San Rafael, CA – The first year of the next two-year County of Marin proposed budget includes $589,929,959 in total spending, up 6.37 percent from a year ago.
Property taxes remain the single largest source of discretionary revenue for the County’s general fund, and those are projected to increase 5.2 percent in 2018-19. The Marin County Board of Supervisors will discuss the proposed budget at public hearings beginning on June 18 in the Board of Supervisors chamber, Suite 330, at the Marin County Civic Center (specific times to be announced later). The Board is expected to take a vote on the final budget at the conclusion of the public hearing on Wednesday, June 20.
The proposed budget allocates one-time investments in the Board’s top priorities, including affordable housing, racial equity, climate change, disaster preparedness, and County road infrastructure. The budget also includes increased ongoing allocations for expanded mental health programs, increased infrastructure rehabilitation, and cost-of-living adjustments for County staff and community-based organizations.
The 6.37 percent overall budget increase is up from the 2.6 percent increase between 2016-17 and 2017-18 and the recent growth is largely a reflection of new state funding for mental health and homeless services. The proposed general fund budget is $443,119,221, up just 0.5 percent from a year ago.
Budget Manager Bret Uppendahl said the budget is structurally sound. As the economy has sustained moderate growth levels, local revenue from property tax, sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenues have rebounded. Property taxes remain the single largest source of discretionary revenue for the County’s general fund, and those are projected to increase 5.2 percent in 2018-19.
Learn more on the budget overview page of the County Administrator’s webpage. Questions or suggestions about the budget may be emailed to caobudget@marincounty.org.