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Fiscal Year 2020

The Fiscal Year 2020 Adopted Budget turns policy into action and planning into results.

Boston is a thriving City and the annual budget represents our shared path to move Boston forward. Below are 6 Questions and a video about the Budget and You!

  • Who? The annual Budget is submitted by the Mayor, voted on by the City Council but designed to provide programs and services to you!
  • What? The two main components are the Operating Budget and Capital Plan. They fund the near and long term investments that keep Boston moving.
  • When? The annual budget runs from July 1 to June 30 every year, but you can see it in action all year round!
  • Where? You can see the budget in every neighborhood in Boston, through police officers and firefighters, and schools, parks and other civic spaces.
  • Why? It's the City's shared responsibility to provide world class city services to our residents and visitors.
  • How? The City collects revenue from different sources like property taxes, fees, fines and state aid.
How the Budget Works

FY20 Operating Budget

  • The FY20 Operating Budget covers day-to-day expenses for the City including people like teachers, police officers, firefighters and services like housing, recycling, and transportation.
  • The $3.49 billion FY20 Operating Budget is balanced, sustainable, and accelerates progress across the City. It contains historic levels of funding for public education, new investments in public safety, continued efforts to create affordable and middle income housing, expanded services for residents struggling with substance use disorders and addiction, and new initiatives that will transform the future of transportation in Boston.

Operating Budget by Category

The majority of the operating budget (60%) is allocated to Education and Public Safety expenses.

FY20-24 Capital Plan

Capital Budget Expenditures by Category

This pie chart illustrates the investment allocation by category for all projects included in the FY20-24 Capital Plan. Percentages are based on capital funding sources only.

  • The Capital Plan is how the City makes critical improvements to the City's infrastructure and facilities like schools, libraries, parks, fire and police stations, roads, bridges and civic spaces.
  • The $2.79 billion FY20-24 Capital Plan includes new housing in Charlestown, revitalized parks in Dorchester, transportation improvements in Allston-Brighton, school improvements across the City, and fulfills the Mayor’s commitment to dedicate over 10% of new City funding toward climate resilient projects. This plan will ensure the municipal, civic, and open space assets that residents cherish in their neighborhoods remain active and vibrant parts of the community.

To learn more about the budget, please visit the Operating Budget, Capital Plan, Featured Analyses Pages, and Open Data Portal.

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