Where the region's $30-million surplus actually went
Half to reserves, a quarter to the transit stabilisation fund, and the rest to a list nobody debated.
By Alice Renwick· Published August 23, 2026
·1 min read
The 2025 surplus closed at $30.4 million, and the allocation report that distributes it passed on consent — which means the interesting half of the story is the list nobody debated.
Half goes to the tax stabilisation reserve, a quarter to transit. The remaining eight million funds fourteen items, from courthouse security cameras to a consultant's review of the consultant-review process.
The Chronicle annotated all fourteen. Three had previously been voted down as budget items.