT FIT FOR ANYONE AND YOU KNOW, THEY JUST WHETHER IT'S LIKE HEATING OR THE VENTILATION, ALL OF THOSE THINGS I'D LOVE TO HEAR KIND OF LIKE I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S YOUR DEPARTMENT OR YOU GUYS ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT? YOU GUYS ARE ENVIRONMENT SO YEAH, I CAN TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT. OKAY GREAT.  I'D LIKE TO HEAR HOW THAT LOOKS IN YOUR WORLD AND THEN IN REGARDS TO THE FOOD JUSTICE, I REALLY LOVE THAT BEING FOOD JUSTICE BECAUSE WHEN I THINK ABOUT ACCESS IT'S NOT JUST AROUND GROWING. I DON'T SEE IT THAT WAY. I DON'T I THINK THAT THERE'S WHEN I THINK ABOUT ACCESS IN FOOD AND JUST I, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THAT LANGUAGE.  I'M CURIOUS I HAVE SOME SPECIFICS HERE.  THE EAST BOSTON SOUP KITCHEN COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHEN IS HERE IN THE HOUSE ALWAYS THEY'VE BEEN AROUND SINCE 2016 AND I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE ROLE THAT THE CITY IS PLAYING IN FILLING IN THE GAP FOR SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE PROVIDING CULTURALLY COMPETENT FOODS.  AND I APPRECIATE THE FOOD BANK AND I APPRECIATE ALL THESE OTHER SPACES AND PLACES BUT THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT FOOD DISTRIBUTION AND AND AND INITIATIVES THAT ARE THAT HAVE A CULTURALLY COMPETENT LENS TO IT. SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT INVESTMENTS YOU ALL ARE MAKING IN THAT SPACE AND IN REGARDS TO FOOD JUSTICE, I'M ALSO CURIOUS THIS PASS WINTER I KNOW THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL FARMER'S MARKETS THAT WERE OPERATING AND I WENT TO VISIT A FEW JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE SAID TO ME HEY DURING THE WINTER THERE AREN'T THERE AREN'T ANY COUPONS AND THEY ONLY PROVIDED COUPONS DURING THE SUMMER.  AND SO I LEVERAGED MY NETWORK AND I DID A LITTLE BIT OF MATCHMAKING AND I FOUND SOME WAYS TO FILL THAT GAP IN THE WINTER AND I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S ANY APPETITE NO PUN INTENDED TO HAVE SOME COUPONS FOR THE WINTER FARMER'S MARKETS EVEN IF IT'S JUST A PILOT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY ALL YEAR ROUND, NOT JUST THE SUMMER. AND I THINK THAT IF THERE'S IF THERE'S EVEN, YOU KNOW, $50,000 THAT WE CAN SET ASIDE OR WHATEVER IT IS, I DON'T KNOW BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU WHAT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE. I THINK THAT IT IS WORTH US LOOKING TO I KNOW CODMAN SQUARE WAS THE ONE THAT CYNTHIA WHO RUNS THE COMMON SQUARE OF A FARMER'S MARKET WAS THE ONE WHO EDUCATED ME ON THIS AND I. I AM HERE TO BRING THE PEOPLE'S VOICES INTO THE CHAMBER. SO I WANT TO GIVE HER CREDIT FOR INSPIRING THIS THOUGHT AND I THINK IT'S WORTH ASKING YOU ALL WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF STANDING IN THAT GAP AND I HAVE 3 MINUTES GO THANK YOU, COUNCILOR . THOSE ARE WONDERFUL QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING TO IMPLEMENT THIS WORK. I APPRECIATE THE CHALLENGE TO KEEP THE ANSWERS SUCCINCT SO LET'S SEE IF I CAN DO IT FOR THE STORMWATER FEE. THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT IS RUN FROM THE BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION BUT WITH ENORMOUS SUPPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH IS IN THE STREET'S CABINET. BUT I WILL TAKE THE LIBERTY OF SAYING THAT THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE DIRECTORATE KATE ENGLAND HAS A LOT OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATION AND PROGRAMING IN THE WORKS AND PLANNED TO SUPPORT BOSTON WATER AND SEWER ON THAT FEE WHICH I WOULD RATHER CALL THE STORMWATER UTILITY INCLUDING GRANT PROGRAMS TO HELP PROPERTY OWNERS BE ABLE TO PUT IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY GREAT FOR THEM BUT ALSO REDUCES THE FEE.  FOR YOUR SECOND QUESTION RELATED TO YOU KNOW FOLKS NOT FINDING THEMSELVES IN THE CLIMATE AGENDA BECAUSE OF THEIR DAY TO DAY CONCERNS AND I THAT RESONATES VERY CLOSELY WITH ME . I'M PUTTING ON MY GREEN NEW DEAL DIRECTOR I HAVE TO SAY THAT THAT IS REALLY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S FOCUS ON CLIMATE ACTION IS REALLY HOW DOES CLIMATE ACTION IMPROVE YOUR LIFE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS ? SO MANY DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE GO AT THAT. BUT I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU TWO EXAMPLES ONE WHICH I'M SURE YOU KNOW VERY WELL COMMUNITY CHOICE ELECTRICITY IT IT REDUCES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OVERALL.  BUT REALLY WHAT THIS DOES IS LOWER UTILITY BILLS FOR RESIDENTS DIRECTLY AND THAT'S SOMETHING THEY CAN FEEL SOMETHING NEW THAT WE WILL BE DOING IS A PROGRAM TO REPLACE GAS STOVES WITH ELECTRIC AND INDUCTION STOVES WHICH PROVIDES FOR A MUCH SAFER ENVIRONMENT FOR COOKING MUCH BETTER AIR QUALITY AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT ALSO REDUCES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. BUT FOR FOLKS IN THEIR DAY TO DAY LIFE IT'S A NEW STOVE THAT WORKS GREAT AND KEEPS THEIR APARTMENT CLEANER. THANK YOU.  I HAVE FOLLOW UPS BUT WE'LL GO SO AGAIN JUST THIS I WILL BE BRIEF SO WE'RE TOTALLY ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT GOALS SO THANK YOU FOR RAISING BOTH OF THESE.  WE I WOULD SAY WE'RE STRIVING TO EMBED BOTH OF THOSE THINGS IN EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE PLANNING.  SO ONE FOR SUPPORTING CULTURALLY COMPETENT FOOD PROVISION. I THINK WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO DEPLOY THE ARPA FUNDS FOR COLD STORAGE IN COORDINATION THAT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET FOLKS THE SORT OF EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO HAVE MORE FRESH FOOD WHICH IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT FOLKS ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR AND I GUESS IS BASIN COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHEN BECAUSE OF ARPA FUNDS THAT COUNCILOR COLETTA WAS ABLE TO GET FOR US THAT DID HELP US TO KIND OF PILOT THAT TYPE OF DIRECT GRANT THAT'S SUPPORTED CULTURALLY COMPETENT FOODS WINTER FARM WINTER COUPONS AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO IT THIS YEAR DUE TO SORT OF LIKE THE OPERATIONS OF THAT TYPE OF A PROGRAM WE HAVE IN THE PAST AND WE WOULD NOW THAT WE'RE AT FULL STAFFING WE WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT IN THE FUTURE AND WILL BE INCLUDING QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING IN THE PLANNING PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHAT COMES AFTER THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN GET TOWARDS MORE YEAR ROUND BECAUSE TO THE ONE YEAR COULD I QUOTE PLEASE? YES. THANK YOU.  I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE EAST BOSTON SOUP KITCHEN BECAUSE I THINK YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING THAT IS NEED SOME FLAHERTY AROUND I WAS REALLY TRYING TO GET AT BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE UPPER I WAS WHAT I ACTUALLY SECONDS AND IT WAS REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT AMENDMENT BUT I'M CURIOUS IN TERMS OF LONG TERM INFRASTRUCTURE RIGHT BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I FEEL WE STRUGGLE WITH THE MOST IS THAT WE HAVE THESE ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE ON THE GROUND DOING THE WORK WE PROVIDED A BAND-AID IF YOU WILL. NOW WE ARE FUNDING GONE LIKE WHAT IS THE LONG WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND SUPPORTING THESE ORGANIZATIONS BEYOND THE OPTION OF FUNDING?  YEAH, SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE ARE TRYING TO INVEST DOLLARS IN COLD STORAGE BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT RIGHT LIKE FOOD NEEDS YOU NEED TO KEEP PURCHASING IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BUT IF WE CAN SUPPORT SORT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE CITY THAT ALLOW THEM TO DO SORT OF A BETTER JOB AND MORE OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING IN A WAY THAT IS SORT OF SUSTAINABILITY THE EFFICIENCY OF LIKE IF YOU HAVE A FREEZER YOU CAN BUY THINGS AT A LOWER COST THAN IF YOU DON'T AS AN EXAMPLE. SO THAT TYPE OF THING IS WHAT WE ARE INVESTING THE NEW OUR OFFENSIVE. OKAY SO I'M GOING TO WAIT FOR MY SECOND ONE. AWESOME. THANK YOU COUNCILOR FITZGERALD ,THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU PANEL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I GUESS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I WANT TO BRING UP IS COASTAL RESILIENCY DISTRICT THREE. WE'VE GOT SEVEN PLUS MILES OF COASTLINE.  THERE'S A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT COMING UP, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE THIS STUFF RIGHT. BUT WITH IT I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE CONCERNS AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD I THINK ABOUT YOU KNOW THE TO COME BAY CITY MORRISSEY BOULEVARD REDESIGNED THE FOLKS AT PORT NORFOLK WHO ARE WONDERING WHEN WE WHEN WE DO THIS COASTAL RESILIENCY WHERE IS THE WATER GOING ESPECIALLY ON MORRISSEY BOULEVARD IN BAY CITY DOES IT JUST FLOODED TO PORT NORFOLK FOLKS I KNOW THEY HAVE A BIG CONCERN ABOUT THAT BUT I GUESS I ALSO JUST HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ACTIVATING THAT SPACE RIGHT AS WE BUILD IT UP WHAT IT COULD BE IN TERMS OF OPEN SPACE PARK SPACE MULTI-MODAL PATHWAYS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE ALONG THE COAST.  I THINK BIKE LANES I THINK RIGHT PLACES FOR WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO RIGHT THERE BY GET THERE AND JUMP IN THE WATER BARRING SAFE SWIMMING THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IN A SECOND. BUT YOU KNOW LOOKING AT THAT AND ARE THERE I GUESS ARE THERE PROGRAMS FOR FOLKS LIKE THE FOLKS IN PORT NORFOLK THAT WE COULD PROVIDE OR THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT MAYBE THEY COULD LOOK INTO AS THEY SORT OF BECOME MORE THREATENED BY THE RISE OF THE WATER COUNSELORS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION. HAPPY TO WALK THROUGH A SET OF DIFFERENT PIECES AROUND THAT FIRST, I'M MINDFUL THAT CHIEF SWETT ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES IS THINK ABOUT HOW WE CREATE AN OFFICE OF CLIMATE RESILIENCE PROBABLY SO THAT WE CAN EVEN ACCELERATE MORE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION THAT'S WE'RE BUILDING ON THE GOOD PLANNING WORK THAT HAS HAPPENED ALREADY. THIS IS A BUDGET WHICH ACTUALLY INVESTS EVEN MORE IN OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT. SO I THINK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT YOUR DISTRICT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS IN THIS BUDGET IS A $75 MILLION MATCH RESERVE THAT ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE CITY MATCH FOR COMPETITIVE STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS THAT WE'RE GOING AFTER.  TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF TWO OF THOSE WE WERE YOU'RE SUPPORTING A GRANT THAT'S BEING LED BY DCR FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF TINIAN BEACH FOLLOWING THE PLANNING EFFORT THAT WAS DONE AND LED BY THE BPA IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY WE SUBMITTED A GRANT APPLICATION IN TO FEMA FOR IN TOTAL $15 MILLION OF WHICH ESSENTIALLY 12 WOULD BE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THEN THE REST WILL BE MATCHED FROM CITY THROUGH THIS BUDGET AND FROM THE STATE SIMILARLY WE ARE HAVE MATCH FUNDING THAT WE HAVE SET ASIDE FOR THE FLOOD PATH THAT YOU MENTIONED THROUGH MOAKLEY PARK AND THE LOCAL CONNECTORS AGAIN SO THAT WE CAN GO AGGRESSIVELY AFTER EVERY STATE AND FEDERAL FINANCING OPPORTUNITY THERE IS TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS AND AND DO THIS WORK AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS WE CAN. TO YOUR POINT AROUND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT JUST BUILDING WALLS AND PROTECTING OURSELVES AGAINST A THREAT BUT ACTUALLY ENHANCING OUR CITY BY DOING THIS? THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO GET DONE I THINK TIES INTO THE COUNCILMAN HIS QUESTION BEFORE AND I'LL ANSWER THAT SO MUCH OF THIS WORK IS NOT SIMPLY ABOUT WALLING OURSELVES OFF FROM A THREAT BUT ACTUALLY TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE RECONNECT PEOPLE WITH A HARBOR THAT THEY LOVE AND BE ABLE TO WALK BY, JOG ALONG THAT BE ARTIFICIAL LIGHT OR WHATEVER NUMBER OF FOLKS WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO. SO WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW WE MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING THAT THAT DESIGN WORK AND INVESTING IN THOSE THOSE ELEMENTS. SO THERE'S A QUESTION ON PORT NORFOLK THERE IS FUNDING IN THIS CAPITAL BUDGET FOR CLIMATE READY STREETS. WE ARE EXPECTING TO BE ABLE TO CARVE A PORTION OF THAT CLIMATE READY STREETS FUNDING AFTER DOING A PROJECT SPECIFICALLY IN PORT NORFOLK IN MANY WAYS TARGETED EXACTLY TO WHERE WHAT YOU'RE ADDRESSING HOW DO WE NOT JUST THINK ABOUT SORT OF ACCESS TO AND THE PROTECTION OF PORT NORFOLK BUT ACTUALLY GUIDANCE FOR HOMEOWNERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE PORT NORFOLK COMMUNITY KNOWING HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS. SO I'M HAPPY TO DIVE IN MORE ALONG THE COASTLINE BUT THAT'S SORT OF THE QUICK OVERVIEW.  NOPE, THAT'S FANTASTIC. I THINK ALONG THAT IN HELPING PEOPLE BE AWARE OF THINGS IN BOURDEAUX ARE WE DOING ENOUGH OUTREACH? I KNOW SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING YEAH I KNOW WE GOT TO COMPLY BUT WHO DO WE GO TO? WHAT DO WE DO? DO WE HAVE THOSE?  ARE WE DOING ENOUGH THERE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND NOW WHAT IT IS THEY HAVE TO COMPLY WITH AND WHO THEY NEED TO GO TO SEE AND TALK TO SO THAT THEY ARE DOING IT PROPERLY AND YOU KNOW, KEEPING UP TO CODE WITH WITH US AND ALSO KEEPING IT AS EFFICIENT FOR THEM AS THEY CAN AS WELL.  YEAH COUNCILOR , THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND THIS BUDGET DEFINITELY PROVIDES FOR THAT. SO I WILL NOTE THAT THE FINAL BOURDEAUX REGULATIONS WERE APPROVED AT THE END OF THE LAST CALENDAR YEAR SO IT'S REALLY ONLY BEEN A FEW MONTHS THAT THE FULL INFORMATION IS THERE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS WITH ESSENTIALLY ZERO AMBIGUITY AND SO THE THE THE FUNDS IN THIS BUDGET AND SOME OF THE OTHER FUNDING THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER IN THIS HEARING REALLY GO TOWARD LARGELY TOWARD BUILDING UP A HELP DESK WHERE PROPERTY OWNERS CAN CALL AND UNDERSTAND FURTHER THEIR SPECIFIC SITUATION WHAT THEY NEED TO DO ON ON REPORTING ON COMPLIANCE AND I WOULD SAY MOST IMPORTANTLY ON STARTING TO WORK ON THE PLAN TO IMPLEMENT WHAT IS GOING TO WORK FOR THEIR BUILDING AND REDUCE EMISSIONS. GREAT. THAT'S AWESOME BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S A BIG INVESTMENT FOR A LOT OF FOLKS AND THE MISSTEPS ARE ALWAYS EXPENSIVE, RIGHT? SO IF THEY WANT THAT IF WE WANT THEM TO COMPLY WE WILL WANT TO GIVE THEM THE BEST PATH FORWARD. SO I APPRECIATE THAT TOO THAT CLEAN SWIMMING WATER I THINK IT HAS TO BE TINIAN BEACH, PLACES LIKE THAT. ARE THERE THINGS THAT THE CITY CAN DO? I KNOW THAT ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA SPECIFICALLY THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND IT'S A LOT OF CALLS CLAIMING WHAT RIGHT BUT I HAVE SOME CONSTITUENTS THAT GO SWIMMING THERE DAILY AND I HAVE SOME CONSTITUENTS I'D SAY IF YOU DO SO DO NOT PLAN TO LIVE THAT MUCH LONGER DUE TO THE CONTAMINANTS THAT ARE THAT ARE IN THERE BOTH FROM BEING THE PROXIMITY TO THE HIGHWAY, THE YACHT CLUB THAT IS IN THERE AND JUST THE WATER FLOW ONLY GOING UNDER THE BEADS BRIDGE IT DOESN'T GET THAT YOU KNOW YOU DON'T GET THE BEST. SO IS WHAT CAN WE DO WHAT IS WHAT IS BEING DONE? MAYBE I DON'T HAVE A GREAT HISTORY OF THAT AND IF SO WHAT WHAT CAN WE POSSIBLY DO UNDER OUR PURVIEW THAT I COULD ADVOCATE FOR?  THERE ARE OTHERS IN PLACE INCLUDING ON THIS PANEL WHO WILL KNOW MORE THAN I WILL. SO HAPPY TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT SORT OF A LARGER ANSWER. A LOT OF SOME OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE WORK THAT CAN BE DONE REALLY ACTUALLY ARE BY GROUPS LIKE THE BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO BEST HANDLE STORM WATER ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON AND I KNOW THAT IS OF INTEREST TO A NUMBER OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS. SO HAPPY TO SPECIFICALLY SORT OF DOCUMENT SOME OF THE WORK WHICH THEY'RE DOING AND THEN PROBABLY SOME OF THE WORK WE'RE DOING UP AND DOWN THE COAST RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT WE THERE'S GREAT PLACES TO GO BE ABLE TO SWIM. I DO SEE A BEAUTIFUL MORRISSEY BOULEVARD REDONE, RAISED COASTAL RESILIENCY BIKE PATH ALONG THE COAST PEOPLE SWIMMING IN THE BEACH IN THE BAY, WALKING DOWN THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  IT'S THE PAINTING THAT I'M SHOOTING FOR, RIGHT? SO I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS AND HELPING US GET THERE AS FAR AS THE TREE CANOPY, YOU KNOW FROM BACK TO I KNOW WHEN MAYOR MENINO IN PUT THAT ORIGINALLY FORWARD I FORGET THE AND IT WAS A 30,000 TREES AND I FORGET THE NUMBER BUT I KNOW WITH SO MUCH DEVELOPMENT COMING INTO DORCHESTER AND AND IT'S ONLY GOING TO BE MORE OF MORRISSEY UPDATE ABV AND AS TREES CONTINUE TO GET TAKEN DOWN FOR DEVELOPMENT IS IT STILL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO A 1 TO 1 REPLACEMENT OF A TREE?  IF SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE DOWN A TREE THEY HAVE TO REPLACE IT OR IS THAT NOT NECESSARILY LIKE AND HOW DO WE ENFORCE IF THAT IS WHAT IS THE ENFORCEMENT THAT I WOULD GIVE THE SPECIFIC ON THE TREE ORDINANCE COMMISSIONER WISE WOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT FAR FAR BETTER THAN ENFORCING THE LINES. BUT COMBINATION OF THE WORK THAT PARKS IS DOING, THE INVESTMENTS TO SUSTAIN THE CANOPY THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THOSE INVESTMENTS IN BOTH NEW TREES ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND NEW TREES ON PUBLIC PROPERTIES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT SO HAPPY TO GET YOUR MORE EXTENSIVE ANSWER ON THAT. NO, THANK YOU SIR.  WE TALKED ABOUT YOU MIGHT HAVE ALREADY HIT ON THIS ONE BUT ADVANCING THE DESIGN THAT BUILDS RESILIENCE TO 2030 IN FLOODING PATHWAYS JUST WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, WHAT IS THAT? WHAT IS THE DESIGN? I DON'T I JUST DON'T KNOW PHYSICALLY.  SO WITH A LOT OF CREDIT TO SOME FOLKS ON THE CLIMATE WRITING TEAM AND THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS FOLKS WITHIN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN OTHER PLACES WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER DESIGNS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMUNITY FOR ROUGHLY A DOZEN LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON THAT MANY OF WHICH ARE EXPERIENCING FLOODING TODAY AND ALL OF WHICH ARE PLACES THAT WITH NINE INCHES OF SEA LEVEL RISE, THE AMOUNT OF FUEL RISE WE EXPECT BY THE 2030S THAT WE WOULD HAVE INUNDATION INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS FROM STORM SURGE AND SEA LEVEL RISE. WHAT THAT SPECIFICALLY LOOKS LIKE MAY VARY DEPENDING UPON SORT OF THE NATURE OF THE EXISTING COASTLINE TODAY. SO IN A PLACE FOR EXAMPLE LIKE IN EAST BOSTON, A.L. MARSH WHERE YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU PROTECT AND SUPPORT AN ADJACENT MARSH, IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE ONE SET OF DESIGNS AND MAY LOOK VERY DIFFERENT IN A DOWNTOWN CONTEXT LIKE LONG WHARF AND IT MAY LOOK EVEN MORE LIKE AN EXPANSION OR AN EXTENSION OF OF TINIAN BEACH. SO HAPPY TO GET YOU SOME OF THE SPECIFIC DESIGNS FOR EACH OF THOSE. BUT WE ARE IN ALL CASES TRYING TO BE NOT JUST PROTECTING AGAINST THE THREAT BUT ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF BEING ON THE WATERFRONT AS IN THE WORK GOING FORWARD. GREAT CHAIR IF I COULD ASK ONE SUMMARIZING QUESTION. YES, THANK YOU. THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN PROCESS THAT YOU DO AS THE GOAL OF THAT 2025 RIGHT TO KICK THAT OFF COULD YOU JUST SAY YOU DON'T NEED TO GO INTO IT DEEPLY BUT JUST COULD YOU QUICKLY SUMMARIZE THE KEY STEPS OR MILESTONES THERE SO IF IF I'M OUT ADVOCATING AND PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT'S BEING DONE, WHAT CAN I SAY THAT THIS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS YOU KNOW, THE TOP THREE OR FOUR KEY COMPONENTS OF IT THAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR SURE. WHAT I WILL SAY IS SORT OF THEMATICALLY I THINK IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT WHAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS IS, YOU KNOW, DECARBONIZATION, ENERGY TRANSITION AND RESILIENCE. THAT'S SOMETHING INCOMING CHIEF SWETT HAS TALKED A LOT ABOUT. BUT I THINK THE BIG SHIFT IS THAT IN THE PAST CITIES HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO CLIMATE ACTION PLANS TO DOCUMENT THE INFORMATION AND RAISE AWARENESS AND GET WORK STARTED. WE'RE AT A TOTALLY DIFFERENT POINT NOW.  WE'RE LOOKING FOR PLANS THAT ARE REALLY ABOUT THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND ABOUT GETTING THE JOBS AND IMMEDIATE BENEFITS FROM THEM. SO I THINK WE'RE WE ARE IN A GREAT POSITION IN BOSTON TO KIND OF BREAK THE MOLD ON WHAT IT MEANS TO DO A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. SO IT'S A IT'S A GREAT QUESTION THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANSWERING WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE DO THIS DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO ANOTHER PLAN LIKE WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.  NO, IT'S GREAT. IT'S GREAT TO SEE ACTION BEING TAKEN KNOWING THAT THE CLOCK IS TICKING AS WELL AND WE'VE GOT TO TRAIN OUR KIDS UP TO TO BE READY FOR THESE JOBS IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. SO I THINK IT IS A GREAT JOB CREATOR SO THAT'S AWESOME.  THANK YOU, CHIP. THANK YOU, PANEL. THANK YOU.  JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. A LOT OF MY COLLEAGUES OF THAT'S THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE WRITTEN DOWN. ONE IS A FINANCIAL QUESTION ON CONTRACTS.  HONEYWELL HAS A CONTRACT FOR 144 MILLION OVER 28 YEARS. WHAT WHAT IS IT CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT QUESTION WHY? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY YEAH, LIKE WHAT WAS THE CONTRACT FOR? YEAH SO BASICALLY THE HONEYWELL CONTRACT IS TO BASICALLY MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY IS SAVING ON EFFICIENCY IN HOW THAT WORKS. IS THAT A INTEREST IT ADDRESSES A SAVING A LOT ON ELECTRICITY COSTS AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT WE CAN GET INCENTIVES FROM THAT THAT GOES INTO THE ENVIRONMENT BUDGET WELL IT WON'T GO TO BUDGET LIKE WE CAN ACCESS BUT GOES BACK INTO THE CITY BUDGET WE LIKE BASICALLY PAYS THE BUILDINGS THE LIBRARY BUILDINGS FOR THE ENERGY BILLS. GOT IT. THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANT TO GO ON RECORD ADVOCATING FOR CYNTHIA LESH AND THE DORCHESTER COMMONS SQUARE ON ALL THE WORK THAT THEY DO THE COMMONS SQUARE FARMERS MARKET MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE COUPONS, THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE HEALTHY FOOD YEAR ROUND. AND WITH THAT WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND THEN GO BACK TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS.  WHEN YOU HEAR YOUR NAME CALLED PLEASE COME DOWN TO ONE OF THE TWO PODIUMS STATE YOUR NAME NEIGHBORHOOD AND ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION. PLEASE BRING IT TO THE MICROPHONE AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENT. I'M GOING TO GIVE EVERYONE 3 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS SANDRA FOLLOWED BY JUNE.  GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR AND ALL COUNCILORS THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY.  MY NAME IS SANDRA TANAGER. I LIVE IN EAST BOSTON AND I AM THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EAST BOSTON COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHEN. WE ARE A SMALL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT HAS OPERATED A FOOD PANTRY AND SOUP KITCHEN SERVICE IN MAVERIK SQUARE IN EAST BOSTON FOR NEARLY EIGHT YEARS. WE DISTRIBUTE OVER 500 BAGS OF GROCERIES EACH MONDAY AND WE PROVIDE OVER 300 HOT MEALS ON TUESDAYS.  OUR WEEKLY SOUP KITCHEN SERVICE IS A LIFELINE FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS RECENTLY ARRIVED IMMIGRANTS AND OTHERS FACING FOOD INSECURITY.  WE PROVIDE BREAKFAST AND HEARTY MEALS ON TUESDAYS AS I SAID AT OUR SAVIORS LUTHERAN CHURCH WE BRING RECOVERY COACHES AND BARBERS AND WHO PROVIDE FREE HAIRCUTS TO OUR UNHOUSED. WE ALSO PROVIDE FEMININE HYGIENE SUPPLIES ONCE A MONTH WE ALSO HAVE A PET FOOD PANTRY EVERY TWO MONTHS. WE ALSO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOCAL Y IS BOSTON YMCA FOR OUR UNHOUSED TO ACCESS THE SHOWERS WE ALSO PROVIDE AND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS TO OUR UNHOUSED EVERY MONTH OUR SOUP KITCHEN AND LIKE OURS IS A KEY SOURCE OF SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AND SUPPORT FOR OUR CITY'S MOST MARGINALIZED AND VULNERABLE VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS. OUR CLIENTS STRUGGLE WITH SIGNIFICANT TRAUMA ADDICTION AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES WE HAVE CREATED A WELCOMING, JOYFUL AND JUDGMENT FREE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THESE INDIVIDUALS CAN RELAX, COME IN FRONT FROM COLD AND VERY CRUEL ENVIRONMENT OUT THERE IN SOCIETY.  AS A RESULT, OUR SOUP KITCHEN HAS BEEN THE ENTRY POINT FOR SEVERAL DOZEN INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, IN REHAB AND HAVE GONE TO DETOX AND HAVE BENEFITED FROM THESE SERVICES.  THIS IS THE SERVICE THAT WE ARE MOST PROUD OF . WE NOT ONLY PROVIDE NUTRITIOUS AND CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT FOOD TO OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY BUT WE PARTNER WITH SEVERAL SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT, REHAB SERVICES AND CONNECTIONS TO HOUSING RESOURCES, WELCOMING COMMUNITY SPACES LIKE THE EAST BOSTON COMMUNITY SOUP KITCHENS ARE ONE OF BOSTON'S MOST POWERFUL TOOLS TO BOTH SUPPORT PEOPLE FACING FOOD INSECURITY AND ALSO ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS.  WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF OUR CITY COUNSELORS SUCH AS OUR COUNSELOR JULIA HERE ROOTSY AND ALSO COUNSELOR GABRIELA CALERO DG AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF FOOD JUSTICE. I AM HERE TODAY TO NOT ONLY TO SHARE OUR STORY WITH YOU BUT TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. SMALL GRANTS ROOTS ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS ARE CONSTANTLY IN NEED OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SOURCES TO CONTINUE OUR LIFESAVING WORK CONSISTENT RELIABLE FUNDING SOURCES ARE NEEDED TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR OPERATIONS AND THE QUALITY OF FOOD THAT WE HOPE TO PROVIDE TO A VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE.  SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR SO MANY OF US AND PLEASE KEEP US IN MIND FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND OUR, YOU KNOW, LOW INCOME IMMIGRANTS AND OUR HOMELESS THAT REALLY NEED US. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, JUNE HELLO AND THANK YOU CHAIR THE COUNSELORS THERE ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOOD JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MY NAME IS JEN NIGHT, A STAFF MEMBER AT THE EMERALD NECKLACE CONSERVANCY, A NONPROFIT THAT STEWARD AND RESTORE AND IMPROVE 1100 ACRES OF THE EMERALD NECKLACE. BEFORE I COMMENT ON THE DOCKET I JUST WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE DORCHESTER FOOD CO-OP THAT OPENED LAST YEAR AND A NEW FARMER'S MARKET THAT WILL HAPPEN THAT WILL OPEN OR WILL HAPPEN THIS SUMMER ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS AT CHARLES GATE PARK UNDER THE BARKER OVERPASS THAT'S LED BY THE MIGHTY WATER INITIATIVE.  AND I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A DAY THANK YOU TO CAROLINE REEVES WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MIGHTY WATER INITIATIVE WHO'S DOING AMAZING WORK TO TAKE CARE OF THAT MIGHTY RIVER AND I WANT TO SPECIFICALLY COMMENT ON THE DOCKET NUMBER 0688 TO SHOW SUPPORT AND HOPE FOR MORE FUNDING TO BE ALLOCATED FOR CONSULTANTS INCLUDING ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS AND ETC..  WITHIN THE EMERALD NECKLACE LIES AT THE MIGHTY RIVER AS THE MIGHTY RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT WHICH BEGAN OR KIND OF BEGUN IN THE 1990S AFTER A DEVASTATING FLOOD IS COMING TO A CLOSE AND I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE LOW WATER LEVELS THAT HAS BEEN RESULTED AT THE END OF THIS PROJECT. THERE'S APPARENTLY TWO KIND OF PHASES OF THIS MIGHTY RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT THAT IS VALUED BY BOTH BOSTON AND BROOKLYN AND I BELIEVE THERE'S ABOUT $92 MILLION MULTIDECADE PROJECT DEFINING YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST HISTORIC URBAN LANDSCAPES. AND DESPITE THIS IMPROVEMENT BROUGHT BY THE PROJECT, THE MIGHTY RIVER STILL CONTINUES TO BE A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE TO OUR WATER RACE DOCUMENTING THE MOST CONTAMINATED TRIBUTARY TO THE CHARLES RIVER I KNOW IT RECEIVED A D-MINUS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO UNDER THE CHARLES RIVER WATER QUALITY TEST AND IT CAME UP TO A C-PLUS WHICH IS FANTASTIC AND SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD CHANGE COMING BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT HASN'T IMPROVED TO THE LEVEL THAT THE CHARLES RIVER IS WHICH IT RECEIVED A FOR THE WATER QUALITY AND YOU CAN REALLY SEE THE COMPARISON BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, A C PLUS AND A WHERE PEOPLE YOU SEE BALD EAGLES FISHING IN THE CHARLES RIVER RECENTLY WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING WOW, THERE'S EAGLES STARTING TO COME INTO BOSTON AND SO REALLY THINKING ABOUT YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE RE PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES SPECIFICALLY THE MIGHTY RIVER BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES STREAM THROUGH A LOT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND SO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOT OF NONFEDERAL SPONSORS SUCH AS THE CITY OF BOSTON, THE TOWN OF BROOKLINE, THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION I JOINED IN TO REALLY ADVOCATE FOR THE NEED FOR THIS RIVER FOR A ABIDING HISTORICAL PUBLIC PARKS AND LANDSCAPES, FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT DEPEND ON IT.  AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH YOU ALL TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO IDENTIFY THE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS IN A TIMELY MANNER TO FIND ECONOMICALLY VIABLE REMEDIATIONS CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL GOALS TO MITIGATE MITIGATE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS UNEXPECTED CHANGE. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH YOU ALL FOR SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU.  THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME TO TESTIFY.  I APPRECIATE WHEN THE PUBLIC COMES OUT AND SPEAKS AT THESE HEARINGS NOW I GO BACK TO OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES FOR A SECOND ROUND AND QUESTIONED COUNCILOR MEJIA THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  OKAY SO THIS IS THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AND I I KNOW I ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STORMWATER JUST KEEP INDULGING ME WITH THE STORMWATER SITUATION HERE BECAUSE CHIEF, YOU HAD MENTIONED I THINK STREETS AND OR THE BUS AND WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONER IS JUST LIKE BUT CAN YOU HELP OUR VIEWERS UNDERSTAND HOW STORMWATER IS CONNECTED TO ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT QUESTION I CERTAINLY PLEASE BECAUSE I JUST FEEL LIKE IT'S SUCH A PRIVILEGED CONVERSATION FOR SOME FOLKS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN OUR LIVING ROOMS TALKING ABOUT STORMWATER ONLY WHEN WE GET BILLS AND THEN WHEN THEY GET BILLS THEY'RE CALLING ME ABOUT IT AND I'M LIKE I NEED YOU FOR THE RECORD TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND. SO I STARTED AND ALL OF US REALLY IMPROVE ON ON ANY OF THIS.  SO AS WE THINK ABOUT THE THE THREATS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, THERE ARE A THIRD SET OF THREATS THAT ARE IN FRONT OF US. SOME ARE THE INCREASING HEAT,  OTHERS ARE THE INCREASE IN SEA LEVEL AND STORM SURGE AND AND REALLY THE FOURTH ESSENTIALLY IS IT INCREASED FREQUENCY OF PRECIPITATION AND INCREASED SORT OF VOLUME HUGE RAINSTORMS. THERE ARE SOME PLACES THAT ARE COMING AND I THINK TO YOUR YOUR POINT EARLIER, I THINK WE SOMETIMES THINK OF THESE THINGS AS FAR OFF CONCERNS BUT THEY ARE THEY ARE HERE RIGHT NOW. WE ALREADY HAVE PLACES IN THE CITY OF BOSTON THAT EXPERIENCED FLOODING FROM FROM STORM SURGE AND SEA LEVEL RISE. WE SEE PLACES IN OUR CITY AS I MENTIONED IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD AND OTHERS. TO YOUR POINT ON COLUMBIA ROAD ,I THINK BY THE THE FAIRMONT LINE UNDERPASS THERE'S PRETTY OFTEN HAVE PONDING THERE AND SEVERE RAIN EVENTS. WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CITY OF LEOMINSTER JUST LAST YEAR WHERE INCREASED SORT OF TORRENTIAL RAINS IS HAVING A REALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON INDIVIDUALS AND AND THEIR PROPERTIES. AND SO THERE'S WORK WHICH WE NEED TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW. LOOK AROUND AROUND HOW TO HANDLE THAT AND SOME OF THAT IS ABOUT HOW WE WE STORE STORM STORMWATER SORT OF OR HANDLE STORMWATER ON THE STREET AND SORT OF RELEASE IT IN A MORE CONTROLLED WAY AND MAKE IT AS CLEANER SORT OF INTO OUR WATER BODIES AROUND THE CITY OF BOSTON. AND SO THERE'S A SET OF WORKERS THE CITY IS DOING SOME OF THAT IS BEING LED TO YOUR POINT BY OUR STREETS CABINET AND OUR OFFICE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IS LED BY KATE ENGLAND AND A LOT OF THAT WORK IS THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE CHANGES WE MAKE TO OUR EIGHT MILES OF ROADWAY IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT PUTTING IN MORE TREES, PLACES PLANTED AREAS THAT CAN BETTER HANDLE THAT EXTREME PRECIPITATION AND NOT JUST BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT IS INCORPORATED IN CITY DESIGNS OF ROADS ARE GOING TO BE BUILDING BUT DO TARGETED INVESTMENTS IN PLACES WE ALREADY HAVE THE SECOND REAL PARTNER AROUND THIS WORK IS OUR BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION AND SO THEY'RE THINKING LARGELY ABOUT THE PRIVATE PROPERTY ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON. IT'S NOT JUST THE ROADS BUT ALL THE PROPERTY.  THOSE ARE PUBLIC PROPERTY AS WELL AND THE STORMWATER FEE IN MANY WAYS IS GEARED TOWARDS THAT.  HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT MAKING INVESTMENTS ON PRIVATE FOR PUBLIC SPACES TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE HUGE VOLUME OF WATER SO THAT IT DOESN'T END UP SORT OF INVESTMENTS ARE FLOODING UP ROADS ETC. A LOT OF THAT SORT OF POLICY LEADERSHIP WORK WITH CREDIT TO A LOT OF FOLKS ME A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT AND IN THE CABINET BROADLY IS REALLY THINKING ABOUT SETTING THE SORT OF THE THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO GET DONE AS A CITY. WHAT IS THE TARGETS WE SHOULD BE SHOOTING FOR? WHAT ARE THE RISKS THAT WE ARE FACING? HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER AS AN ALL OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE THREAT OF SEVERE RAINSTORMS THAT ARE NOT JUST IN THE FUTURE BUT ALREADY OF COURSE? OH, I THINK I GOT IT.  YOU KNOW WHAT THEN I WON'T DO THAT THING WHERE YOU JUST REPEAT WHAT THE OTHER PERSON SAID. I'LL JUST SAY CHRIS SAID YEAH HE DID. HE DID AND I AM I HAVE TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING SO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND IT. SO I WAS INVITED.  I FORGET WHO IT WAS BUT IT WAS SOMEBODY WHO WORKS FOR THE CITY SO A STORM WATER SOMETHING AND THEY HAD VOLUNTEERS.  THIS WAS IN HYDE PARK AND THERE WERE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY PLANTED LITTLE TREES OR AND THEY SAID IT WAS IT WAS DOING WATER SOMETHING THEY WERE DOING THERE BUT THE REASON WHY I'M BRINGING THIS UP AND I ALWAYS GET WEIRD WHEN I THINGS THAT I'M STILL LEARNING ABOUT BUT IT WAS IN AHA MOMENT FOR ME TO BE IN THAT SPACE BECAUSE MANY OF US WHO COME TO THIS COUNTRY WE ARE ALREADY COME WITH SOME VERY SPECIFIC INSTINCTS ABOUT HOW WE CARE FOR OUR PLANET WHETHER IT BE COMPOSTING EVEN THE WAY WE STORE WATER. THERE'S THESE BIG JUGS OF I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY CALL THEM BIG JUGS WITH ALL THE WATER GOES INTO AND THEN YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THEY UTILIZE STORM WATER IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO RECYCLE. RIGHT. SO THAT I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT THAT IS WHAT YOU ALL ARE WORKING TOWARDS. RIGHT? THIS IS A YEAH. SO THERE'S A WHOLE AGAIN YES, PEOPLE ARE MUCH BETTER EXPERTS THAN I AM ON THIS BUT A OF A SORT OF EXAMPLE THAT WE HAD THAT THERE WAS SOME WORK WHICH WAS DONE IN CENTRAL SQUARE IN EAST BOSTON AND PART OF DESIGN IN THAT IT'S A REGIONAL PARK AREA IS TO CAPTURE STORMWATER AND PROVIDE ALLOW THAT STRONG HYDRO TO BETTER BE ABLE TO BE USED BY THE TREES THAT ARE THERE AND IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY AMAZING TO SEE HOW THESE TREES ARE THAT ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S STORMWATER RESEARCH TO PUT IN PLACE. WE'RE ABSOLUTELY THRIVING. YEAH RIGHT TO YOUR POINT AND SO SO I KNOW EASY FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE TUNING IN I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ENVIRONMENT. I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE CAMERA. I'M NOT SURE WHERE THE CAMERA ANGLE IS BUT WHEREVER IT IS I KNOW ABOUT ENVIRONMENT A LITTLE BIT HERE I BETTER I'VE BEEN HERE FOR YEARS THINK SHOOT BUT YES I, I, I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M JOKING BUT I THINK THAT OFTEN TIMES YOU KNOW IN COMMUNITIES PARTICULARLY IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE LOW INCOME WE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON OTHER THINGS. BUT I THINK THAT THE MORE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE TO SHED LIGHT TO THE SMALL THINGS THAT WE CAN DO INDIVIDUALLY IN OUR OWN HOMES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TO HELP SUPPORT THE WORK IS IS IMPORTANT AND I WANT TO BE A PARTNER IN THAT NOW I DID HAVE A QUESTION THAT CAME FROM COUNCILOR MORALES QUESTION ABOUT THE HONEYWELL WHAT WAS INTRIGUING A 28 YEAR WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE NUMBER ONE OKAY THIS IS WEIRD AND WHAT WERE THEY ONE OF THE LOWEST BIDDERS BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE WE HAVE ,YOU KNOW, RULES AND REGULATIONS AROUND PROCUREMENT . OKAY. SO EXPLAIN YOURSELF PLEASE.  THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILOR , I'M HAPPY TO GET BACK TO YOU WITH MORE INFORMATION BUT.  TO BE HONEST, THE R.B. T HONEYWELL CONTRACT WAS IN PLACE BEFORE MY ARRIVAL TO THE DEPARTMENT. I'VE BEEN MANAGING THIS CONTRACT FOR OVER TWO YEARS NOW. I DO KNOW THEM ALL. DO I KNOW THEM? YEAH. I'M SORRY . I'M LIKE LOOKING LIKE WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEM. WE'VE BEEN WHERE ARE THEY? WHERE ARE THEY WERE SO THEY'RE ALL OVER WHEN WE MEET WITH THEM THEY DO FLY IN. OH, THEY'RE NOT EVEN FROM MASSACHUSETTS? NO THERE WAS WE HAVE SOME OF THEM A LOCAL YEAH SOME OF THEM FLY IN. HOW MANY OF THEM ARE LOCAL? SO IF IT'S ABOUT TIME, WHY DON'T JUST ONE OR SOMEBODY EXPLAIN TO ME WE WILL WE WILL DEFINITELY GET BACK WITH JUST A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM.  BUT LET ME LET ME DO MY BEST TO TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT VERBALLY HERE.  SO HONEYWELL IS THE VENDOR FOR WHAT WE A PROGRAM THAT STARTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO CALLED RENEW BOSTON TRUST OR RB SO YOU'LL HEAR US USE THOSE DIFFERENT WORDS IT'S IT'S THE THE CITY'S PROGRAM UNDER A QUITE HIGHLY REGULATED STATE CONTRACTING SYSTEM FOR ENERGY SERVICES COMPANIES WHERE A LOT OF THE WORK IS EXECUTED AND PAYS ITSELF BACK WITH ENERGY SAVINGS. SO FROM THE LIGHTS IN THIS COUNT IN THIS CHAMBER TO MANY OTHER ENERGY PROJECTS THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN PUBLIC FACILITIES OVER THE YEARS, THEY'VE ALL BEEN EXECUTED THROUGH THE RENEW BOSTON TRUST WITH HONEYWELL AS A VENDOR THAT HAS DONE FROM FROM MY OPINION ALSO YOU KNOW ONLY ONLY A FEW WEEKS IN THIS ROLE BUT WITH WITH REMARKABLE RESULTS IN TERMS OF ENERGY SAVINGS MILLIONS OVER YEARS IT WAS REALLY A BUT 28 YEARS LIKE THAT'S A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO SO AND WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON WHEN IS THAT NORMAL CONTRACT WHY DON'T WE GET BACK TO YOU ON THE WAY? YEAH, I JUST I'M JUST THIS IS NOT I'M NOT TRYING TO BE FUNNY. I HAVE NEVER I FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIKE COMMITMENT ISSUES LIKE A 28 YEAR COMMITMENT TO ONE VENDOR IS A LOT I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW DO WE MANAGE TO BROKER SUCH A SWEET DEAL LIKE THAT AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU ASKED THE QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK THESE ARE THE SORT OF THINGS THAT WE ONLY DISCOVER WHEN WE'RE ASKING AND TRYING TO DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND HOW MUCH HOW MANY MILLIONS IS IT WHY DON'T WE GET BACK TO YOU ON AN EXACT NUMBER WHAT WAS IT 28 MILLION PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE BEEN 14 MILLION THAT I HAVE 14 MILLION. 14 MILLION? 4 MILLION. A MILLION. THOSE IS IT'S IN THE MILLIONS WE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW MANY IS THAT YEARLY OR OH SORRY 144 MILLION. YEAH 144 MILLION. ARE YOU KIDDING ME OVER A PERIOD OF 28 YEARS OR LIKE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. YEAH. AND TO ADD TO THAT THERE ARE MANY PHASES TO THIS PROJECT AS WELL. CURRENTLY WE ARE IN A PHASE THREE SEA PHASE OF THE PROJECT SO THERE THERE IS ALWAYS MORE WORK TO IMPROVE ON SO WE ARE STILL FIGURING OUT A LOT OF THE CHANGE ORDERS THAT IS TAKING PLACE TO ACCOMMODATE THIS PROJECT AND NOW THEY ARE A MINORITY BUSINESS OR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS. THEY ARE NOT A MINORITY OR NON BUSINESS AND THEY'RE NOT IN MASSACHUSETTS.  THE SOME OF THE LOCAL CONSULTANTS ARE I THINK THE PHYSICAL REGISTERED COMPANY IS BASED OUT OF LIKE NORTH CAROLINA BUT WE DO HAVE CONSULTANTS THAT WE DO SALT AND LIGHT HERE. YES AND THAT FLY HERE I HOPE THEY'RE NOT CHARGING US HERE TO FLY SO I WILL DEFINITELY HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR SITUATION BECAUSE THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT AND I'M SURE THAT IS GOOD BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT ENERGY, RIGHT? THIS IS JUST LIKE RIGHT COUNSELOR WELL THERE'S I MEAN MORE DIGGING AND DIGGING. WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW HEARING WHAT ARE YOU AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE MOST COMPETITIVE BIDDERS HERE.  OKAY. SO I KNOW YOU WANT A THIRD ROUND COUNCILOR HERE. YES, I DO. OKAY.  CANTOR FITZGERALD, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR STAYING. I'LL JUST TRY AND A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AND A COUPLE OF POINTS FOR THE FOOD JUSTICE. I KNOW THAT DOWN THE STREET FROM WHERE I LIVE THERE'S A FRESH TRUCK STOP NOW I KNOW THAT THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY AFFILIATED WITH WHAT YOU GUYS DO BUT SEEMS THAT THERE'S ALWAYS A LINE AROUND THE CORNER FOR IT.  WHAT IS IT THAT THAT HOW DO THEY DIFFERENTIATE AND IS THERE WAY TO COMBINE WITH THEM OR HELP SUPPORT OR IS THERE BEEN A PARTNERSHIP IN THE PAST? YEAH, WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH THEM IN THE PAST SO FRESH TRUCK IS A NONPROFIT THEY USED TO BE ABOUT FRESH THAT HAD MULTIPLE COMPONENTS AND NOW THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN THING SO THEY IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE FRESH PRODUCE WITH WITH SNAP IF THERE ARE SOME PARTICIPANTS AND THEY TEND TO YOU KNOW ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE LOWEST THEIR MODEL RIGHT.  THEY DON'T HAVE A BRICK AND MORTAR EXCEPT FOR THEIR STORAGE. THEY JUST GOT A REFRIGERATOR.  I WENT TO SEE IT LIKE THEY'RE VERY EXCITED LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FRIDGES FOR THESE IT'S LIKE A WALK IN FRIDGE ANYWAY SO THEY RIGHT THEIR WHOLE MODEL IS MOBILE SO THEY CAN GO WHERE PEOPLE ARE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT FOOD ACCESS AND WE HAVE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE SORT OF POPPING UP LIKE THAT. A MOBILE MARKET THAT WE SUPPORTED THAT WAS A NO COST.  THERE'S A TRUCK THAT I THINK HOPEFULLY EVERYONE IN THE COUNCIL WILL START TO SEE POPPING UP IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS MORE AND MORE THAT HAS SOME THINGS IN COMMON WITH FRESH TRUCK.  YOU KNOW SOMETIMES IT'S LOW COST, SOMETIMES IT'S NO COST. THERE'S ALL THESE DIFFERENT MODELS BUT WE DEFINITELY HAVE WORKED WITH FRESH TRUCK AND WE WHAT WE DO RIGHT OUR ROLE IS MORE TO A GET THE INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS ABOUT LIKE WHERE ARE ALL THESE RESOURCES ON A GIVEN WEEK OR MONTH SO IF THEY CALL US OR THEY CAN GO ON A WEBSITE SO WE HAVE ON OUR WEBSITE LIKE WITHIN THE FARMER'S MARKETS THERE'S A MAP AND THAT ALSO INCLUDES WHERE THE MOBILE MARKET'S ON A MAP. SO PEOPLE CAN WE'RE ABLE TO BE IN TOUCH WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS LIKE THAT SO WE CAN HELP THEM COORDINATE NOT ALL GO TO THE SAME PLACE, YOU KNOW, AND ALSO TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION AND TO RESIDENTS AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE GET INPUT FEEDBACK AND WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THOSE PARTNERS LIKE THEY REALLY LIKE THIS OR WE NEED MORE OF A SERVICE IN THIS PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S LIKE A HOTSPOT RIGHT NOW.  THAT'S GREAT. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY AFFILIATES CAUSE I SEE THEM ONCE A WEEK AND IT TO BE A QUITE A POPULAR WAY WAY TO DO IT BACK TO SORT OF THE THREE STEPS OF THE ACTION PLAN I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT IT WITH DECARBONIZATION ARE WE ARE WE TRACKING ANY WAY THAT IT MAY BE AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT'S A IT'S IT'S CURRENT BUILDINGS BUT IT'S ALSO FUTURE BUILDINGS. RIGHT. AND I KNOW THAT THAT THAT IS AN ADDED COST. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO DO. BUT ARE WE SEEING THAT AS A AS A BARRIER ANY WAY ON TOP OF A LOT OF THE OTHER BARRIERS THAT FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, GROWING THE CITY IS FACING TODAY AS WELL OR DO WE KNOW WHAT IT MIGHT BE COUNCILOR SO JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOUR QUESTION IS ARE WE YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOW DECARBONIZATION AFFECTS NEW THE PACE OF NEW DEVELOPMENT I GUESS YET? WELL, THE THE REQUIREMENT OF THIS YOU KNOW NET ZERO BUILDING AND THINGS LIKE THAT FOR DECARBONIZATION AND THAT SORT OF NOW TO BE ENVELOPED INTO YOU KNOW THE BOTTOM LINE FOR DEVELOPERS IN GOING FORWARD AND DECIDING WHERE TO BUILD AND WHAT TO BUILD THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN NOT GOING DEVELOPMENTS WAY LATELY BUT I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF THIS IS THIS BEING MET WITH A LOT OF RESISTANCE AROUND THAT AND IF SO WHY AND HOW CAN WE HELP? YEAH THAT THAT'S A GREAT POINT. SO I THINK BY AND LARGE THE SORT OF THE BIGGEST THING THAT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR THAT RELATES TO NEW DEVELOPMENT IS THE STRETCH CODE WHICH THE CITY ADOPTED BUT IT'S A STATE STRETCH CODE FOR ENERGY WHICH REQUIRES NEW DEVELOPMENT TO BE VERY EFFICIENT AND THERE'S ABILITY TO BE EITHER YOU KNOW, FULLY FOSSIL FUEL FREE OR IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE FOSSIL FUELS TO BASICALLY HAVE ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO BECOME AN ALL ELECTRIC BUILDING AND TO PRODUCE ENERGY ONSITE.  SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THAT IN IN MANY BUILDING TYPES THE COST INCREASE IS ACTUALLY MARGINAL AND IN FACT THAT THE RIGHT WAY TO CAPTURE THE SAVINGS IS ACTUALLY THE BEST PLACE TO IMPLEMENT THIS IS IN IN NEW BUILDINGS AS OPPOSED TO RETROFITTING OLD BUILDINGS WHICH WERE NEVER DESIGNED IN MANY CASES TO BE FOSSIL FUEL FREE. SO WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT IT'S IT'S NOT TOTALLY SIMPLE TO CHARACTERIZE LIKE YES EVERYONE LOVES I KNOW EVERYONE HATES IT AND THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE IMPLYING. BUT I WILL SAY THAT IN THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY THE STRETCH CODE , THE FACT THAT IT IS A STATE CODE REALLY PROVIDES A LOT OF RELIABILITY AND CONSISTENCY.  IT'S SOMETHING THAT EXISTS IN A LOT OF MARKETS IN THE AREA WHICH ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE IT EASIER TO IMPLEMENT AND PRIOR TO IT GOING INTO EFFECT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE BPL WAS ALREADY STARTING TO SEE PROJECTS THAT WERE SUBMITTING ALREADY IN COMPLIANCE AHEAD OF THE CODE BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST MAKING IT INTO WHAT THEY WERE DOING RIGHT.  SO OF COURSE YOU KNOW THERE'S SO MUCH THAT GOES INTO FINANCING AND PUTTING TOGETHER A PROJECT I CAN'T SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE EXPERTS AND BDA ABOUT THAT BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT WE'VE IN MASSACHUSETTS AND IN BOSTON DONE A GOOD JOB OF MAINSTREAMING WHAT IT IS TO BUILD NEW NET ZERO BUILDINGS AND THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT BE FACTORED IN.  THANK YOU. AND JUST LASTLY ON ENERGY TRANSITION, I ALWAYS LIKE TO TAKE A SORT OF A BLENDED APPROACH TO TO ENERGY, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS AND IF I'M RIGHT, THINGS BEING ALL ELECTRIC IT'S GREAT FOR FOR THE POLLUTION AND FOR THE EARTH AND WE'RE ALL LIKE ABSOLUTELY. BUT I WORRY IF WE GO TO HEAVY DEPENDENT ELECTRIC LI ONE IS ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT CAN THE GRID HANDLE IT AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES SO THAT IT CAN BUT TOO IF SOME UNFORESEEN EVENT THAT KNOCKS ELECTRICAL OUT WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER IS IT I FEEL LIKE IT'S SAFER TO HAVE SORT OF A LIKE YEAH WE'RE MAJORITY OF THAT BUT IF ALL GOES WRONG THERE'S A FAILSAFE OF RIGHT OF GAS POWER OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF POWER THAT CAN THAT CAN BACKUP FOLKS AND GIVEN SO I DON'T HAVE A GREAT EXAMPLE IT'S JUST SORT OF THE UNKNOWN AND WHERE I TRY AND TAKE LIKE A BLENDED APPROACH TO ENERGY I FEEL IS PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A OF A SAFER ROAD JUST TO COVER OUR BASES BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. BUT THAT'S MORE OF A COMMENT.  NO REALLY YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND TO THAT WITH THAT, MY TIME IS DONE. JEFF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. A PANEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR . MIA, THE FLOOR IS YOURS IF YOU AND I I'M SORRY BUT I'M GOING TO GO BACK THE HONEYWELL SITUATION I'M CURIOUS YOU SAID IT'S BEEN FOR A FEW YEARS THAT WE ENTERED INTO THIS CONTRACT WITH THEM.  NO ONE NO. WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT SINCE 2017 WITH HONEYWELL. OKAY.  AND IT'S FOR 28 YEARS. YES. AND DO YOU HAVE A WAY OF EVALUATING THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AND IT CAN YOU GET OUT OF THE CONTRACT LIKE WHAT DOES THIS YES. SO I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP ON THIS BUT WE DO MEET WITH HONEYWELL OCCASIONALLY AND WOULD LIKE MORE THAN ABOUT I WANT TO SAY MORE THAN TWICE THROUGHOUT THE MONTH TO ENSURE THEY'LL BE ON THE CORRECT TIMELINE. BUT I'M HAPPY TO EXPAND ON ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I CAN HELP FOLLOW UP ON THIS PROJECT AND TIMELINE AS WELL. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. NOW WE HAVEN'T HAD I NO, NO IT'S FINE. I'M I'M LISTENING BECAUSE I USE THESE MOMENTS AS EDUCATIONAL. RIGHT. BECAUSE AT LEAST THE PEOPLE THAT I MAINLY ORGANIZE AND WORK WITH THESE ARE NOT CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE EVERY DAY.  SO WHAT I HAVE EXPERTS ON WHAT I HAVE PEOPLE WHO WHO ARE LIVING YOU KNOW, DOING THIS WORK. I LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS LEARNING HERE ALONGSIDE ME . SO SORRY . DON'T BE SORRY BUT SO DO YOU IN THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT DO YOU HAVE A BUDGET FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION? HOW MUCH IS IT FOR REENGAGEMENT ? CURRENTLY HAVE 70 $700 ALLOCATED FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SO THAT IS 7700 OR 77,000 7700. AND TO ADD ONE THING THAT GOES RIGHT, WE ALSO HAVE A FULL TIME ENGAGEMENT PERSON WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF AS WELL AS AN ENGAGEMENT PERSON WITHIN THE CABINET WHO IS PROVIDING COORDINATING SUPPORT FOR ENGAGEMENT OUTREACH ACROSS ALL THE ACTIVITIES AND THEN IN ADDITION TO SORT OF THOSE SPECIFIC IN A LOT IN ALL OF OUR SORT OF PLANNING EFFORTS ENGAGEMENT SORT OF BAKED IN TO PLANNING AROUND A COAST RESILIENCE PROJECT FOR EXAMPLE OR WORK AROUND SOME OF THE ENERGY TRANSFORMATION WORK.  ALL RIGHT. I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT $7,700 FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT . WHILE I DO APPRECIATE THE STAFFING, I DO THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT, PARTICULARLY IN COMMUNITIES, LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES WHO REALLY COULDN'T BENEFIT FROM THIS, I THINK THAT THAT IS THERE'S A GAP THERE. I FEEL LIKE WE CAN INCREASE THAT A LITTLE BIT JUST A LITTLE BIT MAYBE TAKE SOME MONEY FROM HONEYWELL.  OKAY, LET ME LEAVE HONEYWELL. IT WILL PROBABLY BE ONE OF MY COUSINS AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS NOW. OOPS JUST JOKING.  BUT SO GOING BACK TO THE EDUCATION PIECE RIGHT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE FOR ME HAVING WORKED WITH SO MANY IMMIGRANT OWNED BUSINESSES AND I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO THE FLOODING EXAMPLE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TURN THESE BUSINESSES INTO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WARRIORS AS SOON AS WE STARTED MAKING THE CONNECTION WITH THEM. SO YOU KNOW, CHRIS, I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN PARTNER UP WITH CHEAP IGLOOS CAMP YOURS JUST BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE'S SUCH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY THERE TO BRING IN MORE PEOPLE INTO THIS CONVERSATION.  YOU TWO AND I ACTUALLY CONNECTED THIS MORNING FOLLOWING OUR YESTERDAY SO WE ARE ANYWAY HAPPY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REVIEW AND THERE'S A LOT OF THIS A LOT OF THE WORKS BECAUSE OF YOUR QUESTIONS YESTERDAY ARE SORT OF ALL BOSTON WATER AND SEWERS.  WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING THEM INTO THEM AND THEM INTO THAT CONVERSATION AS WELL.  SO I'M HAPPY TO HAVE YOU TO SET UP SOME TIME. YEAH, PLEASE. I WOULD LIKE TO BE INVOLVED OF THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE AT OF THE BOSTON WATER AND SEWER IS A QUASI I WE JUST BE LIKE OH THAT'S THERE NOW WE WE HAVE SOME OVERSIGHT AROUND THEM AND THEY ALSO HAVE CAUSED A LOT OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS FOR SOME BUSINESSES ON BLUE HILL LAB ABOUT SOME PIPES THAT ARE BEING REPLACED AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT TOO. YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS OF THAT ONE BUT HAPPY HAPPY TO CONNECT WITH YOU AND HAPPY TO CONNECT WITH THEM TO FOLLOW.  RIGHT. AND SO WHO WAS THE NEW ARE YOU THE NEW MARIAMA?  NO, NO. SO FOR SIX WEEKS I AM I AM PLANNING AS A BRIDGE OF SUPPORT BETWEEN REVEREND MARIAMA AND BRIAN SWEAT. SO BRIAN WILL BE THE NEW AS BRIAN THE ONE THAT'S BEEN ON THE NEWS IS THAT THE GUY THAT THEY KEEP TALKING ABOUT IS THAT THE NEW THERE WAS A NEWS ARTICLE THAT KEPT TALKING ABOUT SOME GUY THAT KNOWS THAT YOU OLIVER IT COULD CERTAINLY BE THE BEEN OLIVER OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN BRIAN OKAY IT WAS SOMEBODY BECAUSE THE NEWS WAS BUZZING ABOUT THE NEW GUY THAT CAME ON BOARD. THAT ALONE WILL CERTAINLY BE BRIAN OKAY.  BRIAN ALL RIGHT, SO HE'S NOT HERE YET, ALL RIGHT. I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING HIM. IT'S IT'S A CELEBRITY. ALL RIGHT. FOOD JUSTICE LET'S GO. AND I ONLY HAVE ONE LIKE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU DURING THE COVID WERE YOU HERE DURING COVID? OKAY. SO HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN HERE? SO I'M A LITTLE UNDER TWO YEARS. SO I STARTED JULY 20, 22. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE CREATED A PROGRAM IN MY OFFICE CALLED THE BODEGA PROJECT BECAUSE AS WE REALIZED THAT IN TERMS OF HAVING ACCESS TO CULTURALLY COMPETENT FOODS, A LOT OF FOLKS WERE DURING COVID BUT HOPING AND PRAYING THAT THE FOOD PANTRY THE YOU KNOW, FOOD BANK WAS GOING TO HAVE BILATERALS AND I SAY THEN YOU KNOW ALL THE THINGS I SAW ALL THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH. AND SO WE CREATED AN INITIATIVE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO HELP SUPPORT THE LOCAL BODEGA LIKE CORNER STORES SO THAT THEY CAN BE ABLE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET LIKE VOUCHERS TO GO IN AND DO FOOD SHOPPING RIGHT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE CULTURALLY COMPETENT FOOD. I'M CURIOUS AS YOU CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT YOUR FOOD JUST AS STRATEGY, HOW ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT INCORPORATING LOCAL BODEGAS AND AND YOU KNOW,  NEIGHBORHOOD CONVENIENCE STORES INTO THAT CONVERSATION?  YES. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK. I THINK THAT IT CREATED A LOT OF POSITIVE ENERGY FOR OUR WORK THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO AND HOPEFULLY WE HOPEFULLY CAN KEEP WORKING TOGETHER IN THAT REGARD AND OTHERS SO AROUND THE SAME TIME IS THAT OUR DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS PROGRAM WHICH HAS BEEN PRIMARILY WITH CORNER STORES IN EAST BOSTON, ROXBURY, MATTAPAN WAS ABLE TO GET A FEDERAL GRANT IN 2021 AND SO WE ARE I THINK THAT IS ONE STRATEGY WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO BRING BOTH CITY AND FEDERAL RESOURCES TO THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FOLKS WHO ARE PAYING WITH SNAP TO BE ABLE TO GET YOU KNOW, BUY THE FOOD THAT THEY WANT THAT THE ALL THE STORES THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH I WOULD SAY HAVE ARE IMMIGRANT OWNED AND ARE REPRESENTATIVE AND WE HAVE WORKED WITH TWO OF THE STORES ALSO TO HAVE THEM PARTNER WITH URBAN FARMS TO SOURCE SOME OF THE FOOD ANYWAY.  SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF EXPANDING THAT TO MORE STORES BECAUSE OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING WE NOW HAVE ACTUALLY PROGRAM MANAGER WHICH WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND THAT WE HAVE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO BRING MORE STORES ON BOARD AND DO MORE PROMOTION OF THAT PROGRAM OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D LOVE TO CONNECT MORE OF THEIR STRATEGY.  YEAH I WOULD RECOMMEND YEAH. YES.  AND I WANT TO JUST NOTE THAT WHILE I DO APPRECIATE THE FEDERAL AND THE FOLKS WHO HAVE TEAS AND IT'S NOT EVERYONE QUALIFIES FOR FOOD STAMPS RIGHT AND BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL FOOD INSECURE AND THAT I JUST WANT TO NAME THAT AS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO REALLY BE SUPER MINDFUL OF AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS ESPECIALLY DURING BUDGET SEASON BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WE ARE LEAVING OUT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE QUALIFY, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THEIR STATUS OR WHERE OR IF THEY ARE SINGLE OR THEY'RE YOU KNOW, IT IS THERE'S A LOT OF PARAMETERS IN WHICH PEOPLE GET SERVICES AND SOME DON'T. AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LIKE BEING AS INCLUSIVE AS ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES SO THAT WE CAN REALLY GET A HANDLE ON THE FOOD INSECURITY. THE REASON WHY I REALLY LIKE THE BODEGA PROJECT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T ASK PEOPLE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT THEIR NEED WAS AND EVERYONE GOT $100 AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GO TO THAT LOCAL BODEGA AND GET WHATEVER THEY WANTED AND IT WASN'T JUST LIKE ONLY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES LIKE IF YOU WANT TO BUY POTATO CHIPS IT'S THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO SHOP WITH DIGNITY. IT'S LIKE WE'RE NOT CONTROLLING PEOPLE BECAUSE THAT'S THE OTHER PART OF LIKE GOVERNMENT IS LIKE WE LIKE TO SAY OKAY, YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO EAT LOBSTER OR YOU'RE GOING TO GET I JUST WANT TO NAME BUT I JUST THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME PROGRAMS THAT ARE GREAT BUT THEN THERE'S SOME PROGRAMS THAT COME WITH A LOT OF RESTRICTIONS AND THAT DO NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO SHOP WITH DIGNITY. AND I THINK I THINK WE CAN EXPLORE DIFFERENT WAYS TO MAKE IT MORE DIGNIFIED AND I'LL END WITH I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY ANSWERED ALL OF MY CRAZY QUESTIONS BUT I DO APPRECIATE IT. IT'S BOTH FOR MY LEARNING AND ALSO BECAUSE PEOPLE DO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND I THINK I WANT PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THESE CONVERSATIONS DO IMPACT THEM AND THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND THAT WE SHOULD BE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS IN OUR LIVING ROOMS LIKE WE SHOULD NOT JUST BE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, VIOLENCE BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T GET TO TALK MUCH ABOUT VIOLENCE BUT VIOLENCE CONVERSATION, RIGHT? WE WANT MORE OPEN SPACES BUT PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE RIDING THEIR BIKES THROUGH OPEN SPACES. RIGHT. SO LIKE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY REALLY START BEING MORE HOLISTIC IN THEIR CLIMATE JUSTICE CONVERSATION IN WAYS THAT REALLY HELP PEOPLE SEE THEMSELVES CONNECTED TO IT. THAT IS MY GOAL AND THAT IS ALL FOR ME . THANK YOU. CHAIR THANK YOU, COUNCILOR ME HERE UM, JUST HAVE A FEW FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS ONE AROUND THE STORM MANAGEMENT FEE HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN CHARGING THAT COME? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT HAS BEEN PART OF THE BILL I THINK WHY PEOPLE BECAUSE NOW IT'S BEEN LIKE ITEMIZE.  I DOUBT THAT THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT TRUE OR NOT BUT YEAH I'M SORRY . SORRY . CHAIR YES THAT IS CORRECT AND I'LL I'LL EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE BY SAYING THAT RIGHT NOW THERE PRIOR TO I BELIEVE APRIL THE BILL'S ALWAYS HAD, YOU KNOW, WATER AND SEWER AND WHAT WAS IN SEWER WAS STORMWATER AND WASTEWATER. SO IN A SENSE THAT IS EXACTLY CORRECT. THAT SEWER IS NOW BROKEN DOWN INTO STORM WATER AND WASTEWATER. SO YOU HAVE WATER STORM WATER AND WASTEWATER AS A THREE COMPONENTS OF THE BILL. THE THE THING THAT MAKES IT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THAN JUST YOU KNOW, THEY CUT THE SEWER PART INTO A INTO PIECES IS THAT THERE IS A METHODOLOGY AS MY UNDERSTANDING BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION AS A METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING STORMWATER. SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES SOME OF THE BILLS GO A LITTLE BIT UP AND SOME OF THEM GO A LITTLE BIT DOWN BUT ESSENTIALLY ALL OF THAT WORK IN TREATING STORMWATER AND MANAGING STORMWATER HAD BEEN TAKING PLACE WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE PLACE.  IT'S JUST NOW BEING ACCOUNTED FOR MORE DIRECTLY. GOT IT. AND IS THE FEES THAT WE'RE COLLECTING FOR? I KNOW IT'S FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS RIGHT. BUT IS IS THERE A GOAL LIKE ARE WE TRYING TO REPLACE X AMOUNT OF PIPING AND DO WE HAVE THAT THAT NUMBER THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PLACE? ARE WE TRYING TO SET UP, YOU KNOW YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW A A SITE A FACILITY TO MANAGE IT LIKE EITHER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DEDICATE YOU KNOW, THE DOLLARS TO AND IF SO HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO GET TO THOSE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS? THAT'S A THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I'M GOING TO CHECK IN WITH BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION AND GET AN ANSWER FOR YOU ON THAT. OKAY. UM, IN MY LAST QUESTION AROUND PLANNING KNOWING THAT PLANNING IN THE CITY I MEAN WE WERE STARTING TO BUILD, YOU KNOW, NEW SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS WE HEARD COUNCILOR FITZGERALD MENTIONED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HIS COASTLINE ,THE FLOODING THAT GOES INTO DISTRICT THREE WHEN WE'RE PICKING NEW SITES TO BUILD PUBLIC BUILDINGS. WHAT IS WHAT ROLE DOES THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT PLAY? ARE YOU GUYS SAYING HEY, WHOA, HOLD ON, STOP. THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA UNTIL WE BUILD THAT COAST RESILIENT OR UNTIL WE HAVE YOU KNOW, THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE. WHAT IS WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WHEN WE'RE PICKING SITES FOR NEW SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY CENTERS,  SENIOR CENTERS, POLICE DEPARTMENT, EMS STATIONS, FIRE DEPARTMENTS, WHAT ROLE DO YOU GUYS PLAY? I REMEMBER TO START AND SO I THINK THERE'S A SET OF DIFFERENT THINGS WHICH WE ARE CONSIDERING. ONE IS WE ARE WE ARE LOOKING TO SAY IN GENERAL WE'RE LOOKING TO PUT IN THOSE DISTRICT SCALE SOLUTIONS THAT PROTECT NEIGHBORHOODS INCLUDING TO YOUR POINT ALL THE PUBLIC ASSETS BEHIND IT WITH BUILDINGS THAT WE ARE BUILDING, WE ARE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE ADHERING TO A DEGREE OF RESILIENCE FROM THE THREAT OF EITHER COASTAL STORMS OR INCREASED STORM WATER. AND THEN ON TOP OF SORT OF THE SORT OF WORK TO ENSURE THAT THE BUILDINGS ARE RESILIENT, THERE'S ALSO A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK WITH CREDIT TO THE MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM OLIVER AND OTHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUILDINGS WHERE WE ARE BUILDING ARE ARE AS GREEN AS POSSIBLE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING SO THAT THEIR ACTUAL THEIR ACTUAL FOOTPRINT IS AS THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINT IS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE AND IF THEY'RE YEAH WELL WHAT I WILL ADD IS THAT YOU KNOW SORT OF PHILOSOPHICALLY WE ARE INTERESTED IN YOU KNOW, KEEPING A PUBLIC AMENITY FROM A DISTRICT BECAUSE THERE IS A FAR OFF CLIMATE RISK. I KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE IMPLYING BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S CLEAR. IT'S JUST THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE PROVIDE AMENITIES AND SERVICES FOR EVERYONE IN AN EQUITABLE MANNER AND IN PLACES WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE RISK?  HAVE THOSE TWO LEVELS OF PROTECTION IN PLACE THAT CHRIS IS TALKING ABOUT BOTH YOU KNOW, WORK TOWARD THE DISTRICT SCALE THINGS THAT WILL PROTECT EVERYTHING INCLUDING AN AMENITY AND ALSO FOLLOW OUR OWN GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS AS WELL AS DO ADDITIONAL ANYTHING ADDITIONAL NECESSARY TO KEEP THESE BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES TO BE, YOU KNOW, RESILIENT TO HEAT AND FLOODING AND ALSO PROVIDE A REFUGE WHERE NECESSARY TO FOLKS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I'M GOING TO GO THANK YOU . I'M GONNA GO BACK TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUE FOR A FOURTH ROUND OF COURSES. LOOK AFTER MEJIA BEFORE AS YOUR OWN AND MY KEEP HERE SO I THERE ARE SOME BUSINESSES RIGHT THAT HAVE MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE OR SIX OR SEVEN OR EIGHT DIFFERENT PROPERTIES AND THEY'VE GOTTEN FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT DIFFERENT BILLS FOR THE STORM WATER YOU JUST MENTIONED EQUITY RIGHT. AND I'M NOT GOING OH THERE'S CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE MORE AT RISK. YOU KNOW NORMALLY IT'S LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES THERE AND THAT IN IN IN HARM'S WAY IF YOU WILL. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW ARE WE ASSESSING THOSE FEES LIKE BUT THEN THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE IN HIGH RISK AREAS BUT THEY HAVE MORE FINANCIAL MEANS TO BE ABLE TO PAY HIGHER FEES. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS FROM A EQUITY STANDPOINT, RIGHT. HOW ARE WE HOW ARE WE HOLDING OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO SOME LEVEL OF STANDARD AND MAKING SURE THAT WHAT ARE CAUSING FINANCIAL I MEAN IT'S ONLY I KNOW IT'S NOT I LOOK I ALREADY KNOW THERE'S NOT EVEN NO MORE THAN EIGHT OR $9. IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO GO BROKE. I KNOW THAT.  BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU'RE CHARGING PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN VERSUS DORCHESTER. LIKE ARE WHAT'S YOUR FRAMEWORK? IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT EQUITY AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT SUPPORTING THEM, HOW ARE YOU FACTORING IN THAT LINE ITEM ? WELL WELL WHAT I WILL SAY AND I HOPE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AT THE HEART OF THE QUESTION WHICH IS ABOUT EQUITY BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE STORMWATER FEE ADMINISTERED BY BOSTON WATER AND SEWER IS REALLY BASED OFF OF NOT THE LEVEL OF , YOU KNOW, PROTECTION THAT SOMEONE HAS WHICH I TOTALLY AGREE. LIKE WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE MORE RESOURCES YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF DISPROPORTIONATELY AND THEN THAT ALLOWS YOU TO PROTECT YOURSELF EVEN MORE AND SHIELD YOURSELF FROM EVEN MORE FINANCIAL RISK.  IT'S ACTUALLY PUTS ALL OF THAT ASIDE AND IS REALLY JUST ABOUT EACH PROPERTY'S CONTRIBUTION TO STORMWATER THAT ENTERS THE SYSTEM. SO THAT REALLY HAS TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, DENSITY AND THE AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER ON A SITE AND THAT REALLY RANGES ENORMOUSLY ACROSS DIFFERENT YOU KNOW, INCOME AND NEIGHBORHOOD TYPES OF REALLY JUST HAS TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, THE SHAPE OF THE BUILDING AND THE SHAPE OF THE PROPERTY. BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT TO THE TO THE HEART OF YOUR QUESTION, MY UNDERSTANDING AGAIN IS THAT THIS IS WHERE REALLY THE PROGRAM TO ALLOW DIFFERENT SORTS OF CREDITS TO BE PUT ON THE BILL. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW THAT THE THE PROGRAM ALLOWS YOU TO GET A CREDIT THAT REDUCES YOUR BILL IF YOU HAVE AN EDUCATION PROGRAM ON STORMWATER WHICH IS WHICH IS GREAT, IT'S A SORT OF A LOW COST WAY THAT YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR WHO DOES THE EDUCATION THE THE YOU KNOW THE THE PROPERTY OWNER CAN SORT OF POST INFORMATION ABOUT STORMWATER FOR EXAMPLE. THAT'S A WAY TO DO THAT AS MY UNDERSTANDING I'LL SEE YOU KNOW LIKE THAT'S WHY THESE HEARINGS ARE IMPORTANT RIGHT?  BECAUSE THE MORE YOU KNOW THE BETTER YOU LIKE YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET A YOU CAN JUST DO A WORKSHOP AND PUT A SIGN UP AND YOU CAN LIKE THESE ARE THINGS THAT I WOULD HAVE WALKED AWAY HERE NOT KNOWING UNLESS MY COLLEAGUE HAS SOME REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS THAT MADE ME THINK ABOUT EQUITY AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATION AS I WOULD LOVE TO DO LIKE A LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS ABOUT YOU KNOW THE THE FINANCIAL AND ALSO THE IMPACT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT WE I DON'T KNOW I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING MISSING HERE AND I DON'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS YET BUT I FEEL A LITTLE BIT UNEASY WITH THE COST AND SO MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ALREADY FEELING THE IMPACT AND AND SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP ALLEVIATE THAT, I'D LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT AND I SWEAR THIS IS NO MORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY GENEROUS WITH YOUR WITH YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR TIME AND ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON. I WANT TO THANK CENTRAL STAFF THANK YOUR TEAM BP MY TEAM IDR FOR THEIR WORK IN THE DOCK HERE AND I GUESS NUMBER 067020678 IS ADJOURNED ---------  MY NAME IS BRIAN.  WE'RE OUR DISTRICT FOR CITY COUNCILOR AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS. TODAY IS MAY 21ST, 2024. THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED . IT IS ALSO BEING LIVE STREAMED AT BOSTON DOT GOV BAXLEY LAST CITY DAS COUNCILOR DAS TV AND BROADCAST UNEXPENDED DE CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FIOS CHANNEL 964. THIS THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS WILL ENCOMPASS A SERIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT BEGIN IN APRIL AND WILL RUN THROUGH JUNE. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS BY GIVING TESTIMONY FOR THE RECORD. YOU CAN DO THIS IN SEVERAL WAYS. ONE TIME ONE OF OUR HEARINGS AND GIVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY. WE WILL TAKE PUBLIC TESTIMONY AT THE END OF EACH DEPARTMENT'S HEARING AND ALSO ADD TWO HEARINGS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY. THE FULL HEARING SCHEDULE IS ON OUR WEBSITE AT BOSTON DOT GOV BAGS COUNCILOR DESK BUDGET. OUR NEXT SCHEDULED HEARING DEDICATED TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY IS TUESDAY MAY 28TH AT 6 P.M.. YOU CAN GIVE TESTIMONY IN PERSON. FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY PLEASE GO TO THE TABLE BY THE FRONT ENTRANCE AT THE AUDITORIUM AND SIGN UP ON THE SHEET ON THE CHEAP . AT THE ENTRANCE WE ARE CALLED TO TESTIFY. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND AFFILIATION RESIDENT AND LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO A FEW MINUTES TO ENSURE THAT ALL COMMENTS AND CONCERNS CAN BE HEARD TOO. YOU CAN EMAIL YOUR WRITTEN TESTIMONY TO THE COMMITTEE AT C CC W M AT BOSTON DOT GOV OR THREE. SUBMIT A TWO MINUTE VIDEO OF YOUR TESTIMONY THROUGH THE FORUM ON OUR WEBSITE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PROCESS AND HOW TO TESTIFY PLEASE VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL'S BUDGET WEBSITE AT BOSTON DOT GOV BACK SLASH COUNCIL DASH BUDGET. TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET NUMBER 067030672 ORDERS FOR THE FY 25 OPERATING BUDGET INCLUDE AN ANNUAL APPROPRIATION FOR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS FOR THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AND FOR OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. DOCKET NUMBER 067330675 ORDER FOR CAPITAL FUND TRANSFER APPROPRIATIONS AND DOCKING NUMBER 067620678 ORDERS FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET INCLUDING LOAN ORDERS AND LEASE PURCHASE AGREEMENTS. THESE MATTERS WERE SPONSORED BY MAYOR MICHELLE WU AND REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON APRIL TEN, 2020 FOR THE FOCUS OF THIS HEARING WHICH WILL BE DISCUSSED AT FY 25 BUDGET FOR THE LAW AND TREASURY DEPARTMENTS INCLUDING THE COLLECTING DIVISION. TODAY I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER ARRIVAL COUNCILOR FLYNN, COUNCILOR MURPHY AND COUNCILOR BRADING. I'D LIKE TO NOW INTRODUCE TODAY'S PANELISTS TESTIFYING ON BEHALF OF THE ADMINISTRATION. FIRST ASSISTANT COLLECTIVE TREASURER IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT FOR THE COLLECTING DIVISION.  MAUREEN GRASSO DEPUTY CHAIR TREASURER. DEPUTY TREASURER.  TREASURY DEPARTMENT COLLECTING DIVISION. DEPUTY TREASURER BRADLEY CORPORATION.  COUNCILOR FOR THE LAW DEPARTMENT CORPORATION COUNCIL CEDARBAUM AND CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE LAW DEPARTMENT. CHIEF OF STAFF ORTIZ AND FIRST ASSISTANT FOR THE COLLECTED TREASURY FOR THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT COLLECTING DIVISION FIRST ASSISTANT PARDON. THE FLOOR IS NOW YOURS.  OKAY. WE CAN START WITH THE DOLLAR SIGNS FIRST. YEAH, WHICHEVER ONE THEY HAVE TEED UP. OH YEAH. LET'S SEE WHO ACKNOWLEDGES.  SO FIRST WHEN YOU START.  THANK YOU, MR CHAIR.  GOOD MORNING. MORNING.  MY NAME'S ADAM CEDARBAUM. I'M THE CORPORATION COUNCILOR WITH ME TODAY FROM THE CORPORATION COUNSEL'S OFFICE WHERE THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS THE CHIEF OF STAFF PLA.  AND JUST WANT TO SORRY , TAKE A MINUTE TO INTRODUCE THE DEPARTMENT.  THE THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS ESSENTIAL.  WE ARE IN-HOUSE LAW FIRM REPRESENTING CITY OF BOSTON NAMELY ITS DEPARTMENTS.  THE CORE OF OUR DEPARTMENT AND OUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET THE DEDICATED TEAM OF SUPPORT STAFF CLAIMS ANALYST PARALEGALS AND LAWYERS WHO PERFORM THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT. THIS TEAM'S JOB IS TO ADVISE CITY DEPARTMENTS PERFORM TRANSACTIONAL WORK ON BEHALF OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS AND TO DEFEND AND REPRESENT THE CITY AND THE DEPARTMENT AND ITS EMPLOYEES IN LITIGATION. WE ARE PART OF A LARGER SORT OF CITY TEAM THAT WORKS TO DELIVER FOR CONSTITUENTS BUT AS A CENTRAL DEPARTMENT WE DO THAT BY SUPPORTING THE WORK OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WORK MORE DIRECTLY WITH AND DELIVER SERVICES DIRECTLY TO CONSTITUENTS. SO OUR CLIENTS REALLY ARE INTERNAL.  WE DO NOT REPRESENT AS LAWYERS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. WE REPRESENT CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT THAT TEAM OR THE DEPARTMENT IS ORGANIZED INTO DIFFERENT DIVISIONS AIMED AT SORT OF DELIVERING THAT WORK AND SUPPORTING AND REPRESENTING OUR VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS SORT OF IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS.  THE MAJORITY OF THE TEAM IS BASED HERE IN CITY HALL BUT WE ALSO HAVE STAFF LOCATED AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT, INSPECTIONAL SERVICES, PUBLIC FACILITIES IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING.  THE ORG CHART UP HERE IN OUR SLIDE ESSENTIALLY LAYS OUT THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS THROUGH WHICH WE DELIVER THE LAW DEPARTMENT'S WORK. OUR WORK STARTS WITH THE OPERATIONS GROUP. THOSE ARE THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS WHO MAKE SURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT RUNS AND SUPPORT EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE DEPARTMENT IN THEIR WORK HERE IN CITY HALL. THE LEGAL WORK IS BROKEN INTO SORT OF TWO MAIN DIVISIONS. THE LITIGATION GROUP IN THE GOVERNMENT SERVICES DIVISION. THE LITIGATION GROUP. THE LAWYERS THERE ARE DEDICATED TO DEFENDING THE CITY IN A VARIETY OF LAWSUITS RANGING FROM TORTS CLAIMS FOR INJURY, NEGLIGENCE, PROPERTY DAMAGE AND EMPLOYMENT AND CIVIL RIGHTS CLAIMS. THE GOVERNMENT SERVICES DIVISION FUNCTIONS MORE AS AN IN-HOUSE TEAM SUPPORTING THE MAJORITY OF CITY DEPARTMENTS. THAT MEANS THAT TEAM ADVISES AND PERFORMS TRANSACTIONAL WORK TO SUPPORT AND FACILITATE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WORK.  THE TEAM ALSO HAS A LITIGATION FUNCTION OF DEFENDING WITH REGULATORY AND POLICY DECISIONS THAT THE CITY MAKES. SO FOR EXAMPLE ZONING LAWSUITS SOME DEPARTMENTS ARE SO LARGE OR PRESENT SORT OF UNIQUE WORKFLOWS THAT WE HAVE TEAMS DEDICATED TO THEIR REPRESENTATION. SO THAT INCLUDES THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ESD SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC FACILITIES DEPARTMENT. WE ALSO HAVE A SINGLE LAWYER AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING.  IN ADDITION TO THOSE DIVISIONS THAT PROVIDE LEGAL REPRESENTATION.  WE DO HAVE SOME OTHER GROUPS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT THAT PERFORM SPECIALIZED ROLES SO WE HAVE A TAX TITLE GROUP THAT WORKS WITH TREASURY TO SORT OF MANAGE AND RESOLVE TAX DELINQUENCIES. WE HAVE A CLAIMS DIVISION THAT REVIEWS, ANALYZES AND WHERE APPROPRIATE RESOLVES PRE LITIGATION CLAIMS FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE OR NEGLIGENCE THAT ARE PRESENTED TO THE CITY AND THE CITY'S PUBLIC RECORDS TEAM IS HOUSED WITHIN THE LOT APARTMENT. THAT TEAM SUPPORTS ALL THE CITY DEPARTMENTS IN HANDLING THEIR EVER INCREASING DEMAND FOR PUBLIC RECORDS.  SO WE'LL DO A QUICK SUMMARY OF OUR BUDGET THE LAW DEPARTMENTS BUDGET IS BASICALLY COMPRISED OF TWO PARTS. THREE QUARTERS ARE PERSONNEL EXPENSES BECAUSE AS I JUST DISCUSSED THE DEPARTMENT IS PRIMARILY OPERATES THROUGH ITS PERSONNEL.  ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE BUDGET IS DEDICATED TO CONTRACTUAL SERVICES WHICH FOR US IS LARGELY OUTSIDE COUNCILOR COSTS. THE TEAMS IN THE DIVISIONS THAT I JUST DESCRIBED ARE THE PERSONNEL AND THAT'S WHERE THREE QUARTERS OF OUR BUDGET IS . LIKE ALL MUNICIPAL LAW DEPARTMENTS WE DO USE OUTSIDE COUNCILOR . WE USE OUTSIDE COUNCILOR FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.  BUT ESSENTIALLY WHERE THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST WE OFTEN REPRESENT MULTIPLE DEFENDANTS IN THE SAME CASE AND CONFLICTS CAN ARISE FOR COMPLEX OR SPECIALIZED MATTERS WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE IN-HOUSE OR AS A MATTER OF STAFF CAPACITY WHERE A LAWSUIT OR ISSUE IS SO TIME SENSITIVE OR SO RESOURCE INTENSIVE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF CAPACITY TO ADDRESS IT AT LEAST ON THE REQUISITE TIMELINE.  OUTSIDE COUNCILOR IS PRIMARILY USED FOR LITIGATION BUT WE DO USE IT FOR OTHER MATTERS LIKE EMPLOYMENT ADVISING, TELECOM WORK AND SPECIALIZED PERMITTING WORK ON THE BUDGET PIE CHART THERE. I DON'T WANT TO IGNORE THE SMALL BUT CRITICAL PIECE OF THE BUDGET THAT GOES TO LEGAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE COMING FISCAL YEAR THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE A BIG FOCUS FOR THE DEPARTMENT BOTH IN TERMS OF STARTING THE WORK TO ASSESS AND POTENTIALLY PROCURE A NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.  BUT ALSO WE ARE DOING A LOT OF WORK THIS YEAR TO SORT OF STANDARDIZE AND IMPLEMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING E-DISCOVERY AND THAT'S GOING TO END UP I THINK INTERSECTING WITH AND BEING RELIANT UPON OUR USE OF OUR OUR LEGAL SOFTWARE.  SO AS WE MOVE TO THE PERSONNEL OVERVIEW, I JUST WANT TO SAY,  YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THAT TEAM OF ALMOST 70 DEDICATED MINISTRY NATIVE PROFESSIONALS CLAIMS SPECIALISTS, PARALEGALS AND LAWYERS DELIVERING THESE LEGAL SERVICES. IT'S A HIGHLY ACCOUNTABLE TEAM . IT TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR A HUGE NUMBER OF CONTRACTS AND LEGAL HEARINGS AND LAWSUITS AND POLICY DRAFTING AND NEGOTIATIONS AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER LEGAL WORK THAT COMES INTO THE DEPARTMENT EACH YEAR AND YOU KNOW, JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR WORK. AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FLORA ORTIZ A LOT OF PARTNERS CHIEF OF STAFF TO SPEAK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT TEAM. THANK YOU, ADAM.  SO OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN JUST ATTORNEYS. IT REALLY TAKES A VARIETY OF ROLES TO GET OUR WORK DONE AND TO DO IT SUCCESSFULLY.  WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 69 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, 53 OF WHICH ARE ATTORNEYS. MANAGEMENT OVERSEES KIND OF THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT AND WE HAVE MANAGING ATTORNEYS THAT OVERSEE THE SPECIFIC GROUPS THAT ADAM MENTIONED EARLIER SUCH AS GOVERNMENT SERVICES ESD BP'S ETC..  WE HAVE ARTICLE CLERKS AND PARALEGALS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR SUPPORT TEAM THAT PROVIDES FRONT AND BACK OFFICE SUPPORT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR DEPARTMENT RUNS SMOOTHLY ALL THE TIME.  LOOKING AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE WE KNOW THAT THE BOSTON LEGAL COMMUNITY, THE DEMOGRAPHICS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THAT OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE. THAT BEING SAID, WE ARE AWARE THAT HAVING STAFF THAT IS MORE COLLECTIVELY REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR CONSTITUENTS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ABILITY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OUR CLIENTS FACE AND UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES THAT ARE BEFORE THE CITY.  WE OFTEN HEAR THAT PUBLIC SECTOR SALARIES ARE TRIPLE BEHIND THOSE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR BUT WE ARE NOT DAUNTED BY THAT. WE DO NOT LET THAT LIMIT OUR OUR RECRUITING OR OUR HIRING PROCESS BY INCREASING OUR CONNECTIONS IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY WE HAVE ENSURE THAT OUR HIRING PROCESS IS REPRESENTATIVE AND INCLUDES DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS FROM RECRUITMENT THROUGH HIRING AND THE REGULAR REVIEW OF OUR SALARIES IN RELATION TO WORK EXPERIENCE. WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A MORE TRANSPARENT AND MORE EQUITABLE STARTING SALARIES FOR ANYBODY WHO COMES INTO THE DEPARTMENT.  WE SEE THE WORK ON ADVANCING OUR OFFICE CULTURE AS REALLY INTEGRAL TO IMPROVING THE OPERATIONS OF OUR DEPARTMENT.  THIS FISCAL YEAR WE HAVE DOCUMENTED AN EQUITY FOCUSED HIRING PROCESS AND EXPANDED THE GROUPS WE ENGAGE WITH INCLUDING FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE GRADUATES AND NATIVE AMERICANS AND THE LEGAL COMMUNITY.  OBVIOUSLY WE ARE NOT LIMITED ONLY TO THOSE WE REACH OUT TO ARE A WIDE ARRAY OF AFFINITY GROUPS INCLUDING THE LGBTQ BAR ASSOCIATION, THE WOMEN'S BAR ASSOCIATION, THE HISPANIC ATTORNEYS AND MANY MANY OTHERS . WE CONTINUE TO CREATE SPECIALIZED ROLES MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE DEDICATING ALL OF OUR RESOURCES AND RETHINKING THE WAY THAT WE RUN OUR DEPARTMENT. THIS INCLUDES A NEW ATTORNEY DEDICATED TO PUBLIC RECORDS AT THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO LEGAL OPERATIONS ANALYST TO SUPPORT OUR EDISCOVERY OPERATIONS.  AND FINALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A TRAINING MINIMUM REQUIREMENT TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE EMPOWERED TO CONTINUE AND SUPPLEMENT THEIR LEGAL EDUCATION WHETHER THEY'RE ATTORNEYS OR NOT.  THANK YOU. MS. ORTIZ. AND AGAIN, I'M PROUD OF THE SERIOUSNESS AND QUALITY AND INTEGRITY OF THE WORK AND THE STAFF YOU JUST SPOKE ABOUT BRING TO REPRESENTING THE CITY AND REALLY JUST ONE NOTE AGAIN, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT THAT TEAM DELIVERS FOR OUR CITY . YOU KNOW, BETWEEN BETWEEN ALL OF THIS SORT OF DEPARTMENTAL WORK THAT WE ADVISE ON AND SUPPORT IN THE LAWSUITS CLAIMS AND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS THAT COME INTO THE CITY, OBVIOUSLY THE TEAM HAS BEEN VERY BUSY OVER THE PAST YEAR SUCH THAT IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO SORT OF LAY OUT SPECIFIC WORK ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR I WOULD SAY BETTER TO PICK WHICH ONES ARE YOU KNOW, THE THE HIGHLIGHTS BECAUSE THE MAIN POINT HERE IS THAT LAW DEPARTMENT'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS ALL COME IN THE FORM OF SUPPORTING AND REPRESENTING THE WORK THAT OTHER DEPARTMENT PERFORM. RIGHT. SO OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY HELPING OTHER DEPARTMENTS GET STUFF DONE FOR THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON. SO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME REPRESENTATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS SLIDE.  WE HAVE SOME REPRESENTATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN OTHER MATERIALS WE SUBMITTED.  BUT I THINK THAT THE THING THAT I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS OUR WORK AND WE'RE REALLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY AS LAWYERS LIKE BUT BUT OUR WORK IS TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT SORT OF THE NON CENTRAL DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY OF BOSTON DO TO DELIVER FOR THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON. AND AS WE THINK ABOUT THE COMING FISCAL YEAR THAT CONCEPT IS IS OUR TOUCHSTONE IN TERMS OF ARE OUR GOALS RIGHT HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO YOU KNOW THE GOALS ARE INTERNAL GOALS TO HELP US SORT OF BETTER PERFORM THAT TASK. SO YOU KNOW, OUR GOALS FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR AS ALWAYS BECAUSE OUR TEAM IS SO CRITICAL TO OUR WORK IS TO RECRUIT,  RETAIN AND TRAIN AN EXCELLENT WORKFORCE TO SORT OF SUPPORT THAT WORKFORCE IN DOING ITS ITS ITS BEST AS A MANAGEMENT TEAM WE'RE TRYING TO PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY WHY SOME OF THE LARGE PIECES OF UPCOMING LEGAL WORK OR PROJECTS THAT THAT WILL HIT THE TEAM THINGS ALWAYS HIT THE LAW DEPARTMENT IN A REALLY TIME SENSITIVE WAY. WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR CLIENTS TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE BIG PIECES OF WORK SOMEWHAT IN ADVANCE SO THAT WE CAN HELP TRAIN, PREPARE AND MAKE OUR STAFF AVAILABLE FOR THAT. ALSO RELATED TO THAT AND TAKING THE NEXT STEP ON THE TRAINING MINIMUMS THAT IS ORTIZ MENTIONED, WE ARE GOING TO SORT OF FORMALIZE IN YOUR TRAINING PATHWAYS WITHIN EACH DIVISION OF THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND FOR US A BIG PIECE OF THAT THIS YEAR WILL INCLUDE STANDARDIZING OUR E-DISCOVERY PROCEDURES.  AND THEN THE LAST CALL ON THERE IS ACTUALLY JUST REALLY A REPRESENTED GOAL. I WANTED TO INCLUDE SOMETHING ON THERE THAT REPRESENTED THAT OUR WORK IS FUNDAMENTAL,  SOMEWHAT REACTIVE TO WHAT COMES IN THE DOOR. SO AS WE MAKE GOALS FOR THE YEAR WE ALWAYS HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT ONE OF THE GOALS IS GOING TO JUST BE TO TRY TO HANDLE IN THE BEST, MOST PROFESSIONAL, MOST SYSTEMATIC WAY WHATEVER NEW BIG CHALLENGE COMES IN THE DOOR. SO I PICKED ONE FOR THIS SLIDE LAST YEAR. WE GOT A COUPLE OF LARGE WRONGFUL CONVICTION CLAIMS THAT CAME IN. YOU CAN'T PREDICT THESE THINGS BUT WHEN THEY COME IN IT'S ALWAYS A GOAL OF THE DEPARTMENT TO SHIFT GEARS, DEVOTE RESOURCES TO IT AND TAKE THIS NEW TASK REALLY SERIOUSLY. SO THAT BELONGS ON THERE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WILL BE WHAT THE NEXT CASES ARE NEXT YEAR BUT THERE WILL BE SOMETHING THAT COMES TO THE DEPARTMENT AND IT'S GOING TO BE OUR JOB TO ADJUST AND NOT SIMPLY SAY WHATEVER WE WANTED TO DO IN FISCAL 25 IS THE PRIORITY TODAY. SO THAT'S IT FOR OUR OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU .  OKAY.  THINK IT'S ME . GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, COUNSELOR. SO I'M MAUREEN GRASSO. I'M THE TREASURER OF THE CITY SO I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT OUR ART DIVISION DOES THAT THE TREASURY SIDE OF TREASURY AND THEN CELIA WILL FOLLOW BEHIND AND TALK ABOUT THE COLLECTING PIECE CELIA LIKES TO SAY SHE COLLECTS THE MONEY AND WE SPEND A LOT SO WE'LL TALK. SHE HAS BEEN A FRIEND AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE DO THAT SO AS YOU NOTICE FROM THE THE BUDGET THAT WE PUT FORTH THE MET, THE MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGET IS FOR PERSONNEL AND WITH A FEW LESSER LINE ITEMS FOR POSTAGE AND CONTRACTED SERVICES.  WE PUT TOGETHER A FEW SLIDES TODAY THAT REPRESENT THE WORK THAT'S DONE BY THE TREASURY TEAM AND WHY THE PERSONNEL IS SO IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE TO THE CITY.  THIS ORG CHART SHOWS THAT THE TREASURY DIVISION IS BROKEN INTO FOUR ESSENTIAL SECTIONS WE HAVE THE FINANCE OPERATIONS TEAM, THE TRUST SECTION, THE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION TEAM AND THE FINANCE TEAM.  WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT EACH OF THOSE GROUPS DOES AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS.  SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NEXT ONE. YEAH, THAT'S ELIZABETH.  I APOLOGIZE. I CAN SEE THAT THAT'S ILLEGIBLE TO YOU.  I DON'T KNOW WHY WE ALL HAVE COPIES.  OKAY, GOOD ENOUGH. SO SO THE ADMINISTRATION YOU KNOW, THAT'S MYSELF AND I APOLOGIZE. DERICA BRADLEY, THE DEPUTY TREASURER WHAT WE DO IS, YOU KNOW, OVER OVERARCHING THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ENTIRE TREASURY DIVISION WE'RE THE STEWARDS OF THE CITY OF BOSTON CASH AND INVESTMENTS. WE OVERSEE THE COLLECTION AND DISBURSEMENT OF CITY FUNDS. WE MANAGE THE CITY'S FINANCIAL OPERATIONS AND DEBT OBLIGATIONS AND WE MAINTAIN THE BANKING INVESTMENT IN FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.  SO NOW WE'LL DIG DOWN INTO THE TEAMS THAT DO YOU KNOW THE TRUE WORK THE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION TEAM. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THEM AND THEY WERE HERE JUST LAST MONTH AND THIS MONTH YOU APPROVED THEIR 2024 AWARDS OF JUST OVER $38 MILLION FOR 57 PROJECTS SINCE THE FIRST FUNDING ROUND IN 2018, 347 PROJECTS HAVE RECEIVED GRANTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY FOR MORE THAN $190 MILLION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION. THIS PROGRAM HAS REALLY BECOME QUITE BELOVED IN THE IN THE CITY AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THEY DO. THE NEXT SECTION IS THE TRUST SECTION ALSO CAME BEFORE YOU A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I BELIEVE ASKING FOR APPROVAL OF THE CEMETERIES TRUST DISTRIBUTION AND THOSE 11 CEMETERY TRUSTS ARE JUST A PORTION OF THE 350 TRUSTS THAT ARE MANAGED BY THE TRUST SECTION OF THE TREASURY.  SO AGAIN ALL SORTS OF OPERATIONS, ALL SORTS OF TRUSTS I'M SURE YOU'RE VERY WELL AWARE OF MANY OF THEM THAT EXIST THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND ANOTHER CRITICAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THEIRS IS THE OVERSIGHT OF THE TRUST INVESTMENTS VALUED AT ABOUT $1.3 BILLION. ABOUT A BILLION OF THAT IS OPEB . BUT AGAIN A LOT OF WORK GOES INTO THAT AND THEY ARE CERTAINLY AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF OUR DIVISION WITHIN OUR TEAM. NOW I GO ON TO THE KIND OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF TREASURY AND WHAT WE ALL THINK OF WHEN WE TALK TREASURY. IT'S THE OPERATIONS TEAM.  THEY'RE THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE THE PAYROLL ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND THE ACCOUNTING TEAM VERY HIGH VOLUME AND CUSTOMER SERVICE DRIVEN. WE'VE PUT SOME NUMBERS ON THESE PAGES TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE VOLUME THAT THEY PUT OUT AND THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK WE ALL WE ALL WORK TO GET PAID AND THEY DO THAT FOR US. THEY MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE PERSONNEL AND VENDORS ARE PAID ALL MONIES OWED TO THE CITIES FOR LOOK TO THE CITY FOR LOANS AND RECEIVABLES AND TAXES OTHER THAN TAXES EXCUSE ME ARE COLLECTED AND THAT ALL THE ACCOUNTING STATE AND FEDERAL REPORTING AND TAXES PAID ARE PROCESSED TIMELY AND ACCURATELY. SO AGAIN EXCUSE ME THE TRUE NUTS AND BOLTS OF OUR DEPARTMENT AND WHAT YOU THINK OF AS OUR CORE WORK AND THE FINAL TEAM IS OUR FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE TEAM.  AS YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A MYRIAD OF CRUCIAL RESPONSIVE ABILITIES . LITERALLY IT'S THE STRATEGY AND ANALYTICS TO SUPPORT OUR INVESTMENTS IN BOND DEALS. YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THIS YEAR WHEN WE WHEN WE SUBMITTED THE BUDGET OVERALL THERE WAS A REFERENCE TO INCREASED INVESTMENT INCOME AND THAT IS REALLY THE STRATEGY IS IS WITHIN THAT TEAM THE BOND DEALS YOU KNOW WE WORK WITH OUR FINANCIAL ADVISORS AND THE STRATEGIES AND WITHIN THAT TEAM. SO AGAIN I JUST WANT TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES JUST TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS WHO WE ARE AND THIS IS WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR PAYROLL, PAYROLL AND TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WE DO.  THANK YOU.  THANK YOU. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COUNCIL BRADING COUNCILOR MEJIA COUNCIL FITZGERALD AND COUNCIL MEMBER HAS JOINED US.  I'LL GO BACK TO THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION LAST.  OKAY.  YOU KNOW I'M STILL YOUR BATON SO YOU BY THE FIRST ASSISTANT COLLECTIVE TREASURER ON THE COLLECTING SIDE ZAPATA BANCO SO YOUR BATON FIRST ASSISTANT COLLECTIVE TREASURER ON THE COLLECTING SIDE WE COLLECT ALL THE TAXES FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON THE COLLECT MISSION STATEMENT IS WE COLLECT TAXES ON ALL OF THE MONEYS DUE TO FROM TAXPAYERS AND IN A PROFESSIONAL COURTESY MANNER. LAST YEAR WE CLOSED A COLLECTION RATE WAS 99.2% AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF ALL THE HARD WORK THAT THE DEPARTMENT DOES. WE GOT EXCELLENT STAFF.  WE BREAK IT DOWN INTO A FEW PROGRAMS SO WE HAVE THE MANAGEMENT GROUP WHICH WOULD DOES THE HIRING, THE SUPERVISING AND ALL THE TRAINING OF THE DEPARTMENT. OUR NEXT GROUP IS SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SO SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HANDLES REAL ESTATE ,PERSONAL PROPERTY, MOTOR EXCISE IT MANAGES ALL THE LEGAL TITLE RESEARCH FOR TAX TITLE PROPERTY DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS AND INCLUDES OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTS UP TO A LOT OF PAYMENT FOR FORECLOSURE.  THIS DEPARTMENT IS THIS SECTION OF OUR OFFICE IS KEY.  THIS IS THE ONE THAT DEALS WITH THE TAXPAYERS THAT HELPS THEM.  WE'RE NOT INTO WE'RE NOT IN THE FORECLOSURE BUSINESS. WE SEE SOMEBODY COME IN THAT NEEDS ASSISTANCE. WE REACH OUT TO THE A STRONG WE REACH OUT TO THE HOME CENTER.  WE TRY TO FIND SOME HELP FOR THESE THESE PEOPLE SO THAT WE DON'T YOU KNOW, THEY GET ANY MORE IN THE ARREARS AND WHEN THEY'RE PAYING US WE JUST MAKE SURE WE DON'T SEND THEM FORWARD TO FORECLOSURE. WE TRY TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO HELP THEM OUT ANY WAY WE CAN. WE DO A LOT OF LETTER CAMPAIGNS SO PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING SURPRISED AT THE END OF THE YEAR IF THEY GOT A LEAN ON THEIR PROPERTY AND WE RESEARCH WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT ON ACCOUNTS THAT HAVE BEEN PETITIONED TO TRY TO HELP THEM GET INTO SOME KIND OF A WITH THE HOME, SEND US SOME KIND OF LOAN OF FINANCE SO IT'S KEY AND WE'VE GOT A WONDERFUL STANDARD. IT'S VERY PATIENT AND WORK VERY PROFESSIONAL. OUR NEXT APPOINTMENT IS THE PAYMENTS SERVICES AND THAT HANDLES ALL THE MAIL THE TELLERS AT THE WINDOW, ALL DEPARTMENTAL DEPOSITS JUST THIS AREA. SO WE MAY ALLOW TOTAL YEAR WE MAIL OUT OVER A MILLION BILLS BETWEEN REGULAR BILLS AND DEMAND NOTICES. THERE'S 300,000 WATER EXCISE THAT COME FROM THE REGISTRY MOTOR VEHICLES AND AS WE DO 175 BILLS FOR REAL ESTATE FOR EVERY QUARTER SO TOTAL IN THAT IN TOTAL AND THESE DELINQUENT LETTERS THAT WE BILLS WE SEND OUT IT COMES OUT TO $1,000,000. SO THIS AREA WORKS WITH ALL THE MAIL THAT COMES BACK WORKS WITH OUR LOCKBOX PROCESS THESE PAYMENTS AND WE HANDLE ALL THE BILLS WE MAIL OUT THE NEXT SECTION WE ONLY HAVE FOUR FOUR SECTIONS IN OUR OFFICE AND THIS IS THE ACCOUNTING QUALITY CONTROL THIS PART OF THE OFFICE HANDLES ALL THE POSTINGS WE TRY TO AUTOMATE AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR HOMEOWNERS SO WE WORK WITH MORTGAGE COMPANIES. IF YOU HAVE A MORTGAGE WILL SEND YOUR BILL ELECTRONICALLY. WE SEND YOU A BILL THEN WE SEND IT ELECTRONICALLY SO THE BILL GETS PAID TO THE MORTGAGE COMPANY.  WE DO THE SAME WITH MOTOR EXCISE. IF YOU HAVE A LEASED CAR WE'LL SEND OUT TO THE LEASING COMPANIES. THIS SAVES THE CITY MONEY AND POSTAGE BECAUSE WE CAN DO ELECTRONIC FILES GOING OUT AND THEN WE TRY TO CREATE ANYTHING WE CAN WE SEND OUT DELINQUENT FILES TO MORTGAGE COMPANIES TO JUST SO THEY'RE AWARE OF THE PERSON IS NOT IS BEHIND IN THEIR TAXES. SO WITH ALL THAT MOST OF OUR BUDGET IS BETWEEN PERSONNEL IS POSTED BECAUSE SENDING OUT A MILLION VEHICLES A YEAR SO A LOT OF POSTAGE AND AND AS WELL IT ADDS UP SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK YEP AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. NOW I'LL GO OVER TO MY COUNCILOR COLLEAGUES FOR QUESTIONS STARTING WITH COUNCILOR FILLING THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU MR CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO THE LEGAL THE LEGAL TEAM AND THE TREASURY TEAM THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE OVERWHELMED WITH THE RESIDENTS AND I THINK WE'RE IN GOOD HANDS WITH THE LEGAL TEAM AND WITH THE TREASURY FINANCIAL PEOPLE HERE AND I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANT WORK YOU DO. I ACTUALLY ENJOYED GOING DOWN TO THE MEZZANINE LEVEL AND PAYING MY TAXES IN PERSON AND I DO THAT BECAUSE THE THE YOUNG THE YOUNG WOMEN THAT ARE WORKING THERE DO AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB AND THEY'RE VERY PROFESSIONAL BUT THEY THEY WORK HARD AND THEY AGREED THE CUSTOMERS WITH THE RESIDENTS WITH WITH RESPECT SO I LOVE I LOVE SEEING THAT SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.  ADAM I WAS JUST LOOKING AT ONE OF THE STATS I COULDN'T READ IT ALL THAT CLOSELY STAFFED DEMOGRAPHICS I SEE THERE WAS A SECTION IN THERE ABOUT RACE ETHNICITY BUT I AND I SAW ASIAN POPULATION BUT I COULDN'T SEE WHAT I COULD DETERMINE WHAT THE LINE WAS FOR THEM.  I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SEE IF CLASS SIZES ARE BETTER THAN BECAUSE WHEN COUNSELOR FLYNN I APOLOGIZE I DO NOT I'M HAVING THE SAME CHALLENGE READING THE BLACK AND WHITE SLIDE. OKAY. IF IT WOULD BE ALL RIGHT YOU KNOW, WE ACTUALLY THIS INFORMATION ALL COMES FROM LIKE A CITY EMPLOYMENT DASHBOARD.  CAN I COMMIT TO JUST FOLLOWING UP WITH THAT WE WILL SORT OF PULL THAT PIECE OF INFORMATION OUT AND HIGHLIGHT IT IN A FOLLOW UP RESPONSE. THAT'S THAT'S PERFECT, ADAM THAT'S NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR. AND I ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE MOST DIFFICULT THING TO ASK YOU TO DO SO I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A NUMBER.  I HAVE 8.33. I LIKE KEEPING PEOPLE ON THEIR TOES SORRY . OKAY. 8.32 OF OF THAT HOW MANY HOW MANY PEOPLE OF THE 8.33 SPEAK CANTONESE I DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT COUNSELOR.  OKAY NOW WE CAN FOLLOW UP. I BELIEVE THAT IN TERMS OF THE ONLY INSIGHT I HAVE INTO THAT I'VE GOT MY HEAD IS YOU KNOW A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THIS CITY HAD LIKE A SIGN UP FOR MULTILINGUAL STAFF TO JUST KIND OF BE ON CALL I THINK FOR THE LCA OFFICE AND MY MEMORY IS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY IN OUR DEPARTMENT WHO SIGNED UP FOR THAT FOR CANTONESE. WE DO HOWEVER HAVE ONE MANDARIN SPEAKER AND THEN WE HAVE ONE PARALEGAL WHO'S ACTUALLY FROM TAIWAN SO YOU HAVE ONE MANDARIN SPEAKER YEAH, AND ALSO ONE PARALEGAL WHO IS FROM TAIWAN.  OKAY MOST PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT THAT ARE THAT ARE ASIAN SPEAK CANTONESE AND THAT'S WHY I WAS I FREQUENTLY ASKED THAT QUESTION THAT I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO SEE WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE BUT WHEN WE DO RECRUITING IF WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT ANY CANTONESE SPEAKING LAWYERS PROFESSIONALS AS WELL I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT CITY GOVERNMENT IS REFLECTED WITH CANTONESE SPEAKERS.  IT'S IMPORTANT IN MY DISTRICT.  ADAM LET ME GO BACK TO YOU.  IN YOUR BUDGET ABOUT 25% IS TOWARDS OUTSIDE COUNCILOR . YES.  WHAT PERCENT OR WHAT IS THE FIGURE? MAYBE NOT PERCENT BUT WHAT IS THE FIGURE OF CLAIMS AGAINST THE CITY LEGAL CLAIMS AGAINST THE CITY THAT THE CITY PAID OUT BECAUSE OF A PARTICULAR CASE THAT WENT TO COURT OR OR WAS SETTLED BEFORE COURT? HOW MUCH IS THIS HOW MUCH DO THE CITIES SETTLE LAST YEAR? MM I DO NOT HAVE THAT TOTAL AMOUNT IN FRONT OF ME BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PULL TOGETHER AND PROVIDE AS A FOLLOW UP IN COULD I GET THE FIGURE FOR WHAT'S WHAT WHAT IS CURRENT ALSO FOR THIS YEAR 2024 JANUARY TO TO THE PRESENT YES OKAY ABSOLUTELY YEAH YEAH WE CAN WE CAN PULL THAT INFORMATION AND WE'LL WE'LL SORT OF WE'LL GO BACK A COUPLE OF YEARS AND BREAK IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT SO THAT YOU CAN SORT OF SEE PAST FISCAL YEAR INCLUDING THIS CALENDAR YEAR. OKAY.  AND SECONDLY, ADAM, WHAT IS THE STARTING SALARY OF A YOUNG ATTORNEY COMING INTO YOUR OFFICE A $86,000 $86,000. OKAY.  DOESN'T SEEM ALL THAT HIGH WHEN WHEN THAT YOUNG PERSON ALSO HAS A TUITION PAYMENTS THAT THEY THEY'RE ALSO DEALING WITH HOW WERE YOU HOW WERE YOU WORKING WITH THAT YOUNG ATTORNEY TO ASSIST THEM WITH THAT TUITION FEE TUITION BILL THAT THEY HAVE TO PAY EVERY MONTH?  IT IT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION, COUNSELOR, BECAUSE THIS IS LIKE NOT SURPRISINGLY IS A REAL AREA OF CHALLENGE FOR US IN RECRUITING, HIRING AND RETENTION IN TERMS OF LIKE SPECIFIC TO THAT QUESTION, THE BIG THING THAT WE CAN OFFER IS THAT PUBLIC SERVICE IS CONNECTED TO REALLY GOOD FEDERAL LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS SO OUR ATTORNEYS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS.  SO WE'RE ALWAYS PITCHING PEOPLE AND REMINDING THEM WE YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO WAY TO AVOID THE FACT THAT SALARIES OBVIOUSLY ARE DIFFERENT THAN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR BUT OUR ATTORNEYS DO QUALIFIED FOR THAT. SO THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY SPECIFIC THING THAT WE OFFER ON THAT FRONT. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR STARTING SALARIES. WE DO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT IF THEY'VE DONE EXTRA EDUCATION OR HAVE PARTICULAR EXPERTISE THAT IS REALLY BENEFICIAL TO THE DIRECT WORK THAT THEY WILL BE DOING. SO WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AGAIN AS I MENTIONED TRANSPARENT ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING THINGS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WE ALWAYS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW, PITCHES A HIGHER SALARY AND TRY TO SEE HOW IT MEASURES OUT WHILE BEING FAIR AND EQUITABLE TO OUR ATTORNEYS WHO ARE ALREADY IN OUR DEPARTMENT.  NOT ONLY IS IT RECRUITING BUT IT'S THE RETENTION THAT EVEN IF THE PERSON WAS MAKING 90,000 AFTER A YEAR OR 90 $500,000 AFTER A YEAR THEY COULD EASILY GO IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND MAKE MORE MONEY. SO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE CITY BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM. IS THAT ACCURATE? YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S ONE OF THE MANY BENEFITS. BUT ON TOP OF THAT WE DO ACTUALLY WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SECTOR SALARIES WE DO PAY MORE THAN SOME OTHER OFFICES.  OKAY.  DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION COUNSELOR? YEAH, I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION . YEAH. THANK YOU TO THE THANK YOU TO THE LEGAL TEAM AND JUST TO THE FINANCIAL TEAM AGAIN THANK YOU FOR THE IMPORTANT WORK YOU'RE DOING.  I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WHEN THERE'S A LEAN ON ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY CAN YOU TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS AND WHAT THE PROCESS IS FOR SOMEONE TO GET THAT LEAN OFF THE OFF THE BOOKS.  OKAY. SO WE PLACE LIENS EVERY DECEMBER FOR THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR WHICH MEANS THAT THE CITY FILES IT TAKING IT THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS AND THAT GOES ON THE ACCOUNT THEY CAN'T SELL IT OR TRANSFER A TITLE REFINANCED WITHOUT PAYING THAT SO WHAT THAT IS IS FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR THEY DIDN'T PAY SOME TAXES AT THAT WE SEND OUT SO LEGALLY WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR SIX MONTHS ONCE WE PLACE THE LEAN IN DECEMBER. SO WHAT WE IS IN PROBABLY MARCH OR APRIL WE SEND OUT THESE NOTICES TO TAXPAYERS JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THE ACCOUNT IS OUTSTANDING AND THEY SHOULD, YOU KNOW, CALL THE OFFICE IF THEY NEED HELP OR WHATEVER TO PAY THE BILL.  WE ALSO TAKE THE CURRENT BILL AND WE PUT THE DELINQUENCY ON THE CURRENT BILL. SO WHEN YOU GET YOUR FIRST QUARTER FOR 2025 IF YOU HAD A LEAN FROM 2024 THAT WOULD GO ON YOUR CURRENT BILL WITH THE AMOUNT WITH THE NOTICE THAT YOU HAVE YOUR OUTSTANDING AT THAT POINT WE JUST KEEP UP WITH LETTER CAMPAIGNS AND WE DO PHONE CALLS.  WE DON'T REALLY PETITION THE PROPERTY PROBABLY FOR LIKE 18 MONTHS BECAUSE WE'RE STILL TRYING TO COLLECT AS OPPOSED TO HAVING THE PROPERTY GO UPSTAIRS TO GET PUT IN DELINQUENT X I'M THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU MR CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MURPHY,  THE FLOOR IS YOURS. YOUR CHAIR.  THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. FEW QUESTIONS.  NO TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT FIRST HOW MANY CLAIMS DID THE CITY FACE IN 24 AND IF YOU COULD COMPARE THAT TO OTHER YEARS SO THESE ARE APPROXIMATE NUMBERS SO IN AND YOU KNOW FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS THE NUMBER OF CLAIMS AND I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT CLAIMS THAT WENT TO THE CLAIMS DIVISION AND SORT OF FOUR IN INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE THAT IS IN 2023 WAS JUST UNDER 200 THIS YEAR IT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE HIGH WE'VE GOT ABOUT 180 SO FAR THIS CALENDAR YEAR AND THAT'S YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ON TRACK TO BE YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THE YEAR BEFORE IN 2022. THE NUMBER WAS ALSO JUST UNDER 200 I THINK. SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPTICK BUT I DON'T KNOW MUCH BEYOND THAT HOW IT BREAKS DOWN. NO, THAT'S HELPFUL. THANK YOU. YOU MENTIONED WHEN THERE ARE TIMES YOU NEED OUTSIDE COUNCILOR , IS IT BASED? MAYBE BOTH. BUT IS IT BASED ON THE CONTENT OF THE CASE OR IS IT BASED ON YOUR STAFF IT'S AND ABLE TO TAKE IT ON THROUGH. I THINK YOU WERE RIGHT IT SORT OF BUT SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ANYTHING UNIQUE ABOUT THE CONTENT. SOMETIMES IT'S SIMPLY YOU KNOW ,WE REPRESENT EMPLOYEES ACTING IN THEIR CAPACITY AND WE REPRESENT THE CITY SO A LOT OF LAWSUITS THAT COME IN HAVE MULTIPLE DEFENDANTS SO THERE WILL BE MAYBE FOUR NAMED CITY EMPLOYEES AND THEN THE CITY OF BOSTON AS WELL.  WE HAVE DIFFERENT DEFENSES AND THE EMPLOYEES AND BECAUSE THESE CASES SOMETIMES DEPEND ON WHETHER THE ALLEGED WRONGED WAS PURSUANT TO A CITY POLICY OR PRACTICE OR IF IT WASN'T RIGHT. SO SOMETIMES NOT EVERYBODY HAS THE SAME DEFENSES IN A LAWSUIT EVEN THOUGH WE'RE ALL CO-DEFENDANTS WHO THE LAW DEPARTMENT ORDINARILY WOULD REPRESENT. SO IN THOSE CASES IT MIGHT NOT BE ANYTHING PARTICULARLY UNIQUE ABOUT THE CASE OTHER THAN THAT JUST JUST A FACTUAL QUESTION OF WHETHER WE ARE A DEFENSES ARE ALIGNED SOMETIMES THE THE CASE IS UNIQUE. SO FOR EXAMPLE THIS YEAR WE HAD A CASE WHERE IN YOUR RIGHT YOU PROBABLY HEARD IN MY PRESENTATION I MENTIONED SORT OF WE'RE DOING SOME PROSPECTIVE WORK TO STANDARDIZE OUR E-DISCOVERY PRACTICES. WE HAD A CASE THAT REALLY HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED SORT OF AS WE DEAL WITH MUCH MORE IN THE INSTITUTION TO HAVE SORT OF MORE MODERN MODERNIZED E-DISCOVERY OF PRACTICES AND RESOURCES AND THE CASE THAT PRESENTED THAT IT REALLY ULTIMATELY MADE SENSE TO HAVE BASICALLY A MUCH BIGGER FIRM WITH DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE TO TAKE THAT ON. SO IT'S ALWAYS BOTH AND THEN YOU KNOW, FINALLY SOME THINGS ARE JUST LIKE REALLY SPECIALIZED AREAS OF LAW THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE SO ONE EXAMPLE IS THE CITY DOES A LOT OF TELECOM WORK BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT REALLY HIGHLY SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE IN-HOUSE.  OKAY, THAT'S HELPFUL AND THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE DIGITIZING AND E-DISCOVERY AND A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS ARE HAVING TO DO THAT.  IS IT PUTTING A STRAIN ON THE CURRENT STAFF OR DID YOU HAVE TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE TO TAKE ON THESE PROJECTS? WELL, IN THAT PARTICULAR CASE I'M TALKING ABOUT WE ENDED UP HAVING TO TURN TO OUTSIDE COUNCILOR MIDWAY THROUGH JUST BECAUSE THE WHERE WE STOOD AND WHAT THE SORT OF LIKE SHORT TERM OBLIGATIONS TO SORT OF GET OUR HANDS AROUND A BUNCH OF DATA AND E-DISCOVERY OBLIGATIONS WERE BUT WE'VE GOT OUR BUDGET REQUEST THAT IS IN FOR FISCAL 25 ACTUALLY HAS EMBEDDED WITHIN IT SOME WORK THAT WE'RE TAKING OUT OF THAT EXPERIENCE SO IN OUR BUDGET REQUEST YOU KNOW ONE THING THAT IT FUNDS IS A NEW POSITION SOMEBODY ON OUR STAFF WHO'S SORT OF OUR TECH POINT PERSON A SECOND THING THAT'S FUNDED WITHIN OUR OUTSIDE COUNCILOR REQUEST FOR FISCAL 25 IS AND AN OUTSIDE LAWYER WHO'S WORKING AS A CONSULTANT TO HELP US IN FACT LIKE ADVISING US ON DESIGNING, DOCUMENTING AND TRAINING OURSELVES ON EDISCOVERY STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES SO AND A LOT OF THESE ARE POSITIONS THAT ALREADY EXIST IN PRIVATE FIRMS WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING THE CITY TO A MORE MODERN APPROACH TO HOW WE DO OUR MUNICIPAL WORK EVEN OUR LEGAL OPERATIONS ANALYST POSITION. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ACTIVELY EXISTS IN OTHER OFFICES. BUT TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT IS THE RIGHT FIT, THE RIGHT NEED THAT OUR MUNICIPAL WORK REQUIRES SO MAKING SURE WE'RE BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE MODERATE, A LITTLE BIT MORE THOUGHTFUL AS TO HOW WE'RE PUTTING OUR POSITIONS AND THERE MUST BE MORE. I KNOW WHEN WE HAD DO IT HERE THEY TALKED ABOUT SUPPORTING ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS UP DATING SYSTEMS AND ALL BUT THERE MUST BE PRIVACY ISSUES ALSO IN YOUR DEPARTMENT. WE TOOK IT IN-HOUSE OR IF YOU CONTRACT IT OUT IT'S NOT YES BUT DO IT IS THINK SO AS WE WORK ON OUR CASE MANAGEMENT UPGRADE DO IT WILL ACTUALLY BE SORT OF OUR LEAD PARTNER IN THAT END THEY'RE VERY SOPHISTICATED AT WORKING WITH YOU KNOW SORT OF WHICHEVER VENDOR WE END UP WORKING WITH DO IT. IT'S LIKE VERY SOPHISTICATED IN TERMS OF DEALING WITH LIKE THE WHENEVER SPECIAL PRIVACY ISSUES OR SOMETHING ARISE. THEY'VE OBVIOUSLY YOU KNOW WORKED ON THAT. YOU KNOW THERE'S PRIVACY ISSUES ARISE IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.  SO YEAH, I'M ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY ALREADY WORKING WITH DO IT AND THE PROCUREMENT TEAM WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF PUTTING TOGETHER AN RFI FOR THAT CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AWARE OF ALL THE UPDATES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INCLUDING PRIVACY INCLUDING ACCESSIBILITY FOR OUR DIFFERENT ATTORNEYS ACROSS DIFFERENT OFFICES TO MAKE SURE WE ARE AGAIN LOOK AT THE MOST MODERN APPROACH TO HOW WE CAN DO OUR WORK. WHILE KEEP IN MIND ALL THE PRIVACY AND AND SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS WE NEED TO HAVE . THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. MR . QUICK QUESTION FOR TREASURY ON THE SLIDE WHERE IT TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU PROCESS OVER 120 MILLION FOR CURRENT AND SIXTIES SO IT'S LIKE 50%. DO YOU SEE THAT PERCENTAGE SHIFTING AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE CITY? AND SO AS MORE RETIRE AND YOU WELL AGAIN WE PROCESS THE BRC PAYROLL AS WELL SO I THINK THE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO REMAIN PRETTY CONSISTENT.  THE DOLLARS ARE GOING TO GO UP BUT YEAH, I THINK THE NUMBERS WILL REMAIN CONSISTENT. SO I THINK THE STAFF WE HAVE TODAY WILL BE MORE THAN ABLE TO PROCESS THE THE NUMBERS BUT YEAH IT'S IT'S THERE'S SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS AND THAT'S WHY YOU KNOW I SAY THERE'S A NUTS AND BOLTS YEAH IT'S IMPORTANT AND I KNOW COUNCILOR FLYNN SAID HE LIKES TO GO VISIT MAYBE WE CAN PUT IN THE BUDGET TO FIX THE ESCALATORS AND THAT'S REALLY HARD TO GET DOWN THERE AND YOU HAVE NO WINDOWS THAT ALSO ADVOCATE FOR UPGRADES. I KNOW AGE STRONG IS LIKE 42 OFF BECAUSE OF ASBESTOS DOWN THERE SO I DO THINK UPGRADES TO YOUR SPACE IN THE BASEMENT WOULD BE NICE I WOULD ADD I WILL ADVOCATE FOR THAT BUT THANK FOR ALL YOU DE-ESCALATING IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL THAT WOULD BE GREAT. NO REASON FOR A LOT OF ALL THE THINGS WE CAN DO BUT YEAH ELEVATORS WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A DIFFERENT HEARING THAT THE ESCALATORS TO THE BASEMENT THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU COUNCILOR BRAEDEN THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. GOOD TO SEE YOU ON TWITTER. I'M ALWAYS BLOWN AWAY BUT THE FACT THAT YOU SEND OUT A MILLION A MILLION LETTERS, THAT'S A LOT THAT'S A LOT OF BILLS AND A LOT OF POSTAGE.  YES, IT IS. ONE THING WE'RE ENCOUNTERING IS JUST AN ANECDOTE LIKE I WAS I DO OFFICE HOURS AT ANTHONY SMITH SENIOR CENTER SENIORS ARE BRINGING ME THEIR THEIR CHECKS NOW IT'S VERY IT'S NOT REALLY A RESPONSIBILITY I TOOK ONE BECAUSE THEY DON'T TRUST THE MAIL TO BRING THE CHECKS SAFELY TO CITY HALL BECAUSE OF THESE THESE FOLKS THAT ARE FISHING THE THE BILLS THE BILLS ARE TAKING PEOPLE'S CHECKS AND WASHING THEM. SO I KNOW THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE WATCHING THAT BUT IT'S REALLY A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS WHEN OUR ELDERS COUNT TRUST THE POST OFFICE TO BRING THEIR REAL ESTATE TAXES TO CITY HALL.  FIRST OF ALL A LAW DEPARTMENT THERE'S A QUESTION WHAT ABOUT COMPLIANCE? TO WHAT EXTENT DO THOSE THE GOVERNMENT SERVICES TEAM ENSURE THAT ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE AWARE OF EQUIPPED TO AND WELL-RESOURCED TO ENSURE INTERNAL COMPLIANCE WITH ALL THE STATUTES AND ORDINANCES OF ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS?  AND THEN ALSO I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND NOT ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES FOR. I WE HAD A MEETING WITH THE WE HAD THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN HERE LAST WEEK AND WE SAID OH THE COOPERATION COUNCIL IS GOING TO BE TAKING CARE OF US SO WHAT WILL THE STRUCTURE OF LEGAL CONCERN FOR THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT BE?  THEIR ATTORNEYS ARE INVOLVED WITH DEVELOPMENT TO REVIEW AND OVERSEE ALL THE CONTRACTUAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS AND THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENTS AND COOPERATION AGREEMENTS.  WITH THAT WE NEGOTIATE TO YOU KNOW, AS MITIGATION FOR ALL THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO QUESTIONS JUST YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF JUST ENSURING THAT DEPARTMENTS ARE COMPLIANT WITH STATUTES OF A MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES AND THEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEW PLANNING DEPARTMENT WHEN IT COMES IN WHEN IT ARRIVES ON JULY 1ST. OKAY.  IN TERMS OF COMPLIANCE AND I WOULD LIKE TO RESERVE THE RIGHT AFTER I GO BACK AND CONFER HER WITH PEOPLE TO GIVE A BETTER ANSWER BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF STUFF THAT DIFFERENT PIECES OF THE TEAM DO. MM HMM.  THAT I WILL MISS HER THAT I'M NOT AWARE OF . BUT YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY TWO THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE ADVISORS IN A LITTLE BIT RESPONSIVE MEANING IT IS NOT THE LAW DEPARTMENT'S SORT OF AMONG ITS SORT OF SET TASKS TO DO ALL TRAININGS THAT ALL OF YOU KNOW LIKE 65 OR SO DEPARTMENT TEAM BOARDS NEED TO DO FOR THEIR VARIOUS TYPES OF WORK.  RIGHT. SO IN TERMS OF SORT OF PROACTIVELY ENSURING THAT SORT OF EVERY PIECE OF WORK COMPLIES WITH SO IT'S LIKE IT'S IT'S NOT OUR DEPARTMENT'S SORT OF TO THE DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE THEIR OWN THEIR OWN POLICY MANUAL OR WHATEVER THAT WOULD BE RIGHT THAT THEY WOULD REFERENCE FOR THAT. YEAH.  NOW WHAT WOULD BE OUR ROLE IS WHEN A DEPARTMENT IS SORT OF ASKING HEY YOU KNOW THERE'S A NEW OSHA RULE OUT.  MM HMM. HOW DO WE SUPPOSED TO IT LIKE IS THIS APPLY TO MUNICIPALITIES ? YEAH, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY OUR ROLE IS TO WORK WITH EACH OF OUR DEPARTMENTS OR CLIENTS IN SUPPORT OF SORT OF MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND SUPPORTING THEM ROLE IN THAT. BUT LET ME RESERVE THE RIGHT BY MINE TO GIVE YOU A BETTER ANSWER IF I GO BACK UPSTAIRS YEAH THAT'S FINE. THAT'S FINE. AND THEN WHAT ABOUT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT? SORRY JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT WE JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AWARE OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND WE ATTEMPT TO COUNCILOR WE ATTEND TO ADVISE WHEN THEY BRING THINGS TO US WE OFTEN GET KIND OF OFF THE CUFF QUESTIONS ALSO LIKE HEY, THIS IS HAPPENING WITH AN EMPLOYEE, IT IS HAPPENING WITH A SPECIFIC POLICY.  ARE WE ABLE TO DO THIS AS PART OF THEIR REGULAR WORK? MM HMM. YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT LEGAL ADVICE IS LEGAL ADVICE OR WHETHER THE DEPARTMENT'S THAT IS THAT'S WHERE OUR PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH THEM.  BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALWAYS ADVISING AND HAVING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS LIKE THAT. THOSE QUESTIONS DO COME TO US MORE OFTEN THAN NOT AND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THERE'S STILL SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP. YEAH, VERY GOOD.  IN TERMS OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON. RIGHT. BUT THE THE BASIC ANSWER IS THE ATTORNEYS THAT ARE CURRENTLY AT THE BPA WILL SORT OF LIVE IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. RIGHT? SO I MENTIONED IN MY OVERVIEW WE'VE GOT CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE SUCH SORT OF LIKE EITHER BIG OR SPECIALIZED WORKFLOWS THAT WE HAVE A GROUP KIND OF EMBEDDED THERE. MM HMM.  THAT IS CERTAINLY WHAT IS GOING TO HAVE TO HAPPEN AT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THEM, RIGHT? THEY HAVE A LEVEL OF TWO SPECIALISM THAT SPECIALIZATION AND SORT OF REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT EXPERTISE THAT WE DON'T HAVE IN THE LAW DEPARTMENT. SO IT'S LIKE A NATURAL FIT TO HAVE THEM BECOME ESSENTIALLY ANOTHER YOU KNOW, SORT OF OFFICE LIKE THAT. THEY WILL BE ADVISING WHAT IS NOW A CITY DEPARTMENT. SO IN THAT SENSE IT WILL COME IN SORT OF UNDER AND IN CONNECTION WITH THE CORPORATION COUNCIL . BUT YOU KNOW, ONE LAST THING IT'S STILL A LITTLE BIT OF A UNIQUE TRANSFER OF EMPLOYEES.  SO THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO BE TRANSFERRING DIRECTLY INTO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND GOING TO BE FUNDED AND I'M SURE I KNOW THAT THIS COMMITTEE IN THIS BODY'S HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE FUNDING STRUCTURE.  THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO SORT OF STAY KIND OF IN THE SAME SITUATION WITH THE BPAS TRANSFER TO THE CITY SORT OF MAKING UP SO YOU WON'T SEE IN OUR BUDGET REQUESTS FOR THIS YEAR ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE NEW PLANNING DEPARTMENT EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE GOING TO BE A NUMBER OF LAWYERS, A FEW OF THEM ARE GOING TO STAY I BELIEVE AS BPA EMPLOYEES AND THERE IS STILL A LEGAL ENTITY YET TO BE ADVISED.  BUT WE ARE WORKING OUT THERE'S A VARIETY OF SORT OF LIKE PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY. THINK ABOUT HOW YOU ADVISE ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS WHICH WE ARE ALLOWED TO. THANK YOU. I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS ON MY TIME'S RUNNING OUT. GO TO JUMP TO THE NEXT STATE. THANK YOU.  THANK YOU. THANK YOU.  THIS IS FOR TREASURY JUST COLLECTING ON REVENUE FOR THE THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAD PREVIOUSLY GRANTED FORMAL PETITIONS REQUESTING THAT CITIES BUY THE REQUESTED BY CITY AND CERTAIN CITIES THAT THEY COULD WOULD BE AUTHORIZED TO REPLACE MUNICIPAL LEAN CHARGE LANES ON PROPERTIES FOR UNPAID FINES FOR NON MUNICIPAL VIOLATION AS YOU KNOW SO LOWELL SOMERVILLE AND FRAMINGHAM I'M JUST WONDERING THIS MAYBE APPLIES TO LAW DEPARTMENT AS WELL. WHAT IS INVOLVEMENT OF THE LAW IN THE LAW DEPARTMENT TREASURY DEPARTMENT IN ENFORCING ORDINANCES BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT LANES AND WHEN WE SENT OUR HOME RULE PETITION UP ABOUT INCREASING OUR FINES WE WANTED TO INCLUDE LANES BUT WE WERE TOLD TO TAKE IT OUT BECAUSE IT WASN'T APPROPRIATE. AND WHAT IS THE CURRENT WORKFLOW WITH SUFFOLK COUNTY REGISTRY OF DEEDS WITH REGARD TO OBTAINING ACCURATE AND UP TO DATE PROPERTY OWNERSHIP DATA? I KNOW THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY WE THE COURTS HAVE SAID WE CAN'T PUT LANES ON BECAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE UP TO DATE OWNERSHIP DATA ON THE BOOKS AND THAT'S THE STORY WE'RE GETTING ANYWAY. OH OKAY. YEAH.  NO WE PUT LEADS ON EVERY YEAR, EVERY DELINQUENT PARCEL THE COME FROM THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE AND THEY GET UPDATES I THINK IT'S ONCE A MONTH FROM THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS THE NEW OWNERSHIP DATE INFORMATION SO THE CITY YOU KNOW THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE HAS ACCURATE INFORMATION AND YOU FOLKS GET THAT FROM THE SO THERE'S NO THERE'S NO REALLY REASON WHY WE WE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PUT LANES FOR CODE VIOLATIONS ON PERSISTENT PERSISTENT OFFENDERS WHEN IT COMES TO CODE VIOLATIONS YOU KNOW JUST AS FIND TWO LANES THAT'S MORE OF QUESTION FOR THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND WE CAN GET BACK TO THAT I REALIZE AND RUN OUT OF TIME AND I HAVE LOTS MORE QUESTIONS BUT I HAVE TO LEAVE IT AT THE 1130. I'LL BE BACK I'LL GO GO AWAY AND COME BACK AGAIN. OKAY.  THAT'S WHY I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COUNCILOR STANTON HAS JOINED US NOW WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR MEJIA. THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU, CHAIR AND THANK YOU ALL. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AND GOOD TO SEE YOU. LIKEWISE.  SO BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE 8 MINUTES ADAM, I'M GOING TO ASK VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND I WANT TO TRY TO GET IN AS MUCH AS I CAN.  OKAY. YOU HAD MENTIONED THERE'S OVER 180 CLAIMS THUS FAR FOR THIS YEAR AND I'M JUST CURIOUS HIGH LEVEL KIND OF WHAT'S THE THEME? WHAT WHAT TYPES OF CLAIMS ARE WE SEEING? COUNSELOR I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME. OKAY WE CAN ONE OF IT IS LIKE POTHOLES DAMAGE TO AUTOMOBILES THAT'S SORT OF THE BULK ORDINARILY BUT I DON'T HAVE STATISTICS BUT I'M HAPPY TO FILE. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KIND OF GET A GAUGE OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE CLAIMING.  SO I ALWAYS ASK WHO IS OVERSEEING THE OVERSEER AND I'M CURIOUS IN TERMS OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING KIND OF WHAT'S THE QUALITY CONTROL AROUND THAT? LIKE ARE THERE FOLKS WHO COME IN AND AUDIT AND REVIEW THE LAW DEPARTMENT IN YOUR RULINGS AND LIKE WHO HELPS INFORM OR AT LEAST MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A LEVEL OF QUALITY?  YEAH, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS THE IN THE FIRST INSTANCE IS THE JOB OF PEOPLE WHO WORK IN MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISORY ROLES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT RIGHT THERE. THEIR JOB IS TO SORT OF CHECK IN ON THEIR TEAM'S WORK, MAKE SURE THAT IT'S TIMELY AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S OF A GOOD QUALITY.  I'M TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT LIKE HIGHER LIKE I'M GOING TO GO TO A VERY SPECIFIC EXAMPLE IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION AND THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED SO IT IS WHAT IT IS AND IT'S PUBLIC BUT DURING REDISTRICTING WE DID NOT GET NOTIFIED AS CITY COUNCILORS TO PARTICIPATE OR AT LEAST THAT I KNOW OF AND I THINK ABOUT QUALITY CONTROL AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN PROTECTING AND SERVING, I BELIEVE YOU ARE ALSO THE COUNCIL RIGHT OR NO?  YES. OKAY. RIGHT. SO JUST CURIOUS ABOUT TYPE OF DYNAMIC IN TERMS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT THERE IS A LEVEL OF OF COMPLIANCE IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SERVICE DELIVERABLE TO EVERYONE THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT? YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION AND I YOU KNOW, SORT OF LOOKING BACK TO THAT SPECIFIC EXAMPLE,  I WILL JUST SAY IN THAT PARTICULAR CASE WE ACTUALLY DID USE OUTSIDE COUNCILOR BECAUSE IT REQUIRED A LEVEL OF SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE THAT WE DID NOT HAVE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT IN CONSULTATION WITH IN LIKE WITHIN THE ADVICE OF THAT EXPERT OUTSIDE COUNCILOR MADE, YOU KNOW, STRATEGIC DECISIONS ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO DEFEND THE CITY AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COULD HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT HOW THE CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LITIGATED IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFIC OVERSIGHT IN THAT I DON'T HAVE A CLEAR, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL LAYER TO TO OFFER AND OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE ARE FREE TO SORT OF LOOK AT OUR WORK WHICH IS DONE FAIRLY PUBLICLY AND IT HAS HAS THE LAW DEPARTMENT BEEN AUDITED FOR THEIR YOU KNOW, FOR THE WORK?  NO, COUNSELOR. OKAY. OKAY.  AND I'M CURIOUS IN REGARDS TO THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST, RAY, IN TERMS NOW I KNOW COUNCILOR BREEDEN HAS ASKED SPECIFICALLY WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT MOVING INTO THE MIX AND THE ROLE THAT YOU GUYS WILL PLAY, I'M STILL UNCLEAR WHAT ROLE YOUR DEPARTMENT PLAY IN THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT EVENT TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WILL BE A CITY AND BOSTON DEPARTMENT AND WILL YOU BE PROVIDING LEGAL INPUT AND FEEDBACK? OKAY. SO THE REASON WHY I ASKED THIS QUESTION IS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE IS A SENTIMENT IN OF LIKE WHO OVERSEES THE OVERSEER RIGHT? LIKE WHO WHO ARE WE HERE TO REPRESENT? AND SO AS YOU CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE THESE CONVERSATIONS, I'M CURIOUS WHAT STANDARDS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE HOLDING YOURSELF TO TO ENSURE THAT ALWAYS THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC IS THE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE ON BEHALF OF THE TAXPAYERS?  WELL, I THINK THAT YOU ACTUALLY JUST ARTICULATED THE STANDARD PERFECTLY AND THAT IS THE THAT IS THE STANDARD THAT IS THE STANDARD THAT YOU KNOW, I'M NOT EVEN A LAWYER. I KNOW THAT THAT THAT'S THE STANDARD THAT I SEEK TO OBTAIN AND AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE MEETING THAT?  I MEAN JUST TO STEP IN ALL OF OUR ATTORNEYS ARE LICENSED AND WE ARE AND THEY ARE SORRY I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY. AND OUR TEAM IS OVERSEEN BY THE MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF OVERSEERS AND WE TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY WE'LL OFTEN HAVE CONVERSATIONS IN THE OFFICE OF YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE ETHICAL THING TO DO? WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO HERE? WHAT IS WE TAKE THE LICENSES VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS A REVOCATION OF A LICENSE THAT IS AN ATTORNEY'S CAREER GONE AND ALL THOSE YEARS OF SCHOOLING AND PRACTICE COMPLETELY GOING AWAY, THE REASON WHY THESE QUESTIONS ARE COMING UP IS BECAUSE THERE IS A SENTIMENT THAT YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR CONSTITUENTS OR THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOME FUNNY MONEY OR BUSINESS NO MONEY FUNNY THERE'S JUST THERE'S A LACK OF TRUST IN CITY GOVERNMENT SPECIFICALLY AROUND TRANSPARENCY AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ARTICULATE SPECIFICALLY HOW WE'RE GOING TO HOLD OURSELVES TO A STANDARD AND AND THAT THAT STANDARD SHOULD BE CO-DESIGNED ALONGSIDE ,YOU KNOW, OTHER FOLKS SO THAT THERE'S A LEVEL OF INTEGRITY IN THE PROCESS. AND I DO APPRECIATE PILLARS DEFINITION AND I'M JUST CURIOUS AROUND EFFICIENCY AND THIS IS GOING TO GO TO I KNOW I HAVE ONE MINUTE LEFT. I'M GOING TO GO TO MY GOOD FRIEND MAUREEN AND I'LL COME BACK WITH MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT. BUT JUST TO SHARE THE WEALTH HERE, I'M CURIOUS AROUND EFFICIENCY FEES, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AND. DOES YOUR OFFICE EVER PLAY A ROLE IN KIND OF AUDITING DEPARTMENTS EFFICIENCIES DOLLARS LIKE DO YOU DO ANY OF THAT OR. AND IF NOT YOU THEN WHO SO WE THANK YOU. NO, WE DON'T WE DON'T PREFER PERFORM INTERNAL AUDITS. WE DO HAVE PARTNERS IN THE AUDIT DEPARTMENT WHO YOU KNOW, WE ENGAGE EXTERNAL AUDITORS TO DO SOME AUDITS. WE DO ONGOING OVERSIGHT. SO FOR CASH OPERATIONS AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS WE DO WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE MAKING THEIR DEPOSITS TIMELY. ALL THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND THEN WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE ON THE AUDIT TEAM WITH REGARD TO EXTERNAL AUDIT, YEAH.  I'D BE CURIOUS I KNOW CHAIR THAT AND MY TIME IS UP BUT JUST SO YOU ALL I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHO ARE THOSE PARTNERS? WHO ARE THE FOLKS LIKE OUTSIDE THAT YOU'RE CONTRACTING WITH HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE SPENDING ON THAT IT WOULD JUST BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. SURE I CAN I CAN TALK TO THE AUDIT DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THAT'S WE USE EXTERNAL AUDITORS, KPMG, ETC. THERE'S A COUPLE SO YOU CAN GET THOSE NUMBERS. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL JUST TO KNOW AND I KNOW WE HAVE A SECOND ROUND YES, WE WILL HAVE A SECOND ROUND. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FITZGERALD, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU, CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO THE PANEL FOR COMING TODAY. SO A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.  THE REAL ESTATE PERSONAL PROPERTY, EXCISE TAXES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE IT MAKES UP FOR WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR CITY BUDGET TO A NO. I THINK IT'S 77% 77 SO ALL THOSE MAKE UP 77% OF OUR BUDGET. DO WE COLLECT A BOAT EXCISE TAX STILL? WE DO. WE DO. OKAY.  YEARLY WE ACTUALLY HAVE A MAILING GOING OUT IN JUNE.  WAS THERE EVER A TIME WHERE IT STOPPED AROUND COVID OR ANYTHING BECAUSE SOME FOLKS HAVE SAID THAT YOU KNOW, IT STOPPED IN ARE THEY ARE THEY STARTING THAT BACK UP AGAIN AND THAT'S A REVENUE STREAM WE MIGHT NOT BE COLLECTING ON BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ALL START THAT UP AGAIN.  THEY WEREN'T ISSUING MOORING PERMITS BACK DURING COVID AND THEN WE GET A FILE ALSO FROM THE STATE THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND THEY SENT US A FILE AND THEY DIDN'T SEND ONE DURING COVID EITHER. SO WE'RE KIND OF TRYING TO GET CAUGHT UP NOW TOO. OKAY. ACTUALLY I KNOW.  YEAH, BECAUSE THE MORNINGS WERE JUST OPENED, THE WEBSITE JUST OPENED AND WE'RE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF MAIL IN EXCISE BILLS. SO THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT IT'S YEAH, WE MAILED IT LAST YEAR. OKAY SO DID IT ALSO AND COLLECTED ON IT AND AS WELL. YEAH SO GET THAT MANY I MEAN THERE'S LIKE 1200 BILLS IN THE FILE. OKAY THAT'S WE DO MAIL THEM OUT. GREAT THANK YOU.  I KNOW YOU GUYS COLLECT FOR THE BIDS SO FOR IN DISTRICT THREE THE NEW MARKET BID HOW DO WE FEEL THAT'S DOING A WE EVERYONE COOPERATING.  EVERYONE CONTRIBUTING. YES. YES, WE HAVE A VERY HIGH COLLECTION RATE WITH THEM. OKAY. WE SAID WE COLLECT PROBABLY 97% OF THE MONEY THEY COMMIT TO US . GREAT. AND WE PAY THEM OUT QUARTERLY. SO AT THE END OF EVERY QUARTER WE CREATE A DATA FOR THEM, SEND THEM THE DATA AND THEN WHY GIVE THEM THE MONEY? SO THEY'RE UP TO THE NINETIES IN THEIR COLLECTION.  THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU ADAM FOR COUNCIL I KNOW THE 25.1% IS OUTSIDE COUNCILOR . DO WE KNOW THAT IN DOLLAR AMOUNTS WHAT THAT WHAT 25.1 IS OF THE WHOLE NOT THERE YEAH IT OR OR FOR THE FISCAL 25 REQUEST THAT IS ESSENTIALLY 2.1 YOU KNOW THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THAT'S THE CONTRACTED SERVICES LINE. OKAY THERE ARE A FEW SORT OF SMALL AND VERY IMPORTANT OTHER CONTRACTS IN THERE BUT JUST YOU KNOW I THINK THAT FOR FLAHERTY LET'S JUST CALL IT 2.1 THE MAJORITY IS OUTSIDE COUNCILOR BUT THERE'S A COUPLE OF DOLLARS IN THERE FOR OTHER CONTRACTS. EXACTLY. YEAH. GOTCHA.  AND THIS IS A LARGER QUESTION. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE A AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER BUT I JUST WONDER YOUR THOUGHTS OF WHAT WOULD BE THE RAMIFICATIONS IF WE WERE TO TAX NON-ESSENTIAL GOODS. RIGHT. BECAUSE IS THAT DO WE DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WOULD BRING IN OR WHAT ARE THE WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF THAT?  WAIT, SORRY CAN YOU IS IT LIKE DO WE HAVE A TAX ON NON-ESSENTIAL GOODS AT THE MOMENT THE CITY I'M GOING TO TURN TO MY COLLEAGUES AND COLLECTIVE SIGH YEAH NO THIS MIGHT BE GOING BACK YOU RIGHT I I WENT BACK TO YEAH I'M NOT I'M NOT SURE WHAT WHAT YOU WOULD MEAN BY THAT BUT MY ANSWER OVERARCHING REALLY WOULD BE NO BUT YEAH RIGHT I MEAN I CAN ALSO ADD AND WE JUST HAVE OUR SORT OF DEFINES STATUTORY CATEGORIES SO IF THERE'S YEAH YEAH ISN'T IT NON-ESSENTIAL GOODS I MEAN THERE'S YOU KNOW YACHTS, BOATS, JEWELRY, DINING THINGS THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED NON-ESSENTIAL OR LUXURY ITEMS TOO. WE DON'T I DON'T THINK THERE'S A TAX ON THOSE. OH OF THEM. ALL RIGHT. IF WE WERE TO LOOK INTO THAT WHAT WOULD BE THE PROS AND CONS OF LOOKING AT TAXING NON-ESSENTIAL ITEMS? I GUESS THERE YOU KNOW, DO WE THINK DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WOULD BRING IN IF WE WERE TO DO THAT? DID WE EVER RUN THE NUMBERS OF SAYING THERE'S SOME MONEY OUT THERE THAT COULD BE BROUGHT IN? I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS DOESN'T NECESSARILY HIT THE RESIDENTS AS MUCH BUT FOR THE FOLKS COMING IN TOURIST DINING OUT, BUYING THINGS IN THE CITY, THINGS LIKE THAT. YEAH, I DON'T I DON'T THINK IT'S EVER BEEN VETTED TO BE YEAH I'M NOT SURE EITHER. I MEAN I KNOW WE YOU KNOW WE HAVE A MALE SEX WE HAVE YOU KNOW ROOM OCCUPANCY TAX THOSE TYPES OF THINGS BUT NO AS FAR AS A I'M NOT AWARE THAT I IT'S BEEN YOU KNOW NUMBERS HAVE BEEN AROUND. YEAH NO I JUST I THINK IT'S JUST AS WE'RE LOOKING AT YOU KNOW FOR NEW REVENUE AND FOR NEW REVENUE IN ESPECIALLY WHEN TIMES OF RIGHT WHEN WE KNOW THAT THAT THE A LOT OF ASSESSMENTS OF PROPERTY ARE GOING DOWN AND WE YOU KNOW FORECASTING PROBABLY LESS MONEY THAN WE THAN WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST OVER THE NEXT SORT OF FIVE YEARS HOW DO WE SORT OF MAKE UP THAT DIFFERENCE SO CUTS DON'T NEED TO BE MADE BUT THAT I WOULD ADVISE THAT WE AT LEAST START TO LOOK INTO THAT PATH.  I DON'T KNOW IF IT AGAIN THAT'S SORT OF I'M UNFAMILIAR WITH THE PROS AND CONS I'M NOT AN ECONOMIST AND I'M NOT SURE OF LIKE WHAT THAT WHAT JOHN HERE'S THE DOWNSIDE OF THAT RIGHT LIKE AND SO I JUST WONDER IF THE GOOD OUTWEIGHS THE BAD WITH THAT. OKAY I THINK IT'S INTERESTING REVENUE STREAM TO ATTACK WITH THAT I'LL GET BACK THE REST OF MY TIME CHAIR AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO THE PANEL.  APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR WEBER THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU. CHAIR THANK YOU TO THE PANELISTS. YOU KNOW I'M I'M AN ATTORNEY.  I'VE LITIGATED CASES AGAINST THE CITY OF BOSTON BOTH IN-HOUSE AND OUTSIDE COUNCILOR ELSEWHERE FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW DIVISION. SO I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO REPRESENT AGENCIES. SO OF COURSE I'LL START WITH TREASURY'S SO I JUST I HAD A QUESTION AND MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW THIS IT'S I DON'T I'M NOT SURE DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT RENTAL REGISTRATION FEES AND OUR COLLECTION OF THOSE?  WELL, I DO KNOW THAT THAT'S THAT'S DONE THROUGH ESD. OKAY YEAH I WOULD YOU KNOW WE COULD GET BACK TO YOU WITH WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE AND COLLECTION RATES BUT YEAH IT'S ALL PROCESS THROUGH ESD OKAY YEAH IT WOULD BE GREAT TO I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY UNITS WERE COLLECTING FROM AND WHAT THE NUMBER IS THE TOTAL WOULD BE GREAT THANK YOU A LOT OF DEPARTMENT SO I JUST I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT YOU KNOW WHAT GOES INTO THE DECISION TO CHOOSE OUTSIDE COUNCILOR OR LITIGATE SOMETHING AND YEAH SO I JUST LIKE TO HEAR YOU KNOW HOW YOU HOW YOU GO ABOUT MAKING THAT DECISION YOU GET A NEW CASE. YEAH I MEAN IT'S ESSENTIALLY RIGHT.  DO WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS?  DO WE HAVE A CONFLICT AND DO WE HAVE THE CAPACITY DIFFERENT OUTSIDE COUNCILOR TENDS TO WORK WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS AND SO OUR OUR LITIGATION TEAM I WOULD SAY UTILIZES THE MAJORITY OF OUR OUTSIDE COUNCILOR SORT OF LIKE IN CONNECTION WITH THE LITIGATION TEAM'S DOCKET. THAT'S MY EXPERIENCE. YEAH.  SO RIGHT THAT'S YOU KNOW, FIRST AND FOREMOST LIKE THAT THAT TEAM IS MAKING AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT THEY CAN SORT OF DO IN-HOUSE AND WHEN THEY THINK THAT THEY DON'T HAVE EITHER THE ON THE LITIGATION SIDE OFTENTIMES IT'S THAT CAPACITY OR A CONFLICT ISSUE SOMETIMES THERE'S A SPECIALIZATION QUESTION BUT SOMETIMES THE SPECIALIZATION QUESTION ARISES OUTSIDE OF LITIGATION TOO AND THEN THEY GO FROM THERE. WE HAVE YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF CONTINUITY OVER MANY YEARS IN WHICH OUTSIDE COUNCILOR WE HAVE USED AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE DRAWBACKS TO THAT BUT THERE ARE ALSO REAL ADVANTAGES IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR INSTITUTION AND HAVING PEOPLE WHO KNOW AND HAVE WORKED WITH THE DEPARTMENT IN OFFICIALS WHO THEY ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH AND REPRESENTING AND PUTTING ON A CASE SO OKAY AND SO DO YOU KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 25% OF THE I GUESS THE BUDGET OF 2.1 MILLION PRIMARILY GOING TO OUTSIDE COUNCILOR . DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT COMPARES TO OTHER CITIES? THE CORPORATION COUNCILOR WE ARE, YES.  HE OUR OVERALL BUDGET IS WELL CHARACTERIZED. IT IS EFFICIENT WHEN MEASURED AGAINST THE BUDGETS FOR OTHER MUNICIPAL LAW DEPARTMENTS AND I THINK THAT HOLDS TRUE WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING AT SIMILARLY SIZED CITIES THERE.  YOU KNOW LIKE FOR EXAMPLE LIKE PORTLAND, OREGON OR YOU KNOW, LOOKING AROUND FOR PLACES THAT HAVE COMPARABLE BUDGETS AND POPULATIONS ALTHOUGH OF COURSE IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO KNOW FOR SURE WHETHER WE ARE TASKED WITH THE SAME THINGS.  BUT THAT ALSO HOLDS TRUE IF YOU LOOK REGIONALLY WHERE WE'RE DEALING WITH DIFFERENT SIZED CITIES BUT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE TASKED WITH SIMILAR THINGS AS WE'RE DEALING WITH LIKE SIMILAR LEGAL STRUCTURES.  SO IF YOU LOOK AT LIKE CAMBRIDGE, CORNELL NEWTON, BROOKLINE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER YOU MEASURE IT LIKE THE THE LAW DEPARTMENT BUDGET AS A PERCENTAGE OF OVERALL BUDGET, WE'RE VERY EFFICIENT JUDGE THAT WAY AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO OUTSIDE COUNCILOR BUDGET, I WOULD SAY ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING IT'S A LITTLE HARD LIKE GOING THROUGH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES BUDGETS TO UNDERSTAND YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE OURS APPEARS IN OUR LINE CALLED CONTRACTED SERVICES . WE KNOW THAT THAT'S PRIMARILY OUTSIDE COUNCILOR . SO IT'S A LITTLE HARD GOING THROUGH OTHER BUDGETS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. BUT THE IT'S USUALLY SORT OF EVIDENT IN THE SAME WAY THAT OURS IS LOOKING THROUGH BUDGETS AND MEASURED THAT WAY AGAIN SORT OF OTHER CITIES IN THE REGION OUR USE IS AGAIN I WOULD SAY EFFICIENT. YES. SO AS SO THE 2.1 MILLION DOES THAT ALL GO TO HOURLY SERVICES OR DO YOU DO WE HAVE LAW FIRMS ON RETAINER THAT IT'S A IT'S ALMOST ALL HOURLY.  WE DON'T HAVE LAW FIRMS ON RETAINER BUT IN FISCAL 25 THERE'S A FEW AREAS WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLORE LIKE A FLAT RATE FOR YOU KNOW, WORK THAT WE CAN SORT OF DESCRIBE AND A FLAT RATE PROCESS JUST SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND GOING INTO IT WHAT THE COSTS ARE GOING TO BE AND WHETHER WE THINK IT'S LIKE GOOD, GOOD INVESTMENT FOR THE DEPARTMENT. SO BUT BUT THE MAJORITY IS STILL OURS AND FOR THOSE JUST SO SORRY JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A COMPARISON LIKE BALTIMORE HAS A POPULATION THAT'S ABOUT LET'S SAY 100,000 SMALLER THAN THAN THE CITY OF BOSTON. THEIR CITY BUDGET USUALLY IS AROUND 4.1 BILLION COMPARED TO OUR AMOUNT ACTUALLY PRETTY COMPARABLE TO THE CITY OF BOSTON. AND THEY ACTUALLY FOR THEIR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES AGAIN EVERY DEPARTMENT OR EVERY CITY USES ARE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. IT'S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT BUT THEY'RE LOOKING AT 5.7 MILLION SO PRETTY DIFFERENT FROM OUR 2.1 THAT WE HAVE AND I GUESS DO YOU KNOW I YOU KNOW I JUST I HAD THE I WORKED ON THE SMITH CASE A POLICE LIEUTENANT'S CASE. YOU KNOW, THE CITY HIRED OUTSIDE COUNCILOR I THINK IT WAS STONE CHANDLER CAPABLY REPRESENTED THE CITY.  BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THE CITY I DO EXPECT YOU TO HAVE THIS NUMBER. BUT DO YOU HAVE YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THE CITY SPENT ON THAT CASE WAS LIKE A SIX YEAR LITIGATION THAT WE HAD TO TRIALS AND TWO APPEALS OF THE FIRST CIRCUIT AND I DO NOT HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME BUT I CAN GET YOU THAT AND THAT WOULD BE GREAT.  AND SO I, I ARE WE USING OUTSIDE COUNCILOR ON THE SATANIC TEMPLE CASE? I SAW THAT IN THAT WE ARE NOT WE'RE NOT OKAY AND WE HAD ORAL ARGUMENT OR YOU DID FOR THE OTHER PERMITTED ARE YOU REGARDLESS OF THE MERITS ARE YOU EXPECTING THAT TO GO FOR THEM TO SEEK CERT IN THE SUPREME COURT REGARDLESS OF THE DECISION IT'S I TO PUT YOU ON THE YOU KNOW WHAT I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO PREDICT WHAT THEY WILL DO. I THINK THAT YOU KNOW NOT I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM OBVIOUSLY I THINK A LOT OF IT WILL DEPEND ON WHAT THE FIRST CIRCUIT DOES AND WHAT THE DECISION SAYS AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE TO EVALUATE IT. WE WILL JUST HAVE TO REACT TO THAT. I'M JUST ONE FOLLOW UP SO IT JUST IF IF GOD FORBID, YOU KNOW NO, NO, NO PUN INTENDED IT GOES UP TO THE SUPREME COURT.  WOULD WE ENGAGE OUTSIDE COUNCILOR OR YOU KNOW OR WOULD YOU WOULD YOU CONTINUE TO REPRESENT THE LAW DEPARTMENT, CONTINUE TO LITIGATE IT?  YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO WOULD YOU THAT DECISION NOW BUT I CAN I CAN SHARE A DIFFERENT PIECE OF INFORMATION WITH YOU THAT I THINK WILL BE RESPONSIVE WITHOUT MAKING DECISIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD NEED TO MAKE IN CONSULTATION WITH MY TEAM AND SORT OF BOTH UNDERSTANDING THINGS THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND ABOUT WHO'S DONE HOW MUCH IN WHAT AREA ALREADY ON THE CASE. BUT I WILL JUST SHARE WITH YOU THAT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE CITY HAD ANOTHER CASE GO TO THE SUPREME COURT.  WE WERE REPRESENTED BY OUTSIDE COUNCILOR IN THAT CASE AND THERE IS CERTAINLY A LEVEL OF EXPERTISE IN THE SUPREME COURT BAR I THINK WE HAVE IN-HOUSE. I TOTALLY AGREE. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE WHEN THEY IF THEY YOU KNOW, THE AG'S OFFICE ,YOU KNOW, THEY'LL THEY'LL USE THAT NOW THEY HAVE A SOLICITOR GENERAL SOLICITOR'S OFFICE BUT MOST PLACES BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED ENVIRONMENT WOULD WOULD NOT JUST NO SLIGHT TO BUT EVEN EVEN IN THAT CASE LET ME TURN YOU STILL PARTNERED WITH OUTSIDE COUNCILOR BUT LET ME BE REALLY CLEAR I JUST DON'T WANT TO COMMIT TO A DECISION BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD NEED TO MAKE AND CONSULTATION WITH YOU WILL YOU? THAT BEING SAID, I DON'T THERE'S NO SHAME IN ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THAT IS A BAR THAT INVOLVES A LEVEL OF SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE THAT WE DON'T HAVE IN-HOUSE AND I, I YEAH ABSOLUTELY I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND I DON'T THERE'S NO SHAME IN US SORT OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERTISE THAT WE CLEARLY YOU KNOW YEAH JUST FOR MY COLLEAGUES NOW JUST THERE IS A SUPREME COURT BAR OF BASICALLY PEOPLE WHO CLERKED ON THIS FOR SUPREME COURT JUDGES WHO HANG OR YOU KNOW, WHO SPECIALIZE IN JUST SUPREME COURT CASES AND PEOPLE ENGAGE THEM WHEN THEY HAVE A CASE IN THE SUPREME COURT. SO I JUST I DON'T WANT TO SUGGEST THAT YOU'RE NOT UP TO THE STANDARD IT'S EVERYONE IN THE COUNTRY RELIES ON THESE AND OUR STAFF ATTORNEY DID STILL APPEAR BEFORE. YEAH. ANYWAY, OKAY. THANK YOU SO OKAY.  THANK YOU, COUNCILOR SANTANA, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU, MR CHAIR AND GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING HERE AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR ASKING. AMAZING QUESTIONS.  I HAVE JUST TWO QUESTIONS ONE FOR TREASURY AND THEN ONE KIND OF FOR BOTH AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU CAN ACTUALLY EVEN ANSWER THAT ONE. BUT FIRST GREAT TO SEE YOU, MAUREEN. AND JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOUR TEAM A SHOUT OUT IN PARTICULAR MARGARET TYSON WHO'S JUST BEEN AN INCREDIBLE BUSINESS WAS HERE TO THE CITY OF BOSTON AND I'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY AND I JUST TREMENDOUS INDIVIDUAL AND VERY PROFESSIONAL SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ON THAT END.  I'VE DONE WORK WITH MARGARET AND I AND WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT ON, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING DIFFERENT GRANTS THAT THE CITY CAN POTENTIALLY PARTNER WITH AND GIVE OUT TO RESIDENTS AND TO COMMUNITY. CAN YOU KIND OF SPEAK TO TO THAT IF THERE'S ANY FUTURE PLANS OR MAYBE POCKETS OF MONEY THAT WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT A CITY WHERE WE COULD CREATE MORE GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY?  CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? YEAH. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR.  YEAH, I WILL SAY YEAH, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. SO MARGARET DYSON IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE TRUST SECTION AND MARGARET IS CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO GET THE MONEY OUT THE DOOR AND WORK YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WORK WITH OWN AT THE TIME.  SO WE HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES.  I THINK WHEN MARGARET FIRST JOINED THE TEAM THE MONEY WASN'T GETTING OUT. YOU KNOW IT WASN'T AND IT CERTAINLY WASN'T GETTING OUT,  YOU KNOW, AS QUICKLY AS IT SHOULD OR TO THE CONSTITUENTS THAT IT SHOULD.  AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT IS HAPPENING. YOU KNOW, MARGARET IS WORKING AS AND CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR ANY BUCKET THAT IS AND YOU KNOW SOME OF IT'S A DIFFICULT BECAUSE SOME OF THESE TRUSTS WERE LEFT TO US YOU KNOW IN THE 1900S.  SO IT'S NOT APPLICABLE TODAY. YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT IS, YOU KNOW $5 TO BUY YOUR SCHOOL BOOK AND I THINK I'M MAKING THAT UP. BUT BUT YOU GET THE POINT RIGHT? YOU CAN'T BUY A BOOK FOR $5 ANYMORE. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO CONSOLIDATE WHERE WE CAN AND MAKE THE MONEY, YOU KNOW, USEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE SO THAT'S A CONSTANT AND YOU KNOW THOSE WE ARE LOOKING UNDER THOSE ROCKS CONTINUOUSLY AND AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY IS IS THE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION TEAM GIVING OUT GRANTS TO THE CONSTITUENCIES AS WELL?  ABSOLUTELY. NO, I ONLY ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK IT OFTEN GOES UNNOTICED THAT THAT WORK HAPPENS WITHIN YOUR DEPARTMENT AND JUST WANTED TO UPLIFT THAT AND THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING IN ANY WAY THAT MY OFFICE CAN UPLIFT AND SUPPORT THAT COME ON US.  MY NEXT QUESTION IS KIND OF TO BOTH DEPARTMENTS AND THIS IS KIND OF A TRICKY ONE I'M NOT SURE IF YOU IF YOU ALL CAN ANSWER IT BUT IN REGARDS TO PILOT AND YOU KNOW OBVIOUSLY IT'S A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM FOR OUR UNIVERSITIES AND NONPROFITS SO LA LA LA LA DEPARTMENT WHAT'S THE PATHWAY TO MAKING THAT A LEGAL REQUIREMENT AND THEN TO THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT I MEAN YOU MAY NOT HAVE THIS IN FRONT OF YOU AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU IF YOU ADMINISTER THESE IN TERMS OF ALL THE COLLEGES OR YOU KNOW, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE PAYING WHO THE ONES THAT ARE NOT PAYING DO WE HAVE THAT DATA BUT ONLY ACCESSIBLE NOT JUST TO US BUT ALSO TO A COMMUNITY SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE THE DATA OF WHO'S YOU KNOW WHO'S CONTRIBUTING WHAT. YES.  SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THEM. IS THAT PUBLIC TO TO LIKE RESIDENTS AS WELL OR IS IT JUST KIND OF AN INTERNAL I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT COMES THROUGH BUT I CAN FIND THAT OUT. THANK YOU.  WITH RESPECT TO PILOT, I WILL SAY I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN ONGOING CONTINUED WORK WITHIN OUR FINANCE CABINET TO REALLY YOU KNOW YOU KNOW, CONTINUE FORMALIZING AND REALLY GETTING, YOU KNOW, REAL COMMITMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN PILOT FROM OUR NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS. SO I DON'T REALLY YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S THE PATH OBVIOUSLY IT IS STATE LAW THAT MAKES THESE INSTITUTIONS EXEMPT FROM PROPERTY TAXES AND MAKES THIS A PILOT SCHEME RATHER THAN A TAX SCHEME.  SO YOU KNOW IT'S IT'S STABLE SO THE PATHWAY IS CHANGING AND CHANGING THE LAW IS FOUR YEARS OR OR CONTINUING THE YOU KNOW CONTINUING AND ADVANCING THE WORK THAT THE FINANCE CABINET HAS DONE OVER MANY YEARS TO REALLY BRING A LOT OF THESE INSTITUTIONS INTO A DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP THAN I THINK EXISTED YEARS AGO. ABSOLUTELY. NO, I, I, I DON'T UNDERMINE THAT AND THE WORK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DONE TO GET US TO THIS POINT. I ALSO JUST I ASKED THAT QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A SENSE OF URGENCY. I WAS ACTUALLY WITH WHERE THE CITY IS IN 2024 AND YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION ON THE COUNCIL ABOUT AS WELL. AND SO THAT'S WHY I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT AND APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT BOTH DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING AND I'LL YIELD THE REST OF MY TIME. THANK YOU MR CHAIR.  THANK YOU, COUNCILOR . I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. I KNOW THERE ARE SOME BOUNDARIES TO HIRING LEGAL COUNCILOR AT DEPARTMENT FAIR HOUSING TESTIFIED AT THE HEARING THAT THEY COULD USE AN IN-HOUSE IN TURNING WHAT MIGHT BE AN OBSTACLE TO THAT AND WE ACTUALLY FIND THAT THROUGH THE LAW DEPARTMENT LINE ITEM RATHER TO FAIR HOUSING.  YES I THINK THAT ABOUT I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THIS WAS CUT CALL IT 7 TO 10 YEARS AGO THE CITY MADE AN EFFORT TO SORT OF MAKE SURE THAT ATTORNEYS WHO WERE PRACTICING LAW AND REPRESENTING THE CITY WERE TECHNICALLY CONNECTED TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT JUST BECAUSE THAT'S SORT OF WHAT OUR ORDINANCE CALLS FOR SO I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE SPECIFIC CONVERSATION YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BUT WHEN WE PLACE AN ATTORNEY IN A DEPARTMENT IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE REPRESENTING THE CITY OF BOSTON LIKE REPRESENTING US IN ANY ENTITY OR YOU KNOW, PRACTICING LAW, YOU KNOW, IN KEEPING WITH THAT STRUCTURE OVER THE LAST WHATEVER IT IS 7 TO 10 YEARS WE TRY TO CONNECT THAT ATTORNEY TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT.  THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTORNEYS WORKING FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON DOING, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF WORK IN BRINGING THEIR LEGAL EXPERTISE AND SKILL TO BENEFIT THAT WORK. BUT YOU KNOW, TECHNICALLY THEY'RE USUALLY NOT SORT OF PRACTICING IN REPRESENTING THE CITY.  SO BUT I DON'T YOU KNOW, AS FOR THE SPECIFIC CONVERSATION, I'M NOT UP TO SPEED ON IT SO I DON'T WANT TO SORT OF OPINE TOO DEFINITIVELY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SPECIFIC DISCUSSION WAS YET. I SOUND LIKE YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION AND WHEN WE HAVE A SETTLEMENT WHAT FUND DO WE PAY OUT OF IS THIS THE EXECUTION OF COURT? YES. ALL RIGHT.  SORRY LITTLE LITTLE CORRECTION SOME TIMES IN A SETTLEMENT IN THE EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT WILL PAY OUT OF A DEPARTMENT'S PERSONNEL BUDGET BECAUSE A PORTION OF THE SETTLEMENT OR ALL OF THE SETTLEMENT IS A IS A WAGES PAYMENT THAT'S SO I JUST WANT TO WRITE THAT DOWN AND THEN HOW DO WE BUDGET FOR EXECUTION IN COURT? AND I JUST ASKED THAT BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT BUDGET WE SEE THAT BUDGET GOING FROM YOU KNOW, THE ACTUAL IN 2020 TO 34 MILLION TO ACTUAL AND 2332 MILLION. BUT THEN IN FY 25 WE'RE BUDGETING FOR $5 MILLION. SO HOW DO WE ACTUALLY BUDGET YEAH I CANNOT SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THAT BECAUSE THE OBM ACTUALLY SORT OF FIGURES THAT OUT.  I BELIEVE THOUGH THAT SO I HONESTLY WOULD HAVE TO DEFER TO OPM ON DESCRIBING HOW THEY MAKE THAT CHOICE BUT I DO KNOW THAT OPM LOOKS AT THE HISTORY OF PAYOUTS OVER TIME AND MAKE SURE THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW IT'S BUDGETING IT MAKES SURE THAT MAKES SURE THAT THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT FUTURE YEARS LIKELY LIABILITY AS WELL.  AND IF THEY'RE NOT PUTTING IT IN EXECUTION OF COURSE FINDING A WAY TO BUILD IN A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY SO THAT IF EXECUTION OF COURSE GOES UP THEY HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ALREADY ON ULTIMATELY COMMITTED SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO THAT THAT'S ALL LIKE YOU KNOW, I'M NOT REALLY AN EXPERT ON THAT BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOT SETTING THAT NUMBER EACH YEAR WITHOUT LOOKING AT REALITY AND HISTORY INTERESTING AND I THINK YOU JUST ANSWERED IT SO IT'S PAID OVER TIME THE SETTLEMENT OR THE LUMP SUM OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH THE MAJORITY OR LUMP SUM. OKAY.  AND CAN I GET A LIST OF THE PAYMENTS WE OWE OVER TIME GOING FORWARD?  YES. I JUST DON'T HAVE IN FRONT OF ME. OKAY. BUT I WILL WE WE CAN DO SO YEAH . AND I JUST WANT THE NUMBERS RIGHT? SO WE'RE PROTECTED THE PRIVACY I THINK THAT IS ALL OF MY OH MY LAST QUESTION IS THE CONTRACT CONTRACTING? I SEE THAT WE DON'T CONTRACT A LOT OUT TO MWB BECAUSE OF TIME SENSITIVITY. WHAT ARE WE DOING GOING FORWARD TO BUILD, YOU KNOW, RELATIONSHIPS SO THAT WAY WE CAN CONTRACT WITH MWB THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION I'M GOING TO ASK MASORTI TO WEIGH IN IN A SECOND BECAUSE SHE'S ACTUALLY BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK ON THIS FRONT BUT I BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT I JUST WANT TO NOTE ONE THING I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT . FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE,  OFTENTIMES WE'RE MAKING, YOU KNOW, DECISIONS, YOU KNOW, ON A COMPRESSED TIME FRAME MANY LAW FIRMS IN OUR PARTNERSHIP LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF LIKE THE BIGGER OR THE MEDIUM SIZED FIRMS BECAUSE OF THE MAKEUP OF THE LEGAL COMMUNITY IN BOSTON TEND TO LIKE TO OBVIOUSLY NOT QUALIFY AS AN MBA PARTLY JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT 51% OF THEIR PARTNERSHIP. BUT ONE THING THAT YOU KNOW WE HAVE YOU KNOW, SPEAKING TO OTHER CITIES IS THAT LEARNED AND YOU KNOW, BELIEVED TO BE TRUE IS THAT THERE IS VALUE IN SORT OF THINKING ABOUT WHO THE ORIGINATING PARTNER IS. SO IN ADDITION TO SOME YOU KNOW, UNDER STANDING AND YOU KNOW, I WANT TO TURN THE SECOND YOU KNOW, THE NEED TO BE MORE FORWARD LOOKING AND AND WORK ON YOU KNOW BRINGING IN MORE AND BE WBS WE ARE TRYING TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHO THE ORIGINATING PARTNERS ARE AT LAW FIRMS AND BY THAT METRIC WE'RE DOING A LITTLE BIT BETTER YOU KNOW SORT OF BIG CONTRACTS OVER THE PAST YEAR I THINK SORT OF OVER HALF OF THE ORIGINATING PARTNERS OR HALF WERE WOMEN INCLUDING WOMEN OF COLOR. SO OBVIOUSLY IT'S NOT THE END OF OUR WORK BY ANY STRETCH. BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO NOTE THAT BEFORE. YEAH. I MEAN YOU ARE YOU PRESENT US WITH THOSE KEY PROVIDERS NUMBERS OF THE ORIGINATED YES YEAH AND JUST TO I MEAN YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY MEETING PEOPLE AND HAVING THOSE CONNECTIONS. A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE REACHING OUT TO THE RIGHT GROUPS WHERE MDC MWB POTENTIAL FIRMS ARE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE MEETING PEOPLE LEARNING WHAT THEIR EXPERTISE ARE, LEARNING WHERE THEY WORK, LEARNING YOU KNOW WHAT THE MAKE UP IS OF THEIR FIRM AND KIND OF KEEPING THAT ALMOST LIKE A I AM A LITTLE MAYBE TOO YOUNG TO MAKE THE REFERENCE TO A ROLODEX BUT KEEPING THAT ROLODEX GOING OF YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO WHEN THE TIME DOES COME AND WE DO HAVE A TIGHT TIMEFRAME YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THEM WHEN THE MOMENT IS BEFORE US IT'S ALMOST TOO LATE. SO THE FACT THAT WE'RE DOING THIS PROACTIVELY AND KIND OF KEEPING AN EYE TRY TO GO TO AS MANY THINGS AS POSSIBLE AND WE TRY TO SEND AS MANY ATTORNEYS AS POSSIBLE TO DIFFERENT EVENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS. AND AS WE MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS WE CAN KIND OF KEEP A ROSTER SO THAT, YOU KNOW, A CASE COMES UP IN REAL ESTATE. WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT'S OUTSIDE OF OUR REGULAR ROSTER OF OUTSIDE COUNCILOR TO WORK WITH SO IT'S REALLY IT'S AN ONGOING CONVERSATION AND ONGOING JUST COLLABORATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. NOW GO TO MY COUNTY COLLEAGUES FOR SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS.  COUNCILOR FLYNN THE FLOOR IS YOURS.  THANK YOU MR CHAIR.  AGAIN THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM THAT IS HERE ADAM.  I WAS I WAS CURIOUS DOES THE CITY OF BOSTON PARTNER OR HIRE A AN INSURANCE COMPANY FOR ANY POTENTIAL SETTLEMENTS DOWN THE ROAD? DO WE HAVE INSURANCE FOR ANY TYPE OF LEGAL ACTION IMPACT IN THE CITY ON ON ON MAJOR CASES OF THE CITY LOST A CASE IT WAS IN HAD TO PAY $50 MILLION DOES THE CITY COME UP WITH THAT $50 MILLION PAYMENT OR DO WE DO WE HAVE INSURANCE ON THAT?  THE CITY IS SELF-INSURED SO SAY THE CITY'S SELF-INSURED. SO IF WE LOST A CASE OF THAT MAGNITUDE, THE CITY OF BOSTON WOULD HAVE TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY WITH THE MONEY?  NO, NO OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE FROM ANY ANY INSURANCE COMPANIES? NO. AND WE WOULD THAT WHERE WOULD THAT MONEY COME FROM? WHERE WOULD THAT $50 MILLION COME FROM? SO FOR I MEAN IT GETS I THINK IT GETS BACK THE CHAIR WHERE ELSE? QUESTION RIGHT.  IF FOR A FOR A JUDGMENT OF THAT MAGNITUDE YOU'D ONE HOPEFULLY WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IT COMING DOWN THE PIPE SOMEWHAT RIGHT?  WE DO MEET QUARTERLY WITH THE FINANCE CABINET TO SORT OF GO OVER THE CASES WITH HIGH POTENTIAL LIABILITY AS WELL AS SORT OF WHERE WE THINK THEY ARE IN THE LIFE CYCLE.  RIGHT. TO TO HAVE EXACTLY THIS KIND OF CONVERSATION ABOUT SORT OF HOW WE WOULD YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY MIGHT BE YOU KNOW, WHEN THE FINANCE TEAM POTENTIALLY COULD HAVE TO COME UP WITH THOSE SUMS OF MONEY AND THAT'S THE KIND OF PLANNING THAT THEY DO WITHIN THE YEAR AND SORT OF OUT INTO THE FUTURE.  IT'S A IT'S A IT'S A CONVERSATION AND ANALYSIS THAT IS ALSO SORT OF FORCED BY IT EMBEDDED WITHIN AND THE CITY'S AUDITS AND CREDIT RATING REPORTING THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT IN THE KIND OF EACH YEAR THAT'S WHAT IS THE KIND OF THING OBVIOUSLY THAT LENDERS IN THIS CASE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO WOULD BUY THE CITY'S DEBT BE VERY INTERESTED IN AND THAT OUR AUDITORS HAVE TO SORT OF INCLUDE AS A PORTION OF THE CITY'S STANDARD AUDIT.  SO WELL, LET ME ASK THIS HAS THERE BEEN ANY SETTLEMENTS THAT THE CITY ENTERED INTO THAT WERE SIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF A LARGE DOLLAR FIGURE?  YES. GIVE ME CAN GIVE ME THE FIGURES THAT I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.  YEAH. WELL ARE WE TALKING A COUPLE OF MILLION BUCKS?  ARE WE TALKING A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND BUCKS? NO SIR.  IN 20 I WOULD SAY IN EARLY 2021 THE CITY SETTLED THE MATTER FOR $16 MILLION.  SO THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A HUGE SUM OF MONEY.  SO GOING FORWARD WE LOOKING AT ANY POTENTIAL SETTLEMENTS SUCH AS A $16 MILLION SETTLEMENT MAYBE MAYBE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS ARE WE ARE WE ON TRACK TO PAY THAT TYPE OF FIGURE AND IF SO, WHAT PLANS ARE WE MAKING TO TO DEAL WITH THAT? SO I DON'T I, I DON'T WANT TO ANSWER THE FIRST PART OF THAT QUESTION BECAUSE IF THERE WAS A CASE WHERE THERE WERE ONGOING SETTLEMENT DISCUSSIONS I DON'T KNOW YOU KNOW WHAT THE YOU KNOW A WE WOULDN'T OFFER SORT OF PUBLICLY WHAT WE VALUE TO THAT AND B I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE NEGOTIATION WOULD GO BUT WHAT I CAN SAY IS THIS THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PENDING CASES THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL LIKE THE POTENTIAL OF SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL LIABILITY FOR THE CITY IN THE $16 MILLION RANGE. I DON'T KNOW I DON'T WANT TO SORT OF CHARACTERIZE IT IN THAT RANGE BECAUSE I DON'T THINK SO. THAT BEING SAID, THESE ARE CASES WHERE YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CASES YOU DON'T NEED A CASE TO BE $16 MILLION BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF CASES THAT ARE $1,000,000 IT'S THE SAME THING . AND I WOULD SAY THAT.  SO WITHOUT TRYING TO I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO SORT OF SET PARAMETERS FOR LITIGANTS ON THE OTHER SIDE BUT DO THINK IT'S FAIR TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CASES IN THE CITY THAT HAVE LIABILITIES LIKE POTENTIAL LIABILITIES THAT ARE INTO THE MILLIONS SUCH THAT IT'S AN ONGOING SORT OF PLANNING CONVERSATION THAT WE ARE HAVING WITH THE OFFICE OF BUDGET MANAGEMENT AND CFO OFFICE TO SORT OF MAKE SURE THEY'RE SORT OF AWARE OF THESE CASES WE TALK ABOUT SORT OF AND IS THAT NEW IN THE TIMING? IS THAT TO SETTLE THE CASE SO THE CASE GOES AWAY OR TO ACKNOWLEDGE WRONGDOING OR JUST TO MOVE ON?  SORRY . LET ME LET ME TAKE A STEP BACK WHEN WE WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT THE LIABILITY THE LIABILITY COULD BE COMING THROUGH A SETTLEMENT OR THROUGH BRINGING IT ALL WAY THROUGH EITHER SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THEIR FAVOR OR TRIAL AND US LOSING. SO THE LIABILITY DOESN'T HAVE TO COME FROM A SETTLEMENT. IT'S SORT OF IT CAN COME IN A VARIETY OF WAYS IN LITIGATION BUT ALL OF THOSE WAYS CAN END UP WITH THE CITY BEING OBLIGATED TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT PAYMENT.  SO THEY ALL ARE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION IN TERMS OF THE REASONS FOR SETTLING, I THINK THAT YOU'VE KIND OF ACCURATELY CAPTURED SOME OF THE REASONING BUT I TAKE FOR US THE TOUCHSTONE REALLY BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY SORT OF THERE'S SO MANY REASONS TO DO SOMETHING FOR US THE TOUCHSTONE REALLY IS THE USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS,  RIGHT? SO FOR US THE TOUCHSTONE IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT IS THE EXPECTED COST TO THE CITY OF CONTINUING VERSUS THE SETTLEMENT THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED AND WHEN YOU DO SETTLE OR THERE IS A SETTLEMENT REACHED OR THERE'S OR THERE'S SOME TYPE OF AN AGREEMENT IN COURT, DOES THE LAW DEPARTMENT PUBLICLY INFORM THE THE THE RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT JUST TOOK PLACE OR IS THAT NOT DISCLOSED?  WE DO NOT SORT OF AFFIRMATIVELY ADVERTISE ANYTHING BUT IT IS PUBLIC THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS ARE ALL PUBLIC AND WE ROUTINELY PRODUCE THEM.  THANK YOU, MR CHAIRMAN. I JUST WANT AGAIN TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM FOR BEING HERE FOR THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR . BRAEDEN THE FLOOR IS YOURS AND THIS IS MORE OF A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TREASURY QUESTION I'M REALLY GETTING INTO LOOKING AT CAPITAL LOOK CAPITAL PLANS AND HOW THEY'RE NOT REALLY WHAT WE WERE WHAT WE WERE APPROVING IN THE CITY BUDGET IS NOT THE SPECIFIC ITEMS ON THE LIST BUT ACTUALLY JUST THE AUTHORIZING THE ENCUMBERING THE DEBT. SO THE CAPITAL BUDGET ALONE ORDERS THE CITY'S FIVE YEAR CAPITAL PLAN INVOLVES ISSUANCE AND INCURRENCE OF DEBT. BUT OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES DO NOT SPECIFY IN THE LOAN ORDER THE DOLLAR AMOUNT TO BE EXPENDED PER CAPITAL PROJECT AND ON WHAT TIMELINE THAT WOULD BE SPENT SO THAT AS A DISTRICT COUNCILOR I'M ALWAYS INTERESTED IN GET VERY EXCITED WE'RE GOING TO GET SOME MONEY FOR SOMETHING AND THEN IT NEVER GETS SPENT SO IT'S SORT OF VERY SORT OF DEFLATING AFTER A WHILE.  HOW DO OUR CAPITAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PROCESSES COMPARE WITH WHAT'S GENERALLY ACCEPTED AS ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES WITH REGARD TO CAPITAL PLANNING?  SO I'M NOT SURE I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION. COUNCILOR BREADON BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT THE CAPITAL PLAN IS PREDOMINANTLY MANAGED BY OBM.  THERE'S A BUDGET TEAM THAT WORKS ON THE CAPITAL PLAN AND THEN WE WORK IN CONCERT WITH THEM AND THE CFO IS OFFICE TO GO OUT AND YOU KNOW SEEK THE BONDING ETC. TO TO DO THAT. YEAH SO I KNOW I'M PROBABLY NOT TALKING THE RIGHT PERSON BUT OBM YES IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE QUIRKY THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT LIKE WE UNDERSTAND THE ENCUMBERING THE DEBT PIECE OF IT BUT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE CAPITAL PLAN IS EXECUTED ON A TIMELINE AND THEN WE WE SORT OF KNOW STAGE BY STAGE BY STAGE HOW MUCH OF THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON THAT PARTICULAR LIKE I KNOW IN OTHER I KNOW AT THE STATE LEVEL THEY HAVE THE STAGES OF A CAPITAL PROJECT AND THE SAY IT'S YOU KNOW THEY HAVE ALL OF A DOCUMENTED STAGE BY STAGE PRESTIGE AND THEN IT'S SORT OF KNOW WHERE YOU'RE AT IN TERMS OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTED A PROJECTS CONTRACT TO ARRIVE IN YOUR DISTRICT. I WOULD DEFER TO THE BUDGET TEAM ON THAT BECAUSE I'M SURE THEY COULD ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE INTIMATE WITH THAT.  YEAH VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE OTHER THING AGAIN THAT MIGHT BE A QUESTION FOR YOU BUT THE COMPONENT UNITS IN ARE SEPARATE LEGALLY SEPARATE ORGANIZATIONS FROM FOR WHICH THE CITY IS FISCALLY ACCOUNTABLE AND SOME OF THEIR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE REPORTED AS IF THEY'RE PART OF THE CITY. SO THE BPH SEE BPA A BPO BUT THEN BPA BPA IS BPA SORRY IS FORMERLY WITHIN THE CITY. AND I'M JUST WONDERING IN TERMS OF THE CITY'S OVERSIGHT CAPACITY OVER THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF ALL THESE COMPONENT UNITS, WHAT WHAT IS THE CITY'S OVERSIGHT ROLE IN TERMS OF THE COMPONENT UNITS, THESE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS BP IS C BPA BPO BUT THEN ALSO WHAT ABOUT WHAT'S YOUR FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT OVER BP'S BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS?  SO I'LL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT I KNOW THAT'S DONE THROUGH THE AUDITING DEPARTMENT BUT I'LL SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT THE TRUSTS ARE A COMPONENT UNIT SO WE WE WORK INDIVIDUALLY AND CREATE OUR FINANCIALS BUT WE WORK IN CONCERT WITH THE AUDITING DEPARTMENT AND THEN THEY CONSOLIDATE.  SO I BELIEVE THAT'S THE SAME FOR BP C AND BPL AND BPA.  BP'S IS IF YOU WILL ANOTHER CITY DEPARTMENT. SO THEY'RE IN THE SAME TAX I.D. NUMBER AND SO REALLY MUCH MORE INGRAINED INTO OUR NORMAL FINANCIAL REPORTING PROCESSES. YEAH, BUT AUDITING COULD GIVE YOU A BETTER RESPONSE THAN WHAT I JUST GAVE YOU. BUT I THINK CONCEPTUALLY THAT'S THAT'S HOW I SEE IT. THAT'S GOOD. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE OTHER AREA IS FEDERAL GRANTS REQUIRES STRINGENT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS UNDER UNIFORM GUIDANCE AND THE CITY IS NO LONGER CONSIDERED LOW RISK DUE TO THE AMOUNT THAT WE RECEIVE WE RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOP RECIPIENT MONITORING SO WHERE THE MONEY IS PROCESSED THROUGH OUR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TO OTHERS SOME DEPARTMENTS LIKE THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING HAVE BETTER FINANCIAL CONTROLS THAN OTHERS.  BP HAS IN STRONG EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.  I'M JUST WONDERING DO WE PROVIDE CENTRAL AND EF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE TO SUPPORT THOSE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IN TERMS OF TIMELY REPORTING AND ACCURATE REPORTING ON THE SOP RECIPIENTS? SO AGAIN, I'LL I'LL SPEAK THAT THAT IS DONE THROUGH THE AUDITING DEPARTMENT AND THERE IS A WHOLE GRANTS UNIT THAT DOES WORK WITH THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND DOES AGAIN ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COUNCILOR MAHINA HAD WITH REGARD TO LIKE THE AUDIT THEY HAVE SINGLE AUDITS THAT COME IN AND AND WORK WITH THEM AND MAKE ENSURE THE COMPLIANCE FOR ALL SUB RECIPIENT REPORTING ETC. SO THE AUDIT DEPARTMENT IS ON TOP OF THAT HAS A UNIT AND WORKS WITH THE WITH THE VARYING DEPARTMENTS JUST OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THE AUDIT DEPARTMENT IS, HOW BIG THE AUDITING DEPARTMENT IS AND GOODNESS IT'S MAYBE LIKE 50 PEOPLE I'M JUST GUESSING SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE THEY HAVE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, THEY HAVE THE CENTRAL PAYROLL TEAM, THEY HAVE AN ACCOUNTING TEAM AND THEY HAVE THE GRANTS MONITORING TEAM.  SO IT'S A GOOD SIZED TEAM.  OKAY, VERY GOOD.  I THINK JUST TO REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE INCREDIBLE WORK YOU DO LIKE BRINGING THE MONEY IN AND SPENDING IT AND THIS MAKING SURE IT'S REALLY THE THE WHEELS OF THE BUS IF THE SO I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE GREAT WORK AND THANK YOU AND THANK YOU ATTORNEY CITY FROM THIS MORNING AND PLAN THANK YOU I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE OH THANK YOU COUNCILOR THANK YOU I BELIEVE NEXT IS COUNCILOR ME HERE THE FLOOR JOYCE THANK YOU CHAIR AND I'M GOING TO TAKE EVERYONE'S TIME THAT THE YIELD YIELD SO YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO START OFF AGAIN WHICH IS REALLY THANKING MAUREEN LIKE IT'S BEEN GREAT TO SERVE WITH YOU ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S JOBS TRUST AND GET TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK AND ALL THAT AMAZING YOU KNOW, DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN YOUR VOICE THERE IS REALLY ALWAYS MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT CHECKS AND BALANCES RIGHT AND LIKE ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT NO ONE'S GOING TO COME AFTER US AND BE LIKE NO, RIGHT? SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THAT LEVEL OF THOUGHT AND JUST YOU ALWAYS LIKE SECOND MOTION. I WAS WAITING FOR THAT SO IT'S BEEN GREAT TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU AND SAME HERE. THANK YOU.  I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE AUDITING JUST BECAUSE I THINK I'M CURIOUS IF YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE CITY HAD AN OUTSIDE AUDITOR COME IN AND REALLY DO A DEEP DIVE AT ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTS WHEN WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME MANUALLY ADDING YEAH YEAH WE HAVE EXTERNAL AUDITORS THAT COME IN ANNUALLY AND THEY WORK THEY'LL GO ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS AND AS YOU'RE SAYING DO A DEEP DIVE.  WE'RE CURRENTLY ALREADY PROVIDING OUR SOME OF OUR REQUESTS THAT THEY HAVE FOR THIS YEAR'S AUDIT SO AND I'M CURIOUS IN THAT AUDIT ARE YOU ALSO AUDITING FOR EFFICIENCY OR JUST THE DOLLARS THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WANT TO GET AT IS LIKE WHAT I REALLY DO. YEAH.  SO THIS IS WHAT I REALLY AM CURIOUS ABOUT LIKE EFFICIENCY IN OUR DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO AND I DON'T KNOW WHO WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTAND BONDING OF OUR EFFICIENCY IN TERMS OF KIND OF HOW WE'RE OPERATING. AND SO IF IF IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE, IS THIS SOME IS HAVE YOU HEARD OF OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE YOU KNOW SAID HEY, LET'S TAKE A LOOK TO SEE HOW WE'RE HOW WE'RE FUNCTIONING AND IF WE ARE UTILIZING OUR DOLLARS IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY. I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OPERATIONAL AUDITS I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY HAVE HAVE ENGAGED SUCH A THING.  YEAH, YEAH. AND I GUESS LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEEPS SO THAT I CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING BEEPS HER IS ONE OF THOSE BIG DEPARTMENTS THAT I FEEL LIKE IT'S TRYING TO CRACK THE DA VINCI CODE AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IN THE WORLD AND DO YOU DO YOU HAVE INTERACTIONS WITH BEEPS? DO YOU MOSTLY SO AGAIN MOSTLY MY INTERACTIONS WOULD BE ON THE FINANCIAL AND SO YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ACCOUNTS THAT THEY'RE BANKING ACCOUNTS THAT THEY WORK WITH OR EMPLOYEES PAYROLL THAT THAT TYPE OF THAT'S REALLY MORE WHERE MY INTERACTIONS ARE THE AUDITING DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE HAS MUCH MORE REGULAR INTERACTION WITH REGARD TO THEIR FINANCIALS WITH REGARD TO THE GRANTS AS WELL AS COUNCILOR BREADON BROUGHT IT UP. SO YOU KNOW BUT WE ALL HAVE OUR DIFFERENT REASONS TO INTERACT. YES. SO THROUGH THE CHAIR I'D BE DID I MISS THE AUDITING HEARING?  NO, NO WE DID NOT BRING I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF I MEAN IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE MAYBE I'LL JUST PUT MY QUESTIONS IN WRITING AND YEAH BECAUSE OF EXPLORED YEAH ONLY JUST BECAUSE I REALLY DO BELIEVE WE'RE AT A POINT IN WELL AT LEAST I AM AT A POINT IN MY CAREER HERE IS REALLY HAVING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE I'VE PASSED 15 PIECES OF LEGISLATION OF WHICH SOME HAVE BEEN NEW DEPARTMENTS THAT WE'VE CREATED AND OR POSITIONS AND WE ARE AUDITING RIGHT NOW FOR PIECES OF LEGISLATION JUST TO SEE IF WE'RE REALLY MEETING THE MOMENT. RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT OFTENTIMES WE THINGS ARE REALLY GOOD IDEAS BUT WHEN THEY COME INTO PRACTICE WE HAVE TO EVALUATE WHETHER OR NOT WOULD BE INEFFICIENT WITH OUR DOLLARS. AND SO THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE COMING FROM. BUT I'M GOING TO GO ON TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND THANK YOU. I'M CURIOUS IN THE IN THE CASE OF LIKE CAN YOU JUST AND I KNOW ADAM YOU YOU KNOW YOU GOT A YOU GOT NEW LAWYERS TOUGH FUNNY. SO I'M HOPING THAT YOU COULD JUST KEEP IT STRAIGHT WITH ME PLEASE BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO NEED AN INTERPRETER TO DEAL WITH YOU RIGHT NOW SO I'M CURIOUS, ADAM, WOULD YOU JUST BE ABLE TO TELL ME HOW MANY CASES HAVE WE WON AND HOW MANY CASES THAT WE'VE LOST? SO YOU HAVE INFORMATION LIKE THAT AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, THAT'S FINE.  BUT I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER OF WINS WE'VE HAD IN THE NUMBER OF LOSSES JUST BECAUSE IT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW HOW WE'RE DOING. YEAH, I DO NOT HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN IN FRONT OF ME BUT I WILL GLADLY SUPPLEMENT THAT.  THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. YEAH I THINK IT'S IT'S GOOD TO KNOW RIGHT.  I AM ALSO CURIOUS RIGHT AND THIS IS GOING TO BE I DON'T KNOW AN AWKWARD QUESTION BUT I AM CURIOUS WE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUING US TEND TO BE BOSTON RESIDENTS OR LAW WHO I DON'T HAVE THE BREAKDOWN I DON'T KNOW.  I MEAN THERE'S CERTAINLY A NUMBER OF BOSTON RESIDENTS WHO FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY WHETHER IT'S MOTOR YEAH SO BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHETHER IT'S EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE HAD THAT YOU KNOW ISSUES WITH THE CITY THERE ARE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE CITY AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE A REALLY WEIRD DYNAMIC IN WHICH THE TAXPAYER IS PAYING INTO A DEPARTMENT THAT THEY THEN HAVE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES FROM. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS AROUND LIKE WHO WHO'S INTEREST ARE WE HERE TO REALLY PROTECT AND SERVE WHEN WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT? I'M JUST CURIOUS THIS IS LESS ABOUT A BUDGET QUESTION AND IT'S JUST MORE ABOUT KIND OF LIKE HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR WORLD LOOKS LIKE. YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW WE HAVE THE LUXURY OF REPRESENTING A PUBLIC INSTITUTION THAT'S TRYING TO DO GOOD STUFF ALL DAY EVERY DAY RIGHT?  AS LAWYERS IN THE LAW DEPARTMENT, OUR CLIENT IS THE CITY DEPARTMENT OR CITY EMPLOYEE WHO WAS DOING SOMETHING FOR THE DEPARTMENT WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OR THAT EMPLOYEE IN THEIR EMPLOY OR YE CAPACITY IS BEING SUED. SO IN A LOT OF WAYS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE RIGHT TO WITHIN THE LAWSUIT YOU KNOW OUR CLIENT IS THE DEPARTMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT HAS ALREADY MADE EITHER A DECISION OR HAS LIKE DONE SOMETHING THROUGH EMPLOYEES JUST IN THE WORLD THAT CAUSED SOMETHING TO HAPPEN AND AND WE IN THE LAW DEPARTMENT KIND OF RECEIVE THAT DECISION MEANING SO LIKE PUBLIC WORKS HAS DECIDED HEY, THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO EMPTY THE TRASH.  OKAY. SO SO SORRY SO OUR CLIENT IS A CITY DEPARTMENT THAT IS TAKING A POSITION HERE BUT I THINK THAT YOUR LARGER QUESTION IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE AND SOMETIMES WHAT WE CAN BRING IS A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE LIKE WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE PEOPLE MAKING THE DECISION OR INVOLVED IN THE WORK AND WE CAN SORT OF SAY THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO BE SEEN. WE THINK THERE'S A RISK HERE. WHAT'S THE RESULT? COULD I FOLLOW UP CHAIR PLEASE? THANK YOU. SO I'M CURIOUS IN REGARDS TO THAT I'M NOT A LAWYER, RIGHT? AND I AM NOT EVEN TRYING TO BE ONE EITHER. I JUST I THAT'S JUST NOT THE WORLD THAT I WANT TO OPERATE IN RIGHT?  BUT I AM A COMMUNITY ACTIVIST AND AN ORGANIZER AND SOMEONE WHO IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN COMMUNITY IN WAYS THAT GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN THIS SPACE AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I UTILIZE MY TIME UPLIFTING THAT VOICE RIGHT REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY'RE FROM AND WHO THEY ARE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO ASK THESE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS AND SO I AM CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH THE INSPECTOR GENERAL HAVE YOU BECAUSE WHEN ARE COMING UP AGAINST THE CITY AT WHAT POINT DO YOU RECUSE YOURSELF AND SAY THIS IS THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE A YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE COUNCILOR OR LIKE JUST BECAUSE I IT'S REALLY IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING DYNAMIC TO BOTH THE PROTECTOR AND AND SERVING THE CITY CITY DEPARTMENTS BUT THEN ALSO HAVING EMPLOYEES RIGHT AND OR RESIDENTS THAT HAVE ISSUES WITH THE CITY BUT IT'S THEIR TAX DOLLARS THAT ARE PAYING FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT AND SO THEREFORE I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT HOW WE RECONCILING WITH THAT. YEAH, YOU KNOW, I WOULD I WOULD POINT OUT THAT IT'S THEIR TAX DOLLARS THAT ARE ALSO PAYING FOR THE DEPARTING MINT THAT IS CENTRALLY INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT OR THE EMPLOYMENT DECISION OR THE POLICY MAKING. RIGHT. SO PART OF OUR JOB AND IT IS A LITTLE BIT I CAN SEE YOUR FRUSTRATION WITH IT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A LIMITATION THERE. RIGHT. OUR JOB REALLY IS YOU KNOW WE WE REPRESENTED THE HARTMAN AND WE ARE DEFENDING OFTENTIMES SORT OF A DECISION THAT THEY'VE MADE A COURSE OF ACTION OR WAY OF DOING WORK THAT YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY IS OUR WORK FUNDED BY BOSTON'S TAXPAYERS BUT SO IS OUR CLIENTS WORK RIGHT? SO I TOTALLY SEE THAT THE TENSION YOU'RE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT I JUST WANT TO SORT OF POINT OUT THAT ONE THING THAT YOU KNOW EXIST IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR CLIENT DEPARTMENT IS THAT THERE ARE CLIENT LIKE WE DO HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SAY TO TO REPRESENT THEM RIGHT TO NOT AND OFTENTIMES THAT REPRESENTATION MIGHT MEAN LIKE HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT CHANGING GOING FORWARD OR HOW DO WE COME TO AN AGREEMENT HERE OR HOW DO WE DEFEND THIS BECAUSE YOU'RE THE EXPERT AND YOU FEEL STRONGLY AND HAVE OFFERED A LOT OF RATIONALE FOR LIKE WHY THIS IS THE WAY THE DEPARTMENT DESIGNS THINGS TO LOOK LIKE THAT OR WHATEVER. SO I SEE THAT I SEE THE TENSION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND IT IT IS TOUGH.  BUT I THINK PART OF THE ANSWER IS THAT AS LAWYERS WE ARE REPRESENTING CLIENTS AND WE HAVE TO ADVISE THOSE CLIENTS. WE HAVE TO SORT OF SAY LIKE TAKE TIME FOR A CHANGE HERE YOU KNOW, YOUR PRACTICE COULD BE IMPROVED OR CHANGED OR FIXED IMMEDIATELY. THIS BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE DO HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO OUR DEPARTMENTS BUT YOU'RE YOU'RE RIGHT LIKE WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO SAY HEY, WE ALL WANT THE SAME THING HERE. RIGHT. WHICH IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE IN A IN A PURELY PRIVATE SETTING OUR DEPARTMENTS ACTUALLY DO FUNDAMENTALLY WANT THE SAME THING THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS WANT.  THEY WANT TO SERVE THEM. THEY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, RUN THE SCHOOLS THE BEST OR LIKE MAKE THE STREETS THE CLEANEST AND NICEST AND SMOOTHEST AND SAFEST. SO THERE IS A LOT OF ALIGNMENT I THINK BETWEEN OUR CLIENTS AND THE PUBLIC THAT THEY SERVE AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC AND SOMETIMES SUING US. SO YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THE THE THE TENSION. YEAH AND AND I DO APPRECIATE THE CHAIR ALLOWING YOU TO COMPLETE YOUR THOUGHT AND GIVING ME AN EXTRA TIME BUT I DO HAVE MORE QUESTIONS SO I'LL BE WAITING FOR MY THIRD ROUND. OKAY.  COUNCILOR FITZGERALD, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN SMALL QUESTION, A BIG QUESTION. SMALL QUESTION. I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER BUT I STILL WANT TO JUST CONFIRM WHEN FOLKS PAY THEIR FEES ONLINE AND THERE'S THE PROCESSING FEE OF THE FOR THE CREDIT CARD TO DO THAT STUFF THE CITY DOES NOT COLLECT THAT THAT GOES TO THAT IS FOR THE CREDIT CARD RIGHT.  SOME FOLKS THAT ASKED I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM FOR THEM I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. THE LARGER QUESTION I HAVE IS MORE FOR BOTH DEPARTMENTS IS WHAT DO WE SEE AS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES COMING UP? WHAT DO YOU GUYS HAVE ON THE RIGHT? EDUCATE ME . RIGHT. I'M ONLY FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS INTO THIS THING AND YOU KNOW, I NEED TO KNOW I'M SURE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON ARE MAYBE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE HORIZON FOR QUITE SOME TIME IN THE PAST AS WELL THAT WE MIGHT KNOW ABOUT.  BUT WHEN YOU GUYS LOOK AHEAD, WHAT DO YOU SAY? OH MAN, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR X OR THIS IS COMING TO US AND HOW CAN WE BE HELPFUL IN MAKING SURE THAT YOU GUYS ARE SUFFICIENTLY SUPPLIED TO ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS SO EITHER ONE FIRST IS FINE BUT WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT RIGHT?  OH YEAH. NO, YOU KNOW I THINK THAT STRESS OKAY YOU KNOW I THINK THAT'S PART OF OUR DAILY RESPONSIBILITY, RIGHT. IS TO LOOK INTO THE FUTURE AND YOU KNOW, TREASURY IS FORTUNATE WE'VE WE'VE GOT A WONDERFUL TEAM THAT REALLY IS IS LOOKING TO THAT ON A REGULAR SO YOU KNOW THE NUTS AND BOLTS IF YOU WILL THE PAYING PEOPLE AND EVERYTHING. COUNCILOR MURPHY ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE NUMBERS GROW, ARE YOU PREPARED? YES. YOU KNOW WE'RE GOOD THERE. OF COURSE, YOU KNOW MONEY COMING IN IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF MONEY GOING OUT. SO BUT YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WORK ON IN THAT YOU KNOW, JERICHO'S TEAM SPENDS A GREAT DEAL OF TIME ON IS ENSURING THAT YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THE OLD ADAGE WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE WE'RE FORTUNATE WITH THE RATE YOU KNOW SO WE HAVE VERY FAVORABLE RATES AND OUR OUR REVENUES ARE WONDERFUL WE ARE YOU KNOW SPENDING SOME OF OUR STRATEGY AND SOME OF OUR TIME WORKING ON ENSURING THAT THAT YOU KNOW, WHEN THE FED MAKES CHANGES WE DON'T FALL OFF A CLIFF. SO WE'RE WORKING TOWARD THAT TO SAY NOW IF IT'S IF WE'RE BUDGETING 100 MILLION THIS YEAR, HOW CAN WE SLOW THAT AS IT GOES DOWN BECAUSE IT WILL GO DOWN. WE ALL KNOW THAT. SO WE'RE WORKING ON SOME OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS WITHIN OUR WITHIN OUR EXISTING INVESTMENT POLICY. SO JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE WE WORK ON. SO WITH WITH COLLECTING IT'S MORE OR LESS OUR COLLECTION RATE IS SO HIGH.  I MEAN WHEN 99.2% FOR EVERY 23 SO THAT WORRIES ME GOING FORWARD. YOU KNOW YOU JUST WANT TO YOU KNOW YOU NEVER WANT TO GO BACKWARD. YOU WANT TO KEEP GOING FORWARD AND GET ALL THE REVENUE THAT YOU CAN GET. SO I THINK IN THAT CASE YOU JUST GET A LITTLE YOU WANT TO BE SURE YOU CAN REACH OUT TO TAXPAYERS, MAKE SURE THERE'S MEANS FOR THEM TO PAY US AND SO IT'S KEEPS ME AWAKE. YOU KNOW, I GET I JUST WONDER IF YOU GUYS ALL SEE ANY TRENDS. RADAR, THIS IS PICKING UP MORE THIS YEAR WE SHOULD YOU KNOW HOW DO WE IT JUST FOR US TO GET AHEAD OF IN TERMS OF SETTING UP AS WELL THERE MAY NOT BE AN ANSWER.  I'M JUST ASKING. OKAY. RIGHT. I DON'T IF THE LAW DEPARTMENT HAS ANY YEAH. I THINK AS I THINK ABOUT THE THE COUPLE OF CHALLENGES THAT SORT OF I SEE DOWN THE ROAD THAT HAVE ME SORT OF FOCUSED AND ATTENTIVE AND ONE IS JUST LIKE ALWAYS KEEPING THE TEAM SORT OF BIG ENOUGH AND TRAINED ENOUGH AND SKILLED ENOUGH AND EXPERIENCE OF IT. IT'S AN ONGOING CHALLENGE IN THE NUMBER OF DEPARTMENT AND THE NUMBER OF SOURCES OF LEGAL QUESTIONS, LEGAL PROBLEMS, LAWSUITS COMING INTO THE DEPARTMENT IS IT'S IT'S REALLY, REALLY BIG AND THE THE CORE TO HANDLING THAT IS JUST THE TEAM RIGHT IT'S JUST PEOPLE DOING IT AND SORT OF KEEPING THAT TEAM THERE FULLY ENGAGED FULLY COMMITTED WITH YOU KNOW, WITH THE PROPER KIND OF RESOURCES TO NOT THAT FOR THAT TO NOT MEAN BURNT OUT IS JUST AN ONGOING CHALLENGE AND I DON'T SEE THAT YOU WE'RE STILL WORKING ON IT THIS THIS BUDGET PROPOSAL HAS SOME A LITTLE ROOM FOR US TO GROW WHICH IS NOT WE HAVE SOME FEW POSITIONS TO FILL WHICH IS GREAT THERE TO TAKE TIME AND EFFORT TO FILLS WE COULDN'T YOU KNOW FILL A THOUSAND NEW POSITIONS ANYWAY AND THEN THE SECOND BIG CHALLENGE I SEE IS AN YOU KNOW, SORT OF INTERNAL TO THE DEPARTMENT BUT IT RELATES TO SORT OF INFORMATION LIKE LOOK THE WAY THE CITY IN THE WORLD SORT OF CREATES STORES AND HANDLES INFORMATION THAT'S A INCLUDES A I BUT NOT ONLY YOU KNOW WE WE INTERACT WITH IT IN A FEW SPECIFIC WAYS. ONE WAY IS LIKE IN LITIGATION WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO LOCATE FOR OPPOSING COUNCILOR THE STUFF THAT'S RELEVANT TO WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR THAT'S RESPONSIVE TO WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR AND WE ARE CHARGED WITH BEING THE ONES WHO GO OUT AND ACCURATELY FIND IT. YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THIS INSTITUTION AND THE THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES WE HAVE CREATING DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION EVERY SINGLE DAY ACROSS THE INSTITUTION MANAGING THAT OBLIGATION OVER TIME IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE ABILITY TO SORT OF CREATE AND STORE MORE AND MORE INFORMATION IS YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING LIKE IT'S JUST INCREASING.  SO WE HAVE TO I THINK MODERNIZE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE KIND OF MOVING IN TANDEM WITH THAT CHALLENGE AND THAT'S I THINK FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M REALLY FOCUSED ON AND I THINK IT'S A BIG CHALLENGE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. NO, THAT'S A GREAT ANSWER. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS. YOU KNOW, I KNOW THE BOTH TREASURY AND LAW DEPARTMENT, RIGHT. THERE'S A FINE LINE YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE OH, YOU DON'T WANT TO BE OVER RESOURCED WHERE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR A CASE TO WORK ON. AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS STRIKING THAT FINE LINE OF OF OF BEING EFFICIENT BUT ALSO WORKING WITH WHAT YOU GOT AND YOU GUYS BOTH DO A GREAT JOB OF THAT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, JIM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNSELOR WEBER, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. OKAY. THANK YOU.  YEAH JUST A COUPLE OF FOLLOW ON QUESTIONS FOR THE LAW DEPARTMENT. SO THERE'S A CONSENT DECREE AROUND EDA COMPLIANCE AND CURBS ON MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE EVERYTHING DONE BY 2030, BUT WHAT'S THE NEXT DEADLINE? HOW ARE WE DOING?  I WOULD LIKE TO PRIMARILY TIP HER TO THE STREET'S CABINET BECAUSE THAT IS THEIR WORK. I WILL SAY THIS LIKE EVERY YEAR THE STREET CABINET PRODUCES AN ANNUAL REPORT SO THEY'VE COMPLETED THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL REPORT. THERE IS WE'RE A LITTLE BEHIND SCHEDULE YOU KNOW, BEHIND THE ANNUAL RAMP PRODUCTION AND THAT THE CONSENT DECREE CALLS FOR THERE ARE MECHANISMS IN THE CONSENT DECREE FOR DEALING WITH THAT AND FOR CATCHING UP BUT THAT IS THAT IS ONGOING WORK. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND CHALLENGING. SO I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING THAT'S NOT IN THE IN YOUR REPORT SO IF THE CONSENT DECREE DOESN'T JUST YOU KNOW IT WAS AIMED AT 2030 WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT IT MIGHT HAVE TO CONTINUE AND I THINK THAT IT WAS PROBABLY WISE THAT THAT UNDERSTANDING WAS BUILT IN AND I ASSUME THAT THAT INFORMATION SHARED WITH THE WHOEVER YOU KNOW WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE. YES.  THERE'S THEY'RE PART OF THE CONSENT DECREE INCLUDES ONGOING MONITORING BY CLASS COUNCILOR . SO THEY'RE VERY AWARE OF THIS INFORMATION. OKAY. DO YOU KNOW HOW HOW FAR BEHIND I MEAN HOW MANY USE CURBS DO I I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME. I DON'T KNOW. OKAY.  I'M HAPPY TO I CAN IT COULD COME STRAIGHT FROM THE STREETS BUT I'M HAPPY TO ALSO GET IT TO YOU DOING THAT. THAT WOULD BE GREAT AND I GUESS SO WHAT IS THE LAW DEPARTMENT'S STANCE ON CONFIDENTIALITY?  YOU KNOW, IS IT NOT ALLOWED IN ANY OF OUR SETTLEMENTS OR DO YOU SEEK DO YOU SEEK IT?  WE DO NOT SEEK CONFIDENTIALITY IN OUR SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS. I'M I'M THAT'S DRIVEN PRIMARILY BECAUSE WE THINK THAT'S WHERE THE LAW WOULD END UP ANYWAY BUT ALSO YOU KNOW, WE REPRESENT THE PUBLIC THESE ARE PUBLIC DOLLARS THAT ARE USED TO FUND ANY SETTLEMENT. ALL OF OUR SETTLEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC RECORDS LAW. SO WHATEVER WE BEST DICTATE WHAT WE CAN REDACT OR NOT BUT THEY'RE ALL PUBLIC AND THEN I'M SORRY I I IN YOUR CONVERSATION WITH COUNCILOR FLYNN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A LARGE SETTLEMENT. WOULD YOU HAVE TO GET AN ALLOCATION FROM THE CITY APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ? NO, WE WOULD I MEAN THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SUFFICIENT MONEY IN THE CITY TO BUT UNDER UNDER THE CITY CODE CLAIMS ARE SORT OF JUST RESOLVED EITHER BY A COURT OR CORPORATION COUNCILOR . OKAY. YOU KNOW, I'VE DEALT WITH SMALLER MUNICIPALITIES WHERE THEY'RE LIKE WELL WE CAN SETTLE THE CASE TODAY BUT THEN WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO YOU KNOW, THE THE YOU KNOW, TO THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN TO APPROVE THIS KIND OF THING. BUT WE HAVE A DIFFERENT SYSTEM HERE. YEAH. I THINK IF THERE WAS IT MIGHT BE I THINK IF THE SETTLEMENT HAD A DIFFERENT BUDGETARY IMPACT AND WE DIDN'T IN THE MONEY DIDN'T EXIST THAT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT ANSWER. YEAH. OKAY.  AND THEN YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW, BEING ON THIS SIDE OF THINGS, YOU KNOW WE'RE CONSTANTLY I DON'T KNOW THERE'S A THERE'S A WALL OR CEILING ON WHAT WE CAN DO BASED ON THE HOME RULE DO WE HAVE ANY DOES THE LAW DEPARTMENT HAVE ANY STRATEGIES FOR HOW WE CAN YOU KNOW, IT'S ACTUALLY LIKE GOVERN OURSELVES, YOU KNOW?  YEAH. OR YOU KNOW WHERE WE CAN PUSH OR NOT TAKE A STANCE ON ON THAT I, I APOLOGIZE I THINK I WOULD NEED TO HAVE LIKE A LONGER I'M NOT SURE I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND SORT OF THE QUESTION OR THE RANGE OF SORT OF OPTIONS THAT YOU COULD EXCLUDE THE I JUST IT'S THIS IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IT'S JUST IT IS THE LAW DEPARTMENT. YOU KNOW, WORKING ON WAYS THAT WE CAN YOU KNOW, SORT OF PUSH THE ENVELOPE FOR YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO ENACT ORDINANCES,  YOU KNOW, AND OTHER THINGS THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO DO THAT SORT OF PUSHBACK, YOU KNOW, AND THE RESTRICTIONS I THINK IT'S A CASE BY CASE BASIS AND REALLY BASED ON WHAT OUR CLIENTS WANT TO DO OR YOU KNOW, THIS PARTY ITSELF HAS PASSED SEVERAL HUNDRED PETITIONS. SO IT'S BASED ON WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION WANTS TO DO. OKAY. YEAH, I JUST I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WAS LIKE A WELL IT'S BECAUSE I JUST I THINK WE SHOULD WORK AS A BODY TO SORT OF SEE WHERE WE CAN PUSH THAT UP BECAUSE I DON'T THINK ANYONE HERE WOULD OBJECT ON MORE SELF-GOVERNANCE OVER CITY AFFAIRS. YEAH.  SO I JUST I WONDERED IF THE LAW DEPARTMENT HAD A SORT OF STANCE ON ON THAT YOU KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PILOT HOW TO OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO HAVE OUR INSTITUTIONS MEET THEIR PILOT OBLIGATIONS. YOU KNOW HOW WE CAN DO THAT BUT JUST MORE GENERALLY ON HOME RULE I, I DON'T I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A GENERAL STANCE ON THAT OR AT LEAST ONE THAT WE'VE SORT OF THOUGHT THROUGH AND COMMITTED TO AS A DEPARTMENT. I'LL KNOW YOU KNOW THAT'S A LITTLE BIT WE'RE NOT PRIMARILY A POLICY MAKER RIGHT SO WE DON'T THINK BUT I UNDERSTAND YOUR YOUR QUESTION I THINK THAT FOR US IT WOULD PLAY OUT IN TERMS OF CONCRETE DEFENSES OF CITY ACTIONS OR CITY POLICIES.  SO IT'S SORT OF A GENERAL PROJECT. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY INVOLVED WITH. OKAY.  YOU KNOW, SO AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW DEPARTMENT ATTORNEY REPRESENTING AGENCIES, I HAD A DISCUSSION WITH LIKE A SENIOR ATTORNEY ONCE ABOUT YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE REPRESENTING THIS AGENCY IF YOU YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT THE AGENCY'S DONE LIKE HOW DO YOU RESIGN YOURSELF TO WORK ON THAT CASE?  AND HIS RESPONSE WAS WELL, I CAN I TAKE COMFORT IN THAT EACH ACTION TAKEN BY THESE AGENCIES HAS BEEN REACHED THROUGH THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. SO YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONERS DOING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, IS THERE SOMEBODY IS SUING THEM, YOU'RE DEFENDING THAT. BUT THAT'S LIKE I SO I UNDERSTAND YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DEFENDING THAT AGENCY AND ITS ACTION THAT'S BEEN LIKE THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ELECTED WHO HAVE APPOINTED PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE AND THEY'VE DONE IT. SO YOU KNOW, I SAW YOUR YOU KNOW, WRESTLING WITH THAT. THE QUESTION FOR FROM COUNCILOR MEJIA AND I'VE BEEN THERE MYSELF, YOU KNOW, BUT WE'RE HERE WE REPRESENT THE STATE AGAINST STATE CITIZENS,  YOU KNOW, IS OFTEN AN INTERESTING THING TO DEAL WITH. BUT YOU KNOW, AGAIN YOUR ROLE IS DEFENDING IS DEFENDING THESE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE BY STATE, YOU KNOW, ENTITIES AND I THINK THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, COUNCILOR . YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY REALLY DOES CONTROL THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH THEIR VOTE, WITH THE TAXES, WITH THE REPRESENTATION. I MEAN YOU ALL ARE HERE REPRESENTING THEM NOW TO JUST REALLY FIGURE OUT LIKE WHAT ARE THE MANDATES I NEED TO BE DEFENDED. WHAT ARE THE WHAT IS THE WORTH THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? SO IT REALLY DOES COME FROM BOTH THE ADMINISTRATION AND FROM ALL OF YOU COUNCILORS. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYONE FOR YOUR WORK AND FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.  THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. ONE IS JUST A DATA REQUEST FROM THE LAW DEPARTMENT IF YOU COULD PROVIDE US WITH PENDING CASES AND CLOSE CASES FOR FY 21 THROUGHOUT FY 24 BROKEN BY FISCAL YEAR AND THEN I BELIEVE THIS QUESTION IS FOR TREASURY ON PAGE 23 OF YOUR ANNUAL TREASURY INFORMATION STATEMENT I SEE THAT THERE'S A MONTHLY BANK ACCOUNT THAT HAS GROWN FROM 1.7 BILLION IN JULY 2021 TO MORE THAN 3 BILLION IN FEBRUARY 2024. CAN YOU JUST WALK ME THROUGH WHAT WHAT I'M LOOKING AT?  SO YEAH SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT YOU KNOW THE CASH BALANCES SO IT'S NOT ONE BANK ACCOUNT, IT'S MULTIPLE BUT YEAH, SO MUCH OF THAT IS A RESULT OF INCREASED REVENUE DUE TO THE MORE MONEY YOU HAVE THE MORE INTEREST YOU'RE EARNING. RIGHT. SO MUCH OF THAT IS DUE TO THAT WE'VE BEEN WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE IN THE PAST YEARS TO BE GROWING SOME OF OUR BALANCES AND YOU KNOW THAT'S THANKS TO CELIA'S GOOD WORK OF COLLECTING AND THEN WE GET TO INVEST AND THE MORE WE INVEST THE MORE WE'RE EARNING. BUT YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S OUR OVERALL CASH BALANCES.  OKAY. AND WHAT IS THIS MONEY USED FOR ? IS THIS LIKE A RESERVE OR YOU KNOW, THE OPERATING BUDGET PREDOMINANTLY THERE ARE THERE ARE SOME RECEIPTS THAT WOULD BE IN THERE FOR GRANTS. SO IF WE RAISED YOU KNOW SO CPS RECEIVES GRANTS FROM DC THAT MONEY WOULD BE SITTING IN IN THE CITY'S BANK ACCOUNT NOW AND ANY OF THE GENERAL FUND MONIES OR THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND MONIES WOULD BE SITTING IN THOSE BANK ACCOUNTS WAITING TO BE SPENT. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND I KNOW MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILOR MEJIA OH COUNSELOR GREAT INTO OH SORRY ABOUT THIS I THOUGHT THE SIDE LEFT COUNCILOR BREADON IN THE FLOOR IS YOURS. COME UP WITH MORE QUESTIONS.  I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE WE GET ASKED FAIRLY REGULARLY FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR RECORDS AND OUR OUR TEXTS AND OUR EVERYTHING. HOW MANY REQUESTS DO WE GET FOR PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST DO WE GET AND HOW OFTEN HAVE WE BEEN FORCED TO RELEASE THEM BY A DIRECTIVE FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE? HM WELL I CAN ANSWER THE FIRST PART. THE SECOND PART I DON'T HAVE A NUMBER FOR BUT LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 8500 PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS THE VAST MAJORITY OF WHICH WE FULFILLED. THERE'S PROBABLY SOME WHERE THERE ARE VAIDS OR SOMEBODY LOOKING FOR SOMETHING OR SOMEBODY LOST TRACK OF IT BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE WERE FILLED IN, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY OUR AVERAGE TURNAROUND TIME IMPROVED SOME LAST YEAR BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS A IT IS A HUGE WORKLOAD AND HONESTLY IT'S LIKE GOING UP RAPIDLY, YOU KNOW, JUST A FEW YEARS AGO THAT NUMBER WAS PROBABLY AROUND 3000 A YEAR. SO IT'S YOU KNOW, TRIPLED IN ABOUT THREE YEARS. WE'VE ADDED SOME RESOURCES TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS TEAM. WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDING SOME MORE RESOURCES IN THE COMING FISCAL YEAR IN TERMS OF HOW MANY RECORDS WE DISCLOSE BECAUSE THE SUPERVISOR OF RECORDS ORDERED US TO I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH I DON'T HAVE AND JUST JUST WANTED TO GET A BALLPARK FIGURE BECAUSE THAT'S THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT AND SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK YEAH JUST I DON'T KNOW IN THE NOTE WE DO HAVE YOU KNOW THAT'S PR APPEALS COMING THROUGH JUST LIKE ANY MUNICIPALITY AND PEOPLE CAN APPEAL TO THE SUPERVISOR OF PUBLIC RECORDS FOR ANY REASON WHETHER OR NOT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ACTUALLY GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE OR NOT AND OFTEN THAT DECISION IS TO DISCLOSE WHATEVER WE HAVE. AND SO IT'S KIND OF AN ONGOING CONVERSATION WITH THE REQUESTER TO SEE WHAT EXACTLY THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, WHAT THEY THINK THEY'RE MISSING OR WHAT THEY THINK WE HAVE IN TURNED OVER. BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S WE REALLY RELY ON OUR ARTICLE CLERK AND PARALEGAL OVER AND PUBLIC RECORDS AND ACTUALLY ON SHAWN WILLIAMS OUR DIRECTOR OF YEAH TO MAKE SURE THAT HE'S HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND KEEP THOSE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN SO WE CAN BEST SERVE WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE CONSTITUENTS JUST OR YOU KNOW YOU HAD TO BE A CONSTITUENT TO MAKE A REQUEST WE DO WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE UNNECESSARY DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC. WE DON'T WANT TO BOTHER THEM DOWN, YOU KNOW, NARROW THE FIELD TO KNOW EXACTLY RESPOND TO THEIR SPECIFIC CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS AND THE OTHER AND I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THIS I KNOW YOU CAN'T SPEAK TO PENDING OR CURRENT LITIGATION.  THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATOR IS SUING THE FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATORS SUING THE DISTRICT FOR ALLEGEDLY BEING PUSHED OUT BECAUSE SHE RAISED CONCERNED. SHE WAS LIKE A WHISTLEBLOWER AND I KNOW THIS IS A LOT OF COVERAGE OF CONCERNS ABOUT A PATTERN OF DISCIPLINARY OR PUNITIVE ACTION AGAINST FOLKS AND BEEPS AND THEN THEY'RE SUBJECT TO A NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT LIKE IS THAT IS THAT SUBJECT TO PUBLIC RECORD?  NO. LIKE IF THIS OF BEEPS HAS A NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT WITH SOMEBODY WHO THEY'RE PUSHED OUT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE PUBLIC RECORDS IS IS WOULD WOULD THEY BE REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE THE THE MONEY THAT THEY'VE BEEN SPENDING ON NONDISCLOSURE?  COUNCILOR , I APOLOGIZE I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I THINK SO. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT REALLY I JUST AM NOT FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE SPECIFIC SET UP YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TO SORT OF WEIGH IN ON WHETHER SOMETHING WOULD BE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC CLOSURE UNDER THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW OR WHETHER IT WOULD BE EXEMPT UNDER ONE OF THE SORT OF CODIFIED EXEMPTIONS TO THE LAW. I JUST YOU KNOW, WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THIS A LOT MORE AND THEN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE IT TO THE TEAM. YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN'T SAY OH YEAH, THAT THING SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD OR WOULDN'T BE YEAH.  WE ALSO DON'T KEEP A REPOSITORY OF ANY TYPE OF AGREEMENTS THAT WOULD FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE YOU'RE DEPARTMENT YOUR DEPARTMENT DOES NOT HAVE BUT SURELY BEEPS WOULD HAVE THAT RECORD IF SUCH A RECORD EXISTS. YEAH. SO THE ADDITIONAL MONEY AND NOT KEEPING A RECORD OF WHERE THE MONEY'S GOING I'M SURE THEY'RE NOT SURE. WELL YOU KNOW ANYWAY THAT THAT WAS ANOTHER OKAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILOR MEJIA THE FLOOR. JOYCE THANK YOU.  SO I WANT TO GO BACK TO COUNCILOR BRADEN'S QUESTION IN REGARDS TO WHAT INFORMATION EXIST AND WHAT DOESN'T AND HOW ALL THAT LOOKS AND THIS LEADS ME BACK TO THE TRANSPARENCY PIECE, RIGHT? I THINK THAT WHILE I DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION IS PUBLIC ALLEGEDLY THAT WE SHOULD START FIGURING OUT WHERE ARE ALL TRANSPARENCY LIVES HERE WITHIN THE CITY OF BOSTON.  SO HAVING A SORT OF DASHBOARD OR SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN SORT THROUGH LIKE I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MANY CASES YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY WE SPENT IN THE LAST YEAR ON, YOU KNOW, SETTLEMENTS LET'S DO WE KNOW THE DOLLAR AMOUNT KNOW HOW I MEAN WE DON'T KNOW THAT NOW I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW BUT SOMEBODY HAS IT YEAH THAT'S THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TRACK RIGHT HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE SPENDING ON LAWSUITS. YEAH AND I'VE ALREADY BEEN ASKED TODAY TO PROVIDE THAT TO THE COUNCIL AS A FOLLOW UP AND THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING THIS SPECIFICALLY TO YOU, ADAM, AS THE PERSON WHO OVERSEES THIS DEPARTMENT, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE THAT YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY WE ARE SPENDING AND THAT THAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE READILY AVAILABLE ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUDGET SEASON BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PREPARE FOR THAT. AND SO I WOULD THROUGH THE CHAIR WOULD APPRECIATE THAT NUMBER.  AND I'M CURIOUS DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW THE BUCKETS IN WHICH THESE LAWSUITS FALL UNDER HOW MANY ARE IN YOU KNOW, H.R RELATED HOW MANY ARE LIKE AND DO YOU HAVE THAT IS THAT EASILY READILY AVAILABLE?  I DON'T HAVE THAT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.  IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PROVIDE AS A FOLLOW UP, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE WITHOUT GOING TOO MUCH INTO DETAILS? YEAH. YEAH, I SHOULD BE A LAWYER RIGHT NOW. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE YES OR NO?  I MEAN SO IN 2023 WE HAD SORT OF JUST SHY OF 200 LAWSUITS OF WHICH HOW MANY WERE WELL THERE YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT EMPLOYMENT SUITS WERE A SMALL FRACTION OF THAT. I WOULD SAY UNDER 20 BUT I WILL PROVIDE A LIST THAT HAS SPECIFIC FOLLOW UP.  THE MAJORITY ARE TOWARDS CASES, RIGHT? CHAPTER 258 WHETHER IT'S A NEGLIGENCE ON BEHALF OF CITY WORK, ALLEGED NEGLIGENCE ON BEHALF OF CITY EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, AUTO ACCIDENTS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE THERE ARE CIVIL RIGHTS CLAIMS.  THOSE ARE TYPICALLY LEAD AGAINST THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.  THERE'S A LARGE PORTION OF THAT ALMOST 200 ARE SORT OF CHALLENGES TO CITY REGULATORY DECISIONS AND SO ZONING HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSIONS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT PARTICULARLY IN REGARDS TO THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. YOU KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE JUST ACQUIRED A WHOLE NEW DEPARTMENT AND BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SO MANY QUESTIONS AND OR CONCERNS AROUND TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNITY OVERSIGHT, WHAT CAN YOU ANTICIPATE IF SO MANY OF THESE CASES HAVE COME NOW IN TERMS OF VOLUME? YEAH, I THINK I THINK THAT FOR THE VOLUME I DO NOT EXPECT A HUGE UPTICK IN THE MAJORITY OF OUR SORT OF LAND USE LITIGATION ACTUALLY COMES OUT OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEAL LIKE PEOPLE EITHER GET A VARIANCE OR DENIED A VARIANCE IN ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. SUSAN US AND WHAT I'M CURIOUS THAT SO THAT WAY WE CAN BE SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE SO THAT MAYBE I SHOULD ASK MY QUESTION DIFFERENTLY. I'M CURIOUS SPECIFICALLY AROUND YOU KNOW WE ARE NOW MOVING TOWARDS A FOCUS MORE ON THE PLANNING PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND I'M CURIOUS WHEN A COMMUNITY PARTICULARLY COMMUNITY RIGHT IS PUSHING BACK ON A SPECIFIC PROJECT AND THEY'RE DIGGING IN THEIR HEELS . OH KIND OF WHAT ROLE DO YOU LIKE WHEN IT'S TIME TO LITIGATE OR STAND UP OR PUSH BACK OR WHAT ROLE WILL YOU ALL PLAY IN THAT? YOU KNOW, OUR ROLE WILL BE I THINK SORT OF TWOFOLD, RIGHT? ONE, WE CAN ADVISE CLIENT DEPARTMENTS WHILE THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS, RIGHT? SO I MEAN THEY GO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN TWO IS ONCE THEY'VE KIND OF COMPLETED THEIR PROCESS AND THEY SAY, YOU KNOW ,WE'VE DONE IT, WE'VE HEARD LIKE WE'VE DONE OUR PROCESS AND WE THINK THIS SHOULD BE THE PLAN AND WE THINK WE SHOULD ENACT THIS AS A PLAN WHETHER THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF TIMES IT MIGHT MEAN AMENDING THE ZONING CODE OR SOMETHING ALONG THESE LINES.  YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE ULTIMATELY WILL IF THERE'S A LAWSUIT LET'S SAY IT'S A PLANNING QUESTION AND THEY COME UP WITH A NEW PLAN FOR A PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY PUT IT INTO THE ZONING CODE , WE WILL BE INVOLVED IN DEFENDING A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CHANGE TO THE ZONING CODE SO PEOPLE MIGHT SAY OKAY, OKAY, I AM MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I'M JUST IT'S NOT A CONTRACT TO YOU BUT I IT'S LOOK, I HAVE LOST SORRY . LET ME LET ME TRY AGAIN.  NO, THAT'S OKAY. I FEEL LIKE I ONLY HAVE A MINUTE LEFT AND I HAVE A FEW MORE QUESTIONS SO I'LL JUST HAVE TO RESEARCH IT AND GOOGLE IT AND FIGURE IT OUT. I JUST DON'T WORRY. NO, NO, NO, NO.  LET ME JUST TAKE ONE MORE TRY AND JUST SAY YEAH BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN VERY LIKE WHEN A DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, GOES THROUGH A PLANNING PROCESS LET'S SAY IN THEY SORT OF ENACT OR ANNOUNCE A NEW POLICY AS A RESULT OF WHATEVER THEIR PROCESS WAS ONE OF THE LAW DEPARTMENT'S JOBS IN THERE'S A LAWSUIT ABOUT IT IS TO REPRESENT THAT DEPARTMENT IN A LAWSUIT ABOUT ITS POLICY THANK YOU BUT THIS IS THE QUESTION AND I KEEP GOING BACK TO THE TENSION BECAUSE YOUR JOB IS TO DEFEND AND PROTECT AND SERVE THE APARTMENT. RIGHT. AND I THINK AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, THERE HAS TO BE SOME SPACE FOR US TO DEFINE AND OR GET CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THE TAXPAYERS IN TERMS OF THEIR THEIR RIGHTS AND I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE'S JUST THERE'S SOMETHING THAT IS JUST NOT CLEAR FOR ME AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO DISCUSS IT AND FIGURE IT OUT TODAY BUT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS SO AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU REALLY HELPING ME TRY TO UNDERSTAND AND I'M GOING TO ASK THE CHAIR TO ALLOW ME ONE MORE MINUTE. YES, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU.  SO I WANT TO GO BACK TO YOU AND I DON'T REMEMBER IF YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTION IN TERMS OF THE YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND OR INTERACTION WITH THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE. RIGHT. LIKE AT WHAT POINT DO YOU YOU KNOW HOW WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND HOW DO YOU INTERACT WITH THEM? AND THEN I'M ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW BECAUSE WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN MY WORK HERE AND EVEN THOUGH WE'VE ONLY PASSED ALMOST YEAH 15 PIECES OF LEGISLATION WE'VE GONE BACK AND FORTH AND OFTENTIMES IT'S BEEN WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF HOW YOU'RE INTERPRETING WHAT WE BELIEVE AND THEN WE HAVE TO GET MEGAN OR WHOEVER IS OUR ATTORNEY TO GO BACK AND FORTH AND EVEN WITHIN THAT APPROVE YOUR BUDGET. RIGHT. AND OFTENTIMES WE HOPE THAT THERE IS A LEVEL OF RELATIONSHIP HERE.  BUT OFTENTIMES WHAT WE WANT TO DO THERE'S A PUSH AND PULL BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND THE ADMINISTRATION.  AND I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU COULD JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT DYNAMIC AND WAYS THAT YOU CAN FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE IT AND THEN I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR TREASURY SINCE YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO INCREDIBLY PATIENT WITH ME AND HERE IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY ABOUT I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR THAT WE HAVE ALL THIS EXTRA MONEY BUT YOU KNOW THERE'S SO MANY ISSUES THAT WE ARE FACING HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON PARTICULARLY AROUND HOUSING AND I'M CURIOUS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE REALLY DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WHAT IF ANY, YOU KNOW, GUIDANCE CAN YOU OFFER IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN UTILIZE THOSE RESERVES TO REALLY MEET THE MOMENT AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO ANSWER BUT THAT'S NOT TAKING YOU OFF THE HOOK, ADAM BECAUSE I DO WANT THOSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED TOO. OKAY. SO I WILL SAY THAT YEAH, WHEN YOU YOU REFER TO THOSE AS RESERVES AND UNFORTUNATELY THEY'RE NOT THAT THEY'RE THEY'RE YOU KNOW, INCREASED REVENUES THAT ARE SPOKEN FOR MOST OF THEM. SO AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHEN WHEN CHAIR WE'RE ASKED ABOUT BALANCES OUR BALANCES ARE ANY POINT IN TIME, RIGHT? SO WE MAY HAVE YOU KNOW, JUST TO RECEIVE SOME LARGE GRANT MONEYS FROM DC OR YOU KNOW I'D BE GUESSING AT WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN YOU KNOW WE MAY HAVE RECEIVED A LARGE PORTION OF MONEY AT THAT TIME SO SO YOU MAY SEE SOME DIFFERENCES IN BALANCES BUT THEY'RE SPOKEN FOR AND AGAIN WE'RE IN THAT YOU KNOW, BALANCED BUDGET CONCEPT OF WHAT COMES IN MUST GO OUT SO THERE AREN'T REALLY RESERVES PER SAY SO SORRY WELL THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE TUNING IN THERE IS NO RESERVE THE RIGHT IT IS WHAT IT IS TOO. SO SO ADAM, I HOPE THAT GAVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO REALLY KIND OF AND YOU KNOW I THINK THAT EVERYONE IS I'M A DIFFERENT TYPE OF COMMUNICATOR RIGHT AND SO FOR ME IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO JUST I JUST I MAY NOT EVEN WANT TO HEAR THE ANSWER BUT IT'S BETTER FOR ME TO HEAR IT IN THE BEST WAY THAT YOU CAN JUST ARTICULATE IT SO THAT I CAN REALLY ABSORB IT. AND I KNOW THAT YOUR JOB IS NOT TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND YOUR LANGUAGE BUT IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND YOUR ANSWER SO THAT I CAN HAVE A REALLY COMMAND OF THIS CONVERSATION. SO I'M JUST GOING TO ASK YOU TO FIND YOUR TEACHER VOICE IF YOU NEED TO BUT I REALLY NEED THINGS TO BE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE SO THAT I CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE . SO WITH RESPECT TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, WE WE DO DEAL WITH THEM SOME THE INSPECTOR GENERAL IS OUR REGULATOR IS ONE OF OUR REGULATORS SO OUR OFFICE IS OFTEN LIKE A FIRST LINE OF INTERFACING WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO AND DO INVESTIGATE THINGS RIGHT TO THE YOU KNOW THEY WILL OFTEN COME TO US AND LET US KNOW HEY, WE'RE LOOKING FOR THIS INFORMATION AND WE OFTEN PLAY LIKE A COORDINATE ROLE AND SORT OF AN ONGOING ROLE USUALLY IN INSPECTOR GENERAL'S INVESTIGATION DOESN'T START AND STOP WITH ONE SET OF DOCUMENTS AND THEY YOU KNOW, OFTEN GATHER INFORMATION, UNDERSTAND IT AND MOVE ON FROM THERE. SO OUR OFFICE PLAYS OF A COORDINATING ROLE AND WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM OR YOU KNOW IT'S YEAH WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM ON A NUMBER OF THINGS AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO SO SO SO TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION OF YEAH YEAH YOU KNOW WOULD BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I FEEL LIKE THE POLITICS OF POLITICS GETS REALLY INTERESTING. YEAH I WOULD SAY THAT IN OUR DEPARTMENT YOU KNOW OUR ATTORNEYS JUST YOU KNOW OFTENTIMES JUST HAVE TO SORT OF SAY OH WE THINK THAT THIS THING IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CHARTER OR IS IT AND OR YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE THE RULE I'M LOOKING AT AND WHY I THINK THAT SO AS A DEPARTMENT WE TRY TO REALLY JUST STAY FOCUSED ON WHATEVER LEGAL QUESTIONS ARE PRESENTED TO US.  RIGHT. SO ANY CITY OFFICIAL CAN PRESENT US WITH A LEGAL QUESTION. THE COUNCIL'S A BODY CAN A COMMITTEE AS A BODY CAN AND SO SOMETIMES I KNOW YOU KNOW WE ARE MAYBE ADVISING IDR OR YOU KNOW CORRESPONDING WITH THEM AND THEY'RE FREE TO SHARE THE THINGS WE SAID TO THE CLIENT.  SO I THINK THAT YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE LIKE A PARTICULAR KIND OF LIKE PHILOSOPHY ABOUT OTHER THAN YOU KNOW, WE JUST ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT WE GET. I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE WHAT I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH OR AT LEAST I'M LEARNING IS WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT ORDINANCES ON THE BOOKS AND I JUST DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE A REAL UNDERSTANDING OF THESE PIECES OF LEGISLATIONS THAT WE HAVE PASSED AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THE TOOLS OR THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO REALLY AUDIT THESE, YOU KNOW, STATUTES. RIGHT, IF YOU WILL AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HOLD OURSELVES TO SOME LEVEL OF , YOU KNOW, STANDARD AND YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE IF IT WOULD BE YOUR DEPARTMENT THAT DOES THAT IS THERE SOMEBODY IN YOUR OFFICE THAT LOOKS AT ALL THE STATUES AND I YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM WERE PASSED IN 1980. SOME OF THEM WERE IN 1970, SOME OF THEM WERE 1950. LIKE I AM REALLY CURIOUS AND THIS IS WHY I KEEP GOING BACK TO THE AUDITING PIECE OF IT BECAUSE IN ORDER FOR GOVERNMENT TO BE EFFICIENT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT WE SET OUT TO DO AND THAT WE'RE DOING IT. AND IF WE'RE NOT DOING IT AND BECAUSE TIMES HAVE CHANGED WHICH PIECES OF LEGISLATION NEED TO BE UPDATED TO MEET THE MOMENT LIKE THAT'S THE LEVEL OF OF THAT THAT'S WHY I THINK WE THE CITY CAN BENEFIT FROM HAVING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF OVERSIGHT NOT TO SAY THAT YOU ARE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE THE IMPRESSION BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF INDEPENDENT BODY OR SOME OR THERE MAY BE ANOTHER DEPARTMENT OR SOMETHING THAT MAKES SURE THAT WE ARE NOT CREATING DEPARTMENTS FOR THE SAKE OF CREATING DEPARTMENTS OR POSITIONS FOR THE SAKE OF CREATING POSITIONS IF THOSE IF IF WE HAVEN'T EVEN DONE AN EVALUATION OF WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE LIKE I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW WE ARE FUNCTIONING AS A CITY IF WE CAN'T HAVE A HANDLE ON THESE THINGS AND I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU TO YOU KNOW, TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY BUT I EVEN LOOK AT THIS BUDGET THERE'S A CLOTHING ALLOWANCE HERE FOR $1,000. WHO Y'ALL DRESSING UP $4,000 LIKE WE HAVE THAT FOR? WE HAVE SOME WE HAVE SOME EMPLOYEES WHO ARE IN UNIONS THAT REQUIRE A STIPEND. OKAY. I WAS WORRIED. I THOUGHT IT WAS Y'ALL THAT WE WERE I WAS LIKE, WAIT. AND THEN CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTUAL SERVICES IS TO MILLION DOLLARS, RIGHT? I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A BREAKDOWN DOWN OF WHO ARE YOU CONTRACTING WITH? I BELIEVE THAT'S PART OF THE APPENDIX TO OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION EVENTUALLY FROM OPM BUT WHO ARE YOU LIKE IT'LL SHOW LIKE LINE BY LINE BY LINE WHEREAS A SINGLE PERSON IT'S AN APPENDIX TO LIKE THE PRESENTATION TO THE QUESTIONS THAT OPM PROVIDES. OKAY WE CAN EMAIL IT TO YOU. CAN YOU EMAIL IT TO ME BECAUSE I'M JUST CURIOUS I LOOK I APPRECIATE YOU ALL SPENDING HERE SO MUCH THAT I KNOW YOU'RE HUNGRY AND I DON'T WANT TO KEEP YOU HERE ANY LONGER BECAUSE THE GOAL IS TO END THAT ONE. BUT I STILL HAVE A LOT OF I STILL THERE'S STILL SOME THINGS THAT MORE SO FOR THE LAW DEPARTMENT LESS FOR A TREASURER I JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE JUST BRING IN THE MONEY AND SEND IT OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT BY IT. BUT I JUST THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH OF IT IS ABOUT GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESTORING TRUST WITH PEOPLE I FEEL LIKE I'M STILL A LITTLE BIT UNCLEAR ABOUT SOME THINGS AND SO I DO APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED US AND I'M GRATEFUL AND I I'M NOT GOING TO HOLD YOU ALL HOSTAGE BUT THANK YOU, CAPTAIN BREADON ALL DAY.  I GET YOU MY TIME. ANOTHER 3 MINUTES TO YOU CAST ME . OKAY. WE'LL GET OUT BY YEAH AFTER THIS ONE. ALL RIGHT. SO I THIS IS THE THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION I I'VE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT A DASHBOARD I THINK I MENTIONED IT EARLIER AND WITH THE BOSTON JOBS RESIDENCY DO YOU GUYS INTERFACE WITH WITH THAT ORDINANCE YOU KEEP TABS EVERY YOU KNOW TWICE A YEAR WE ARE WE HOLD A HEARING WE TALK ABOUT OUR HIRING AND OUR GOALS AND ALL THAT ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WITH THAT ORDINANCE ADAM I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE ORDINANCE AND I THINK THE OFFICE THAT SORT OF IMPLEMENTED AND MONITORS IT IS IN THE WORKERS EMPOWERMENT CABINET.  SO YES, I'M FAMILIAR WITH THIS. SO THE REASON WHY I ASK IS BECAUSE THAT ORDINANCE HAS VERY SPECIFIC DELIVERABLES AND THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO WHICH IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REVIEW CONSISTENTLY WHAT HAS BEEN PASSED AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE AND HOW WE'RE HOLDING OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO THAT. SO I AM HAPPY THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT IT LIES IN. I AM CONCERNED THAT IN THE FOUR YEARS THAT WE'VE I'VE BEEN HERE I KEEP HEARING THE SAME THING AND AT SOME POINT FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE THERE NEEDS TO BE A LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY THAT WE CAN HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO IN TERMS OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF WHEN THAT PIECE OF LEGISLATION WAS WRITTEN AND I DON'T THINK WE ARE MEETING THAT AND I THINK THAT'S WHY I KEEP ASKING WHO IS OVERSEEING THE OVERSEER. I BELIEVE THAT WE DO NEED SOME SORT OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THAT IS THERE IS SOMEBODY IN DEPARTMENT THAT PROVIDES YOU OR OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM WITH GUIDANCE AROUND DO YOU OFFER HOW MANY PIECES OF IT, HOW MANY ORDINANCES OR STATUTES OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM EXIST IN THE CITY OF BOSTON?  OH, I AM I DO NOT KNOW I AGREE THAT THE CODE IS LARGE IN AND THAT'S NOT A FAIR QUESTION BUT COULD I ASK YOU THIS ONE THEN BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY CAN YOU NAME AT LEAST FIVE THAT YOU BELIEVE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF GOVERNANCE RIGHT.  I I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER TO THAT COUNCILOR , CAN YOU SHARE ANY PARTICULAR THREATS OR CONCERNS THAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE MINDFUL OF THAT YOU KNOW THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY YOU KNOW I KNOW COUNCILOR WEBER MENTIONED THE TITANIC SITUATION.  I DON'T KNOW WHAT COME OF THAT BUT I'M CURIOUS ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF AS WE CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD OF POLITICS OR ANYTHING THAT YOU'VE HEARD IN OTHER CITIES? BUT YOU KNOW WE'RE SEEING OTHER CITIES BEING SUED FOR SPECIFIC THINGS. ARE THERE OTHER TRENDS I GUESS IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT? I THINK IT SPECIFICALLY SPEAKS TO ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE PRESENTED ON TODAY OF TRYING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS UPCOMING ,WHAT ARE THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE SEEING. WE KNOW THERE'S BEEN THINGS WITH YOU KNOW, THINGS HITTING THE SUPREME COURT THAT END UP AFFECTING THE WAY THAT OUR DEPARTMENTS CAN SERVE OUR CONSTITUENTS. AND WHEN IT COMES TO LEGISLATION THAT NEEDS TO BE YOU KNOW, EITHER REVAMPED, REVISITED WE ARE NOT A LEGISLATIVE BODY AND YOU ALL LUCKILY HOLD THAT RESPONSIBILITY.  IT REALLY IS A QUESTION OF WHATEVER OUR DEPARTMENTS OR CLIENT DEPARTMENTS ARE LOOKING TO DO, WHATEVER THE ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING TO DO AND WHATEVER YOU AS A BODY ARE WANTING TO CHANGE AND MAKE UPDATES TO ITS OUR PLEASURE TO SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF OUR CLIENTS AND AGAIN AS ADAM SAID TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT DO COME BEFORE US BUT WE ARE NOT A LEGISLATIVE BODY THAT MAKES ANY CHANGES TO THE LAW.  NO, I'M CLEAR ON THAT. I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF IS THAT IN THE CLIMATE THAT WE LIVE IN IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS TRENDING SO THAT IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE A SENSE OF THAT THAT WHATEVER INFORMATION YOU HAVE WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THIS LEGISLATIVE BODY THAT YOU WOULD BE ADVISING US AS SUCH. BUT IT'S JUST GOOD GET AHEAD OF THINGS. YEAH, I DON'T HAVE A READY ANSWER TO THAT BUT I THINK IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION AND FOR FOR US TO REFLECT ON IF WE SEE ANYTHING BIG MAKING SURE THAT WE YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATE IT TO THIS BODY AS WELL AS ARE OTHER CLIENTS. BUT I DON'T HAVE A GOOD LIST OF IMPENDING LIKE WHAT I CONSIDER IS LIKE THE BIG THREATS COMING UP.  THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU. OH THANK YOU LIKEWISE.  THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU AGAIN.  THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND PRESENT IT TO US IN THIS HEARING ON DOCKETS NUMBER 067030678 IS ADJOURNED. LET'S GET Y