Corte Madera, California

Sales Tax Citizens' Oversight Committee, Town of Corte Madera

Problem

Low trust stalls collaboration, leadership emergence, and shared risk-taking.

Solution

A five-member resident committee created by Town Council resolution in 2014 after voters approved the Measure B half-cent sales tax (68% yes, November 2013), continued under Resolution 21/2020 after Measure F raised the rate to three-quarters of a cent (77% yes, June 2018). It meets once a year, reviews a staff-written report on sales tax revenue and expenditures, and the Town posts the resulting annual reports (eleven, FY2013-14 through FY2023-24) on its website. FY2023-24 revenue was $4,279,719 against $4,260,952 spent, with a $2.5 million reserve the committee recommended.

Patterns used: Trust Infrastructure

Read more success stories