San Francisco transit officials continued discussions last week on how to prevent Muni service cuts this summer but all agreed not to do so at the expense of street safety by eliminating the school crossing guard program.
Bree Mawhorter, the chief financial officer of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), presented the agency’s Board of Directors with a financial update and new options for closing a budget deficit without cutting Muni service. The agency is facing a $50 million budget deficit at the start of the new fiscal year, which begins on July 1.
Mawhorter said that staff identified $35 million of solutions but $15 million remained to close the rest of the budget shortfall. Staff had originally proposed to cut 4 percent of Muni service this summer but that proposal left some directors questioning how the service cuts could affect potential local and regional ballot measures next year that, if passed, would go toward transit operations.
Instead, Mawhorter returned with an option of agency-wide cuts to programs and projects, including eliminating the school crossing guard program, delaying a midlife overhaul of Muni buses, canceling an overhaul of historic streetcars, and canceling a Muni bus stop lighting program. The agency could also reduce two subsidies for low-income people and reduce maintenance at joint Muni/BART stations.
School crossing guards spoke at the meeting against the idea of cutting the program as some said they play a critical role not just in keeping students safe but other pedestrians at the crosswalk.
“People would be on their own,” said Joel Kamisher, a school crossing guard at the busy intersection of 19th Avenue and Judah Street and a union rep for SEIU Local 1021. “The crossing guards are a part of Vision Zero. We try to prevent accidents.”
Another option is to use the agency’s reserves to prevent service cuts. The agency has $141 million in reserves. There was some concern about using the agency’s reserves to cover all of the $15 million shortfall, given the SFMTA faces a $320 million budget deficit next year and may have to dip into these reserves.
What was off the table was to extend parking meter hours through the evenings and on Sundays due to concerns about affordability, Mawhorter said.
SFMTA CFO Bree Mawhort said the agency could also reduce subsidies for low-income people and reduce station maintenance to mitigate the budget deficit.
Director Steve Heminger said he could not support any Muni service cuts but said he could support the agency-wide cuts except the school crossing guard program. He also supported using the agency’s rainy day fund.
“It’s raining a lot, and I don’t avoid the conclusion that it might rain in the future, and so we need some money for the future too. But what we’re talking about here is a relatively small amount of money,” Heminger said.
Director Cajina supported using less of the agency’s reserves but did not support canceling the Muni bus stop lighting program, which aims to improve lighting at transit stops. She said she could support delaying the midlife bus overhaul and the overhaul of the vintage vehicles.
Other directors, including Mike Chen and Chair Janet Tarlov, said they also would not support using the agency’s reserves to cover all the $15 million needed to close the budget deficit.
Tarlov requested staff come back with “blended options” with one option that includes “modest service cuts” and another option that does not cut service. Both options could also include some agency-wide cuts to programs and using fewer of the agency’s reserves.
Directors have a short timeframe to figure out whether to move forward with Muni service cuts or choose a different option. Staff is asking the board to decide on the funding options at the March 4 meeting and if relevant, a final decision on Muni service buts at the March 18 meeting.
