San Francisco's Muni facing a $322 million budget deficit
SFMTA mulls plans to cover $322 million budget shortfall
SFMTA Board of Directors today heard six plans to help cover the projected $322 million budget shortfall
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency is facing a financial cliff with a projected $322 million budget deficit.
What we know:
The Muni Funding Working Group is pitching a series of plans to cover the gap. The SFMTA board met on Tuesday to consider six plans going forward.
Muni is facing the prospect of a $322 million shortfall. On Tuesday, the Muni Funding Working Group presented a series of six options to the SFMTA board for proposed fixes, ranging from cuts to exploring ballot measures to cover the budget gap.
SFMTA's Chief Financial Officer, Bree Mawhorter, said the financial crisis will only deepen unless the board makes significant changes.
"Solving a $322 million deficit with 30 % of your revenues when you've already done everything you can to increase those revenues and achieved $13 million, the math does not math," said Mawhorter. "We need either new policies or new revenue sources."
SFMTA has faced economic headwinds since the pandemic upturned commute patterns and fundamentally changed Muni's revenue stream.
Director Julie Kirschbaum said the agency has already made cuts and improved efficiency, saving an estimated $120 million.
Now the board will have to look for a new path forward. "With all of our funding sources down, it's really important to explore new revenues and new efficiencies to complement the efficiencies that the agency has already pursued," said Kirschbaum.
SFMTA Board Chair, Janet Tarlov, said now she and her colleagues will pour out the proposals, drawing together a plan.
"This is the very initial phase of understanding what are the levers that we can use," said Tarlov.
Transit advocate Cyrus Hall said the state needs to step up to help pay for Muni, and voters will need a reason to have faith if they're going to be asked to help fund transit.
"Where if we go to the voters with a real vision for what can public transit be, in San Francisco and the region, that will help them understand this is just one step to get there," said Hall.
The board is getting an early start on working out its budget. That will give staff time to work on the details of whatever plans they adopt before delivering a budget proposal in May 2026.
Featured
San Francisco sees 30% drop in Muni fare evasion after SFMTA crackdown
Another Bay Area transit agency is joining BART in its effort to combat fare evasion. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) reported a 30% drop in fare evasion on Muni since July of last year.