Mill Valley voters to consider sales tax increase

Mill Valley residents will be asked in the Nov. 5 election to add another percentage point to its sales tax.

Measure L would raise the 8.25% rate to support city services, facilities maintenance and public safety. The measure has been endorsed by the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Marin Association of Realtors and the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers.

“As a chamber of commerce, we don’t take a sales tax increase lightly,” Stacey Lamirand, chair of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce board of directors, wrote in a letter in support of the measure. “But it is important to note that the City of Mill Valley’s sales tax is 8.250%, on par with five Marin Municipalities and lower than six other Marin Municipalities.”

“The Mill Valley Business community will benefit significantly from the tax measure and proposed investments in our community,” the letter continues. “You have our full support.”

The city needs to come up with $150 million to $180 million for infrastructure updates over the next 10 to 15 years. The current rate generates around $3.6 million in annual revenue, according to the city. The tax increase would generate additional $4.2 million.

Mimi Willard, founder and president of the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, said the organization supports the tax because the city demonstrated a need for it, because it met the group’s requirements for a sensible timeline and because it was tied to specific projects.

“They strived for as fair a tax as they could get public support for,” Willard said. “And perhaps most important, the City Council and city manager are exceptionally responsible and can be trusted to spend the money efficiently and on the promised priorities. We hope Mill Valley will serve as a model for other cities and agencies in Marin.”

The measure also has been endorsed by 10 former mayors who still live in the city, Mayor Urban Carmel said. Several of the city’s commissions, including parks and recreation and emergency preparedness, have signed letters of support. No formal opposition has emerged.

Carmel said he is cautiously optimistic about the measure passing. He said people are experiencing tax fatigue, and while earlier polls showed that 60% of residents polled support it, well above the 50% needed to pass, he said he can’t be too sure.

“So that tells you that it should pass, but passing tax measures is hard,” Carmel said. “We’re trying to tread lightly. We’re doing the least amount of a raise that we can.”

Carmel said part of getting the tax increase approved by voters is building trust within the community. He said the city has a strong history of financial prudence and infrastructure management.

“We put in a number of safeguards that we think will be really important for building trust in the community,” he said.

The City Council directed that the revenue from the sales tax can only be spent on critical infrastructure improvements like wildfire prevention measures; landslide prevention; evacuation and emergency preparedness; and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, storm drains and facilities.

An independent committee would oversee the spending, and financial audits would be required. The tax would be set to expire in 10 years.

“These are the ones that really need to be done to ensure safety and community wellbeing,” Carmel said. “Those are our two goals.”