Boston City Council discussed creating an office for pest control in the City of Boston, hearings to address problem properties and a call for support of a bill that would enhance the safety of buses during its April 10 meeting.

At a city council meeting earlier in the year, The Suffolk Journal reported that Councilor Edward Flynn of District 2 had proposed hearings to establish an office of pest control here in the City of Boston. Boston was ranked as the 13th most rat-infested city in the U.S., according to a study done by Orkin. 

Councilor Gabriela Coletta of District 1 spoke about the hearings they have held with several officials about their “Boston Rodent Action Plan” which includes Dr. Bobby Corrigan, a rodentologist based in New York City. Last year, New York appointed a “rat czar” to tackle the city’s rodent infestation.

Areas of concern because of the rodent problem are parks, public dumpsters, residential bins and sewers.

“I know we still have further meetings to take place, but I would ask when it is time to vote, I would ask that you support an Office of Pest Control in the City of Boston,” said Flynn. 

The next docket brought to the table was presented by Councilor Brian Worrell of District 4, asking for a hearing to discuss problem properties in Boston.

According to the City of Boston’s website, a property has three qualifiers that label it as a problem property. These include violations to building, housing and sanitary codes, whether the property has received a large amount of calls to the cities public safety agencies and if the city has had to write reports about the property over the last 12 months. A property stays on the list until it resolves all outstanding issues. 

“This is an opportunity for us to ensure that the city is regularly addressing those who regularly harm the quality of life for their neighbors,” said Worrell.

There are currently only four listed problem properties on the city’s website, and all of these properties are residential. 

Councilor Sharon Durkan of District 8 explained further why buildings are considered problem properties in her district, explaining it as “neglectful landlords” who ignore these properties. These properties often disregard basic quality of life standards and many 911 calls come from these addresses.

Flynn expressed his concerns regarding this docket, as he believes it ties into the rodent problem. 

“[The residents of these problem properties] are constantly partying late at night, the noise is very loud, the trash piles up and the rats come out,” Flynn said.

Other councilors agreed that problem properties need to be discussed and further hearings should be held.

The next docket was presented by Worrell, who called for the support of an act that would enhance bus safety in the state of Massachusetts.

“It would make it easier to ticket drivers who go around a bus with a flashing stop sign when students are entering and exiting the bus. Additionally, the bill would also allow cameras to be mounted on MBTA buses to ensure bus lanes are kept clear of cars,” said Worrell.

Worrell clarified that the camera footage would be reviewed by a person and not just automatically sent out, and tickets would only be issued after reviewing the footage.

This docket was called for suspension and passage, and all councilors had agreed to support the bill.

Lastly, City Councilor-at-Large Erin Murphy withdrew her proposed resolution calling for a hiring freeze in the City of Boston after several unions have stated that they were overburdened and overworked.