[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6308752,"mediaKeyId","2419118-6a2923e42a6f31fbb7cdc53134a62135","parentId",2419118,"title","Mill Valley finance director reports FY2024 on budget, notes $6.6 million property-tax transfer to Southern Marin","audioSeconds",2457,"startMs",1793000,"endMs",4250000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2419118-6a2923e42a6f31fbb7cdc53134a62135&start=1793&end=4250","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2419118-6a2923e42a6f31fbb7cdc53134a62135/thumbnail_1793000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6308752/Mill-Valley/Marin-County/California/Mill-Valley-finance-director-reports-FY2024-on-budget-notes-66-million-property-tax-transfer-to-Southern-Marin","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308752-2c77c6921d0a5b84e9e877cb22fb9b23/orig.mp4?Expires=1771088789&Signature=a~JuzUZmIL6gBD0e-mR2ydBOStW8oGjIjWYCEdlfEpvo0bpCD8wfbs8~zuv-vivyjKvXPFTbAHVBzBBGrv7KTDLcfBAZGyJtAHHZ6~fYNHg3F8rWPkrTL7WtPMvEJrEYuqsPzwXCUxC1PMKyE2WFoJbuyyuEXOHaqtM7bk9Oxt2FBdewepv39xVqVDdFogybLo-GfeljKy6RlbQf0pg~G4Zxs5sIjKBghSXs-k324SUnLqO9i0WlxtFuI-HUPazsPXv0rSA7aipj0BIUhiSFjDLRdpvvN1CoAbLoc3sG737YLFa~Ahrzt4~XEKP6ZVOH3naYsPlfYSWxn8qcay4A0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Mill Valley","date","2025-01-06T00:00:00Z","article","City Finance Director Eric Erickson told the Mill Valley City Council that the city “relinquished $6,600,000 worth of property tax revenue to Southern Marin” under a council‑approved formula and otherwise closed fiscal year 2024 roughly on budget, with reserves above policy levels.

The report, presented during the council’s regular meeting, said the city maintained its 15% restricted contingency reserve required by council policy and finished the year with an overall fund balance the finance director described as “about 24%” when measured against operating expenses. Erickson cited stronger‑than‑expected receipts from building and encroachment permits and investment income as the primary drivers of positive revenue variances.

Why it matters: the transfer and consolidation of fire services to Southern Marin changes how Mill Valley records fire expenses and property tax flows, and the larger-than-expected reserves affect near-term budget planning and the city's ability to fund capital projects, council members said.

Erickson said the $6.6 million payment to Southern Marin was implemented in the first year as a direct check while county mechanisms were being finalized and that going forward the county will handle the transfers. He described several one‑time mechanics related to the transition: Mill Valley paid certain fire department salaries in 2024 while Southern Marin reimbursed the city under the staff‑transfer agreement. “They have the money for all of those salaries,” Erickson said of Southern Marin, explaining why reimbursements occurred.

On performance details, Erickson noted that building and encroachment permits, and investment income, produced favorable variances. The golf course, he said, roughly broke even for the first time in years, and recreation revenues and costs moved toward pre‑pandemic patterns even as staffing and safety expenses increased.

Councilmember Joaquin asked whether it was “a good safe assumption to use that $18,000,000 figure going forward” for property‑tax revenue. Erickson replied that the calculation is complex because of ERAF (Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund) and other allocation ratios, and said he was comfortable with the figure only within a few hundred thousand dollars.

Councilmembers pressed staff for more historical context. The council directed staff to return with a multi‑year presentation on revenue trends and reserves and to work offline with Finance staff to refine the management report; Erickson and Trustee Trevor Atashkarian agreed to coordinate with Councilmember Karmel on that follow up.

On reserves and Measure L: Erickson said the city’s contingency reserve policy remains 15% and that the year’s result left the city with a substantially larger unrestricted balance than typical. Councilmembers noted Measure L funds — a local infrastructure revenue source — will begin arriving in April and that Measure L receipts will be accounted for in a separate fund and budgeted to specific capital projects to preserve transparency.

No formal council votes or budget amendments were taken during the presentation. Staff said they will return with more detailed tables (four to five years of history) and recommendations during the spring budget review cycle.

Ending: The council accepted the report for information, asked staff for follow‑up analyses on long‑term revenue trends and permit‑fee predictability, and directed staff to return with more data before the next two‑year budget decision.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular City Council Meeting 01/06/25","oneSentenceSummary","City Finance Director Eric Erickson told the Mill Valley City Council that the city “relinquished $6,600,000 worth of property tax revenue to Southern Marin” under a council‑approved formula and otherwise closed fiscal year 2024 roughly on budget, with reserves above policy levels.","taxTitle","Mill Valley, Marin County, California","taxId",71950,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6308746,"Mill Valley to issue after‑action report on Sycamore flooding after pump station failure, communication lapses",167,1295000,1462000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2419118-6a2923e42a6f31fbb7cdc53134a62135&start=1295&end=1462","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2419118-6a2923e42a6f31fbb7cdc53134a62135/thumbnail_1295000.jpg","/articles/6308746/Mill-Valley/Marin-County/California/Mill-Valley-to-issue-afteraction-report-on-Sycamore-flooding-after-pump-station-failure-communication-lapses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308746-56185c5a296fddfce59a7c753173cd70/orig.mp4?Expires=1771088789&Signature=Uhvz1pwG41aZ~QvgrKrljh9BTtSg1jKbhBBE-94Um4h2ax~7A~RM1gIv586AdlvgWftsSN~htnbWKxpoU7GZTZm70lCSEgIivHQ2YQNCfoxD2KGXEQSXj~YD-yZ8z9AkaFVjqtPSsFXrQ1YrgovE0-lw9D0O-Qpnih-XZOkEsionPNo3IA6d0bYJ7kBQJMHOwjCN7gFdO0E75aC4OQDsX0Tx7emB-MJwNB10id4UM2AnfAAyUXhWqGaJEVqYilqQoM0FsLDZR9bThZWPeHrZoBHLA6LxfI8kqvDOut4Dgxi6M4IHcbBSsw4YMvGDeKTrf1QBgJbr1o4sg4AjyCmU3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City Manager (name not specified in the record) told the Mill Valley City Council that a combination of debris from a prior water‑main break and a partial pump‑station failure caused an unexpectedly rapid flood in the Sycamore neighborhood during a major storm in late December.

The manager said the Sycamore Pump Station has three pumps, two of which tripped offline during the storm and could not be restarted until about 6 a.m. That failure, combined with what the manager described as roughly seven inches of rain on local hillsides and about 1.5 inches on the flats during a nine‑hour period, led to flooding that officials said was faster and more intense than anticipated.

“We think some of the debris from the water main break the week before was a contributing factor, but really our pump station went down,” the City Manager said, describing the sequence and the city’s plan to produce an after‑action report for neighbors.

Why it matters: residents experienced rapid flooding in a neighborhood that had not recently seen similar events; the incident highlighted gaps in neighborhood‑level notification and exposed points of operational vulnerability in the storm‑response system.

The city manager said staff performed door‑to‑door notifications for the streets most at risk, coordinated with police, fire and public works on the night of the event, and temporarily advised some residents to shut off power to avoid surges. The manager acknowledged a notification lapse: staff should have issued alerts around 1:50 a.m. but did not, and an after‑action will explain why and how notification procedures will change.

Council members questioned the city’s use of Alert Marin (county‑managed, targeted alerts) versus Nixle (a broader county dispatch notification). The manager said the city is moving toward Alert Marin for targeted, street‑level messages and explained that the county’s process for Nixle involves a county operator who must be engaged to send messages; in this event the county recommended against an automatic Nixle message based on creek levels, which did not reflect the city’s localized pump failure.

Staff told the council they are preparing a lessons‑learned report to address: what happened, whether it could recur, and how notifications and neighborhood outreach will change. The manager said the city intends to send the report to neighbors as soon as possible and to hold a neighborhood meeting where operations staff (not elected officials) will explain response roles and preventative steps.

Capital response: the manager noted that Mill Valley has about $3 million in planned capital improvement program (CIP) projects for flood control over the next three to five years; roughly $750,000 is budgeted for Sycamore drainage and pump‑station improvements. The city said it will prioritize those projects and partner with neighbors during design and outreach.

Ending: City staff will produce the after‑action report, firm up Alert Marin procedures, and return to the council and affected residents with timelines for physical improvements and improved notification protocols.","City Manager reported that debris from a prior water‑main break and two pumps tripping offline at the Sycamore Pump Station contributed to unexpected flooding during a major storm; staff said neighborhood notifications and Alert Marin procedures will be reviewed and an after‑action report will be shared with neighbors.","actionData","errors"]

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Mill Valley finance director reports FY2024 on budget, notes $6.6 million property-tax transfer to Southern Marin

Mill Valley to issue after‑action report on Sycamore flooding after pump station failure, communication lapses