Board committee backs 10-year capital plan with amendment to revisit transit bond after task-force recommendations

The Budget & Finance Committee on Wednesday advanced the city—s 10-year capital expenditure plan to the full Board with an amendment allowing for a possible increase in transit bond funding following recommendations from a separate transportation task force.

Brian Strong of the capital planning program reviewed the draft plan, which totals roughly $25 billion over 10 years and covers a wide range of city priorities: earthquake safety, public-safety facilities, parks and open space, libraries and a new transportation and streets infrastructure package (TCIP) that would dedicate funding to street repaving, streetscape improvements and some transit state-of-good-repair work.

Supervisors voiced concern about whether the proposed transit funding is adequate. Supervisor Scott Wiener said the general-fund pay-as-you-go portion of the plan dedicated to Muni state-of-good-repair is about $210 million over ten years and, when combined with a $120 million geo bond, yields roughly $330 million — far short of what some officials and MTA staff say is needed to prevent the backlog from worsening.

MTA staff said the agency—s asset-replacement backlog is large and that, at current investment levels, the backlog would grow; they described scenarios in which increasing annual state-of-good-repair investment to roughly $366 million a year could meaningfully reduce the backlog and that about $510 million per year over time would be necessary to clear it.

Supervisor Wiener proposed an amendment that would require the capital planning committee to submit transit-related amendments to the plan for Board action after the transportation task force issues its final recommendations, including possible increases to the proposed transit bond provided the change would not raise property taxes above 2006 levels. Controller Rosenfield said staff could rerun property-tax projections to determine whether additional bond authority could be accommodated within that tax-rate guidance.

After debate, the committee accepted Supervisor Wiener—s amendment and voted to table the informational Item 2 and forward Item 3 (the resolution adopting the plan) as amended to the full Board, all "without opposition," the Chair said. Committee materials note the plan remains a planning document and that Board members can revisit priorities and funding allocations during the budget cycle.

What—s next: Item 3 will go to the full Board with the amendment directing follow-up on transit funding; staff will continue work with the transportation task force, MTA, the controller and the mayor's office to refine funding options and scenarios.