波士顿市长吴弭提出下一财年46亿美元的预算
【中美创新时报2024 年 4 月 8 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）在经济形势不明朗的情况下，波士顿市长吴弭 (Michelle Wu) 本周提议健康增加城市支出，并向市议会提交了下一财年 46 亿美元的预算。《波士顿环球报》记者Niki Griswold 和 Emma Platoff 对此进行了下述报道。
由于州政府冻结了部分招聘，波士顿公立学区面临着将削减数百个职位的预算，吴弭周一（8日）对该市的经济前景进行了审慎的审视，她提议将预算增加 344 美元，称其为“稳健的收入增长”。比上年增加 100 万元，即 8%。
在给市议会的一封信中，吴弭还承认商业地产价值将继续下降的预测，这一趋势可能迫使该市在提高房主税收或大幅削减预算之间做出选择。她已经提交立法，寻求允许暂时提高该市对商业房地产征收的税率，以避免提高房主的税收，但该措施仍在等待市议会和立法机构的批准。
吴弭写道：“随着我们继续深入了解这一流行病的长期经济影响，并为商业房地产价值的变化做好准备，”该市正在采取“保护性行动，以便所有业主未来的税单 ——商业和住宅——与近年来的情况相似。”
吴弭将她提议的支出增加的部分原因归因于建立一个新的城市规划部门，该部门将从今年夏天开始将波士顿规划与发展局的员工、运营和财产移至市政厅的职权范围内。然而，城市官员表示，BPDA 从城市财产租赁中获得的收入将抵消支付这些员工和运营费用所需的支出增长。
市长表示，新谈判的工会合同承诺城市工人加薪、为 BPS 提供更多资金，以及城市提供养老金和偿还债务的义务，这些也促成了建议的预算增加。
吴弭在信中写道：“为了通过改变经济模式和由此产生的影响进行负责任的规划，本预算优先考虑可持续投资，为我们的持续稳定奠定基础。”
支出计划还提议为现有计划提供更多资金，包括：
额外 100 万美元用于租金援助和脱碳工作；
额外提供 100 万美元用于低门槛住房，以打击药物滥用和无家可归现象；
130 万美元用于支付 12 个新的 EMT 职位；
额外 2000 万美元用于 BPS 的包容性教育项目，包括为有特殊需要的学生和英语学习者提供支持；
额外 300 万美元用于简化该市的许可和许可流程；
该市预算中最重要的项目是警察和消防部门的开支。吴弭提出的2025年预算将使警察局的支出增加12.3%，从约4.05亿美元增加到4.549亿美元，并将消防局的支出增加10.3%，从约2.78亿美元增加到3.066亿美元。
城市雇员的健康保险也是最大的支出之一；根据吴弭的提议，这些福利的支出将从 2.224 亿美元增加到 2.341 亿美元，增加 5.3%。
BPS 历来占据该市年度支出的最大部分，上一财年的预算为 14.5 亿美元。3 月底，学校委员会投票批准了即将到来的 2024-25 学年 15 亿美元的预算，其中包括一系列削减当前支出的提议，包括消除数百个职位和整合教室。该学区面临着各种财务挑战，包括联邦大流行救济资金的结束和入学率下降。
吴预计在周三的市议会会议之前更深入地介绍她的建议支出。
题图：周一向市政府提交的一份文件对波士顿市长 Michelle Wu 的 2025 财年拟议预算进行了初步审查。DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/GLOBE STAFF
附原英文报道：
Wu proposes $4.6 billion budget for next fiscal year
By Niki Griswold and Emma Platoff Globe Staff,Updated April 8, 2024,
Amid an uncertain economy, Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston this week proposed a healthy increase in city spending, filing with the City Council a $4.6 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
As state government freezes some hiring, and the Boston Public Schools district faces a budget that would slash hundreds of positions, Wu on Monday took a measured view of the city’s economic outlook, citing “solid revenue growth” as she proposed increasing the budget by $344 million, or 8 percent, over the previous year.
In a letter to the council, Wu also acknowledged projections that commercial property values will continue to drop — a trend that could force the city to choose between higher taxes on homeowners or steep budget cuts. She has already filed legislation seeking permission to temporarily increase the tax rate the city can levy on commercial real estate to avoid raising taxes for homeowners, but the measure is still awaiting City Council and legislative approval.
“As we continue to gain greater understanding of the long-term economic impacts of the pandemic and prepare for shifts in the value of commercial real estate,” Wu wrote, the city is taking “protective action so that future tax bills for all property owners — commercial and residential — are similar to those in recent years.”
Wu attributed part of her proposed spending increase to the creation of a new city planning department, which will move the Boston Planning & Development Agency’s employees, operations, and properties under City Hall’s purview starting this summer. However, the revenue the BPDA collects from leases on city property will offset the required spending increases to pay for those employees and operations, city officials said.
Newly negotiated union contracts that promise city workers raises, more money for BPS, and the city’s obligation to fund pensions and pay its debts also contributed to the recommended budget increases, according to the mayor.
“To plan responsibly through shifting economic patterns and resulting impacts, this budget prioritizes sustainable investments that set us up for continued stability,” Wu wrote in the letter.
The spending plan also proposes more funding for existing programs, including:
An additional $1 million for rental assistance and decarbonization efforts；
An additional $1 million for low-threshold housing to combat substance use and homelessness；
$1.3 million to pay for 12 new EMT positions；
An additional $20 million for inclusive education programs at BPS, including support for students with special needs and English learners；
An additional $3 million to streamline the city’s licensing and permitting process；
Among the top-line items on the city’s budget are expenses for the police and fire departments. Wu’s proposed 2025 budget would boost spending on the Police Department by 12.3 percent, from about $405 million to $454.9 million, and would increase spending on the Fire Department by 10.3 percent, from around $278 million to $306.6 million.
Health insurance for city employees is also one of the largest expenditures; under Wu’s proposal, spending on those benefits would increase 5.3 percent from $222.4 million to $234.1 million.
BPS historically makes up the largest portion of the city’s annual spending, with a budget last fiscal year of $1.45 billion. At the end of March, the School Committee voted to approve a $1.5 billion budget for the upcoming 2024-25 school year, that incorporated a range of proposed cuts to current spending, including eliminating hundreds of positions and consolidating classrooms. The district is facing a variety of financial challenges, including the end of federal pandemic relief dollars and declining enrollment.
Wu is slated to unveil a more in-depth look at her recommended spending ahead of Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
