San Anselmo puts flood district exit on March ballot

San Anselmo’s potential departure from the county flood control district will be put to the people to decide.

The Town Council voted 4-1 on Monday to approve ballot language, clearing the way to place an initiative on the March 5 primary ballot. Councilmember Brian Colbert dissented.

If approved by a simple majority, the initiative would withdraw the town from Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Flood Control Zone 9.

The estimated $9.9 million removal of a downtown bridge known as “Building Bridge Two” has become a divisive issue in the community.

The county flood control district purchased the bridge in 2018 with the intention of tearing it down. Its removal would allow San Anselmo Creek to flow more freely and reduce the likelihood of flooding in downtown and other areas upstream.

The bridge was used by the town as a plaza and community gathering space until September 2022, when it was closed by the county and deemed structurally unsound. Demolition has been postponed until 2024.

Megan Acevedo, the town attorney, said the vote would not affect tax rates for projects already in progress, including the bridge project. The flood fee paid by district residents sunsets in 2027, she said.

It is expected to cost approximately $28,560 to place the initiative on the ballot. Lynda Roberts, county registrar of voters, said the measure letter would be assigned on Monday. There are 9,518 registered voters in San Anselmo, she said.

The initiative stemmed from petition circulated in the community that garnered 1,420 signatures, which put it past the threshold to secure its place on the ballot.

Steve Emery, who said he was one of the signatories, said the district has a history of failed projects and plans.

“It’s time to get out of it and make a stand and be done with it,” Emery said.

Adrian MacNeil, a San Anselmo resident, said his property was flooded in 2021. He warned of the increasing threat of climate change and the impact to the town.

“That costs a bunch of money. I don’t think flooding is something that can be handled locally,” he said.

Rosemarie Gaglione, the county’s public works director, declined to comment.

The district has spent an estimated $52.1 million since the county started collecting flood fees in 2008. Fee revenues equaled $36.8 million and grant revenue was $20.1 million.

About $40.4 million was spent on flood risk reduction projects and $10.7 million on engineering and feasibility studies for previously proposed flood detention basins.

The town’s flood fee was narrowly approved by voters in 2007 to do flood prevention projects in the Ross Valley. Its passage followed destructive storm-driven floods in 1982 and 2005 that damaged 1,200 homes and 200 businesses.

The fee is paid by residents in San Anselmo, Ross, Larkspur, Fairfax and the unincorporated communities of Greenbrae, Kentfield, Sleepy Hollow and Oak Manor. Property owners are assessed based on the amount of stormwater runoff they generate. The average household paid $153.76 in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The fee was last raised 3% in July 2021. It is eligible for another 3% raise in July, but staff have not determined if they will propose an increase. The fee collects about $2.6 million a year.

Colbert called for the vote to be held in November.

“This is symbolic at best and potentially misleading to voters,” Colbert said.

Councilmembers stressed that the vote would not stop the plaza project or remove the district members’ taxpayer obligation to the project.

Councilmember Alexis Fineman agreed, though she voiced her support for the March vote.

“I want to be very clear to the community that this is a symbolic vote,” she said. “It’s not about the fee or the project itself in a material way.”

Vice Mayor Eileen Burke disagreed on the perceived symbolism.

“For three years our residents won’t have to pay for any new projects,” she said. “I don’t think that’s symbolic.”