Planning Department presents draft budget, commission backs forwarding an updated budget to the Planning Commission

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Planning Department's draft budget for fiscal years 2019'2021 be forwarded to the Planning Commission, authorizing staff to update and correct numeric details in the resolution before it goes to the mayor.

Deputy Director Deborah Landis told the commission the department followed mayoral budget instructions including a firm limit on new positions and an expectation that departments reduce general fund support by 3.5% annually in light of a citywide projected deficit. "The financial joint report that came out earlier this year showed about $420,000,000 projected deficit," Landis said, adding that planning plans to index fee revenue to the Consumer Price Index and that the department expects about $45,000,000 in fee revenue next year.

Landis described revenue and expenditure drivers: a mix of fee-for-service revenue, grants and special revenues (including an AB101 grant that could total "up to a million and a half dollars"), pass-through administration for some interagency projects, and higher staff costs. She also flagged one-time and project-related costs tied to the department's planned relocation to 49 South Van Ness.

Commissioners asked for clarification about a drop in the out-year grants line and whether updated numbers should be included in the resolution. Landis said some recurring grants are budgeted in out years and that final figures will be clearer as grant cycles proceed; she asked the commission to authorize staff to update the resolution to reflect the most current numbers before the department takes the item to the Planning Commission. "We have more certainty around the Consumer Price Index indexing fee, which Deborah will go over in a minute," Director John Ram added earlier in the presentation.

A public commenter spoke during the allotted public comment period but did not address technical budget details; commissioners returned to discussion and a motion was made to adopt the recommendation authorizing staff to amend numbers as appropriate. The roll call vote was recorded as: Black, Foley, Johns, Pearlman, Sowell, Matsuda and Hyland — all voting "yes." The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.

Next steps: staff will update the resolution with the revised numbers and present the department's budget to the Planning Commission the following week, after which the mayor's office will have the draft until the statutory publication and Board of Supervisors review in the spring.