Stinson Beach voters reject flood tax

Voters in the Stinson Beach flood control zone have rejected a special 20-year tax for flood mitigation measures.

Measure A required the approval of two-thirds of the voters and received 56.5 percent. The vote was 125 yes and 96 no, and voter turnout was 50 percent. Dan Miller, a clerk in the Marin County Registrar of Voters Office, said there are only nine mail-in and seven provisional ballots left to be counted.

The results will be updated Friday. The measure will still fail with only 59 percent approval if the current 16 outstanding votes are in favor of the tax.

Measure A would have provided $3.68 million toward a $5.7 million project for flood mitigation including dredging Easkoot Creek from Arenal Avenue and Calle del Arroyo, bypassing flood flows, restoring wetlands and creek habitat and other measures. The proposed annual tax was $250 on improved parcels and $50 on unimproved parcels for 20 years.

The Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District said only $60,000 annually was available in property tax revenue to address flooding in the Zone 5 district. There are 443 voters in the Stinson Beach flood control district.