San Francisco panel approves DBI two‑year budget after heated debate over community outreach funding

The San Francisco Building Inspection Commission on Feb. 14 approved the Department of Building Inspection’s proposed budget for fiscal years 2024–25 and 2025–26, after extended public comment and a contentious commission debate over how code‑enforcement outreach programs should be funded.

The commission voted to send DBI’s proposed submission to the mayor with a formal recommendation that the mayor’s office and forthcoming fee‑setting legislation re‑examine the department’s fee‑revenue assumptions. The final motion passed on a roll‑call vote after an earlier motion to guarantee CBO funding failed to achieve the five‑vote threshold required to submit a budget to the mayor.

DBI Deputy Director for Administration Alex Koskinen presented the two‑year plan, saying the department faces a multi‑year shortfall and must phase in fee increases to avoid depleting reserves. Koskinen told commissioners the department projects approximately $35.9 million in available fund balance at the end of the current fiscal year and proposes using about $18.4 million of fund balance in the first year of the two‑year plan while phasing in fee increases to reach full cost recovery by fiscal year 2027.

Koskinen said the proposed submission reflects updated revenue assumptions from a fee study:…