Mayor Lee Signs San Francisco’s Balanced Budget For Fiscal Year 2013-14 & 2014-15
City’s Two-Year Balanced Budget Invests in Job Creation for Residents, Grows Local Economy, Builds Critical Infrastructure, Guarantees Public Safety & Protects Social Safety Net Services
Mayor Edwin M. Lee today signed San Francisco’s two-year balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2013-14 and 2014-15 after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved it yesterday. The two-year balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2013-14 and 2014-15 totals $7.9 billion annually, and it closes budget shortfalls of $124 million for FY 2013-14 and $256 million for FY 2014-15. The Mayor and Board of Supervisors worked closely together to develop this budget, and collaborated with residents, community organizations, City Departments and City employees to deliver the balanced budget on time.
“This consensus driven, responsible budget that the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted yesterday reflects our shared commitment to innovate to solve our City’s challenges, involve the public and invest in our infrastructure and workforce,” said Mayor Lee. “Together we are supporting San Francisco’s economic recovery and at the same time, guaranteeing public safety and protecting the social safety net services for those that need them the most. Thank you to Budget and Finance Committee Chair Supervisor Mark Farrell for leading this effort, and thank you to the entire Board of Supervisors for delivering a responsible and equitable final budget to the residents of our great City.”
“I am proud that Mayor Lee proposed and the Board of Supervisors approved a balanced two-year budget that provides vital services to our residents and invests in the safety and vibrancy of our neighborhoods,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. “This is a responsible budget in a growing economy. I want to thank Budget Committee Chair Mark Farrell, all of our colleagues, the hundreds of involved City staff members, and the thousands of San Franciscans who engaged in the successful process of crafting this year’s budget.”
“As Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, I’m proud that we were able to come to a consensus and pass the FY 2013-2014 and FY 2014-2015 budget unanimously at the Board,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. “I believe this budget reflects the priorities and values of both the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors, but most importantly – of San Francisco. We were able to find savings and add services while still adding a record amount of funds into our city’s budget reserves to protect against the next economic downturn.”
The City’s budget reflects responsible funding decisions that align with the City’s Five Year Financial Plan and protects the City’s economic recovery. This includes increasing budgetary reserves to record levels; reducing reliance on debt; addressing structural challenges at the Department of Public Health without enacting service cuts; and making unprecedented up front investments in capital infrastructure and streets that will save money over the long term. The final budget includes funding for historic levels of General Fund capital improvements – with the final budget including a total of $179 million over the next two years.
This budget also funds important policy priorities including: adding capacity to successfully implement the federal Affordable Care Act; funding hiring plans for the City’s public safety departments which will ensure that San Francisco hires 300 new police officers and 120 fire fighters over the next two years; and supporting the City’s children and families by allocating $110 million in direct funding to the San Francisco Unified School District. The budget also adds capacity at the Recreation and Parks department to open one new clubhouse in every district in San Francisco.
In partnership with the Board of Supervisors, the budget being signed today also makes important investments in the City’s social safety net. It fully restores state and federal cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and health services, backfills $2.8 million in Title V childcare cuts from the State; and provides an additional $2.5 million for supportive services for seniors, including nutrition and digital inclusion services. The final budget also includes $10 million in additional funding for homelessness prevention services and housing subsidies over two years; including funding for a dedicated family shelter in the South of Market, and supportive housing and services for transitional age youth to help them succeed.
San Francisco’s unemployment rate has dropped from 9.5 percent in January 2011 to 5.7 percent in June 2013. But with many San Franciscans still unemployed, Mayor Lee and the Board of Supervisors remain focused on jobs and the economy, and this proposed budget includes a number of economic and workforce development initiatives to support small businesses, drive job creation and strengthen diverse neighborhoods.
“This consensus driven, responsible budget that the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted yesterday reflects our shared commitment to innovate to solve our City’s challenges, involve the public and invest in our infrastructure and workforce,” said Mayor Lee. “Together we are supporting San Francisco’s economic recovery and at the same time, guaranteeing public safety and protecting the social safety net services for those that need them the most. Thank you to Budget and Finance Committee Chair Supervisor Mark Farrell for leading this effort, and thank you to the entire Board of Supervisors for delivering a responsible and equitable final budget to the residents of our great City.”
“I am proud that Mayor Lee proposed and the Board of Supervisors approved a balanced two-year budget that provides vital services to our residents and invests in the safety and vibrancy of our neighborhoods,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. “This is a responsible budget in a growing economy. I want to thank Budget Committee Chair Mark Farrell, all of our colleagues, the hundreds of involved City staff members, and the thousands of San Franciscans who engaged in the successful process of crafting this year’s budget.”
“As Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, I’m proud that we were able to come to a consensus and pass the FY 2013-2014 and FY 2014-2015 budget unanimously at the Board,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. “I believe this budget reflects the priorities and values of both the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors, but most importantly – of San Francisco. We were able to find savings and add services while still adding a record amount of funds into our city’s budget reserves to protect against the next economic downturn.”
The City’s budget reflects responsible funding decisions that align with the City’s Five Year Financial Plan and protects the City’s economic recovery. This includes increasing budgetary reserves to record levels; reducing reliance on debt; addressing structural challenges at the Department of Public Health without enacting service cuts; and making unprecedented up front investments in capital infrastructure and streets that will save money over the long term. The final budget includes funding for historic levels of General Fund capital improvements – with the final budget including a total of $179 million over the next two years.
This budget also funds important policy priorities including: adding capacity to successfully implement the federal Affordable Care Act; funding hiring plans for the City’s public safety departments which will ensure that San Francisco hires 300 new police officers and 120 fire fighters over the next two years; and supporting the City’s children and families by allocating $110 million in direct funding to the San Francisco Unified School District. The budget also adds capacity at the Recreation and Parks department to open one new clubhouse in every district in San Francisco.
In partnership with the Board of Supervisors, the budget being signed today also makes important investments in the City’s social safety net. It fully restores state and federal cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and health services, backfills $2.8 million in Title V childcare cuts from the State; and provides an additional $2.5 million for supportive services for seniors, including nutrition and digital inclusion services. The final budget also includes $10 million in additional funding for homelessness prevention services and housing subsidies over two years; including funding for a dedicated family shelter in the South of Market, and supportive housing and services for transitional age youth to help them succeed.
San Francisco’s unemployment rate has dropped from 9.5 percent in January 2011 to 5.7 percent in June 2013. But with many San Franciscans still unemployed, Mayor Lee and the Board of Supervisors remain focused on jobs and the economy, and this proposed budget includes a number of economic and workforce development initiatives to support small businesses, drive job creation and strengthen diverse neighborhoods.