Marin Measures AA, EE and FF and Sonoma's Measure N: The Smallest Items on the Ballot, Explained

Some of the shortest ballot questions in the North Bay this year come from tiny special districts. Inverness, Stinson Beach and the Schell-Vista fire district in Sonoma County are each asking voters to renew a spending limit. In Marin, a road division formed this summer is asking its few property owners to approve a large parcel tax.

What an appropriations limit is

Article XIIIB of the California Constitution, approved in 1979 and often called the Gann limit, puts a yearly cap on how much tax money most local agencies can spend. Voters can raise that cap, but only for up to four years at a time. Marin County Counsel Brandon Halter's impartial analyses explain that a district that collects more than its limit cannot spend the extra money. That is why small districts come back to voters every four years.

Measure AA: Inverness Public Utility District

Measure AA would let the Inverness Public Utility District keep spending above its base limit through fiscal 2029-30, with the limit covering all of its applicable revenue. County Counsel says the measure does not authorize a new assessment or raise any property tax rate. Supporters include board president Kathryn Donohue and fire chief David Briggs. They say the revenue pays for Inverness fire protection, first-responder medical care and disaster preparedness. Without the measure, they say, part of the local property tax would be redistributed to other Marin agencies. No argument against was filed. It needs a simple majority.

Measure EE: Stinson Beach County Water District

Measure EE would set the water district's limit at $1,536,312 for fiscal 2026-27 and use that figure through 2029-30. It also needs a simple majority and also does not raise taxes. The five-member board signed the argument in favor. It says Stinson Beach voters last approved an increase in 2022. It also says that without one, property tax revenue over the limit would go back to the state and would have to be made up through higher water rates. No argument against was filed.

Measure N: Schell-Vista Fire Protection District

In Sonoma County, Measure N asks Schell-Vista voters to keep the higher spending limit they first approved in 2018 along with a special tax for fire, rescue and ambulance service, and renewed in 2022. County Counsel's analysis says a yes vote lets the district keep spending that special tax through 2029-30. Fire Chief Ray Mulas and board members signed the argument in favor, which calls it "not a new tax." No argument against was submitted. A simple majority is needed.

Measure FF: Upper Bay Permanent Road Division

Measure FF is different. According to County Counsel, the Upper Bay Permanent Road Division was formed on June 23, 2026, after a majority of its property owners signed a petition. It would tax each improved parcel $4,350 a year and each unimproved parcel $2,175 a year for 10 years, starting in fiscal 2027-28, to pay for road improvements. The measure estimates that brings in about $456,750 a year. After that, a $455-a-year maintenance tax per parcel would continue, adjusted each July for Bay Area inflation, until it is repealed. The money must be kept in a special account for the division's road. It needs two-thirds approval. Nobody filed an argument for or against it.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.