STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JULY 17, 2015….Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday signed an annual budget bill that invests in local aid, transportation and substance abuse treatment while slowing spending growth to 3 percent, triggering an MBTA fiscal control board, and preserving a business tax deduction that was on the chopping block all week.
"This is a character issue for the city of Boston," stated City Councilor Tito Jackson (District 7) at the end of Monday's hearing on the impact of the Long Island Bridge closing and the suspension of Boston social services that had been located on Long Island.
Nine months after the October 8 evacuation of Long Island that followed a failed bridge inspection, at-large City Council member Ayannah Pressley presided over the hearing on July 13 to determine the scope of the aftermath of the bridge closing. Citizens directly affected by the loss of services on Long Island and their advocates testified for nearly three hours.
