Budget Fact Sheet

2009-2010

Department Mission

The Department of Public Works (DPW) enhances the quality of life in San Francisco by providing outstanding public
service. We design, build, operate, maintain, green, and improve the city’s infrastructure, public rights-of-way, and
facilities with skill, pride, and responsiveness, in partnership with the San Francisco community.

Budget Overview

The national economic downturn and state financial crisis continue to impact DPW’s budget and its ability to provide its
current level of services to San Franciscans. For the past two years, DPW contributed to balancing the city’s budget by
cutting management and administrative positions, realigning street sweeping services based on need, eliminating vacant
positions, deferring projects, and reducing or eliminating travel and supplies budgets. In the proposed Fiscal Year 2009-10
budget, frontline services will be impacted more so than in the past and will result in service impacts to the public. The
department cut spending in such a way that protects DPW’s core functions while addressing the Mayor’s policy priorities.
In addition, DPW is strengthening programs and outreach efforts to try and minimize these impacts by creating
partnerships to address graffiti abatement, sidewalk cleaning, and green space maintenance.

• DPW’s proposed $175 million FY 2009-10 budget is eight percent less than last fiscal year.

• DPW received $27.5 million from the general fund in FY 2008-09 and is proposed to receive $15.8 in FY 2009-10.

• DPW contributed to meeting the city’s $438 million general fund shortfall by:

o Decreasing overhead by nearly $1 million (eliminated nine positions, including high level manager
positions and by reducing professional services contracts and consulting services.)

o Reducing positions in street cleaning, landscape maintenance, tree maintenance and road repair.

Budget Comparison Approved 2007‐08 & 2008‐09 vs. 
Proposed 2009‐10   ($$$ in millions)
$40 
$35 
$30 
$25 
$20 
$15 
$10  FY 2007‐08  
$5  FY 2008‐09  
$‐ FY 2009‐10  

Making San Francisco a Beautiful, Livable, Vibrant, and Sustainable City.
Department of Public Works
FY 2009-10 Budget Fact Sheet

Proposed Fiscal Year 2009-10

Budget at a Glance FY 2009‐10 Revenues
1.2%
3.5% 2.4%
• Street Cleaning - The proposed budget 6.2%
Work Orders/Bonds/Grants
includes $5 million in cigarette fees so Gas Tax
tobacco companies pay a fair share for the 9.1% General Fund  Subsidy
cleanup of their product. This is intended
to offset street cleaning reductions. The Expenditure Recoveries
Community Corridors Partnership program BSM Fees
10.6%
will continue to provide intensive cleaning
Asphalt Sales
and physical improvements to the City’s 67.0%
busiest merchant corridors. Community Solid Waste Impound  Fees
outreach with residents and merchants in
reducing trash, litter and graffiti in these
target areas is a hallmark of the program.

• Road Resurfacing - DPW continues to fully fund its street resurfacing program with certificates of participation,
federal stimulus funds, and state funds. In addition, DPW is working with Mayor Newsom and the Board of
Supervisors to place a $368 million Safe Streets and Road Repair Bond measure on the November 2009 ballot,
which will enable capital improvements to city streets, structures, and sidewalks.

• San Francisco’s Urban Forest – In FY 2008-09, DPW successfully completed Mayor Newsom’s Trees for
Tomorrow program by coordinating the planting of 26,408 trees over the last five years. The proposed Urban
Forestry budget includes more than $4 million to care for street trees, a key mission of the program.

• Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response – DPW has been funded to complete preliminary design work
paving the way for a General Obligation Bond measure in 2010 to improve fire and police facilities and
infrastructure to keep San Franciscans safe.

Expected Service Impacts in Proposed FY 2009-10 Budget

• Reduction of one pothole crew will increase some response times by 10 to 15 percent.

• Reduction of 40 percent of landscape maintenance services, primarily on medians, will result in increasing an
average two-week maintenance cycle to four weeks.

• Reduction in tree care productivity up to 25 percent will result in slower response times for routine tree-
maintenance service requests.

• Reduction of 30 percent in manual street cleaning services in residential neighborhoods will result in slower
response times to 311 service calls for litter and illegal dumping.

• Responsibility for graffiti on private property in the Community Corridors Partnership Program will shift back to
private property owners.

Departmental Reorganization/Reassignment of Functions

In an effort to consolidate facilities maintenance functions in the City, most of DPW’s Stationary Engineers and
Custodians (107 positions) will transfer to the City’s General Services Agency’s Real Estate Division on July 1, 2009.
DPW will maintain responsibility for maintenance of building repair and maintenance of bridges, tunnels and plazas.

Making San Francisco a Beautiful, Livable, Vibrant, and Sustainable City.