Paradise Cay is a waterfront neighborhood in Tiburon where many homes sit on canals. Silt keeps filling those canals in. Measure Z asks voters in Marin County Service Area 29 to keep paying for the dredging that clears it out.
The numbers
The tax would be $2,200 per lot a year starting July 1, 2027. It would rise 3% a year starting in July 2028 and end June 30, 2037. The service area expects it to raise about $272,800 a year on average. It needs two-thirds of the vote to pass, according to Ballotpedia and The Ark.
Why dredging costs keep rising
Eric Lyons chairs the district's advisory board. He told The Ark there's no dredging emergency right now, because the waterways were dredged in 2020 and 2024. The board is planning the next project for 2028 or 2029. The 2024 job cost more than $1 million once amortized soft costs were included, about 30% more than in 2020, he said. Few dredgers bid on small, complicated jobs like this one. The work also needs sign-off from BCDC, the Army Corps of Engineers and the regional water board.
If it fails
The current tax expires June 30, 2027. Without it, the community would have no dedicated money for dredging. "It would not be good, to say the least," Lyons said. Marin supervisors put the measure on the ballot May 19 on a 4-0 vote.
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.