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SF transportation board hears SFMTA budget plan, regional sales tax and local parcel tax proposed to avoid steep cuts
Summary
SFMTA leaders told the San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board that a combination of a regional sales tax, a local square‑footage parcel tax and agency efficiency is needed to close a projected operating gap; staff outlined timelines, exemptions and outreach and warned of major cuts if measures fail.
San Francisco — The San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board on Feb. 24 received a detailed budget update from SFMTA Director Julie Kirschbaum outlining a three‑part plan to close a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar operating shortfall and avert severe service reductions.
“Governor Newsom signed the assembly and senate bills that authorized $590,000,000 in loans to Bay Area transit agencies,” Chair Mirna Melgar said, calling the state loan “critical bridge funding” while local and regional ballot measures are finalized. Kirschbaum told the board that SFMTA faces an immediate budget gap of about $300 million that could grow past $400 million within five years without new revenue and cost reductions.
Kirschbaum framed the agency’s approach as a three‑legged stool: a regional sales tax measure, a complementary local parcel tax and continued agency efficiencies. The regional proposal described by Kirschbaum would be a five‑county measure that, if approved, she said would raise roughly $1,000,000,000 annually for the…
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