Order for a Committee Meeting to discuss the organization of quasi-public and semi-independent entities related to the City of Boston.
Docket number 0325. Councilor Braden and Councilor Flynn offered the floor for the following order for a committee meeting to discuss the organization of plays a public and semi-independent entities related to the city of Boston. Thank you, Mr. Clarke. The Chair recognizes Councilor Braden. Councilor Braden, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank President Flynn for joining me as an original co-sponsor on this order for the appropriate committee. Council committee to hold a hearing. Now hold a meeting, actually, not a hearing to discuss quasi public and semi-independent entities and agencies related to our city government. I signed this order with the intent, with the intention, along the amount, along the same sentiment of the hearing order. I filed last council meeting with Councilors Bach and Constitution to review our Organization of City Government, City Charter and Code of Ordinances. Knowing that our city is in a turning point for a new with a new mayoral administration and being a city council with two thirds of new members serving for their first or second term, I believe a general overview to understand the basic structure of the quayside public and semi-independent agencies of our city would greatly benefit our collective institutional knowledge of city government and help demystify many misconceptions. As a first term city councilor, two years ago, my office had to learn the ins and outs of how to discern the functions, responsibilities, budgets and authorities of these entities which operate separate separate from our city government and city hall. These and these entities include the Boston Housing Authority, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, BRE and the Environment and the Economic Development Industrial Competition. Also, all of those two entities doing business as the Boston Planning and Development Agency, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, the Boston Finance Commission, and the trustees of the Boston Public Library, all of which have their enabling legislation as state statute, varying financial relationships with the city, with their governing boards appointed by the mayor, and some of which we confirm not all as a legislative body of the city government, which has the right to consider legislation affecting these bodies and their public facing operations. It is our duty to have a baseline understanding of the structure, function, history and enabling legislation. I drafted this order as a committee meeting rather than as a hearing, so that we may focus on setting a strong foundation among Councilors of Knowledge on the organization of these entities and prioritize dialogs for the administration to ask background background questions, counselors to answer background questions that councilors may have. We've talked about in the past few months, we talked about the Boston Water and Sewer Commission and their the diversity of their workforce. We're talking about Boston Health Public Health Commission. I think this is a timely opportunity just to get a better understanding of how these what these quayside public and semi-independent entities are and how they function and how they relate to our roles as city councilors. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Braden. The chair recognizes the second original sponsor, Councilor Council President Flynn. Thank you, counsel of Royal. Thank you. Council operated for including me on this on this hearing order. And I know it'll be very helpful to me, but also be very helpful to all of our colleagues because those quasi agencies play a critical role in a lot of quality of life issues in the city of Boston, whether it's the water and sewer, the the critical role the public library system plays in Boston, certainly the BPA, Boston Housing Authority. It will be informative for all of us, including our new colleagues. But that's what makes us a better body, is learning from each other and learning from other city or quasi agency departments and making sure that we can provide the best services and quality of life to residents. Thank you, Councilor. Thank you, President Flint. But anyone else like to speak on the matter? Seeing no hands. Would anyone else like to add their name? Mr. Clarke, please add Councilor Baker, please add Councilor Bach. Please add Councilor Tanya Fernandez Anderson, please. That Councilor clarity please. And Councilor Laura, please add Councilor Lui Jan please and Councilor Murphy and please add Councilor Allen, please add my name at docket 0325 will be assigned to the committee on the whole. Mr. Clarke, would you read docket number 3 to 6?