San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials are discussing the possibility of restoring some proposed service cuts after learning earlier this week that the agency will receive about $36 million in state funding for this fiscal year and next, a Muni spokeswoman said today.
Along with the original bill signed Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, SFMTA would also receive $31.4 million for fiscal 2012 as part of a companion bill signed by the governor the same day, according to Muni spokeswoman Kristen Holland.
Agency officials are discussing what the money will go toward, and will make a presentation to the SFMTA board of directors during a meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The agency has proposed a 10 percent cut to Muni service, but Holland said restoring some of the proposed service cuts is “certainly part of what staff will review” before making the recommendations.
“The goal would be to make improvements where we can while still being respectful of these ongoing budget deficits,” she said.
The SFMTA still faces a budget deficit of more than $50 million in fiscal 2011. The deficit for this year is uncertain because of some revenue sources, such as taxi medallion sales and staff overtime reductions, that still have to be clarified, Holland said.
The original bill providing $36 million to the SFMTA will provide $400 million to transit agencies throughout the state, while the companion bill is estimated to provide about $350 million per year starting in fiscal 2012.
The agency has lost $179 million in State Transit Assistance funding over the past three years.
Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a statement following the signing of the bills that the legislation was “taking an important step towards restoring some of the public transit funds raided from cities and counties over the last three years.”
