Council holds off on $13.3 million homeland-security grant so a hearing can be held first

City Councilor Julia Mejia (at large) had a proposed grant from the Department of Homeland Security sent to a committee for further study before the committee as a whole votes on the grant, which would fund regional anti-terrorism and natural-disaster response.

City Councilor Brian Worrell (Dorchester), who last month had voted against the grant, said his questions had been answered and he recommended immediate approval without a hearing. Councilor Liz Breadon (Allston/Brighton), who had also voted against the grant last month, also said she would vote for it now after receiving assurances that it would help fund not just anti-terrorism efforts but efforts related to natural disasters by a regional planning group lead by Boston.

However, immediate approval of measures requires unanimous approval.

Mejia said that she and other councilors still have some questions about the impact of the spending. "It's a significant amount" and officials should be "as fiscally responsible as possible," so a council committee should hold a hearing to "unpack questions that may still linger," she said.

At the December meeting at which the council deadlocked 6-6 - which means the grant was rejected - minority councilors, including Mejia and Ruthzee Louijeune (at large) said they were concerned that any surveillance components might have an adverse impact on the city's minority neighborhoods.