Boston Mayor Janey Launches $500 Million ARPA Public Engagement Campaign

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston Mayor Kim Janey launched a public engagement campaign to guide distribution of roughly $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds and declared a three-day citywide heat emergency. Janey introduced the newly formed Boston Equitable Recovery Task Force — whose members include Reverend Willie Broderick II, Michael Curry, Pam Coker, Suzanne Lee, Catherine Lin, and Frederica Williams, among others — and said the group will collect public input and deliver spending recommendations to her office over the coming months. The city has already deployed $81.5 million in ARPA emergency relief; the remainder is unallocated pending the process, called "Let's Go Better," which includes neighborhood community meetings and an online portal at boston.gov/recover. City Councilor Michael Flaherty, Chair of the City Council's COVID-19 Recovery Committee, pledged a "complementary, not duplicative" council engagement process and named small businesses, affordable housing, schools, and violence-interruption programs as resident priorities he has already heard. Janey simultaneously declared a heat emergency running August 11 through August 13, with cooling centers open at Boston Center for Youth and Families locations from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.