The State Parks scandal may impact local governments’ plan to raise revenues to pay for their own parks and recreation projects.
Some governments, such as Sonoma County, have already scrubbed their proposed parks tax initiative. Their plan would have raised $17 million per year. However, the revelation that doomsday park closures announced by the state were unfounded, as the state agency had secretly hoarded $50 million. Sonoma’s proposed tax collapsed before ever reaching a ballot.
However, Marin appears ready to move forward with their quarter cent sales tax that would raise $10 million per year. According to a consultant’s report, the quarter-cent tax received support of 67.5 percent of surveyed voters.
From the Marin Independent Journal:
A state parks funding scandal late last week prompted Sonoma County officials to scrap plans for a quarter-cent sales tax increase to pay for park projects — but insiders don’t expect Marin officials to follow suit.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors will review an ordinance Tuesday that would impose the annual $10 million tax, and is scheduled to set 10:30 a.m. Aug. 7 for a hearing on merits of the plan, which would require a two-thirds vote of approval from voters in November.
Read the full article here.