Belvedere mulls revenue sources for flood projects

Marin Independent Journal (CA)

Oct. 24--Preparing for what experts are calling an imminent threat, Belvedere officials are grappling with ways to pay for projects designed to safeguard the bayfront community from the forthcoming effects of sea-level rise.

City Council members this month discussed possible revenue sources, ranging from parcel and property transfer taxes to grants and crowdsourcing campaigns, that could help pay for flood protection projects with an estimated price tag between $11.3 million and $27.1 million.

The money will presumably come from a combination of sources, according to City Manager Craig Middleton. But before taking any action, city officials plan to give the community plenty of time to weigh in. The first in a series of public forums on the topic of flood protection and how to fund it will likely be scheduled for next month, according to Middleton.

Following a study of the city's water protection infrastructure, consulting engineers have created initial design plans for projects that are set to keep Belvedere homes out of the flood zone until at least 2050. The final price tag will depend on which designs the city selects.

"If you took all the cheapest options and put them in a pot, you'd get $11 million," Middleton said. "If you took all the most expensive, you'd get $27 million. The real number is probably somewhere in the middle."

That's a hefty bill for a city less than one square mile in size with a population of just over 2,000, the city manager said. Belvedere's budget this fiscal year predicts a general fund reserve of $2.9 million.

"But we'd rather play offense than defense," Middleton said.

Proposed projects include raising two levees -- along Beach Road and San Rafael Avenue -- that keep water out of the Belvedere Lagoon and reinforcing the seawalls protecting those embankments.

Belvedere has so far spent $186,000 studying the work that needs to be done. The state Department of Water Resources paid 55 percent of that cost through a grant.

The city has already experienced destruction from flooding. In 1982, the last year a storm caused major damage in Belvedere, roughly 90 homes -- almost 10 percent of the city's housing stock -- were flooded. Homeowners paid more than $5 million in damages following the storm, which included unusually heavy rains and strong winds. The city incurred about $500,000 in damages to public property.

"And that was before the ocean level started rising," said Bob McCaskill, Belvedere's mayor, recounting the event.

At a planning retreat this month, City Council members said they favored the idea of a property transfer tax to raise flood protection funds, which would levy fees on those buying homes in Belvedere, according to McCaskill. Any tax increases would need voter approval, he noted.

While funding sources remain up in the air, city officials have resolved to get the planning process underway, McCaskill said.

"It's clear that this is the No. 1 challenge facing our city council today," he said. "It's not something we need to solve immediately, but it makes no sense to put it off. We could have a similar storm to the one we had in '82 this winter."

According to projections released this year by the state Ocean Protection Council, the sea-level near San Francisco is likely to rise 1.1 feet above its current level by 2050. Under extreme circumstances, the level could rise as much as 2.7 feet by that year, the projections state. By 2010, the council predicts the level could rise as high as 10.2 feet above current levels, under the most severe conditions.

"We want to be prepared," said Middleton, who noted the city uses the Ocean Protection Council's projections to inform its planning. "When you think about the potential threat, and what the impact could be here, it's big."

Middleton is working to secure permits from regulating agencies that would allow construction crews to immediately begin stabilizing a portion of the seawall along Beach Road, which is damaged and sinking toward the water. City officials last month declared a state of emergency for the community after learning the barrier is at risk of collapsing into the bay.

That project, which engineers say needs immediate attention, is a small piece of Belvedere's flood protection work. The city has already allocated funding for the construction, which could cost upward of $500,000, in its budget, according to Middleton.

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