The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today approved placing a measure on the Nov. 3 ballot asking voters whether to continue the existing sales tax that supports regional and city parks throughout Sonoma County.
If approved by two-thirds of voters, the measure would extend the existing one-eighth-cent sales tax that Sonoma County voters approved in 2018 as Measure M. The measure would not increase the current tax rate or create an additional tax and would take effect when the current tax expires in 2029.
Measure M currently generates more than $15 million annually to maintain and improve local parks, expand trails, renovate recreation facilities, reduce wildfire risks and improve access to the outdoors. Two-thirds of the revenue supports Sonoma County Regional Parks while one-third is distributed among the county’s nine cities based on population.
Measure M is the first dedicated funding source supporting municipal parks countywide. At one-eighth of a cent, the tax equals approximately 3 cents on a $25 purchase and 12 cents on a $100 purchase.
Since taking effect in 2019, Measure M has funded park maintenance and improvements throughout Sonoma County, including new trails, renovated parks and recreation facilities, habitat restoration, wildfire risk reduction and recreation programs. The funding also helps local agencies secure state, federal and private grants that require matching funds, increasing the impact of local investments.
In April, Regional Parks mailed an informational update to more than 100,000 households and invited residents to participate in a countywide survey about parks funding and priorities. More than 2,000 people responded, with 86% supporting or strongly supporting continued parks funding at the current tax rate.
If voters approve the renewal, Regional Parks and the cities would continue investing the revenue in park operations, maintenance and improvements.
Like the current measure, the renewal includes independent citizen oversight, annual public reporting on expenditures and a requirement that revenue be spent only on eligible regional and city park purposes identified in the expenditure plan.
More information about the November measure, Measure M projects and annual funding reports is available at SoCoParks.org/ParksForAll.
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