Last week the Mayor released and submitted to the City Council the FY09 budget. As Chair of Ways and Means I will be holding numerous hearings with all city departments between now and the end of the fiscal year (June 30) to determine if the Mayor’s proposed $2.42 billion budget makes sense for the city. Joining me in this venture will be my twelve colleagues on the council.

We all have issues or projects that are important to us and items that we want to see funded. In some cases, we will agree on the same budgetary needs, and on others we will differ. But one thing is certain; we will work collectively to approve the best possible budget in these tight fiscal times.

Because of this challenging economic climate, I am also hopeful that my colleagues and I will discover creative ways to add money to the budget. In fact, I have been looking at ways to do just that and have filed in city council (Wednesday, April 16 meeting) three items that would help generate funds.

The first item is a change in the City of Boston Code that would increase the fees for use of Faneuil Hall. As you know, Faneuil Hall was built in 1740 and has, over the years, been restored. It is truly one of Boston’s greatest treasures not only for it’s historical significance but because we still use it today for meetings and events.

As a result of those meetings and events we are able to keep Faneuil Hall up to proper standards and in good working order by charging a nominal fee to use the space. This fee of $150 per hour for a minimum of four hours has not been increased since 1982 despite rising costs elsewhere. I believe we should be charging more to use the space and, as a result, have filed an ordinance to make that change.

In addition to raising the usage fee at Faneuil Hall I have also proposed an ordinance to develop a formula for developing the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) payments and introduced a home rule petition regarding the tax exempt status of properties in Boston. Both target our non-profit institutions that, in my opinion, are placing an unfair tax burden on the homeowners of our great city. I am looking for tax fairness for us and am confident that changes will be made thus generating additional income for the city and easing the tax burden on you, the taxpaying resident.

As the budget process moves ahead, these are just a few of the ways I am looking to increase our revenue stream. I know there are other things we will be looking at, and there is great potential for other ideas to form, be presented and pass through this body that will pour more money into our budget so that we can continue providing you with the resources and city services you deserve.

We have a long way to go before the budget is sound but I am certain that we, the members of the Boston City Council, will work diligently to ensure that the budget we pass in June is the best iteration for the city.