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Novato advisory panel says city should not tap Measure F funds for downtown train stop

By Stephanie Weldy, Marin Independent Journal
POSTED: 01/25/16,

If the Novato City Council decides to build a commuter rail station downtown, it should not use Measure F funds, an advisory panel recommended.

The six-member Measure F Oversight and Citizens’ Finance Committee agreed unanimously Thursday to steer the City Council away from the restricted funding source.

“The committee, we have a broad range of opinions and rarely find ourselves all agreeing with each other,” said Bob Scott, chairman of the committee. “This was a unanimous vote to let the council know it’s a bad use of city funds and in particular, as the guardians for Measure F, that we don’t think it’s an appropriate use of funds.”

Measure F, approved by Novato voters in 2010, instituted a five-year, half-cent sales tax increase. It was intended to offset budget cuts and maintain city services such as police patrols and street maintenance.

The funding mechanism will be replaced on March 31 by Measure C, which carries a quarter-cent sales tax increase.

Measure F revenue was not approved by voters to pay for a project such as a downtown station for Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, Scott said.

“You’re told these are the potential uses for the funds, so you vote yes or no on the basis of that,” Scott said. “It passed on the basis of that language, and we found (the SMART station) not consistent with the language.”

The City Council meeting on Tuesday will include a discussion on whether to build a $5 million SMART station at the east end of Grant Avenue. The station would be an addition to stations approved for San Marin Drive, near the Fireman’s Fund office complex, and the Hamilton neighborhood.

If the council approves the third station, it must also pinpoint a way to pay for it. The council also has the option to limit construction of the station to the first phase before SMART begins operations later this year.

FINANCE OPTIONS

At a public workshop for the station this month, city Finance Manager Brian Cochran suggested ways the city could finance the station, including $5.5 million of unallocated revenue from Measure F.

Other funding sources identified included $2 million the city is expected to receive for the sale of the Hamilton hospital, and a potential $5.2 million if the city wins a lawsuit against the state in its fight over redevelopment agency dollars. The city could also use funds that have already been committed for other projects.

Before the financial component of the proposal is discussed, the city must determine whether the public even wants the third station, Councilman Eric Lucan and Councilman Josh Fryday said.

“I think first, we need to decide if it’s a good thing for the future of our city and for our small businesses and community, and then we can talk about what’s the potential, if we get there, the best way to finance this,” Fryday said.

Numerous residents have expressed a desire for the downtown station, saying it could bring economic vitality to the area. Other residents have suggested the station is too pricey, especially since the city holds no control over how often each of its stations would be used.

SMART officials have already said they will not stop rail cars at both Novato’s downtown station and its San Marin Drive station during each run.

If the council approves building the downtown station, it should weigh the advice of the Measure F committee, Lucan said.

“I’ll definitely consider all their recommendations,” Lucan said. “That’s what they’re there for, to provide those thoughts.”

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luis
Novato voters are required to vote for any expense for public facilities according to Measure D. This resolution will require a legal opinion. Since there is still a lawsuit pending over the $ 5 million that was given to the state- it seems absurd for the city council to recommend using that money for a downtown train depot,- until there is a decision and a vote by the public whether or not a train depot is more important than the 30+- millions owed for pensions, money needed for roads, extra police, social services, or computers.

The downtown has received benefits of about 32 million dollars in buildings and repairs. Vintage Oaks and the other 10 shopping centers have received zero and together bring in the most revenue. However, the downtown's value is its small town charm and priceless.

I enjoy the small businesses and support the downtown ones and the charm that it has- however, at this time due to budgetary restraints, I vote for Option 3-a no. Until Novato voters and staff have the priorities better planned; it is not the time for more expenses.

Please see the following and of the city code.
[www.municode.com]...

(Ord. No. 1165, § 1)
2-26.3 Voter Approval Required. Without prior approval by a simple majority vote of the city electorate, it shall be unlawful for the city council of the City of Novato or any officer, employee, agent, trustee or other representative of the City of Novato to enter into any such lease or other transaction as described in subsection 2-26.2.
(Ord. No. 1165, § 1)
2-26.4 Intent. It is the intent of this section to prohibit the City of Novato and its representatives from incurring, without approval by the vote of the electorate, major, long-term obligations for public facilities, even though such obligations may not technically exceed the "constitutional debt limit." It is intended to prohibit the incurring, without voter approval, of such obligations in any form and by whatever name they may be called, whether purchased, leased, subleased, contract, series of contracts, joint powers agreement, lease/purchase, lease/lease-back or otherwise, for the construction of any new facility or for the alteration of acquisition of any existing facility.


Marin Voter
Just add it to the multi billion dollar price tag of the Developers' Gravy Train fiasco.

Novato Joe
They have planned for 2 train stations, neither of which services downtown. Is this how the City Council rewards the businesses downtown who have hung in there all these years? Why would the Novato taxpayers be interested in a bunch of people commuting to and from the Firemen's Fund Building? How does that help anybody except the owners' of the building and there out of town employees?? Why not nix the San Marin Station and use the money to fix up the old station downtown?

Ventress Dugan • 6 hours ago
This article mentions a "Public Workshop" that was conducted earlier this month..There was NO Public Workshop defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "A meeting at which a group of people engage in intensive discussion and activity on a particular subject or project".

The City of Novato is now calling a City Council Meeting a "Public Workshop". This could not be further from the truth. In a city council meeting, the public is allowed to speak in "Open Comments" for three minutes, with no answers or discussion from the city council. The council does note even answer questions and often times looks completely uninterested in the subject.

The city has changed the title of this at a time, Josh Fryday stated he would like to have "transparency and open dialogue with the public".

This could not be further from "transparency". In the future, people will go back and ask how something occurred and the record will say "we had a Public Workshop!

This is exactly what occurred on the oversized, overpriced and unsafe Redwood Bus Facility.
There was no public input and NO public meetings.
I think this is criminal and destroys any participation of the public.

Shame on you Novato.

novato 3per
Unanimous. Thats clear. Anyone have an idea who would actually ride this train ? How many people ?