FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE September 2, 2026
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Heather Abrams, Town Manager
SUBJECT Approve a letter to the Marin County Board of Supervisors responding to the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury report, Measure A and Voter Choice:
Rethinking Parks and Agriculture Funding in Marin, and authorize the Mayor to sign the letter on behalf of the Town Council
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Town Council take the following actions:
1. Approve the draft letter to the Marin County Board of Supervisors regarding the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury report on Measure A (Attachment A), with any revisions the Council directs; and
2. Authorize the Mayor to sign the letter on behalf of the Town Council and direct staff to transmit it to the Board of Supervisors.
BACKGROUND
Measure A is the countywide sales tax measure that funds parks, open space, and farmland preservation in Marin County. Fifteen percent of Measure A revenue is allocated to cities, towns, and special districts for local parks and recreation purposes. Fairfax has used its allocation for maintenance and renovation of the Pavilion, the Women’s Club, Bolinas Park, Peri Park, and the Town trail system, as well as ball field and tennis court improvements and open space acquisition. In FY 2024-25 the Town received $74,752 in Measure A revenue.
On June 30, 2026, the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury issued a report titled Measure A and Voter Choice: Rethinking Parks and Agriculture Funding in Marin. Recommendation R4 of that report states that, in future Measure A renewals, the Board of Supervisors should consider eliminating the fixed allocation to cities, towns, and special districts and instead allow Marin County Parks to direct those funds based on regional priorities and public benefit. To the best of staff’s knowledge, no city or town manager was interviewed for the report, and no incorporated jurisdiction was invited to respond to it.
On August 18, 2026, ten of the eleven Marin city and town managers, including the Fairfax Town Manager, submitted a joint letter to the Board of Supervisors offering information for the Board’s consideration as it prepares its response to the Grand Jury (Attachment B). That letter was submitted at the staff level and was copied to all eleven city and town councils. The Council has expressed an interest in submitting a letter in its own voice, as the Town’s elected body. The Marin County Board of Supervisors discussed the Grand Jury’s report on August 25, 2026.
DISCUSSION
Mayor Hellman requested the draft letter in Attachment A, which conveys substantially the same information as the joint managers’ letter, stated from Fairfax’s perspective and over the signature of the Mayor on behalf of the Town Council. It does not dispute the Grand Jury’s broader findings. It respectfully
objects to Recommendation R4, notes that the incorporated jurisdictions were not interviewed or invited to respond, describes the work Fairfax has completed with its Measure A allocation, and requests that cities and towns be invited to participate in any future discussion of the Measure A allocation. It also asks that the letter be included as an attachment to the Board’s response to the Grand Jury.
Staff concludes that a Council letter adds weight that a staff-level letter cannot. It places the position of Fairfax’s elected body on the record, it speaks directly to the Board of Supervisors as one elected body to another, and it documents local impact with Fairfax-specific figures. In FY 2024-25 Fairfax is estimated to have generated approximately $325,000 in Measure A tax while receiving $74,752.
For Fairfax, Measure A is effectively the only dedicated and consistent source of funding for park infrastructure. Adopting Recommendation R4 would leave neighborhood parks competing against roads, storm drains, and life-safety projects for General Fund dollars, would introduce uncertainty into multiyear capital planning, and could prompt individual jurisdictions to pursue separate local funding measures — a result that risks voter confusion and weakens support for a future Measure A renewal.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with approving and sending the letter. The Town received $74,752 in Measure A revenue in FY 2024-25 for park and recreation facility purposes. If the local allocation were eliminated in a future Measure A renewal, the Town would lose its only dedicated funding source for park infrastructure and would need to identify a replacement source or defer projects.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Draft letter from the Fairfax Town Council to the Marin County Board of Supervisors B. Letter dated August 17, 2026 from ten Marin city and town managers to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, with supporting exhibits
T O W N O F F A I R F A X
142 BOLINAS ROAD, FAIRFAX, CALIFORNIA 94930
PHONE (415) 453 - 1584 / FAX (415) 453 - 1618
September 2, 2026
Board of Supervisors
County of Marin
3501 Civic Center Drive
Suite 329
San Rafael CA 94903
SUBJECT: Response to the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Report Titled, Measure A and Voter Choice: Rethinking Parks and Agriculture Funding in Marin President Lucan and Members of the Board of Supervisors:
On June 30, 2026, the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury issued the above-referenced report. On behalf of the Town of Fairfax, I respectfully request that you include this letter as an attachment to your response.
It is understood the charter of the Marin County Grand Jury is to “investigate and monitor the performance of local government agencies.” It is both curious and disappointing that our Fairfax town manager, nor, any other from the 10 other jurisdictions, were contacted or interviewed to inform this report. Nor further, none of the eleven city/town jurisdiction agencies were invited to respond to the report. This is particularly noteworthy as the recommendation “R4” proposal to eliminate funding allocations to each.
The Town of Fairfax has come to depend and reply on Measure A funding as the only dedicated, consistent source of funding for park infrastructure improvements. R4 would have dramatic consequences for how Fairfax supports our local parks.
In recent years Fairfax has depended on Measure A funds for:
• Town Pavillion maintenance allowing for children’s recreation programs, summer camps, local theatre, regional festivals and events
• Women’s Club kitchen electrification, clean energy heating, A/C • Bolinas Park signage and lawn maintenance needed for regional serving Farmers Market • Peri Park playground installation, repairs to music stage and picnic areas • Maintenance of Town trails on hillsides and in open space • Open Space Acquisition funds for the 100-acre property now known as the Fairfax Open Space Preserve, Sky Ranch Knoll, and others.
• Central Field baseball field
• Tennis Court improvements
A Memorial Garden in the public space perimeter outside the Women’s Club is currently being planned
ATTACHMENT A
for the four local teens who perished in the April 2025 San Geronimo accident.
We hope this provides you with more information and insight related to the importance of the funding distribution model the voters passed in 2022. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Hellman
Mayor
Town of Fairfax
August 18, 2026
Board of Supervisors
County of Marin
3501 Civic Center Drive
Suite 329
San Rafael CA 94903
SUBJECT: Response to the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Report Titled, Measure A and Voter Choice: Rethinking Parks and Agriculture Funding in Marin President Lucan and Members of the Board of Supervisors:
On June 30, 2026, the 2025-26 Marin County Civil Grand Jury issued the above-referenced report. We write collectively as ten of the city and town managers who serve your constituents in the incorporated communities of Marin County to offer information for your consideration as you prepare your response to this report. We respectfully request that you include this letter as an attachment to your response.
To the best of our knowledge, none of the eleven city and town managers were interviewed by the Grand Jury for this report. Nor were any of our agencies invited to respond to the report, which we found particularly surprising upon reading recommendation R4:
In future Measure A renewals, the Marin County Board of Supervisors should consider eliminating the fixed allocation of Measure A funds to cities, towns, and special districts and instead allow Marin County Parks to direct funds based on regional priorities and public benefit.
The body of the report suggests that the Marin County Parks staff should be empowered to decide whether and how any Measure A funds would be made available to other agencies through a grant program.
We think the Grand Jury report would have been more informative, and the Grand Jury might not have included recommendation R4, had there been some evaluation of the impactful work being done by the cities, towns, and special districts with the 15% allocation of Measure A monies directed to local agencies. We also think the public would benefit from understanding where Measure A revenue is generated relative to where it is spent.
Marin’s cities and towns have come to rely on Measure A funding. For many cities and towns, Measure A is the only dedicated, consistent source of funding for park infrastructure improvements. We would also note that recommendation R4 could have real consequences for
how our communities plan and maintain their local park systems. Local parks provide the daily, walkable access to green space and recreation that regional destination parks cannot replicate, and many park agencies have adopted a “10-minute walk to a park” standard because consistent access to a nearby park is one of the strongest predictors of park use and the associated public health benefits.
Most cities and towns in Marin are struggling with significant deferred maintenance and other infrastructure challenges. Removing the dedicated local Measure A allocation would leave neighborhood parks competing for General Fund dollars against roads, storm drains, and other critical infrastructure, where they are often reasonably deprioritized relative to life-safety projects. It would also introduce uncertainty into the multi-decade capital planning our agencies rely on and could prompt individual jurisdictions to pursue their own local funding measures to fill the gap. This could create voter confusion and risk public support for any future Measure A renewal.
We hope the attached information is useful and illustrates that there are hundreds of parks and recreation facilities in the incorporated communities that could benefit from Measure A funds. It is our hope that if there is a future discussion about the allocation of Measure A, the cities, towns, and special districts are invited to present arguments for the local agency allocation to increase.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert Zadnik, Belvedere City Manager
Adam Wolff, Corte Madera Town Manager
Heather Abrams, Fairfax Town Manager
Dan Schwarz, Larkspur City Manager
Amy Cunningham, Novato City Manager
Todd Cusimano, Mill Valley City Manager
Christa Johnson, Ross Town Manager
Dave Donery, San Anselmo Town Manager
Paul Navazio, San Rafael Interim City Manager
Greg Chanis, Tiburon Town Manager
c: All members of the 11 City and Town Councils
County CEO Derek Johnson
Marin County Grand Jury
EXAMPLES OF WORK COMPLETED WITH MEASURE A FUNDS WITHIN
INCORPORATED JURISDICTIONS
Belvedere
Tennis Court Refurbishment
Water Well for Community Park
Vegetation/Fire Risk Management
Corte Madera
Construction of Town Park Restroom
Upgrades to the Corte Madera Dog Park
Skunk Hollow mini park improvements
Cove Park improvements
Corte Madera Park Master Plan Implementation
Fairfax
Maintenance and Renovation: Town Pavillion, Women’s Club, Bolinas Park, Peri Park, Town Trail System
Open Space Acquisition
Ball Field and Tennis Court improvements
Larkspur
Piper Park: soccer field repairs, playground remodel, tennis court resurface, and volleyball court installation/rehabilitation, picnic area upgrades Greenbrae School Park: basketball court rehabilitation
Dolliver Park: playground remodel
Heatherwood Park: playground remodel
Niven Park: picnic area installation
Hamilton Park: pathway rehabilitation and landscaping
All parks: new signage
Mill Valley
City park upgrades, modernization, and safety improvements Upgrades to the municipal golf course
Upgrades to the municipal tennis courts
Creation of a new sand volleyball court
ADA improvements to various City parks.
Novato
Measure A funding has enabled Novato to make meaningful investments that improve safety, accessibility, recreation opportunities, and the long-term sustainability of parks and community facilities. Completed and ongoing investments include:
• Significant improvements to park maintenance throughout all City parks and open spaces, including natural resource protection and the removal of hazardous trees.
• Replacement of the roof at the Novato Gymnastics Center, a nearly 10,000- square-foot facility serving more than 800 Novato youth each week. • Improvements that address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) barriers identified in the City's Parks Master Plan, including, but not limited to, accessible restroom upgrades and pathway improvements completed over multiple fiscal years.
• Roof repairs at the Margaret Todd Senior Center, Novato's largest community resource and event facility serving older adults while also providing meeting and event space for community organizations and residents.
• Replacement of the playground at Hamilton Amphitheater Park to improve accessibility and enhance recreational amenities for families. • HVAC system replacements at both the Hill Community Room and Margaret Todd Senior Center, improving the comfort, reliability, and longevity of these heavily used community facilities.
• Renovations and improvements at Dogbone Meadow Dog Park, enhancing one of the City's most popular recreation and intergenerational destinations. • Previous support for Parks Maintenance staffing, including both full-time and part-time personnel who maintain parks, open spaces, and recreation facilities. • Previous support for the City's Special Events program, including staffing, materials, and supplies for community events such as the City's free summer concert series, Concerts on the Green and Hamilton’s Hot Amphitheater Nights. • Renovation of the playground at Bahia Oak Park, including installation of a new play structure, accessible safety surfacing, benches, and landscape improvements.
Ross
Annual Renovation and Maintenance of Ross Common
San Anselmo
Acquisition of the Sky Ranch property for open space
Renovation of the Memorial Park playing fields
Acquisition of the Upper Hawthorne Canyon for open space Acquisition of the Bald Hill Summit for open space
Renovation of the memorial Park Tennis Courts
San Rafael
Tiburon
Annual vegetation management in open space
MEASURE A REVENUE GENERATED WITHIN INCORPORATED JURISDICTIONS City/Town FY24-25 Measure A
Estimated Tax Generated
FY24-25 Measure A
Revenue Received
Belvedere $25,106 $21,440
Corte Madera $1,949,237 $88,083
Fairfax $325,000 $74,752
Larkspur $984,474 $122,015
Mill Valley $1,300,000 $143,594
Novato $3,300,000 $496,688
Ross $16,195 $24,827
San Anselmo $619,955 $127,769
San Rafael $4,865,497 $633,267
Tiburon $250,000 $91,666
EXAMPLES OF PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITIES WITHIN THE
INCORPORATED COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR MEASURE A
INVESTMENT
Belvedere
4 developed parks and several recreation-use parcels, including Belvedere Cove, San Rafael Seawall linear park, Beach Road Shoreline, Centennial Park, and Artist View lot.
Corte Madera
Town Park
Cove Park
Skunk Hollow Park
Menke Park
San Clemente Linear Park
Corte Madera Community Center
Corte Madera Intergenerational Center
Fairfax
Pavilion (9,000 sq ft recreation center, artist in residence offices, performance space) Women's Club (rental hall with fenced garden and Council Chambers) Bolinas Park (lawn and trees, Farmer's Market location) Peri Park (playground, music stage, bocci ball, creek and natural areas, adjoining basketball and tennis courts)
Ball Fields: Central Field and skate park (Bolinas/Elsie/School St), Lefty Gomez Other parks: Gloria Duncan (Olema Rd), Frank Lawrence (Claus Circle), Doc Edgar, parkade art display area (SFD/Broadway/Bolinas Rd)
Open Space: 100 acres formerly known as the Wall Property, plus Jolly Hill, Egger Grove. Fairfax has also used Measure A funds to help purchase open space that is now or will be owned by other local governments, including Sky Ranch Knoll, Elliot Nature Preserve/Cascade Canyon, etc.)
Larkspur
Piper Park (regional/community park)
9 neighborhood/mini parks
1 open space park
2 public docks on Corte Madera Creek
Hall Middle School Gym and Synthetic Field (in partnership with LCMSD) 7 miles of paved, off-street bicycle/pedestrian trails
Mill Valley
• 16+ Parks, 6 playgrounds, 6 ballfields, 6 athletic fields, 5 tennis courts, 4 outdoor restrooms, 2 beach volleyball courts, 2 community gardens, 1 off-leash dog park, and 1 skate park.
• 9-Hole Golf Course, golf pro shop, and golf learning center/hitting bay • Over 175 original Steps, Lanes, and Paths are roughly 7.43 miles • Large community center with 7 classrooms/meeting spaces, 1 large event space, lobby and café, and dedicated spaces for teens and seniors. • Aquatic and fitness center with indoor pool, slide and jacuzzi, fitness center, two classrooms, 1 preschool classroom and play yard, shower and locker rooms. • Golf clubhouse
• Tennis pro shop
Novato
Park Facilities
- 23 Neighborhood Parks
- 7 Community Parks
- 5 Special Use Parks
- 1 Community Pool
- 395 Acres of Developed Parkland
- 301 Acres in four Open Spaces
Indoor Facilities
- Margaret Todd Senior Center (only dedicated Senior Center in Marin County) - Novato Gymnastics Center (largest city operated gymnastics program in Marin County)
- Hamilton Community Center
- Downtown Recreation Center
- Hamilton Community Gym (operated in partnership with Novato Unified School District)
- Hill Community Room
- Hill Gymnasium
Ross
Ross Common
Natalie Coffin Green Park and trails
Three Bear Hut
Fredrick Allen Park
2 Tennis courts
1 platform tennis court
San Anselmo
San Anselmo Town Parks: Memorial Park, Millennium Park, Creek Park, Lansdale Park, Robson Harrington Park, Imagination Park, Hilldale Park Open Space Parks: Sorich Ranch Park, Faude Park, Upper Hawthorne Canyon Open Space Preserve, Lower Hawthorne Canyon Open Space Preserve Dog Park: Red Hill Dog Park
San Rafael
San Rafael’s parks include space for self-guided recreation, organized and pick-up sports, community gardening, playgrounds, and social gathering, including:
25 City-operated parks and 5 City-operated recreation facilities. These include:
3 community parks,
11 neighborhood parks,
6 pocket parks,
5 special use parks.
Combined, the City is responsible for 106.4 acres of improved parkland and 934.9 acres of open space.
Tiburon
14 Town parks totaling 56.3 acres
13 town owned open space parcels totaling 315.6 acres
2 playgrounds
3 sport courts(soccer/lacrosse, and tennis courts)
30 miles of off-street walking, biking, hiking trails