Board decides not to reject Muni’s budget
By: Joshua Sabatini
May 13, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — The Muni budget survived a threat of rejection Tuesday, making certain that passengers will pay 50 cents more to the ride the bus beginning July 1.
Members of the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday not to reject the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s budget after previously criticizing the financial plan for fare hikes, service cuts and paying for services of city departments not related to transit.
Board President David Chiu, who introduced the motion, said negotiations with transit agency chief Nathaniel Ford and Mayor Gavin Newsom were positive enough to allow the budget to pass. The negotiations resulted in spending $8 million more on service enhancements, and the postponement from July 1 to May 2010 of a $5 increase for Fast Passes for seniors, youth and the disabled.
Payments for city services are also expected to decrease by another $2.8 million, for a total of about $63 million. They were initially budgeted at $80 million.
Chiu’s motion to table the rejection was approved in a 6-5 vote.
“I understand a lot of deals are cut in City Hall,” Supervisor David Campos said. “I have to say that I am utterly disappointed that we are where we are right now.”
Campos said that “most folks” in his district will have “a pretty tough time putting food on the table. And yet we are asking those people to pay an additional 50 cents every time they ride Muni.”
The $1.50 fare increases to $2 on July 1.
IN OTHER ACTION
- Newsom and Chiu jointly introduced a $368 million Safe Streets and Road Repair Bond for the November ballot. The money would fund such projects as sidewalk and street repairs.
- In a 7-4 vote, final approval was given to a 25-year contract with Recurrent Energy to install a 5-megawatt solar plant at the Sunset Reservoir. Supervisors John Avalos, Chris Daly, Ross Mirkarimi and David Campos opposed it.
- In a 7-3 vote, the board adopted a budget priority to explore using rolling brownouts — the temporary closure of fire stations on a rotating schedule — to help offset The City’s massive deficit.
