City Council v. City of Boston

This is a ten-taxpayer action for declaratory and injunctive relief brought by those who were at the time the nine city councillors of Boston, in their official capacities and individually, together with a tenth resident of Boston. See G. L. c. 214, § 1; G. L. c. 231A, § 1; and G. L. c. 40, § 53. The plaintiffs allege that certain transactions between city departments constitute transfers of appropriations in violation of a provision of the city charter2 requiring that such transfers be approved by two thirds of the city council. After the plaintiffs’ two applications for preliminary…