Body of News Release
Marin County, CA — The Marin County Flood Control & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors will consider a Resolution of Intent to dissolve Flood Control Zone No. 10 in Inverness and will hold a public hearing May 5 to receive community input before taking final action.
Marin County currently has eight flood control zones established to protect life and property in areas vulnerable to flooding. The proposed dissolution of Zone 10 would reduce that number to seven because the zone no longer has sufficient funding to support ongoing flood risk reduction work.
Flood Control Zone No. 10 in Inverness was established in 1982 following a major flood that caused significant sediment buildup and creek bank erosion throughout the area. In the years after the flood, community members raised approximately $200,000 to address those impacts and help stabilize local creeks.
Using those funds, many of the sediment removal and creek bank stabilization projects envisioned after the 1982 flood were completed. However, several planned projects could not be implemented because right-of-way usage could not be obtained from some affected private properties.
Today, approximately $37,000 remains in the zone’s fund balance. It does not receive property tax revenue because Flood Control Zone 10 was formed after Proposition 13, a state law passed in 1978. Past attempts to establish a special tax to fund ongoing flood control work were not approved by voters, and the zone has relied primarily on interest earnings from its limited reserves. The remaining balance is insufficient to support preventative sediment removal or flood control projects.
Following a review of various options for the future of the zone, the Zone 10 Advisory Board recommended dissolving the zone if remaining funds could continue to support local creek stabilization. The Marin Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), which oversees special district incorporation throughout the county, also supported moving forward with the process.
The Flood Control District proposes transferring the remaining funds to the Marin Resource Conservation District to support stream bank stabilization projects within the Zone 10 watershed. Stabilizing creek banks upstream can help reduce sediment buildup along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, a critical West Marin roadway that can be affected by flooding and sediment accumulation.
The Flood Control District does not own property or maintain facilities within Zone 10, and dissolution would not reduce existing services.
The Board will hear and consider all written and oral objections at the public hearing. If written protests are submitted by property owners representing more than one-half of the assessed property valuation within Zone 10, the dissolution must be suspended for at least six months.
Property owners within Zone 10 are encouraged to review the proposal and participate in the May 5 public hearing. The session begins at 9 AM in the Board of Supervisors chamber, Suite 330 of the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael. Meetings are livestreamed and archived on the County website, which has information about meeting participation in-person and remotely.
For more information, visit the Flood Zone 10 webpage.
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For disability accommodations, please phone (415) 473-6358 (voice), CA Relay 711, or e-mail County staff in advance of the event. The County will do its best to fulfill requests received with less than five business days’ notice. Copies of documents are available in alternative formats, upon request.