It’s time again to talk about the budget.
It may not be the most thrilling or simple of topics, but don’t check out on us just yet. We’re hosting two open houses and a webinar to help you understand and weigh in on decisions that affect everything from Muni fares to vehicle upgrades to bike lanes and parking.
The webinar and open houses are opportunities to learn about and discuss the SFMTA’s two-year budget outlook and proposals for Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018, which would go into effect July 1. Details on the events are at the bottom of this post.
The budget is the plan for how the SFMTA collects and spends revenue to operate its divisions -- Muni, Sustainable Streets (street infrastructure and traffic management), Parking and Taxi & Accessible Services. The budget is divided into two main sections: Operating (ongoing costs like staff and maintenance) and Capital (one-time spending on projects like street improvements and new vehicles).
Every two years, the SFMTA Board of Directors must adopt the budget by the end of April. The Board will review the proposed budget at three upcoming public hearings, and is expected to vote on a budget action at its third meeting on April 19.
At the open houses and webinar, SFMTA staff will present a preliminary budget plan based on the revenues and resources we expect to have, as well as proposed changes on aspects like fares, fees, and spending for transportation improvements.
A presentation and details on the preliminary budget are available on our budget webpage.
If you can’t attend the meetings, you can e-mail comments to sfmtabudget@sfmta.com or tweet them by mentioning the SFMTA’s Twitter handle, @sfmta_muni, and the hashtag #SFMTAbudget. You can also sign up for email updates about the budget meetings.
Here are the details on the meetings and webinar:
Webinar
-
Monday, March 21 – 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
URL: https://sfmta.com/budgetwebinar
Open Houses
-
Wednesday, March 23 – 6 to 8 p.m.
-
Saturday, March 26 – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
SFMTA Headquarters
1 South Van Ness Avenue
2nd Floor Atrium
SFMTA Citizens' Advisory Council Special Meeting
-
Thursday, March 24 – 5:30 p.m.
Presentation and public hearing
SFMTA Headquarters
1 South Van Ness Avenue
7th Floor, Union Square Conference Room
Agenda will be posted online.
SFMTA Board of Directors Meetings
- Tuesday, March 15 – 1 p.m.
Presentation and public hearing -
Tuesday, April 5 – 1 p.m.
Presentation and public hearing -
Tuesday, April 19 – 1 p.m.
Presentation, public hearing and possible Board vote
City Hall, Room 400
Agendas will be posted online.