Remarks by Gabriela Coletta Zapata
58 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 3
- Play at 1:24
“City Councillor and I'm the Chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations. Today is October 8th, 2026 and the exact time is 10.01. In accordance with Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, modifying certain requirements of the Open Meeting Law and relieving public bodies of certain requirements, including the requirement that public bodies conduct its meeting in a public place that is open and physically accessible to the public, the City Council will be conducting this hearing virtually via Zoom. This hearing is being recorded. It is also being live streamed at boston.gov…”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 5:54
“Thank you, Councilor Worrell. Oh, I had to sneeze, sorry. Councillor Louis-Jean, you have the floor.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 9:08
“Thank you, Council Culpepper. Just double checking to make sure I didn't miss anybody. Okay, we can go to our panelists. We'll go to our budget director first, Jim Williamson, for any opening remarks you have, and then we'll go to Steve, and then we've been joined by, who we all know, and then we've also been joined by David, and I apologize, I'm going to say your last name wrong. If you'd like to correct me, please do, Coulier from the Breschner Freedom of Information Project Director out of Florida. So if you want to just reiterate your affiliation when it's your turn, please do. But for…”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 12:47
“Thank you, Jim. Next, we'll go to Steve Poftak, who's the chief executive officer of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. Go ahead, Steve.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 17:49
“Thank you, Steve. David, the floor is yours.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 22:45
“Thank you, Dave. I'll now pass it to my colleagues for their questions. Councillor Orrell, and then I'll start with the lead sponsors and then go to Councillor Culpepper and just acknowledging we've been joined by Councillor Ben Weber. Councillor Orrell, you have the floor.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 33:14
“Okay, thank you. Councillor Culpepper, I just want to acknowledge that we've been joined by Councillor Fitzgerald and Councillor Mejia.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 42:22
“Thank you, Councillor Culpepper. We'll go to Councillor Flynn.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 49:17
“Well, we're talking about annual revenue reports or sorry, quarterly revenue reports, by the way.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 49:27
“Okay. That's a subject matter at hand right now.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 49:43
“Oh, no. I mean, we're on to where we're talking about an ordinance ensuring quarterly revenue reports. And so it's separate from a 17F.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 50:05
“You are more than happy to ask one or two more questions. Everyone's been getting at least eight minutes. And so you're almost at that time. So if you'd like another question, to ask another question, please go ahead.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 50:21
“Okay, that is your prerogative. Thank you so much. We'll be going to Councillor Webber next.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:02:02
“Thank you, Councillor Webber. Councillor Mejia?”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:16:14
“Thank you, Councillor Fitzgerald. I apologize, everybody. My internet is spotty, so I keep going in and out. But I will pass it over to Councillor Pepin. And apologies if you don't hear from me. I'm trying to get onto my phone. So just flagging to central staff and I'm going to get on. I'm probably going to be iPhone.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:25:10
“Thank you counsel. All right, I'll go into my questions. And I apologize if there's an echo, because of my phone. Speak loudly, so the language in this is pretty straightforward. It just says the supervisor budget shall be required to provide quarterly revenue reports, detailing all revenue collected by. Collected to date by item no later than 30 days. I have been a public service server my entire life. Coming from a world of finance, I, um, is not something that I have experience in. So, my, my questions are more about operationally how this would work in practice and how we can shore up the…”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:30:36
“Okay, that's a point well taken. I think you're right. If we get prescriptive, we may miss something and it doesn't lend itself for future iterations of whoever the executive is or the city council. So, okay, that makes sense. And then I guess the latter part of my question, it seems like there's a little bit of confusion what your operational relationship is with the auditing department. Can you just get into... WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, I MEAN, ON A QUARTERLY BASIS MAYBE FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS DISCUSSION, LIKE WHY WE CANNOT HAVE THESE OR DESCRIBE THESE NUMBERS BECAUSE IT HAS TO GO THROUGH…”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:33:12
“Yeah, and that makes sense to me. And if we're talking about government accountability, transparency, when there's different pieces of information, it's hard for us to have a baseline as to compare. So that makes sense to me. I have three questions that I think a little bit more straightforward, and then we can go to additional round if folks want. But and again, getting maybe into the language, but does it matter where it's submitted? Like, where do you submit the expenditure reports now? Do you submit it to the city clerk? And then a copy there I've transmitted to the City Council. I know…”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:34:15
“I think I'm just looking at the chair. I think it may make sense to just have a copy submitted to the city clerk's office. That way it's on the agenda. And then a copy submitted to the chair of Ways and Means. I mean, if it just goes to the city clerk and we see it, that's fine. And then I also think it should be published online as well. Just thoughts on that? Comments, concerns?”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:34:59
“Okay. Well, I think at the very least it could, and we can talk through this a little bit more, but it should be submitted to the city clerk's office. What is the, so revenue collected and shared and internally has already been asked. Oh, something was brought up about, is there any information that needs to be protected? Like legally? That's been talked about that we need to just be concerned with.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:36:06
“But that's not something that would be usually included.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:37:12
“Okay, just following up on that, Jim, there's no, like, one entity that, or is there? That would be just an interesting case, but.”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:38:06
“we can't put this because it's a privacy issue so okay yeah just again something to consider as we move forward i know it would be um an anomaly but um would there and my last question is this is supposed to take effect upon immediately upon passage are you prepared to comply immediately or is a transition period necessary”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:38:42
“Okay. All right. Um, that's it for my question. Thank you again, um, to the, to the lead sponsors for pushing this forward. And thank you all so much for your, uh, contributions. Just looking at the chair, we have Council Worrell, I'm sorry, excuse me, the co-sponsor, Councillor Weber, still on. Do you folks have additional questions?”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026
- Play at 1:42:58
“And I guess my- It's really quick, Councilor Worrell. I guess, Jim, can we do that?”
City Council · Oct 8, 2026