A year after Napa voters signed off on Measure G, the one-cent sales tax is starting to look a lot less abstract and a lot more like fresh asphalt and new playground gear. Crews are repaving streets, parks are getting shade and upgraded amenities, and the city has closed on a major property purchase that is expected to expand local recreation options. The tax hike is projected to bring in roughly $22 million a year for the city’s general fund.
Where the money is going
City officials have carved out the new revenue for a two-year slate of capital projects and day-to-day operating needs. On the streets side, Napa has lined up several big-ticket paving jobs, including Trancas Street at $3 million, California Boulevard at $2.5 million and Soscol Avenue at $2 million, and has also bumped up its annual paving program. On the parks front, spending includes work at Lake, Klamath and Laurel parks, a $1.2 million playground package and new shade structures, as reported by The Press Democrat. Las Flores Community Center is in line for about $1.8 million in renovations, and the city has reserved funds to study splash pad options and new park restrooms.
Harvest site and neighborhood work
According to City of Napa, the city has closed on the former Harvest Middle School campus at 2447 Old Sonoma Road for roughly $25 million and designated about $4 million in Measure G money for interim operations and planning a future recreation complex there. Closer to home for many residents, the Westwood interior streets program carries an $8 million budget, with about $3.3 million coming from Measure G, and crews are repairing local streets and sidewalks as shown in the City Council presentation from the Napa City Council.
Public safety and oversight
Measure G is also helping underwrite public safety and homelessness work. Roughly $1.6 million has been set aside for detective and youth services realignment and about $1.05 million for homelessness outreach and tenancy care, while the city budgeted roughly $228,850 for community engagement and transparency, as reported by The Press Democrat. To keep an eye on it all, a five-member Measure G Citizens Oversight Committee has been appointed to review projects and spending and is expected to publish annual reports.
Next steps and community check-in
The city is inviting residents to kick the tires on these investments at a "Measure G in Motion" showcase this Monday at the newly acquired recreation complex at 2447 Old Sonoma Road, a drop-in event with project booths, an equipment pavilion and a Kids’ Zone, per the City of Napa. “We want residents to see the progress firsthand, meet the teams behind the work, and help us shape what comes next,” City Manager Steve Potter said in the announcement. Staff say many projects are expected to return to the council later this spring as designs, bids and construction schedules are finalized.
