Corte Madera sales-tax oversight committee approves FY2023–24 annual report, reviews midyear revenues and five-year capital outlook

The Corte Madera Sales Tax Citizens Oversight Committee on March 19 approved the townsales tax annual report for fiscal year 202324 and reviewed revenue and expenditure figures through Jan. 11, 2025, and a five-year capital plan that shows several multimillion-dollar infrastructure needs.

Town Manager Adam Wolf told the committee that "the sales tax fund beginning balance as of 07/01/2023 was $8,438,394." He reported that "revenues over the course of fiscal year 2324 were about $4,280,000" (including a roughly $6,000 grant reimbursement), and that expenditures for FY 202324 totaled about $4,260,000, leaving an ending balance of about $8,618,000. By town policy, Wolf said, $2.5 million of that balance is held as a reserve, leaving roughly $6 million available going into FY 202425.

The annual report summarizes how the sales tax has been used and itemizes major expenditures. Wolf said the single largest use in FY 202324 was flood control, mainly work on the San Clemente pump station rehabilitation and pipeline repair, which amounted to roughly $2 million and represented about half of the year24s expenditures. Other FY 202324 costs included completion-related payments tied to the new town hall (temporary office rent, construction management, and debt service tied to the certificates of participation) and smaller allocations for recreation, senior and youth services, fire prevention, disaster preparedness and consultant work on the housing element.

Committee members asked for clarification and edit suggestions to the draft report before it is forwarded to the Town Council. Members requested that staff add percentage-of-total figures for the major expenditure categories, clarify the sidewalk pilot assistance description, correct the listing of "Redwood Highway" to "Redwood Avenue" for an undergrounding item, and explain a carryover treatment for a 2022 road rehabilitation project that was built in 2023. Public Works Director RJ Suko explained the sidewalk item is a town assistance pilot program that contributes toward property ownersrepaving sidewalk in the public right-of-way.

The committee also reviewed a midyear snapshot of FY 202425 activity through Jan. 11, 2025. Wolf said the FY 202425 opening balance was about $8,470,000; as of Jan. 11 the committee had received roughly $1,450,000 in revenue and recorded about $2,360,000 in expenditures to date. Wolf told the committee that the FY 202324 revenue decline of 3.3% from the prior year reflected a one-time correction at a major business rather than a sustained trend; sales-tax consultants continue to project relatively flat to slightly rising receipts going forward.

Committee members and Mayor Patricia "Pat" Ravasio, attending as the council liaison, discussed several large capital items in the town24s five-year outlook. The report highlights the town24s $2.4 million FY 202425 budget allocation toward a Caltrans-led Tamalpais Overcrossing project, intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections between the town24s east and west sides. Wolf said leveraging the town24s contribution helped widen the design from an earlier, lower-cost concept to a multimodal project now estimated in the $40M range; he said the town24s total pledge is roughly $3 million, with additional contributions anticipated from the Transportation Authority of Marin and federal and state sources.

Wolf and RJ Suko also reviewed other near-term and projected priorities that appear in the five-year forecast, including the Casa Buena Complete Streets project, Shorebird Marsh pump station replacement and other flood-control work, Paradise Drive and Meadow Gardens multimodal improvements, sanitary-district pipe and resurfacing work, and an annual general capital-improvement contingency for unplanned repairs. Suko noted some projects are partially funded by grants and that schedules can shift if grant funds are not secured.

During public comment, a resident identified as Patty asked whether the swim-program dollars and "home match" were apportioned between youth and senior programs. Town staff replied the swim program (roughly $50,000) is split about two-thirds for youth and one-third for seniors, and the home-match item is a senior program.

Following the staff presentation and the committee24s requested edits to the draft text, a committee member moved to approve the FY 202324 annual report as revised; a second was recorded and the committee voted in the affirmative on the motion. The committee then approved meeting minutes for a prior meeting.

The committee chair closed the item and moved the agenda forward; no further formal actions were taken on the midyear report or five-year draft during the meeting.