Dear Neighbors,
We’ve just come through a pivotal local election, one where voters weighed very different perspectives on Sausalito’s challenges and opportunities.
I’m deeply grateful for your support in re-electing me by a wide margin. I also want to acknowledge all my fellow candidates their earnestness and dedication in volunteering to serve Sausalito.
With the election behind us, and a clear choice made, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and work together to move Sausalito forward. 💪
A Sausalito Renaissance 🌅
I believe that working positively and creatively together we can tackle our challenges and work toward a Sausalito renaissance (a vision I laid out in this campaign email).
One major theme of this election was fixing our infrastructure. I’m pleased that this will be the focus of tomorrow’s City Council meeting. I invite you to join us this Tuesday at 7 p.m. or, at the very least, review the main staff report, and Powerpoint presentation ,which are packed with important information.
The State of our Infrastructure 🛠️
There is broad community consensus that our roads and infrastructure need repair. That’s part of why Measure L passed with 69% of the vote, funding $24 million to be invested over eight years. At Tuesday’s meeting, we’ll hear a detailed report from our City staff about the progress we’ve made, including a review of 33 active projects representing $7.7 million in our current Capital Improvement Plan. This will cover:
I highly recommend looking at the Powerpoint presentation and the two lists. City staff will seek Council’s feedback on these efforts, and I’d love to hear your thoughts after you review these reports.
A Big Question: Should We Accelerate Repairs? ⚡
One key decision is whether we should increase the pace of infrastructure repair. Staff strongly recommends doing so:
"Given the age of buildings, streets, stairs, sidewalks and rising construction costs it is a strong recommendation to allocate funds to these areas beyond the typical budgeted amount in the coming year.”
Funding Options 💰
Where could the money come from to accelerate repairs? It’s worth repeating, given oft-repeated misinformation out there, that regular budget surpluses over the past decade have grown Sausalito’s total cash from ~$16 million in 2015 to ~$36M million today. Here’s how these cash savings are allocated:
$5.2M for budget emergencies such as a recession
$5.3M for Sewer Maintenance and Repair
$5.7M for smoothing out an anticipated spike in our annual pension payments
$5.4M for Capital Improvements
$5.9M for various purposes. The full list is here, see the “cash balance by fund” table on the last page.
This leaves $8.5 million unallocated. What purpose should we allocate this money for? We could do some or all combinations of the below:
Accelerate infrastructure repairs
Pay down some of our pension obligation
Leave it on our balance sheet earning 5% interest for now
Or lend it to ourselves for infrastructure investment, repaid with future Measure L proceeds
This is a decision that is not obvious and is affected by competing considerations such as our highly variable total pension obligation versus the risk of delaying infrastructure repairs versus the benefit of the income earned on these savings. I look forward to engaging with my colleagues, on Tuesday and in future meetings, on how to get this balance right; and would love to hear from you too.
The Bigger Picture 🌱
It’s also important to recognize that using even all $8.5 million won’t solve our long-term infrastructure needs, which require at least tens of millions. As I stressed during the campaign, achieving top-tier infrastructure will require a sustainable, long-term plan to generate larger budget surpluses than we have historically—this something only achievable through policies that foster economic growth.
This must remain a central focus in the months and years ahead.
Moving Forward Together 🤝
Thank you for your support in this election. As we move into a new year, with a new council and replacing me with a new mayor, I look forward to doing my part to help keep moving Sausalito forward together.
