Southern Marin cities could lose their guaranteed share of a $17.7 million-a-year parks and open space tax under a Marin County Civil Grand Jury report released June 30.

The report, titled "Measure A and Voter Choice: Rethinking Parks and Agriculture Funding in Marin," recommends that the Board of Supervisors split the quarter-cent countywide sales tax into two separate ballot measures when it comes up for renewal after September 2031. One measure would fund parks and open space. The other would fund sustainable agriculture.

The grand jury also recommends eliminating the fixed 15% allocation, about $2.65 million per year based on current revenue, that sends funds to municipalities and special districts, including Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Larkspur, and Tiburon, for local park and recreation purposes. Instead, county parks staff would distribute those dollars based on what the report calls "regional priorities and public benefit."

Measure A, first adopted in 2012 and renewed in 2022 with nearly 75% voter support, accounts for half of the county parks department's total budget, according to the grand jury. The tax allocates 65% to county parks, 20% to sustainable agriculture, and 15% to local municipalities.

District 4 Supervisor Dennis Rodoni, whose territory includes Corte Madera and portions of Larkspur and Mill Valley, acknowledged the report but stopped short of endorsing it. "I think that the grand jury has raised some interesting points," Rodoni told the Marin Independent Journal. "They should be considered along with all other suggestions when it is time for renewal of the tax."

Mimi Willard, president of the Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers, supports the split. She said her organization worked with county parks staff before the 2022 renewal to redirect more funding toward wildfire risk reduction, but the Board of Supervisors rejected the proposal after pushback from agricultural interests.

Not everyone agrees the split would help. Andrew Giacomini, a former Marin Agricultural Land Trust board member, warned that separating the measures could fracture the coalition that secured passage twice. Political consultant Paul Cohen said clearing the required two-thirds voter threshold on two separate measures would be "a real challenge" and would double campaign costs.

The grand jury also called for a centralized public reporting system for Measure A grant recipients and conservation easement payments, finding that such information is not easily accessible.

Under California law, the Board of Supervisors must formally respond to the grand jury's findings within 90 days of publication. Supervisors Stephanie Moulton-Peters, who represents Mill Valley and Tiburon in District 3, and Brian Colbert, who represents most of Larkspur in District 2, did not respond to the Marin Independent Journal's reporting. Measure A is scheduled to sunset September 30, 2031; any structural changes would take effect only upon renewal.