Muni's got a deficit -- brace for more parking tickets

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Drivers in San Francisco beware: the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs the city's transit and parking operations, is looking to increase issuing the number of parking citations issued, officials announced Monday.

The reason? To help close a projected $21 million deficit in the $775 million operating budget for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

The agency budgeted about $99 million for parking citation revenue this year but projections have been falling short due to a decline in the number of tickets issued. In response, officials will look at redeploying the parking cops so they're working the times and locations ''to bring in the most revenue for the agency and the city,'' agency spokesman Paul Rose said.

Overall, the agency is down $11.6 million in anticipated revenue and up $9.6 million in anticipated expenses.

The agency quietly revealed the new budget numbers at the end of the business day Monday and will make a formal presentation to the agency's governing board Tuesday.

In addition to stepping up parking violation enforcement, officials hope to plug the budget hole by selling off more taxi permits, known as medallions, and reducing overtime. Officials said they have no plans to cut Muni service or raise fares.

The continued budget problems, however, make the prospect of fully restoring service that was cut an unprecedented 10 percent in May more remote. Muni put back nearly two-thirds of the lost service in September by patching together a one-time funding package of about $15 million. But to put it all back next year, an additional $36 million would be needed, and so far only $14 million has been identified.

Posted By: Rachel Gordon (Email) | January 03 2011 at 06:11 PM

Listed Under: Transit, traffic and just getting around