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SFMTA board debates service cuts, program reductions and reserve draw to close budget gap
Summary
CFO presented a budget gap for FY25–26 and three options to close it — summer service cuts, agency program/project reductions (including a proposed change to the school crossing guard funding), or a one‑time use of reserves. Public commenters and several directors urged protecting crossing guards and avoiding transit cuts.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials outlined a tightening fiscal picture and a menu of painful options to close a roughly $50 million funding shortfall affecting the coming budget year. At a Feb. 18 SFMTA Board meeting, CFO Bridal Hoarder said the agency now projects a small $4 million deficit in the current fiscal year and identified $35 million in lower‑pain adjustments, leaving about $15 million in remaining choices for 2025–26.
Hoarder told the board the agency's revenue recovery is weaker than planned, driven largely by parking revenue and operating grant shortfalls, and that the $50 million gap reflects the loss of prior federal relief and downward adjustments to city baseline support. "We are balancing on the head of a pin," Hoarder said, urging caution about one‑time fixes that do not address longer‑term structural shortfalls.
Staff presented three ways to close the remaining $15 million: (1)…
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