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City budget instructions call for 15% ongoing general‑fund reduction; finance official flags $876M five‑year gap
Summary
Mark Corso of the city finance office told the Fire Commission that departments were instructed to submit proposals reflecting ongoing 15% general‑fund reductions and that the city's five‑year projections show growing deficits; departmental submissions are due Feb. 21.
Mark Corso, deputy director of finance and planning, told the San Francisco Fire Commission on Jan. 8 that city budget instructions released in December ask departments to submit proposals reflecting ongoing reductions and that the city's five‑year forecasts project continuing deficits.
Corso summarized the mayor's three priorities: maintain core services, continue work on homelessness and mental-health treatment, and identify efficiencies across departments. He said the formal instruction to departments called for "permanent reductions ... in the amount of 15% of general fund support for each department, beginning in the first year and continuing into the next year." He added that for the Fire Department that level of reductions "equates to about $21,000,000," which would likely affect frontline staffing if left unmitigated.
The finance presentation reviewed the schedule: departmental submissions are due to the mayor's office on Feb. 21; the mayor must submit a balanced budget to the Board of Supervisors by June 1; and hearings and negotiations typically occur in June with a final consideration in July. Corso noted the city's five‑year projections show revenues rising but expenditures rising faster, producing a projected combined deficit across the next two budget years and beyond.
Corso also identified external risks that could alter the outlook: uncertainty over pending federal FEMA reimbursements tied to the pandemic (the city has roughly $200–$250 million in potential FEMA reimbursement requests outstanding), possible state budget adjustments, and broader economic risks such as a recession. He said some citywide policy constraints — including a travel ban and transparency requirements — also shape department submissions.
Commissioners asked for a classical sources-and-uses breakdown for the department; Corso said he would include a detailed revenue and funding‑source analysis at the next budget presentation. The commission did not take action on the budget at the Jan. 8 meeting; the presentation was informational and part of the formal kickoff for departmental budget work.
