AgdaPkt 2006-08-28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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7A Page 1 REPORT To the Honorable Mayor and City Council From the City Manager August28,2006 Subject San Mateo County Parks for the Future - November Ballot Initiative Recommendation It is recommended that City Council, adopt a resolution, to endorse the Parks for Future 1/8 cent Sales Tax Measure, which if approved by voters in November of 2006, would support parks and recreation activities in San Mateo County, the Cities located within the County, the Ladera and Highlands Recreation Districts and Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District for a period of 25 years. Background Since November of 2004, the San Mateo County Parks Foundation with leadership of Supervisors Jerry Hill and Mike Nevin and later Supervisor Adrienne Tissier brought together representatives from the County, Cities and Special Districts to determine, ifthere was interest, and if so, how best, to secure a dedicated funding source for parks and recreation activities throughout the County. Over an eighteen month period the group agreed to: . pursue a sales tax vs. a property tax or special district assessment; . request special legislation to allow for a 1/8 cent vs. ~ cent sales tax increment which was secured in 2005 with the approval of S8 203; . request that the City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG)serve as the administrative board; . establish a distribution formula for the approximately $16,000,000 of estimated annual revenue that would provide 52% to the Cities, 42% to the County and 6% to various Special park districts; where Annual growth of sales tax revenues equal to or less than 4% will be distributed per this formula. Cities and special districts only will benefit from annual growth greater than 4%; . set a per capita distribution formula for the cities' share, with the smaller cities receiving a minimum of 1.357 % of the net revenue. A distribution chart representing revenue per this formula using 2002 figures for al/ cities and special districts is included as Attachment I. . create maintenance of effort standards such that these funds would not supplant existing park and recreation funding and where the revenues may be used for park and recreation related functions such as maintenance, operations, activities and programs, capital improvements and acquisition. As a result of this work, the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance to place the Parks for the Future measure before the County voters this coming November. Two- thirds approval by those voting in the election is required for the measure to pass. The measure does not need two-thirds approval of the voters in each city. Attachment 2 of this report provides comparisons of the sales tax rates in neighboring counties as well -