That's the combined shortfall Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asked the City Council to cover this week using emergency reserves on top of the $4.8 billion already allocated for fiscal year 2026. The city last tapped its reserve fund during the pandemic, when it covered a $40 million gap, making this request both larger and harder to explain away: critics note Boston Public School’s supplemental alone includes $18 million in health insurance overruns and $4.7 million in utility overspending, and that the city's police overtime budget of $55 million ran to more than $100 million.
