Boston
Top issues
The five most-discussed unresolved issues, ranked by recorded discussion time (a measure of importance and contention), then by how many meetings they came up in.
| Issue5 | Status | Board | Minutes | Meetings | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullying, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in Boston Public Schools | open | Education Committee | 177 | 2 | Oct 24, 2026 |
| English learner services and spending in Boston Public Schools | open | Education Committee | 176 | 1 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Community Preservation Act Affordable Housing Allocation | open | Community Preservation Act Committee | 171 | 2 | Oct 24, 2026 |
| Residential Property Assessment Equity | open | Ways and Means Committee | 145 | 1 | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Quarterly Revenue Reports | open | City Council | 116 | 1 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Issues on upcoming agendas
Issues linked from the meetings scheduled in the next 10 days.
Nothing right now.
Recent updates
Issues with new information found in the last 7 days, newest first.
| Issue12 | Status | Board | Last updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil rights and rapid transit equity in Boston | open | Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Immigrant Advancement Committee | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Election Day Holiday for Council Staff | resolved | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Orange Line extension along Blue Hill Avenue | open | Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Immigrant Advancement Committee | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Blue Bikes E-Bike Expansion Grant | resolved | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Public Safety Hiring Age Waivers | open | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| BPS Transportation Performance Hearing Order | ongoing | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Bike Network Plan | open | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Boston Police Crime Laboratory Resources Hearing | open | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Boston Public Schools Union Contract Funding | open | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Charlestown High School Closure | open | Boston School Committee | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Heavy Commercial Vehicle Safety Hearing | open | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Section 17F Information Requests | ongoing | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 |
Upcoming meetings
| Meeting7 | Board | Date | Time | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-12 - BPDA Board of Directors Meeting | BPDA Board of Directors | Nov 12, 2026 | 3:30 PM | Scheduled board meeting; agenda posted, items not read. |
| 2026-11-17 - Zoning Board of Appeal | Zoning Board of Appeal | Nov 17, 2026 | 9:30 AM | Zoning Board of Appeal meeting; the agenda PDF is a title-only stub. |
| 2026-11-18 - Public Facilities Commission | Public Facilities Commission | Nov 18, 2026 | 10:00 AM | Public Facilities Commission meeting; the agenda PDF is a title-only stub. |
| 2026-11-18 - City Council | City Council | Nov 18, 2026 | 12:00 PM | Next full Council meeting, announced in the November 4 minutes; not yet on the Legistar calendar. |
| 2026-11-18 - Boston School Committee | Boston School Committee | Nov 18, 2026 | 5:30 PM | Boston School Committee meeting; the agenda PDF is a title-only stub. |
| 2026-12-02 - Boston School Committee | Boston School Committee | Dec 2, 2026 | 5:30 PM | School Committee meeting at which a vote on closing Charlestown High School is expected; the agenda PDF is a title-only stub. |
| 2026-12-08 - Zoning Board of Appeal | Zoning Board of Appeal | Dec 8, 2026 | 9:30 AM | Zoning Board of Appeal meeting; the draft agenda PDF is a title-only stub. |
Recent meetings
One page per meeting, summarizing every record we have of it (agenda, minutes, video and transcript).
Issues with near term decisions
Long running topics
| Issue15 | Board | Last updated | People | Minutes | Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Public Housing Funding Cuts | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Fields Corner Post Office Closure | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Section 17F Information Requests | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| BPS Transportation Performance Hearing Order | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Election Day Voter Registration Resolution (Question 4) | City Council | Oct 27, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Allston Post Office Closure | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Coastal Storm Risk Management Plan | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| First Responder Health Screenings and Wellness Funding | City Council | Oct 27, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hero Square and Blue Square Dedication Process | City Council | Oct 27, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nurses Contract Resolution for Mass General Brigham | City Council | Oct 27, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Federal Poll Monitoring Preparedness | Census, Redistricting, and Elections Committee | Oct 2, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Municipal Census Voter Inactivation | Census, Redistricting, and Elections Committee | Oct 2, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Poll Worker Recruitment Training | Census, Redistricting, and Elections Committee | Oct 2, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Polling Place Accessibility | Census, Redistricting, and Elections Committee | Oct 2, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Voter Accessibility Election Preparedness Hearing | Census, Redistricting, and Elections Committee | Oct 2, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
No actions pending
Nothing right now.
Completed
| Issue11 | Board | Last updated | People | Minutes | Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Board of Appeal appointments | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 0 | 112 | 3 |
| Election Day Holiday for Council Staff | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| MBTA General Manager Summons | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| Ride for Your Life Traffic Safety Resolution | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Blue Bikes E-Bike Expansion Grant | City Council | Nov 8, 2026 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Global Cities Fund Grant | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Police Detectives Contract Funding | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Community Preservation Fund Appropriation | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Edison Building Fire Relief | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Gas Tax Suspension Resolution | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Tenant Right of First Refusal Bill | City Council | Oct 24, 2026 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Sources
Where the data comes from
- City website: https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council
- Agendas and meeting calendar: https://boston.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
- Meeting video: Boston City Council YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/BostonCityCouncil (also linked from boston.gov; Legistar video library exists)
- Officials, agendas and video lists were collected from these official sources on 2026-10-22; meeting content comes from the transcripts as they are processed.
Data quality notes
- Roles of Councilors taken from boston.gov council page.
- Legistar event list did not show a Planning/zoning commission (BPDA/ZBA included).
- Full-council meetings after Oct 21 not yet posted in Legistar.
- Agenda items not read for several committee/BPDA/ZBA meetings (PDF has little detail).
- Meeting times from Legistar API.
- Official City Council minutes (Legistar) for October 21, September 30 and September 23, 2026 were read in full on 2026-10-24 and merged into the Meeting pages and Issue pages. Committee hearings, the BPDA board and the Zoning Board of Appeal have no posted minutes files in Legistar (agendas only), so those meetings still rely on agendas and captions.
- Where the minutes and the October 21 captions differ (several vote tallies, the spelling of Zoning Board of Appeal nominees' names), the minutes are followed and the Meeting page says so.
- The September 23 and September 30 meetings are built from minutes only; their video captions are not processed yet.