SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- With a $522 million dollar deficit forecast next year, the city won’t make ends meet just by cutting services. But there is little consensus among The mayor or the supervisors about how to bring more money into city coffers.
“We have to get back to the negotiating table to talk about new revenue,” said Supervisor Chris Daly. He favors higher taxes such as raising the sales tax or the property transfer tax.
Mayor Gavin Newsom has also suggested raising fees on condo conversions, an idea that was unpopular last year.
The mayor believes voters have no appetite to approve new taxes. “It’s not as if we’re a low tax city to begin with,” Newsom said.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor reports
So instead Newsom is reviving an idea from last year to sell off the taxi medallions to the highest bidder, a move he estimates would bring in more than $100 million. “That doesn’t increase taxes on poor people like a sales tax would.”
Supervisor David Chiu suggested “larger systemic reforms” in how the city pays pensions and calculates benefits would be necessary to control costs.
Chiu is looking at eliminating more than $1 billion of "set-asides" guaranteed for the budgets for police, fire, libraries and other programs. He admitted that change would be a hard sell.
“Everyone has there favorite pet project or issue area that they want to protect,” Chiu said.
No matter where the dust settles at the end of the budgeting process, living in San Francisco next year will likely cost more than it year ago.
(jro)
E-Mail Story
Print Story
DW.pageParams = {
siteId: '255'
};
DW.clear();
DW.trackClicks();
