Mayor Mark Milberg and Mayor Pro Tem Tim O’Connor to Discuss Measure M • Sunday, Oct 20 • 4:30 pm • Ballroom

Mayor Mark Milberg and Mayor Pro Tem Tim O’Connor will discuss Measure M with residents in the ballroom on Sunday, Oct 20, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm to explain the need for adopting Measure M.

What Is Measure M?

This year the City of Novato has placed Measure M on the ballot, asking voters to raise the City’s sales tax by 0.75%, bringing the total tax to 9.25%.

Of the 8.5% (8.5¢) Novato currently collects from every dollar residents pay in sales taxes, 7.0% (7.0¢) stays in Novato, and the remainder goes to the State of California, the County of Marin, Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), and the Transportation Authority of Marin.

This has been the case since 1978, when California passed Proposition 13 and Novato was a smaller, more rural community with a much smaller public sector.

The Measure M sales tax hike of 0.75% would raise Novato’s sales tax from 8.5% to 9.25%, providing an additional $10.3 million annually; all of this increase will stay in Novato.

If you spend $100 dollars of retail shopping at Vintage Oaks, as many people from around Marin and Sonoma do, it equates to $9.25 in taxes, or a 75¢ increase in your bill.

This additional revenue will be used for:

•   Infrastructure: Repairing potholes, maintaining streets, and improving emergency response services.

•   Economic Development: Attracting and retaining small businesses.

•   Community Well-Being: Enhancing parks, recreational programs, and facilities; addressing homelessness and mental health services; and reducing wildfire risks.

•  Novato’s Future: Eliminating the City’s current and projected deficits.

Items always exempt from sales taxes include prescription medicines, all food for human consumption, machinery and raw materials for manufacturing, and medical devices and services.

Join us on October 20 to learn more about Measure M
and how it will benefit Novato and Marin Valley residents.

Sources: novato.org, marinij.com, marincounty.org, https://onyourballot.vote411.org/