Budget and Finance committee forwards airport leases, childcare tax credit, housing grant and SFMTA fee to full Board

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee on May 10 forwarded several routine items to the full Board, including airport contract changes, a tax-credit extension for childcare providers, a housing grant application and a transportation fee renewal.

Chair Supervisor Connie Chan said the committee would send two SFO-related resolutions on to the full Board with positive recommendations. Kathy Wagner of San Francisco International Airport described a proposal to reinstate free luggage carts in the international terminal and restore the pre-pandemic payment methodology with Smart Cart (either a per-cart fee or an annual flat service fee indexed to CPI). Wagner said the change “would reinstate the free luggage cart program in the international terminal” and that the airport expects no net budget impact from the contractual adjustment. The committee also approved forwarding a final one-year extension of an off-airport reprographics lease (837 Malcolm Road, Burlingame) that would raise rent to about $150,450 annually.

Supervisor Chan and Vice Chair Rafael Mandelmann cosponsored an ordinance to extend a tax credit tied to the city’s early care and education initiative. A speaker representing the effort said the commercial-rents tax credit supports licensed childcare facilities and is calculated based on the facility’s licensed capacity; roughly 10 taxpayers have claimed the credit so far. The ordinance would extend the credit through Dec. 31, 2028.

The committee also approved a resolution allowing the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) to apply for up to $5,000,000 in matching funds from the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Local Housing Trust Fund NOFA. MOHCD staff said the state round is competitive and that awards are expected in August.

Laurence Fuquay of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency described a request to renew a $1 abandoned-vehicle abatement fee that the DMV collects with vehicle registration; state law requires Board reauthorization every 10 years. Chair Chan noted the full Board will need a two-thirds vote to extend the fee.

All of these items were forwarded to the full Board with positive recommendations and recorded committee votes.