Berkeley voters will decide in November whether to increase the city’s parks tax by 20 percent.

Measure Y aims to increase the special parcel tax from 22 cents per square foot to 26.5 cents, meaning the owner of a 1,500 square foot home would expect to pay $66 more per year . The exemption for “very low-income homeowners” and tax rate adjustments for inflation would not change.

If approved by two-thirds of voters, the measure, put to the City Council for a vote, would raise an additional $3.8 million annually for Berkeley’s parks, trees and landscaping, according to the analysis by the city attorney. The existing parks tax generates $18.2 million annually. If voters approve the 20 percent increase, the city would raise about $22 million a year.

Supporters say the city’s 53 parks are underfunded.

“Our city is growing…so there are pressures on every green space,” Claudia Kawczynska said. who chairs the city’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Commission and organizes the Yes on Y campaign. Additional investments are needed to keep pace, she said.

The increase, Kawczynska said, would help the city’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department move forward on a long list of urgent projects it can’t afford, like replacing the old playground Dreamland at the water park or repairing the ruined sea wall. By allowing the city to hire permanent, full-time landscape gardeners dedicated to planting trees, it could help fill the 10,000 empty tree spaces in municipal parks and on public rights-of-way.

Measure Y was endorsed by the Sierra Club, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, Alameda County Democratic Party, Berkeley Democratic Club and the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. Supporters include Mayor Jesse Arreguín and council members Terry Taplin, Ben Bartlett, Igor Tregub, Sophie Hahn, Susan Wengraf, Cecilia Lunaparra and Mark Humbert. As of the publication of this article, no one has submitted a voting argument against the measure or launched organized opposition.

Berkeley’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department maintains a long list of unfunded projects — irrigation pipe replacements, new restrooms, a basketball court and court renovations — that it estimates would cost $225 million. dollars. Of these, nine projects totaling $20.5 million are considered “most needed” by city staff.

Even if the measure passes, the department likely won’t be able to address everything on its list. However, the “very modest tax” could be leveraged to get even more outside funding, said former council member Gordon Wozniak, an organizer with Yes on Y. Berkeley often competes with other jurisdictions for “funds.” Matching” – grants that require the city to prove it can “match” a portion of the project costs.

The measure also aims to ease the Marina Fund’s financial problems, supporters say.

When the city created the Marina Fund in 1964, it was intended to be self-sustaining: revenue from slip fees and leases from waterfront hotels and restaurants was to cover the operation and maintenance costs of the Berkeley Marina, according to a city document. . That hasn’t been the case in years, in part because the city created several waterfront parks — Cesar Chavez, Shorebird and Horseshoe parks — and used the Marina Fund to cover park expenses residents and other recreational activities.

(The Marina Fund’s financial difficulties led to the cancellation of the Berkeley Kite Festival and Fourth of July fireworks.)

The proposed park tax increase could help ease the burden on the Marina Fund because it would allow the city to consolidate funding for all city parks – even those on the waterfront – into the park tax. parks, according to a commission report.

At the current rate, the parks tax fund, which is expected to experience operating losses of between $1.2 million and $3.1 million in fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026, cannot afford to take on the $1.55 million the city says it spends to maintain waterfront parks and landscaping. every year.

Thanks to a dedicated tree-planting unit launching in 2023 that maintains the city’s youngest trees and benefits from the help of volunteers, Berkeley has planted hundreds of trees this year, particularly in the South and West Berkeley, areas that have long lacked tree shade. It’s part of a broader effort to address “tree equity,” a concept popularized by the conservation group American Forests, which refers to the idea that people deserve equitable access to trees because they make up essential infrastructure, prevent heat-related illnesses and improve tree quality. life. As climate change intensifies droughts, a city report said the tree unit was needed to replace dead trees and address “the increasing amount of care required for young trees.”

Unless Berkeley can find funds to keep the fledgling tree-planting team alive, these efforts could falter. The three-person unit, made up of a supervising arborist and two landscape gardeners, is largely funded by federal and state grants that are expected to dry up after winter 2025. If that happens, the city’s arborists , responsible for caring for and maintaining an estimated 50,000 more trees on streets and parks — would resume planting trees “whenever they can,” slowing down tree-planting efforts, said Scott Ferris, director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront.

Revenue generated by Measure Y could be used to create a “stable funding base” for the city’s tree planting unit, Wozniak said. “The urban forest is old and (in) Berkeley there’s been a lot of drought damage, there’s been a lot of storm damage, and a lot of it is not native plants.”

Although the ballot text itself does not explain exactly how the Department of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront will allocate the anticipated $3.8 million in additional annual revenue, Wozniak said it is designed to be flexible. A July city document highlights what the city could do with a 20 percent increase in parks taxes. About $600,000 would be set aside for the city’s tree planting unit, with the rest split about evenly between capital improvement projects – such as playground replacements and street improvements. ADA – and waterfront parks and landscaping costs.

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