San Rafael, CA – Marin County Parks wants to hear from local residents about how Parks funds should be spent, and what’s most important to them. To gather feedback, Parks is launching a wide-reaching community engagement program and asking residents to share thoughts via an online survey. The survey opens today, and is available in English and Spanish, and will only take about 10 minutes to complete.
Max Korten, Parks’ Director and General Manager, said the responses will help our staff maintain a high level of service and guide decision-making. “This is an important way for us to stay in tune with the community and keep our focus on the values we share with them,” he said.
Measure A, otherwise known as the Marin Parks, Open Space, and Farmland Preservation Transactions and Use Tax Ordinance of 2012, is a quarter-cent countywide tax to care for Marin County’s parks, open spaces and farms. It generates an average of $13 million per year and has resulted in a total of $91.2 million in funds (as of fiscal year 2019-20) for parks, open spaces, and farmland preservation across Marin County. Those investments have allowed the county and local governments to increase fire fuel reduction, address deferred maintenance in parks, increase community programming, support working lands, protect and restore natural habitat, and improve trails.
An extension of Measure A is on track to be included on the June 2022 election ballot in Marin, as directed by the Marin County Board of Supervisors. A 2019 community survey and a recent poll conducted by the Marin Open Space Trust in early June of this year, has indicated broad support for local parks and open space.
“Measure A funding has touched every corner of Marin and resulted in meaningful improvements and quality-of-life enhancements,” Korten said. “For instance, we’ve been able to address wildfire preparedness and improve ecosystem health at the same time.”
Parks has also invested in agency and community partnerships, providing more opportunities for residents to volunteer and have a voice in land management. The One Tam partnership has helped land managers and the community to come together to care for Marin’s iconic lands on Mount Tamalpais.
Survey results will be summarized in a report and shared with the community and the Parks and Open Space Commission in September, then later to the Board of Supervisors.
Learn more about Parks and Measure A at www.marincountyparks.org.