Tiburon council hears budget presentation; public pushes for bigger parks spending

Town Manager Greg (name as provided in presentation) and public works staff presented Tiburon’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 operating budget and capital improvement program to the Town Council on June 4, detailing a planned total appropriation of $25,974,169 and an operating budget that leaves a roughly $20,000 surplus.

The presentation outlined projected general fund revenues of about $18,000,271 and proposed operating expenditures of about $18,000,251, with property tax identified as the largest and most reliable revenue source. Staff said the draft budget includes 3.5% cost-of-living increases for represented and unrepresented employees, an extra $100,000 in the parks maintenance contract, and no new full-time equivalents. The CIP total presented was $6,475,000, of which staff said $1,600,000 was expected to be grant-funded, including the Blackies Pasture restoration project.

Residents packed public comment and urged the council to allocate more money to playgrounds, multiuse recreation, and water access. “$200,000 is literally less than the moms,” said Sarah Reed, who called the proposed $200,000 “a joke” given a two-year parks master plan and repeated community input. Several other speakers, including Chuck Hornbrook, Nicole Voss and Kim Liddell, said play areas, a kayak/SUP launch and other active-recreation features should be funded sooner rather than later.

Becky Pringle, speaking earlier during the consent portion of the meeting, asked the council to revisit waterfront access options and requested a memorandum from the town attorney about legal options for securing water access, noting opposition from Belvedere had removed one site from consideration.

Councilors and staff described the project pipeline and the steps from master plan to design to construction. Public works staffers Patrick Chrislick and David Ishu walked through the CIP project list, citing more than a dozen park and facility projects proposed for FY26 — including wayfinding, Elephant Rock structural analysis, mini-park design work, open-space vegetation management and the Blackies Pasture beach restoration — and noted the CIP budget assumes projects move forward as designed and fully expended.

Council members acknowledged residents’ frustration at perceived slow progress. Several councilors said there is a multi-step planning process — subcommittees, RFPs for designers, schematic designs, cost estimates and later budget amendments — before construction can begin. “Master plans generate an action list, but that is not enough to get things done,” one councilor said, urging patience while staff and the Parks, Open Space & Trails (POST) commission refine designs and costs.

Several council members said they were ready to increase the one-line parks placeholder beyond the $200,000 maintenance allocation in the draft budget. After discussion, councilors expressed consensus direction to staff to move $500,000 from general fund reserves into the discretionary set-aside for park development (a balance-sheet transfer that would put approximately $1.1 million into the fund once combined with existing amounts). Council members repeatedly noted additional budget amendments will still be required before any project spending — the transfer only earmarks funds, it does not authorize expenditures.

Councilors and staff confirmed that the budget will return to council for adoption at the June 18 meeting and that individual projects will return with design-level estimates and recommended resolutions before spending is authorized.

Why it matters: Residents urged immediate investment in parks, playgrounds and waterfront access after a multi-year planning process; councilors signaled both political willingness and the need for design-level costs before committing to construction. The line-item transfer is intended to accelerate the town’s ability to act once design proposals and firm cost estimates are available.

Quotes quoted verbatim from the meeting transcript: “$200,000 is literally less than the moms.” — Sarah Reed, resident “The budget is a snapshot in time… the staff is focused on proposing projects that focus on maintenance of existing facilities, and some improvements that were outlined in the parks master plan.” — Greg, Town Manager “We could move 500,000 more dollars in there if we want.” — Council member (during council discussion)

Ending: Staff will return to the council June 18 with a formal budget adoption item; individual park and facility projects will return to council for separate approvals and budget amendments once design work and cost estimates are complete.