The SacRT FY 2026 budget is separated into Operating Budget Summary (starting page 17) and Capital Budget Summary (starting page 26) sections. For those of you not familiar with budgets, the budget period covers July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, and is called FY (fiscal year) 2026. Operating means running the transit system, while capital means the infrastructure of the system, including buses and light rail vehicles. This post is about the revenue subsection of the operating section.

The Fare Revenue lumps together farebox recovery with other fare-related income, such as payments by Los Rios Community College District for their free or reduced fare for college students program. Farebox recovery should be separated out from other fare-related income. Among transit advocacy organizations, including STAR, there is always the question about how money earned in farebox recovery compares to the expense of running the fare program. This is impossible to determine unless farebox recovery is separated out.

State and Local Revenue lumps together funds coming from the state with funds coming from local, in this case, the Measure A transportation sales tax revenue that is allocated to SacRT. Bullet items 1, 2, and 5 are Measure A. Measure A is particularly important because it is a significant portion of income, and because a potential 2026 or 2028 transportation sales tax measure could increase this source of revenue. Lumping together state and local makes it impossible to analyze both the current benefit and potential benefit. At 76.5% of operating revenue, there must be more detail on State and Local.

Below are the two graphics from the budget document, the pie chart and the table, demonstrating the lack of critical specificity.

Though a minor part of the revenue subsection, the Other includes ‘$3.25 million in investment income’. Nice, but this needs some context. While earning a minor amount of income, SacRT is also expending $28.5 million on ‘FY12 Revenue Bond Payments (M004)’.

• SacRT Budget