Boston leaders said this week the city needs to "redouble" its efforts in controlling a rat problem that is apparently getting worse, the Boston Herald reported.
“If you don’t solve pest control issues, you know what’s going to happen — people are going to leave the city," City Council President Ed Flynn said during a hearing Monday to discuss pest control in the city.
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City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune agreed that controlling the rodents is a critical issue.
“These are the small issues we’ve got to get right in order for the voters to trust us with the larger systemic issues," she said, according to the Herald.
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Cities in the Boston region and across the northeast have recently been facing a worsening rat problem, according to WBUR. The NPR affiliate reported last month that in the City of Boston, rat and rodent complaints increased by 48% from 2019 to 2021.
“When it becomes a problem on your street, in the back alley, in, you know, the corners that you’re traversing every day, it rises very quickly to number one concern,” City Councilor Kenzie Bok said.
Flynn also voiced concern over cases in the South End of the city, particularly in the area by the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue.
City officials said they are placing bait for rats in the area and collecting garbage multiple times per week.
