Boston City Council Budget Panel Scrutinizes Law Department Staffing, Federal Caseload

BOSTON — April 23, 2026 — Boston City Council budget panel presses law department on staffing gaps and federal litigation costs. The Ways and Means Committee, chaired by District 6 Councillor Ben Weber, reviewed a proposed FY27 Law Department budget of approximately $10.9 million — a 1.4 percent decrease — and a $1.8 million budget for the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections Thursday. Corporation Counsel Michael Firestone reported nine of 75 department positions are currently vacant and that the city spent $2.623 million on outside counsel in FY26, with Stoneman Chandler, Nixon Peabody, and Cahill Gordon among the top recipients. Firestone said the department is working to preserve more than $100 million in federal grants while defending the city's Trust Act against a federal Justice Department lawsuit. Councillor Murphy demanded answers to hundreds of outstanding council information requests before the June budget vote, calling the lack of response "unacceptable," while Councillor Flynn declared he has "lost complete faith" in TransDev following the death of BPS student Linda Joseph and pressed for five-year settlement payout data. The living wage, enforced by the Office of Labor Compliance, will rise to $19.36 per hour in July.