El alcalde de Boston Martin J. Walsh anunció este miércoles que va a firmar el presupuesto del año fiscal 2016 que fue aprobado por el City Council.
Dicho presupuesto prioritiza la inversión en educación, trabajos de verano para jóvenes, viviendas asequibles, mejoras a parques, servicios básicos de la ciudad, apoyo a la diversidad y combate al abuso de sustancias.
En un comunicado de prensa, la alcaldía especificó los siguientes rubros contemplados en su presupuesto:
-Boston Public Schools’ first ever budget in excess of $1 billion: An increased investment of $39 million brings the Boston Public School Department’s operating budget to $1.014 billion. The FY16 Budget includes a 100 seat Pre-Kindergarten expansion, $21 million in additional weighted student funding provided directly to schools, and funding for the new extended learning time initiative that lengthens instructional time in the classroom.
-New funding for Affordable Senior Housing: Commits $1.75 million to provide financing assistance to senior housing projects including production of elderly housing, home repair, energy conservation and foreclosure prevention. The City also filed state legislation in January to create a new affordable senior housing program using existing state housing bond bill funds.
-Increased support for Overdose Prevention, Needle Clean-Up: Provides funding for the creation of an overdose prevention and outreach team and expansion of the new mobile sharps collection at the Boston Public Health Commission.
-Improving our Parks: Provides funding for the Boston Parks and Recreation Department to add a second shift to the maintenance crew, ensuring clean open spaces throughout the City.
-Supporting a Dynamic and Innovative Transportation System: Targets investments to support the efficient operation of the City’s transportation network, including $6 million to replace parking meters with new technology to effectively manage parking. Additionally, $500,000 is budgeted to create an electronic rulebook of traffic signs and regulations in order to provide City transportation planners and others with a tool for inventorying City parking.
-Building out Economic Development and Arts and Culture Cabinets: Provides increased resources to the Economic Development Cabinet created by the Walsh Administration to support newly created positions and continued work on a disparity study. The Arts and Culture Cabinet budget provides funding for a new position to support cultural planning and in the hosting of the Americans for the Arts conference.
-Enhancing Civic Engagement and Basic City Services: Creates a new citywide civic engagement position and four new positions for the upcoming transition to a 311 system, aimed at enhancing the citizen experience and streamlining government operations. The budget also provides for expansion of the popular «hokey» program into the spring and fall, which helps keep city streets clean, and funding for new snow equipment in response to this year’s historic winter.
-Citywide Technology Investments: The budget supports a redesign of the City’s website, as well as an investment in data analytics.
-Capital Investments in All of our Neighborhoods: The $1.8 billion capital plan includes 81 new projects and a total of 333 projects to address current and future needs. Of the expenditures, 44 percent are for infrastructure and 25 percent is being dedicated to schools and libraries. Highlighted projects include the Fenway High School addition; the expanded Eliot School; the Jamaica Plain Library renovation; over 45 miles of annual road resurfacing and reconstruction; 400,000 square feet of sidewalk repairs; the Connect Historic Boston downtown roadway project; Seaver Street and Central Square construction; projects in 98 parks touching every Boston neighborhood; the annual planting of 700 trees; and the school facilities master plan.
