For most of the past decade, Mill Valley spent between $5 million and $10 million a year on capital improvements, according to the budget staff report. This year, the city is committing $24.2 million. The jump is not an accident and it did not happen quickly.
In November 2024, Mill Valley voters approved Measure L, a 1% local sales tax generating roughly $5 million a year. The city used that revenue stream to back a $15 million bond, priced in May at 2.75%, according to the budget staff report. That bond, combined with ongoing Measure L revenue and the city's General Fund capital allocation, is what made the $24.2 million program possible.
The Mill Valley Golf Course Clubhouse will receive a $5 million renovation. (MVB, June 27)
The work of getting here: identifying what needed to be built, addressing a substantial backlog of deferred maintenance, building reserves, pursuing grants and making the case to voters, has been underway since 2020, according to Councilmember Urban Carmel. Most neighboring cities have not done this work, Carmel said at the June 15 meeting. Mill Valley has.
"This is just an incredibly exciting point," Carmel said. "We've been working on this thing since 2020. Now we've got the funding in place, we've got the staff in place, we've got the plan in place, and we're ready to hit the play button."
What the city is building: The capital program spans nearly every category of city infrastructure. The bond-funded projects anchor it: a new public works complex and corporation yard, a $5 million Golf Course Clubhouse renovation, library rehabilitation, and facility upgrades at City Hall and the Community Center. The pool at the Recreation Center will be resurfaced. Roads get attention too: the annual street rehabilitation program continues, alongside a bond-funded roadway and hillside stabilization program and a bridges and culverts repair program that addresses aging drainage infrastructure across the city.
The Mill Valley Library at 375 Throckmorton Ave. The city has engaged an architectural firm to develop a master plan for potential improvements, with a phased implementation strategy to follow, according to a May 2026 staff report.
Flood mitigation and landslide prevention accounts for 6% of the FY2026-27 program, rising to 13% in FY2027-28, according to the budget staff report. Sewer rehabilitation, funded through the sewer fund, adds another layer.
On the parks and recreation side: Boyle Park tennis courts will be rebuilt, the Hauke Park softball field will be renovated for the first time in the program's history, according to Julia Wilhelm, a Mill Valley Softball board member who led the renovation effort, and updating playgrounds at Sycamore Park and the Community Center are in the queue.
Councilmember Stephen Burke said the combined capital programs of Tiburon, Belvedere, Corte Madera, Larkspur and Novato, five cities serving 86,000 people, add up to roughly what Mill Valley is spending this year alone.
One thing to understand about the timeline: Approving a capital program and building it are two different things. When money appears in a given fiscal year, it reflects when funds are committed - when contracts are signed and purchase orders issued - not when construction is completed, according to Public Works Director Andrew Poster. A project encumbered in FY2026-27 may not break ground until FY2027-28 and may not be finished until FY2028-29 or later. That is why City Manager Todd Cusimano told the council: "This really isn't a two-year CIP or three. It's a three- or four-year CIP." The $24.2 million figure represents project initiations, not a single year of construction activity.
The tension: The same night the council approved all of this, Poster disclosed that his department has 48 active projects against a staff capacity of 15 to 25. "The math ain't mathing," he said. Cusimano has authorized a staffing plan that includes contract project managers to help close the gap, with the city currently interviewing candidates through a recruiting firm, according to the city.
But the council was candid about the risk. "I'm also fearful, to be totally honest," Carmel said, citing concerns about capacity, staff retention and community stress. Burke was blunter: "If we go to the big buffet and try to eat everything, we're going to get sick." Vice Mayor Caroline Joachim identified the underlying tension: "I really do feel like there's a little bit of a disconnect in terms of time and process and what we're asking of staff, and then what staff is able to deliver."
What had to give way: Cusimano recommended setting aside some items from the active work plan to protect delivery of the funded priority program: a downtown streetlight LED upgrade, an Edgewood Corridor traffic safety analysis, an East Blithedale Avenue one-way analysis, and a citywide speed limit analysis. The council agreed by consensus. None is permanently off the table, and Cusimano committed to bringing any of them back if circumstances allow.
The pump track, which drew significant community advocacy, was deferred rather than set aside. Cusimano directed staff to find a location and engage the community before returning with a funded proposal. Patrick Linehan of Mill Valley Pump Track said the group is now focused on advancing a concept study, whose funding and scope have not yet been confirmed. "I'm encouraged that the city has identified the pump track as a community priority and directed staff to keep the effort moving forward," he told the Briefing.
"The pump track is one that we understand is something that people want to do. We'll have to fundraise around it, just like the sand volleyball court. We'll look for grant money, and we'll try to shoehorn it in," Carmel told the Briefing. City staff will determine which projects move forward and when, based on location, seasonal considerations, staff availability and safety priorities, city staff told the Briefing.
What's next: The capital program doesn't exist in isolation and two items from the same June 15 meeting will shape it in the years ahead. The council took a first procedural step toward placing the Municipal Services Tax on the November ballot. The MST funds street maintenance, vegetation management, tree maintenance and wildfire risk reduction at $303 per parcel annually, and it expires at the end of fiscal year 2026-27. The tax has been a dedicated funding source for those services since 1997, according to the staff report. A public hearing is set for July 20.
Separately, the Measure L Oversight Committee, the body tasked with overseeing how Measure L funds are spent, held only its second meeting last Wednesday. Chair John McCauley said the committee is still establishing its scope and goals before turning to the substance of the capital program. The council is expected to revisit the capital work plan at its January offsite. Cusimano said the project list needs to be significantly smaller to match what staff can realistically deliver.
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This week in Mill Valley history: The man who named the valley
On June 29, 1843, John Thomas Reed died at his ranch at the age of 38. He is the reason this place is called Mill Valley.
Reed was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1805 and arrived in the Bay Area in 1826 after years in Mexico, where he had become a Spanish speaker and eventually a Mexican citizen. He married Hilaria Sanchez, daughter of the commandant of the San Francisco Presidio, in 1836. In the mid-1830s he built a sawmill on Cascade Creek - the first in Marin County. The creek and the canyon took the mill's name, and eventually the town did too.
John Reed built this adobe on what is now La Goma Avenue and Locke Lane around 1836, using beams cut at his sawmill on Cascade Creek. He and his wife Hilaria Sanchez raised four children here. Mt Tamalpais can be seen in the distance. (Photo courtesy of the Lucretia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library)
Reed never saw the town. He died 47 years before the land auction that brought the first settlers. He was building a two-story adobe near what is now La Goma and Locke Lane when he fell ill. The attempt to treat him made things worse: a botched phlebotomy severed an artery. His daughter Inez eventually inherited the 646 acres that included what is now Mill Valley and Alto.
The sawmill that bears his legacy stands in Old Mill Park. The creek still runs past it.
Sources: Mill Valley Historical Society (mvhistory.org); Lucretia Little History Room, Mill Valley Public Library
What we covered this week
🏫 The Mill Valley School District broke ground on the long-awaited middle school renovation, adopted a balanced budget and set the Measure E parcel tax rate at $1,754 per parcel for next year. We reported on what the budget projects, what the reserves look like and what Measure E's passage means for the district going forward. The election certified on Friday.
📚 TUHSD will not pursue a parcel tax renewal this November. We reported on why the board dissolved its exploratory committee, what the existing tax generates and the structural budget pressure the district is facing. The board also rescinded a $750,000 loan to the Tam High Foundation after a conflict-of-interest question arose over a sitting trustee.
🏠 Mill Valley home sales nearly doubled in April, with the median price up 23% from a year ago. We reported on what's driving the surge, how the numbers break down by neighborhood and what the countywide data shows about where Mill Valley sits relative to the rest of Marin.
🏗️ The long-stalled Simons Way subdivision on Miller Avenue got an 18-month permit extension. We reported on why the project stalled, what the bankruptcy filing means for its future and what's at stake for the four affordable units it's supposed to deliver.
🚲 Mill Valley's bike infrastructure score jumped 20 points. We reported on what drove the increase, where the city's gaps are and what it would actually take to make the main corridors safe enough for most riders.
🔥 The Greater Mill Valley Fuel Break is expanding. We reported on where Phase 2 work is headed and what crews are already doing on streets across town this month.
🏡 A Roque Moraes Drive homeowner's bid to replace a backyard cottage with a two-story ADU ran into trouble at the Planning Commission. We reported on what the commission said, why a phone text chain was submitted as evidence and what options the owner has now.
If you want to read about any of these stories as they develop, the daily Briefing lands in your inbox Monday through Friday at 6am. A paid subscription makes this reader-funded, local news operation possible. It’s $12 per month, which you can cancel anytime, and the annual subscription comes out to less than $2 a week. Upgrading is only two clicks if you use Apple Pay.
Mill Valley Little League All Stars go 4-0 on Saturday as Juniors advance to Sectionals
Mill Valley Little League's All Stars are deep into District 3 tournament play, with five age divisions still competing and the 14U Juniors already advancing to Sectionals after winning the District championship. Those games begin at Tam High next week.
For the other divisions, pool play wraps up Sunday (13U) and Monday (10U, 11U, 12U), with seedings set for knockout rounds to follow.
The 13U squad shut out San Rafael Little League 8-0 in seven innings Saturday evening, with Matthew Cao and Alex Meleis each hitting home runs. Cao went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and also struck out three in 1.2 innings on the mound. Ricky Ames closed it out with 4.1 innings of shutout ball, striking out four.
The 12U squad beat West Marin 3-0 behind a complete-game performance from Tyler, who allowed just two hits over six innings while the offense collected 10. Charlie's first-inning double plated the game's first run, and MVLL added two more in the fifth.
The 11U team, now 2-0 in pool play, beat Gallinas Valley 6-2. Liam threw four shutout innings, allowing one hit, before Quinn struck out three in relief. Grey went 2-for-2 with two RBIs to lead the offense.
The 10U squad closed out the afternoon with a 9-5 win over West Marin, going 2-2 in pool play. Oliver went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, and Porter struck out five over 3.2 innings.
Results and schedules for all divisions are posted at the California District 3 website.
Survey: local government tops reader priorities for Mill Valley Briefing
More than 50 of you took the time last week to tell us what you actually want to read. We asked you to rank nine topics from most to least important, and the results were clear: local government and city hall came out on top, with 31% of readers putting it first and 60% placing it in their top three. Housing and development ranked second, followed by wildfire and emergency prep.
Those three topics will continue to anchor our coverage going forward. Arts and culture ranked high on the "ranked #1" column, which tells us there's a passionate group who want more of it. We're paying attention to that, too. The one surprise: community events drew the second-most "ranked it first" votes at 17%, but landed near the bottom on average, which means it's polarizing rather than broadly popular. We'll keep it in the mix but won't let it crowd out the hard news. Thanks for helping set the agenda.
📅 Next week in Mill Valley
Tue, Jun 30 – Zepparella, Sweetwater, 7pm. The powerhouse, all-female tribute to Led Zeppelin touches down at 19 Corte Madera Ave. Tread on holy ground with this incredible ensemble as they honor the intricate magic and deep legacy of rock royalty live on stage. All ages welcome. Tickets are $30 in advance / $35 day of show (including fees).
Tue, Jun 30 – Lizzie No with Melanie MacLaren, Sweetwater, 8pm. The acclaimed singer-songwriter, harpist, and guitarist hits the stage at 19 Corte Madera Ave. Delivering a poignant blend of contemporary folk, indie rock, and striking storytelling, Lizzie No brings one of the week's most intimate and captivating live sets to town. All ages; doors open at 7pm.
Tue, Jun 30 – Tuesday Night Comedy, Throckmorton Theatre, 8-10pm. Throckmorton’s acclaimed weekly comedy night brings a theater-style stage and an intimate club atmosphere to 142 Throckmorton Ave. Tonight’s laugh-out-loud lineup features fresh rising talent alongside top-tier veteran comics Suli McCullough, Keith Lowell Jensen, Patrick Keane, and Stuart Thompson, with Jeanette Marin serving as the evening's host. Doors open at 7:30pm.
Wed, Jul 1 – World Cup Watch Parties: USA vs. Bosnia, Various Locations, 5pm. The tournament action heats up as the USMNT takes the pitch in this knock-out game. Local favorites across town, including Sweetwater, The Junction, Tam Tavern, and Playa, will be hosting watch parties with the game live on the big screens. Check individual spots for match-day food and drink specials.
Wed, Jul 1 – First Wednesday: Small Town Hardball as Americana, Mill Valley Library, 6:30-8pm. Head to the Creekside Room for a unique look at American culture through the lens of local sports history. Dr. Rob Elias—Emeritus Professor of Politics at USF, author of six baseball books, and Editor of the Mill Valley Historical Society Review—will explore the history of Mill Valley and Marin baseball teams from the 1890s to the 1950s, back when local town rivalries were fierce and residents packed the stands. Designed for adults.
Thu, Jul 2 – Trivia Night, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Co-hosts Lynne and Simon "The Brit" lead a popular night of quiz show fun and playful group therapy on the plaza. Picture trivia, wild categories, and bragging rights await those who know a little too much about obscure topics.
Thu, Jul 2 – Sgt. Splendor with The Sly Stones, Sweetwater, 8pm. Led by the powerhouse duo of Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden, this genre-blending outfit brings a high-octane mix of rock, funk, blues, and soul to 19 Corte Madera Ave. They are joined by The Sly Stones for an evening of exceptional musicianship and sharp songwriting. Doors open at 7pm. General admission tickets are $29.36.
Fri, Jul 3 – Musical Feast, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. An alt-country-folk-rock ensemble blending Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Springsteen, and Petty with guitars, flute, violin, and gorgeous vocal harmonies live on the plaza.
Fri, Jul 3 – Shark Alley Hobos: Musical Tribute to JAWS, Sweetwater, 8pm. Join Bay Area sea shanty favorites, the Shark Alley Hobos, as they celebrate the 1975 horror classic at 19 Corte Madera Ave. The band will perform their critically acclaimed musical tribute “Off The Deep End,” followed by a screening of the original film. Come dressed as your favorite character for a costume contest, test your knowledge in a trivia battle, and enjoy prizes, popcorn, and screams. Free, all-ages show; doors open at 7pm.
Sat, Jul 4 – Homestead Valley 4th of July Celebration, Stolte Grove & Volunteer Park, 10:30am. Grab your coolers and blankets to join your neighbors for a classic neighborhood parade. Gathering begins at 10:30am at the corner of Evergreen and Melrose, with the parade launching at 11:00am from Volunteer Park, traveling up Melrose to Laverne, and finishing in Stolte Grove. An 11:30am picnic follows featuring food and dessert treats from local businesses alongside live music and artists.
Sat, Jul 4 – Eldon Brown Band, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 5:30pm. Live music continues out on the plaza with a performance from this local standout. Stay tuned for details on this upcoming weekend set. Free entry; open to all ages.
Sun, Jul 5 – Amy Wigton & Manny LaCarrubba, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore, 4-6pm. Head to the plaza for an entertaining mix of classic folk and rock tunes. This special mother and son duo is joined by guitarist Rod Witel for an intimate, outdoor acoustic performance.
🔍 Businesses and venues mentioned in this section are covered on editorial merit only. No business has paid for coverage. Promotional content is always labeled.
