News Subscribe  to Our Newsletter Sign  up for Email Updates CGF  In the News Press  Inquiries Past  Articles Calendar			Funding  for County Parks gathers steam by Lennie Roberts After  more than a decade of hard work by citizens working to find a permanent  funding source for San  Mateo County Parks, new leadership is emerging to steer the effort  - and save the parks from cuts in maintenance, ranger staffing and park  hours. Supervisors Jerry Hill and Mike Nevin are spearheading the effort  to place a measure on the ballot that will provide a dedicated source  of funds for our parks.  New cuts averted When the County adopted their FY 03-04 budget last June, they deferred  several items until September. One of these items was the UC Extension  program, which includes such programs as 4H, Nutrition Education, Marine  Science and Landscape Horticulture/Urban Forestry. So that they could  reconsider the County's ancient funding agreement with the UC Extension  Service (which was written in the 1950's), the Supervisors chose to fund  this budget item for just the first three months, until it was expected  that negotiations on a new agreement would be completed.  But on the eve of the September Budget Revision  hearings, Parks supporters were astonished to discover that more than  $90,000 that was recommended as the new allocation for the UC Extension  portion of the budget was slated to be taken from the already decimated  County Parks budget! Fortunately, Supervisor Rich Gordon averted a new  crisis by proposing that the "add back" for the UC Extension  be taken from the County's reserve funds. The rest of the Board concurred  with this proposal, so Parks and Recreation has taken a cut of "only"  32% over the last two years.  Funding cuts forcing difficult decisions With the State budget crisis threatening to fall heavily on local governments  again next year, the same Hobson's choices will be facing the County next  June. The Board has found it difficult to choose parks over other essential  human services, so the need for finding additional funding is becoming  more urgent. And the parks cannot sustain the current level of funding  without serious consequences for visitors and park resources.  Promising developments for future funding The challenge is for San Mateo County to find a source of funding that  can meet the needs for County Parks without competing with the reauthorization  of Measure A, the half-cent sales tax measure that funds regional transportation  improvement projects. A promising model is under way in Contra Costa County,  where a broad-based group of citizens has crafted a funding proposal for  voters to consider. Contra Costa's Advisory Committee on Open Space Funding,  composed of a broad based group representing the County Board of Supervisors,  cities within the county, East Bay Regional Parks, Land Trusts, business,  labor, ranching and agriculture, is recommending a Benefit Assessment  District, which would levy an assessment on each property throughout the  County in proportion to the "benefit" to that property, as determined  by an Engineer's Report. This kind of funding has the advantage of only  needing a 50% plus one vote. CGF believes a similar committee structure  and funding approach would be essential to gaining the support of the  various stakeholders in San Mateo County. Stay tuned! The next  steps for this effort include an in-depth meeting with the consultants  who have put together the rationale for Benefit Assessment Districts for  parks and other needed community facilities and services throughout the  state. We are encouraged that finally there is some forward movement on  this important effort, and look forward to supporting a broad-based effort  to secure dedicated funds that will provide our parks the stability they  -- and we -- need and deserve. Page last updated November 6, 2003 .

	Photo by Robert  Buelteman ©1999