Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ross council adopts balanced FY 2024–25 budget, allocates $10 million to civic-center fund
Summary
The council adopted the town’s FY 2024–25 balanced budget, set aside $10 million toward a future civic-center modernization, approved related resolutions to set the public-safety parcel tax and appropriations limit, and discussed paramedic/Fire JPA cost impacts and a delayed deployment study.
Ross — The Ross Town Council voted unanimously to adopt its fiscal year 2024–25 budget and set the town’s appropriations limit and public-safety parcel tax, establishing a capital projects fund that will hold $10,000,000 toward progress on a future civic-center modernization.
Town Manager Krista Johnson told the council the budget before them is balanced and includes both ongoing services and a capital-projects fund that, by the end of FY25, will have $10 million set aside for the civic-center project. The council was asked to adopt Resolution 24‑26 (approve the budget, set the public-safety parcel tax and amend the town salary schedule) and Resolution 24‑27 (set the town’s appropriations limit under the Government Code language cited in the staff report).
Reported concerns during the discussion centered on how rising fire-related costs and changes to local emergency services allocation might affect the town’s finances. Johnson said the town has language in the Ross Valley Fire Department joint‑powers agreement that outlines how anticipated savings tied to the closure of the local firehouse might be factored into the town’s contribution rate; staff noted prior estimates of roughly $300,000 per year in savings, but councilors emphasized that the timing and realization of those savings depend on factors such as attrition and hiring practices under the JPA.
Council members also raised the Ross Valley Paramedic Authority’s pending deployment study, which staff said had been delayed after the authority received unusable data from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office; that delay is contributing to uncertainty about whether the paramedic facility lease in Ross will be extended beyond its September 30 termination date and is impeding the town’s ability to define and fund its civic-center redevelopment.
After discussion, the council approved the requested resolutions in a single motion; the record reflects a 5–0 vote in favor.
Next steps: staff will continue to monitor the paramedic authority study and report back on how any realized savings and deployment outcomes should be reflected in future budgets. The council also discussed when to open formal discussions with the Ross Valley Fire Board on contribution rates if and when savings materialize.
