San Francisco’s bureaucratic budget ballet just got a whole lot more scandalous.

A fresh audit from the Budget and Legislative Analyst has uncovered a financial fiasco that’ll make your taxpayer blood boil. City Hall departments are playing an epic game of interdepartmental billing roulette, charging each other nearly $80 million annually while conveniently “forgetting” to pay up.

The Money Maze

In the 2022-23 fiscal year, departments had over $79 million in “carryforward appropriations” sitting pretty in their budgets - money that could potentially vanish into administrative thin air. While no explicit wrongdoing was found, the audit screams of bureaucratic bumbling that would make even the most patient accountant rage-quit.

Political Sparks Flying

Progressive Supervisor Jackie Fielder isn’t letting this slide. “At a time when critical social services are on the chopping block, these findings highlight the urgent need for transparency,” she declared, basically calling out City Hall’s financial shenanigans.

The Budget Battlefield

With Mayor Daniel Lurie facing an $800 million deficit and preparing to present a budget that’ll likely trigger progressive heartburn, this audit drops like a financial truth bomb. It suggests that before slashing services, maybe - just maybe - City Hall should check its own couch cushions for loose millions.

Remember, San Francisco: your tax dollars are playing an elaborate shell game, and someone’s gotta call out the magicians.