BOSTON — "This is going to require the city to really make tough decisions," said Sam Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau.
"Decisions need to be made so those costs don’t continue," Tyler told FOX25.
FOX25 Investigated has learned city dollars funded 61 round trips between Hull and Long Island in the last year. Taxpayers also footed the bill for another 213 trips from Squantum and 444 hours of "barge service."
Those costs include a bill for more than $1.2 million for oil to heat empty buildings.
Taxpayers are also paying $300 an hour for a barge to transport heating oil and supplies to Long Island – part of a $600,000 annual contract, which includes daily ferry services for city workers. City officials said the barge contractor submitted the lowest bid two years ago.
"I can assure you that our budget and finance staff are actually taking a really hard look at the ferry and transportation budget," Monica Valdes-Lupi of the Boston Public Health Commission told FOX25.
The Boston Public Health Commission oversees the island. FOX25 Investigates went to Long Island and saw the lights were still on in several buildings. When FOX25 asked to go inside those buildings, the city denied that request, citing safety concerns.
City officials told FOX25 all beds for the homeless lost on Long Island have been replaced on the mainland. But Victory Programs, a nonprofit that serves those in addiction recovery, has yet to recover all the beds it left behind on Long Island and its waiting list for those seeking treatment continues to grow.
Last month, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh touted early successes with an action plan to end chronic and veteran homelessness by 2018. FOX25 Investigates has been in touch with the Mayor’s Office and expects to speak with him soon about spending on Long Island and plans for its future
Stay with FOX25 for updates on this story.