Budget and Finance Committee forwards grants, leases and bond actions to full Board; Caltrain bridge application and solar grant highlighted

The San Francisco County Budget and Finance Committee on the morning meeting advanced a slate of ordinances, resolutions and grant acceptances to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration, including a Department of the Environment solar deployment grant, SFPUC wastewater bond authorization with analyst adjustments, and a $5 million state grant application for the Gerald Avenue Caltrain bridge.

The companion measures included an ordinance to raise the recordation fee, a retroactive acceptance of a $166,981.50 Meta Fund Foundation grant for the Office of the Public Defender, and several lease amendments covering emergency communications equipment at 1 Market Plaza and cargo space at San Francisco International Airport.

Committee chair Supervisor John Avalos opened the session and handled procedural business before moving through the agenda. On the solar item, David Ostman, acting director of the Department of the Environment, said the city would use $750,635 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America initiative ‘‘to increase solar installations of small commercial buildings, schools, and affordable housing,’’ with about $400,000 ‘‘to buy down the cost of solar equipment’’ and the balance for technical assistance and staffing, including 1.5 FTE energy specialists. The committee asked the department to provide follow-up detail about which neighborhoods and populations would benefit when additional recovery-fund applications move forward.

On leases, Amy Brown, the city’s director of property, described a short-term month-to-month arrangement at 1 Market Plaza that added antennas and equipment for emergency communications and said the proposed amendment would fold those short-term terms into the city’s long-term lease through April 2013, increasing monthly rent to roughly $6,573. The budget analyst flagged a policy issue: the draft language would permit the department to add equipment at this specific site in the future without subsequent Board approval, a delegation the analyst termed a policy matter for the Board.

The committee also considered a proposed lease with Federal Express at San Francisco International Airport for about 130,846 square feet in Building 900, with an annual rent near $3.5 million. Kathy Weidner of the airport said the negotiated rate per square foot was supported by a recent Department of Real Estate review; the budget analyst noted the airport elected not to competitively bid the lease but recommended approval.

On financing, Todd Reedstrom, CFO for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, presented items to authorize issuance of wastewater revenue bonds (not to exceed $285.6 million) to refund commercial paper and fund projects previously approved by the Board. Reedstrom said updates to the bond documents, including Build America Bonds provisions, should reduce borrowing costs and save customers an estimated $177 million over 30 years. The budget analyst recommended reducing the requested bond principal by $3.2 million after reconciling project detail in attachments; the committee adopted the analyst’s technical recommendation and forwarded the amended legislation to the full Board.

The committee also advanced two Mental Health Services Act items: an innovation work plan (about $4.8 million) and an annual update (roughly $40 million) for prevention, early intervention, workforce development and community supports. Dr. Alice Gleichhorn of the Department of Public Health confirmed required public hearings and Mental Health Board review had been completed.

On transportation, the committee approved authorization for the Department of Public Works to apply for $5 million in state Section 190 grade-separation funds for the Gerald Avenue railroad bridge project and to enter a memorandum of understanding to pass the funds to the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain). Todd McIntyre (JPB) and Joel Slavitt (grants) said the bridge is more than 100 years old, the total project cost is ‘‘just under $20,000,000,’’ and the project will rely on a mix of federal funds that include Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration sources. Committee members pressed project sponsors on local‑hiring goals; McIntyre and Slavitt said federal funding rules limit direct local‑hire mandates but that Caltrain would work with the CityBuild program and other local efforts to meet the city’s hiring targets.

Public comment included expressions of support for redevelopment funding, emergency communications infrastructure, wastewater bond oversight and mental-health investments. Most items were forwarded to the full Board ‘‘with recommendation’’ after committee motions and without recorded roll-call votes in committee.

Votes at a glance

- Item 1 — Ordinance to amend Admin Code §8.24-5 (recordation fee increase from $2 to $3): forwarded to full Board with recommendation (no roll-call vote recorded in committee). - Item 2 — Ordinance authorizing the Office of the Public Defender to retroactively accept $166,981.50 Meta Fund Foundation grant and add 0.25 FTE: forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Item 3 — Ordinance repealing Admin Code §10.143 (Dept. of Technology cash revolving fund): forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Item 4 — Ordinance to accept $750,635 from DOE Solar America Initiative for solar deployment programs: forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Item 5 — Resolution amending redevelopment agency budget and authorizing ERAF payment (~$28M bonds; $28.8M payment authorization): forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Item 6 — Resolution approving lease amendment at 1 Market Plaza (DEM emergency communications equipment; retroactivity amendment moved): committee approved amendment and forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Item 7 — Resolution approving lease O9-0280 with Federal Express (Building 900, SFO; ~130,846 sq ft; ~$3.5M/yr rent): forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Items 8–9 — Ordinance and resolution authorizing issuance/sale of wastewater revenue bonds (not to exceed $285.6M) and related documents: committee adopted budget-analyst amendment (reduce principal by $3.2M) and forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Items 10–11 — Resolutions adopting MHSA innovation work plan (~$4.8M) and FY 2010–11 update (~$40M): forwarded to full Board with recommendation. - Item 12 — Resolution authorizing application for $5M Section 190 grade-separation funds for Gerald Avenue (Caltrain), and MOU to pass funds to JPB: forwarded to full Board with recommendation.

Next steps

All items advanced by the committee will appear on the Board of Supervisors’ calendar for full consideration on the date specified by the clerk. Several items carry follow-up requests from the committee: more detailed breakdowns of how recovery or stimulus funds will be deployed geographically and by beneficiary population (Department of the Environment), clarification of delegation language in the 1 Market lease amendment (Director of Property / City Attorney), and additional information from SFPUC about compost-sale concerns and the sewer system improvement program.