Parks for the Future—Measure O—is a proposed San Mateo County sales tax increase by 1/8th of a cent for 25 years. The revenue would support parks and recreation in San Mateo County.
Measure O will be on the June 3rd 2008 ballot. It is projected to cost the average person $18 per year. The revenue, approximately $16 million per year, would be allocated to jurisdictions per a formula.
Cities would have authority to spend funds according to their parks and recreation needs. Each jurisdiction could vary how the money is spent over the life of the tax.
Funds could be spent on:
- playgrounds
- trails
- recreation programs
- soccer fields
- basketball courts
- public bathrooms
- maintenance
- operations
- capital improvements
- property acquisitions
Under the measure, cities and the County would be required to maintain their general fund contributions to the parks and recreation budgets.
The City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG) will administer distribution of funds, auditing and reporting functions.
Click below for more information on Measure O.
What would this sales tax increase mean for the unincorporated Midcoast?
San Mateo County will receive 42% of the $16 million per year (in 2002 figures) generated by the 1/8 of a percent sales increase. The County has verbally promised to spend a small percentage (approximately $300,000. per year) of the 42% to help implement the Midcoast Action Plan for Parks.
The San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Department has had its budget reduced by approximately 40% since 2002. Staffing levels have been reduced from 94 in 1990 to 60 in 2007. Meanwhile visits to the County Parks have increased by 250,000.
The annual administrative costs for the sales tax increase would be $750,000. Most of the administrative money would go to the State Board of Equalization. Approximately $100,000 of the administrative money would be used locally to administer, audit and report to the public.
The 20 San Mateo Cities would receive 52% of the sales tax revenue. The breakdown is based on city population with a minimum going to small cities. Half Moon Bay with an estimated population 12,000 is considered a small city and would receive approximately $205,000.
The population of the unincorporated Midcoast and the city of Half Moon Bay are each approximately 12,000 based on US census statistics. The total Coastside population is approximately 24,000 people.
Out of the County’s 42% the County has verbally promised to allocate approximately $300,000.00 per year to the implementation of the Midcoast Action Plan for Parks (MAPP). It was expected that this promise would be memorialized by Board of Supervisors resolution.
At the October 25th 2007 Parks For The Future meeting at the Harbor House, Parks Director Dave Holland said that he would request the Parks and Recreation Commission approve a resolution memorializing sales tax revenue allocation commitments to the Midcoast Action Plan for Parks (MAPP). The resolution would then need to be signed by the Board of Supervisors. Parks Commissioner Bern Smith attended the October 07 meeting and did not object to the proposed resolution.
Dave Holland said in a December 2007 phone conversation that the County Board of Supervisors would not memorialize sales tax revenue allocation for the Midcoast because it might upset the cites.
It is disappointing that the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Parks & Recreation Commissioners were unable to get the “promise” memorialized in writing by the Board of Supervisors.
The Parks Commissioners and the Board of Supervisors missed an important opportunity to advocate on behalf of the unincorporated Midcoast. Measure O does not guarantee that money will be allocated to the Midcoast on a continual basis.
In addition to the promise of $300,000 per year for implementation of the Midcoast Action Plan for Parks (MAPP) the County said they would spend approximately $100,000 per year on additional resources for the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (FMR) staircase and improvements on the Mirada Surf property (east & west sides of Highway 1 near Surfers Beach) Including a new Mirada Surf bathroom facility located at the Miramar end of the property and the extension of the Coastal Trail through the Mirada Surf property.
And on top of that fuzzy math 6% of the sales tax revenue will go to three special districts, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), Ladera and Highlands recreation districts. MROSD http://www.openspace.org/ will receive 75% of the 6%. This affects the Coastside because the newly expanded MROSD jurisdiction includes the Midcoast. Eventually the unincorporated Midcoast would benefit from some of the MROSD 75% of the 6% revenue as MROSD opens additional preserves to public access and implements restoration project to protect native habitats or creek health in the preserves.
The good news is if Measure O is passed June 3rd 2008 Parks for the Future will require cities and the County Board of Supervisors to maintain existing funds for parks and recreation budgets in order to receive the additional tax revenue funding.
The bad news is while the Midcoast has the current support of the County Parks and Recreation Director what will happen when Dave Holland moves on? Can we count on Measure O to provide Midcoast Park Funding for the Future?
Questions regarding revenue allocation can be emailed to Parks and Recreation Director Dave Holland:
For more information on Parks For The Future and San Mateo County Parks & Recreation Foundation please checkout: http://www.supportparks.org
Dave Holland moving on, I hope not.... for awhile anyway. I absolutely support Measure O. Mr Holland's forward thinking in regards to parks use, specifically beginning to seriously study bicycle use within many County parks, is refreshing to me as a bicyclist+Pacifica resident. I also own a dog, and with passing funding for county parks, MAYBE, we can study future area's for appropriate dog access too. As time passes, I have come to the conclusion that pretty much everything seems to be related to pay as ya go reality. I think there are a few spots in our parks that shared use can include doggy's and bicycles so as to truly reflect their increasing #'s Yo on Measure O!!