Boston City Council Closes FY27 Budget Hearings With Scrutiny of Property Assessments

BOSTON — May 26, 2026 — Boston City Council closes final FY27 departmental budget hearing amid scrutiny of property assessments, capital equity, and debt policy. The council reviewed operating budgets for the Assessing, Auditing, and Treasury departments under docket numbers 0733 through 0740, with Commissioner of Assessing Nicholas Aranello confirming he is leaving after 20 years — just days before a standalone tax assessment hearing scheduled for June 8. Aranello defended the department's mass appraisal methodology against a Small Property Owners Association report claiming under-assessments of $83 million in 2026, calling it "deeply flawed to a level that feels like it might be intentional" for comparing sales across different legal time windows. City Auditor Scott Finn confirmed a Wolff Company audit of the Main Streets program found fraud was "an isolated incident" and committed to distributing the report to all councilors that day. Deputy Budget Director Ian Donnelly disclosed a revised debt amortization policy — lowering the five-year repayment floor from 35-40 percent to 30 percent — which he said provides roughly $30 million in near-term debt-service flexibility. The assessing department is currently 22 positions short of full staffing, leaving it approximately 13 percent below what its budget would require at full complement, with the salary savings line exceeding $800,000.