From the City Manager
Mary Neilan

City Clerk Transition
The City is losing a long time staff member next month when City Clerk Leslie Carpentiers retires after more than 20 years in city government. Leslie started work in Belvedere in 1978, left the City for several years and was lured back by former City Manager Ed San Diego in 2002. During her tenure, Leslie worked with at least four city managers and dozens of councilmembers and mayors. She implemented a citywide electronic records management system, oversaw the City’s information technology system, served as Risk Manager and Personnel Officer, and supported numerous council projects and special events. When I arrived in Belvedere I was thrilled to have a seasoned City Clerk on staff, one with great knowledge of Belvedere history and culture. All of us at the City hate to see her go, but we wish Leslie the very best as she begins the next phase of her life!

Happily, the City has a qualified employee that has accepted an offer to take over City Clerk duties beginning July 1. Alison Foulis has been with the city since May of 2013, providing administrative support to multiple departments. Ali is a graduate of Marin Catholic High School and earned a BA in Urban Planning from U.C. San Diego. She has proven herself to be a very bright, intuitive and hard working young person with a genuine interest in the inner workings of city government. I am confident she will make an excellent City Clerk and am so pleased she has accepted the position!

Transportation Priorities in Marin County
The Transportation Authority of Marin TAM) is seeking input on transportation priorities over the next 30 years. Please see below for information on an upcoming workshop. TAM has also developed an online survey for those of you that cannot attend the workshop but want your voice to be heard. The survey is available at the following link: http://www.tam.ca.gov/index.aspx?page=20&recordid=372&returnURL=%2findex.aspx








SHARE YOUR VISION FOR MOVING MARIN

Help shape our transportation future. Marin County needs your help in forming a strategic path forward for transportation, including prioritizing transportation investments for local, regional, state and federal funding over the next three decades. The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) wants your input as it is preparing to both submit projects and programs for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and complete a Strategic Vision Plan.


ABOUT THE STRATEGIC VISION PLAN AND REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN (RTP)
TAM’s Strategic Vision Plan will create a vision for the future of transportation in the county that will guide upcoming transportation investments, combine various completed planning efforts, and update countywide goals and objectives. The Plan will include an evaluation of projects and programs, helping to focus limited resources on projects that represent community priorities.

The RTP, managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), guides funding for all parts of the transportation system in the SF Bay Region, including capital, operating and maintenance for freeways, buses, rail, ferries, and other modes.  All projects competing for regional, state or federal funding must be included in this Plan, which is updated every 4 years. Each county must submit projects for inclusion in the RTP.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MARIN COUNTY
Much of the transportation funding available to Marin County comes from regional, state and federal sources.  Marin County is lucky to have a local ½ cent transportation sales tax, authorized as “Measure A” by voters in November 2004, which will generate between $22 and $25 million per year until 2024.  Marin County also has a Vehicle Registration Fee that generates about $2 million per year for local transportation programs. However, all other funding flows through the Regional Transportation Plan and nearly any major project or program needs to be in the RTP in order to have sufficient funding to be fully implemented. Planning is also needed for our next generation of local “self help” funds which enable Marin to establish local priorities.

All the transportation services you use every day rely on projects in the RTP, for example, keeping our major roads well-maintained and pothole free, keeping our buses running and bus drivers paid, building new bike and pedestrian paths and maintaining the ones we have, and running ferry boats across the Bay; these all must be submitted to the RTP to get funding.

HOW DO PROJECTS GET FUNDING THROUGH THE RTP?
Marin County’s projects are evaluated for funding at the regional level with projects from other counties and with regional programs, such as 511.  Not all projects will get funding.  MTC determines a set of goals for the region’s transportation system and projects are evaluated for how they help meet these goals.  Projects are prioritized based on their performance in this evaluation and higher priority projects are more likely to receive funding.  MTC’s goals for this RTP are:

• Climate Protection
• Adequate Housing
• Healthy and Safe Communities
• Open Space & Agricultural Preservation
• Equitable Access
• Economic Vitality
• Transportation System Effectiveness
• Infrastructure Security

HOW CAN I PROPOSE A PROJECT OR PROGRAM?
Projects proposed through our public outreach process will be evaluated both by MTC and TAM.  Projects with a public agency sponsor and with a high likelihood of attracting regional funding are likely to be included in TAM’s submittal to MTC for the upcoming Regional Transportation Plan.  Your priorities will be combined with those from other public input events to help shape our Strategic Vision.  You can make your priorities known even if you are unable to attend our community workshop on June 20th.  Send your comments and take our survey online at www.tam.ca.gov.

WHAT IS THE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY OF MARIN?
TAM is responsible for managing a variety of transportation projects and programs in Marin County, receiving federal, state, regional, and local funds, working closely with all eleven cities and towns as well as the county.  TAM also administers the 1/2 cent Transportation Sales Tax for Marin County and the Marin Vehicle Registration Fee. For more information visit www.tam.ca.gov.

GET INVOLVED!
We want to hear from you!  Come let us know about your transportation needs and the types of projects you’d like to see get funding. 

Community Workshop
Saturday, June 20th, 11 am-3 pm
San Rafael High School cafeteria
185 Mission Avenue, San Rafael
Lunch will be provided!

For more information
Visit www.tam.ca.gov.
Contact: Derek McGill (415) 226-0825, DMcGill@tam.ca.gov