Other or unclear
Ideas that are off-topic, unclear, too general to classify, or outside the City's role.
Residents in this catch-all theme mostly make broad or unclear asks for community help, cost relief, or ways to spend the $2 million, plus requests outside the City's role.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
169 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 71 | 5.8% | 7 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 52 | 4.3% | 11 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 46 | 3.5% | 14 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
General help for the community
Residents ask for more opportunities, services or resources for their community without naming a specific project, so the ideas cannot be classified further.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Ideas about how the participatory budgeting money is used
Some residents urge more or all of the budget go to participatory budgeting, while others propose giving the $2 million to a single cause or organization.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Direct financial relief for residents
Residents ask for cash support, debt or fee relief, or other help with living costs, often with few details on how the City would deliver it.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Property tax cuts and returning surplus funds
Residents ask the City to lower property taxes or return surplus money to taxpayers instead of spending it.
Raised in 2024–25, 2026–27
Specific private businesses and food options
Residents ask for particular chains, late-night food, or drinking venues, which are private business decisions rather than City projects.
Raised in 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
Cycle 1 had the most ideas and the widest spread, including reentry and legal support, stadium and credit union proposals, and several unclear or joke submissions.
2025–26
Cycle 2 included many empty or one-word submissions alongside cash-payment proposals, public funding for election campaigns, and requests for specific shops and restaurants.
2026–27
Cycle 3 saw more requests about stray animals and spay/neuter services, more property tax relief asks, and a cluster of requests for chain restaurants in Dorchester.
New in 2026–27
Animal-related asks, such as spay/neuter services, rescue grants and a dog shelter, and property tax relief requests grew noticeably in 2026-27.
Funding so far
No winning projects relate to this theme, so none of the recurring asks (general community help, cost relief, tax cuts, animal services, how the budget is spent) has been addressed by a resident-voted project.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Ideas in Other or unclear
169 ideas
2024–25: 71 · 2025–26: 52 · 2026–27: 46
- Replace plumbing pipes across MassachusettsResident proposes redoing plumbing for all pipes in Massachusetts, which is statewide and too broad for a city project.2026–27City-wide
- Casino sweepstakes promotion (not a city proposal)Submission appears to be filler promotional text about a casino partnership sweepstakes, not a request for a city project.2026–27Downtown
- Casino sweepstakes promotion (not a city proposal)Submission appears to be filler promotional text about a casino partnership and sweepstakes, not a request for a city project.2026–27Downtown
- Fund animal rescue and low-cost spay/neuter servicesThe resident asks for city funding to nonprofits providing animal rescue, trap-neuter-return, free vet clinics and spay/neuter services in low-income areas.2026–27City-wide
- Property tax relief for owners and tenantsProvide property tax relief because recent double-digit hikes are unaffordable for owners and tenants, without shifting the burden onto commercial properties.2026–27City-wide
- More chain restaurants like Chick-fil-A and CanesResident asks for more restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, Canes and Playa Bowls so people can make friends over meals.2026–27DorchesterSubmitted in Korean
- Add Playa Bowls, Chick-fil-A and StarbucksResident asks for specific private restaurant and coffee chains to open in the city.2026–27DorchesterSubmitted in Korean
- Add Playa Bowls and Chick-fil-AResident asks for Playa Bowls and Chick-fil-A restaurants, saying they would let people of diverse backgrounds meet over shared tastes.2026–27DorchesterSubmitted in Korean
- Aquarium in every classroomResident proposes placing an aquarium in every classroom to keep students connected to the environment.2026–27City-wide
- Cut the program and reduce property taxesResident suggests eliminating the participatory budgeting program and using the $2 million to reduce property taxes, calling such programs nice to have rather than essential.2026–27City-wide
- Desalination plants and water reuse legislationResident asks for desalination plants and pipelines, plus legislation allowing plug-in solar and reuse of sink and shower water, to address drought.2026–27City-wide
- Remove cement boarding blocking computer lab windowResident asks to remove cement boarding that blocks a window in a computer lab so people can see outside, and to place green walls elsewhere.2026–27Back BaySubmitted in Korean
- Central animal control and low-cost spay/neuterResident asks to move Animal Care and Control to a more central location for Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan and to offer low-cost spay/neuter services.2026–27City-wide
- One forgiven parking ticket per residentThe resident suggests forgiving one parking ticket per resident, noting a similar program in Portland, Maine, to help people who forgot street cleaning or overstayed a meter.2026–27City-wide
- Property tax relief for small homeownersResident asks for property tax relief for small homeowners to keep poor and middle-class families, including long-time owners in Dorchester and Roxbury, in the city.2026–27City-wide
- Poem about youth and inequityResident submitted a poem suggesting young people's poetry could help free the city from inequity; no specific project is requested.2026–27City-wide
- More multilingual street signsThe resident asks for more street signs in multiple languages to help new residents, people without smartphones, non-English speakers and visitors, especially near busy MBTA stops.2026–27City-wide
- Support participatory budgeting for community engagementThe resident says participatory budgeting is important and would advance community engagement and awareness, without proposing a specific project.2026–27City-wide
- Smartphone app for towing documentationResident proposes an app for tow operators to photograph vehicles and plates and submit them electronically to the city, replacing phone calls to BPD and preventing improper tow reporting.2026–27City-wide
- Child-rearing approach to build empathyResident argues social problems stem from how children are raised and wants approaches that increase empathy; refers to their own book on the subject.2026–27City-wide