No new taxes? Don’t bring that kind of noise to Fairfax, where voters passed a half-cent sales tax increase that will add about $200,000 to the town’s traditionally troubled coffers. And they did so in an economy that continues to lack jobs, pace and much hope.
OK, that’s not entirely fair. The coffers haven’t been troubled; they’ve been a little bit empty. The town has had a tough time with its budget process over the years, so the extra cash should come in handy. The fact that the measure passed with almost 65 percent of the vote, when it only required 50 percent, is an indication residents have grown tired of the financial uncertainty at city hall. From 2005 to 2010, town audit reports showed revenue projections were off almost $3 million and expenditure projections were off by $1 million.
The measure had the backing of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and a fair number of businesses around town. While merchants may be willing to deal with an 8.5 percent sales tax, they’re going to expect town hall to respond to challenges facing businesses. And residents will expect town officials to get a better handle on town finances, at least for the five years the tax will be on the books.
Be careful what you wish for.
Meanwhile, in Novato…
The Novato City Council has renewed the Downtown Novato Business Improvement District’s annual assessment, which raised about $53,000 in 2010. The fee has been in place since 1999 and the revenues raised go for marketing, ads and events such as the Novato Festival of Art, Wine and Music and the city’s Spring Celebration.
That Novato Festival of Art, Wine and Music just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?
At any rate, the Novato business community has never really spoken with one voice, as the place is chock full of independent types who don’t mind sharing their opinions. It’s one of the qualities that makes Novato an interesting city, and it’s one of the characteristics that keep things from getting stale.
So imagine the surprise at the city council when 78 business owners submitted letters questioning the assessment, down from 80 the year before.
Nevertheless, the 20 percent of the merchants who don’t agree with the money raised going for things like a district website or newsletter, troubles Councilwoman Jeanne Mac-Leamy. She says city staff should find out why the fee isn’t universally embraced.
Right after that, they should get busy solving the European debt crisis.
And in Mill Valley….
The city’s planning commission is looking at doubling the square feet required to trigger a permit that would make the city that sits in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais more business-friendly. On the other hand, the commission is also looking at possibly joining Sausalito and the aforementioned Fairfax in telling chain businesses to go away.
The commission may push the size of a business from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet before it requires a permit. Mill Valley has been virulent in trying to keep its downtown welcoming and unique. The village atmosphere and high-end boutiques have kept dollars flowing in the local economy, even if it’s sent locals elsewhere in their search for many everyday goods.
The discussions by the planning commission are ongoing at this writing and, so far, the commission isn’t talking about a ban on all chains, but rather those that sling burgers and the like.
When in doubt, whip a lawyer out…
Regular readers of this very magazine will recall that, last year, we featured a story about a small group of business folks trying to bring a minor league baseball team to San Rafael, and the neighbors near the ballpark who didn’t want to see that happen (see “Hit or Miss?” Oct. 2011).
A few days after that issue hit your mailbox, Centerfield Partners changed its strategy for getting the city to say “yes” to the team by changing the request so it matched the park’s existing use. The move put the city in the position of either approving the request to rent the facility for one year or risk being taken to court for denying Centerfield’s application. And the city council, which wanted the team in the first place but was playing nice with the neighborhood opponents, found the stones to vote in favor of letting the team play in 2012.
But the Albert Park Neighborhood Alliance, a group of concerned neighbors, hired lawyer Dotty LeMieux to represent their interests and file a lawsuit seeking to delay the San Rafael Pacifics from playing at Albert Field. They want an environmental study done addressing noise, traffic, parking and whether anything in the neighborhood should ever be allowed to change ever again.
OK, I made that last part up.
LeMieux is a gifted advocate for her clients as well as the environment. She’s been a successful political consultant and knows the lay of the land in Marin as well as any insider. And what’s more Marin than a study to decide if a baseball team should be allowed to play baseball in a baseball park?
While the public hearings regarding minor league baseball in San Rafael have been loud, with the city giving its OK and the lawsuit being filed, the gloves are pretty much off. Mike Shapiro, president of the Pacifics, has been circumspect regarding neighborhood opposition.
Not anymore. He told the Marin IJ, “We got a unanimous vote of the Park and Recreation Commission and two unanimous votes out of the City Council. It’s utter nonsense for them to create this new level of inquiry purely for the sake of delay and to try to cost us more money. We are doing something for the entire community and for the neighborhood.”
