On the Nov. 3 election ballot, residents of several communities in Marin County are being asked to vote on separate measures to renew parcel taxes that are used to maintain a shared rapid 911 emergency response service in Ross Valley.
The communities of Fairfax, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo and Corte Madera, as well as the unincorporated fire protection districts of Kentfield and Sleepy Hollow, and County Services Area 27, are each voting on measures to generate a total of about $3 million annually for the Ross Valley Paramedic Authority, which serves all of those areas.
Established in 1982, the joint powers authority serves about 53,000 residents in eight jurisdictions across 20 square miles, according to its website. The authority provides emergency medical service, operates ambulance transport units and is positioned strategically in fire stations across Ross Valley.
“We as fire agencies realized there was a lack of paramedic services back in the 1980s and realized no one municipality can go at it alone,” said Ruben Martin, fire chief with the Central Marin Fire Department, one of three fire departments that serve the valley. “We said, why don’t we start working together and capture some of these economies of scale and provide for the entire valley?”
The items on the ballot are Measure Q in Corte Madera, Measure R in Fairfax, Measure S in Larkspur, Measure U in Ross, Measure V in San Anselmo, Measure Y in County Services Area 27, Measure BB in the Kentfield Fire Protection District, and Measure DD in the Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District. Each requires a two-thirds vote to pass.
In seven of the eight measures, a tax of $107.50 would be levied per residential unit or 1,000 square feet of developed nonresidential property, beginning July 1, 2027, and continue for a period of four years. Beginning fiscal year 2028, the rate will increase by up to $4 each year.
The town of Corte Madera’s proposed rate in Measure Q differs from the other seven measures. It would start at $94.50 per unit, with adjustments of $7.75 per year. With the lower rate and higher annual increases, the town plans to catch up and pay the same amount as the other seven members of the authority.
According to Martin, the idea is for Corte Madera to make up the rate, so they can all be equalized within this four-year tax measure.
