Sonoma County supervisors voted Tuesday to move ahead with a renewal of Measure M, the one-eighth-cent sales tax that has paid for regional and city parks since 2019, lining it up for a voter decision this November. The extension would keep roughly $15.5 million a year flowing to parks across the county, with about a third headed to the nine incorporated cities and the rest to regional parks. Supporters say that without this money, basics like trail upkeep, restroom repairs and wildfire fuel-reduction work would be on the chopping block.
County Ordinance Tees Up Renewal For The Ballot
Regional Parks staff urged the Board to introduce an ordinance that would continue the existing one-eighth-cent transactions and use tax and place it on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The ordinance would keep the tax in place until voters choose to end it and would retain an independent seven-member oversight committee to review spending and annual audits. The county packet notes that the levy currently generates about $15.5 million a year, and that any renewal proposed by the board still has to clear the voters before it can take effect.
Who Gets What Under The Parks Tax Split
Supervisors backed putting the proposed renewal on the November ballot with a unanimous vote, according to The Press Democrat. The draft spending plan carves up about 33% of revenues for the nine cities and roughly 66% for Sonoma County Regional Parks, adding up to an estimated $15.5 million a year in countywide revenue. County figures cited in news reports show Santa Rosa would receive about $2.6 million annually if the renewal passes, Petaluma about $866,400, Rohnert Park about $646,010 and Cotati roughly $106,881, per The Press Democrat. The plan divides projects into buckets such as city parks, deferred maintenance and safety, access and trails, and natural-resource protection, which backers say translate on the ground into restroom fixes, trail repairs and wildfire risk reduction.
Polling, Park Boosters And Oversight
A staff-commissioned poll summarized in the county packet showed solid support for keeping Measure M going. The Fairbanks Maslin survey found 74% support in late 2025 and indicated backing stayed above the two-thirds mark even after respondents heard negative messaging. Local officials and park advocates pressed supervisors to move quickly. Caryl Hart told the board the parks “offer value to folks that live here every day,” while Buffy McQuillen said Measure M has created long-term stability to protect landscape and restore ecosystems, as reported by The Press Democrat. If voters sign off on an extension, the ordinance keeps a citizen oversight committee in place to keep an eye on expenditures and audits.
What Has To Happen Before Voters Decide
Before any renewal kicks in, supervisors still need to finalize the ordinance and formally place the measure on the ballot at a later hearing. State law requires that taxes proposed by a legislative body be presented by ordinance and then sent to the voters. Because it is a local special tax, any extension of Measure M needs approval from two-thirds of voters under California law. For more on that supermajority requirement, see California Government Code § 53722.
Why The Measure M Money Hits Close To Home
County staff and city leaders say Measure M dollars have helped pay for playground and facility upgrades, new or improved trails and vegetation management that lowers wildfire risk while keeping parks open and usable. The City of Santa Rosa cites court and pool repairs, park maintenance and other projects as examples of what current Measure M funding looks like on the ground, underscoring how local the program’s impact has been. Voters will decide in November whether to keep that revenue stream going beyond the measure’s current 2029 expiration date.
