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Mill Valley council hears Municipal Services Tax report, staff recommends five-year paving plan and continued vegetation funding
Summary
City staff presented the fiscal 2024–25 Municipal Services Tax annual report, updating revenue figures, summarizing pavement-condition improvements and vegetation-management work, and promising a five‑year paving recommendation and MST work plan for council review in November.
City Manager Todd Kusumada presented the City of Mill Valley’s fiscal 2024–25 Municipal Services Tax (MST) annual report on Oct. 20, saying corrected revenue numbers bring the most recent total to about $1.901 million and outlining the tax’s purpose to improve local streets, reduce fire hazards and shorten emergency response times.
Kusumada said the city’s pavement condition index (PCI) has improved since 2014, rising from about 58 to roughly 74, and credited a combination of MST funds, Measure L planning and one‑time grants — including ARPA funding used on downtown streets — for recent improvements. He told council staff will return in November with a five‑year paving recommendation that links PCI targets to a proposed project list.
The report also reviewed vegetation management funded through MST and Measure C. Kusumada said staff and Southern Marin Fire have cleared streets and removed material through chipper projects, but noted remaining work and a recent anomaly in spending that the finance team is auditing. He proposed keeping MST at current renewal levels and directing roughly three‑quarters of MST revenue to paving, with about $500,000 allocated annually to address SLPs, engine turnarounds and hazardous‑tree removal.
Public Works staff described how paving projects layer multiple funding sources — MST, restricted road impact fees, gas tax and occasional grants — when delivering large projects. Andrew Poster of the Public Works Department explained that complete‑streets and ADA ramps are considered as part of projects and that staff will present a prioritized five‑year list of streets for the council’s review in November.
Councilmembers pressed staff on specific trade‑offs: whether MST can flex to fund bike‑oriented infrastructure from the TMAC bike plan, how to fund step lanes and non‑city‑maintained roads, and the timing and cost implications of maintaining a higher PCI target. Kusumada said the staff work plan will show risk assessments, prioritized projects, and the recommended PCI target so the council may make an informed decision ahead of any renewal.
The council did not vote on MST funding at the meeting; staff committed to returning with the work plan and five‑year paving recommendation at the second November meeting.
