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San Francisco Department of the Environment presents two‑year budget, commission approves with attention to an EJ shortfall
Summary
The Commission approved the Department of the Environment's draft FY2016–17 and FY2017–18 budget (~$22 million) after staff outlined grant dependence and a $167,000 shortfall in the environmental justice program and agreed to follow up on funding strategies.
The San Francisco Commission on the Environment voted to approve the Department of the Environment’s draft two‑year budget, roughly $22 million in total, after receiving a high‑level presentation from department staff.
Mark Brown and Director Deborah Raffel outlined the department’s revenue mix—about 45% grants, $9.5 million from impound funds and $2.3 million in work orders—and emphasized the difficulty of long‑term forecasting when so much of the budget relies on external grants. Brown noted the FY2016–17 environmental justice program is projected to run about $167,000 short of its needs.
Commissioners asked for more granular detail and said they would rely on the Operations Committee review already completed. The commission unanimously approved the draft budget after discussion and public comment; staff said they will continue to refine requests before submittal to the Mayor’s office and the Board of Supervisors. Director Raffel said staff will also pursue strategies for covering structural deficits, including revisiting general‑fund requests and seeking new grants or internal reallocation.
What to watch
Staff will return with further details in advance of the Mayor’s budget submission (final department balances are due to the Mayor in late February) and with an update on strategies to shore up environmental justice funding and cover personnel risks created by grant‑funding constraints.
