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Tina Mc
Vote Yes on M for a Safer and Stronger Novato
Novato Measure M Protects and Preserves
The Novato City Council, Staff, Finance Advisory Committee and the 2023 Marin Civil Grand Jury report, all agree that putting a sales tax measure on the November 2024 ballot is the best way to stabilize city finances.Measure M will increase sales tax by .75%, or seven and a half cents for every $10 spent. It will put Novato on a par with many cities in Sonoma and Marin including San Rafael and Petaluma.
Passing Measure M is the last remaining way to stabilize the city’s operating budget. The decades old pattern of punishing staff reductions, loss of Police Officers, delayed work to roads, parks and storm drains, spending down reserves and overall reduction in city services must end.
Critics say Measure M isn’t needed. Instead of describing all costs covered by Measure M, they focus on the deficit and suggest problems only apply to one-time costs and policy decisions. They want an end date, even when Novato’s history shows the need is permanent. They attempt to derail a necessary tax only to say the city can put it back on the ballot when it matches their views.
Critics are wrong. Measure M is urgently needed.
If Measure M passes in November 2024, it can begin earning revenue in April of 2025. It will still take a full year to collect the increase. Failure to pass means by 26/27 the city will run out of emergency funds.Cities must plan years in advance to be fiscally solvent. Novato will require further reductions in staffing as well as other cuts to survive.
Novato has already reduced costs. The city has cut staffing by over 30 positions. Losses in the police department alone mean excessive overtime for remaining officers. Training of new officers requires one year at a cost of $100,000 per officer. It is a constant cycle of training and losing police due to lack of money.
With Measure M, the city can make effective staffing decisions as well as repair infrastructure beginning with roads and parks. Measure M helps the entire city by supporting the needs of 52,000 plus residents.
Critics say Measure M is regressive but sales taxes do not apply to basic needs such as groceries, medicine, medical and dental bills, real estate, rent, education, utilities, personal services and labor.
Critics complain about policy decisions made by former council members but ignore the efforts of the current council to make policy align with fiscal sustainability.
Novato has the advantage of insight gained going back a decade to when Michael Frank was city manager, and made huge service cuts in response to the subprime mortgage collapse. In truth Novato has never fully recovered and requires additional revenue to create policies that will support economic development including small businesses.
The city created a 5-year budget forecast to see what will happen if Measure M fails. The results are devastating. Continued losses due to expenses that exceed basic revenue. Emergency reserves down to zero by 26/27 and no other significant revenue sources that feed into the General Fund.
Novato could lose the .75% increase to sales tax if other regional and local agencies put their own tax measure on the ballot. The current cap of 2% means there is only .75% left. Acting now solidifies Novato retaining sales tax for Novato’s use.
Novato’s current city council is collaborative, working well with each other and with the community. City employees rally when lack of revenue means too few people in a department. Committees are staffed with community members that volunteer their time. There are many people working together to make Novato whole.
It is time Novato residents passed a sales tax increase sufficient to fund city services and infrastructure well into the future. Measure M will create a safer and stronger Novato.