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Confluence of Factors Triggers Sewer Rate Sticker Shock For Mill Valley REstaurants

2/18/2021

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The City of Mill Valley’s recent notification of a public hearing next month on its proposed changes to sewer rates has sent heads spinning, particularly for restaurants left wondering why their costs are going up in the midst of the most economically devastating year in recent memory.

The news comes in advance of a March 1st City Council meeting on the subject. City officials have said they very much want to hear from the business community on this issue. 

The City proposes to keep commercial customers on a rate structure that is entirely driven by the amount of sewage produced, while residents will convert over time to a combination fixed cost/volume-based plan, starting at 20% fixed and 80% volume in 2021-22 and moving to a 40%-60% split over time. Commercial customers will see an overall rate hike in 2020-21, then hold rates steady for five years.

The vast majority of sewer service revenue – 82 percent – comes from residential customers, with restaurants making up the bulk of commercial sewer revenue at 5.1%, followed by offices at 3 percent.

Go here to see the City's full presentation and larger slides than the images below.

​The Cost

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As with anything sewer-related, it seems, the issue is laden with complexities but largely driven by one defining feature: costs at the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin (SASM)’s Wastewater Treatment Plant on Sycamore Avenue have been rising for years and continue to do so. 

In recent years, SASM has been implementing its Wastewater Treatment Plant Master Plan (WWTP), a 30-year roadmap for SASM’s efforts to plan for expected new legal requirements, to protect it from flooding due to 100-year flood events and sea level rise, to deal with aging infrastructure, to prepare for its future growth needs, to incorporate sustainability initiatives and to reduce the impact of the plant’s odor on its neighbors. 

As part of that master plan, the treatment plant, built in 1954 and significantly expanded in 1984, is currently getting $30 million in capital improvements within a five-year window, and another $30 million over the following 25 years. In addition to those needs, and because a 2012 EPA-mandated video survey of 12.6 miles of the system found it laden with a variety of defects, including cracks, holes, blockages and tree root intrusion, the sewer system required ongoing maintenance and system-wide upgrades across the city’s 59 miles of sewer pipes.

In addition, operating costs rose by $419,000 between 2017-18 and 2020-21, a 32% jump, and they will continue to increase in each of the next five years by 14 percent, City officials said. Meanwhile, SASM’s revenue needs jumped by $858,000, or 25%, from 2017-18 to 2020-21, and will continue to increase by 13% over the next five years.
​

Because of those factors, the sewer system’s revenue requirements increased dramatically over the past four years, City officials said, from $2 million in 2012 to $6 million in 2016 to $10 million in 2020.

Other factors

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City officials said two additional factors provided little flexibility on rate adjustments.
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The first was Prop. 218, a state law approved by voters in 1996 that mandates that municipalities set rates to match the actual cost of providing the service. City officials said that mandate gave it no wiggle room on rates for commercial customers in the midst of a pandemic. The second was the fact that the City had not done a “cost of service analysis,” which most municipalities do every five years, in nine years, City officials said. Such analyses typically cause a redistribution of rates to align with current revenue needs and usage.

The impact of the proposed changes will be felt by all sewer customers, both residential and commercial, but local restaurants take a considerable hit under the proposed rate increases. 
For instance, a restaurant that paid $13,660 in 2016-17 now faces a proposed rate of $20,880, while a larger restaurant that paid $27,200 in 2016-17 will see a proposed rate of $41,560.

The lone silver lining doesn’t provide much solace: the portion of next year’s sewer rate charges for restaurants that are based on volume produced will be lower because of the significant downturn in business with the massive decline in over long stretches of time in 2020-21.

A Longstanding Topic of Conversation

Confusion among restaurant owners’ is partly driven by the fact that they’ve been down this road before. In 2016, the Mill Valley Chamber convened a pair of forums to allow City officials to hear directly from restaurant owners facing massive upticks in sewer charges as a result of the City’s 2011 shift to what residents deemed to be a more equitable "flow-based" system by which residents and business are charged based on how much water they consume and thus discharge into the sewers. 

During that process, the City applied higher rates based on the “strength factor” of the water discharged by different types of businesses, with restaurants paying a higher rate than retail shops and offices, for instance. That shift led many restaurants to see huge spikes in their sewer fees, which are applied to property tax bills and primarily passed on to tenant restaurants. For example, one downtown restaurant saw its sewer fees jump from $4,000 in 2007-2008 to $11,000 in 2014-15.

At the forums, restaurant and property owners argued that the City hadn’t taken into consideration two factors: 1) that restaurants have gotten decidedly more efficient with their discharge via composting, highly efficient dishwashing machines and the use of grease traps and 2) that restaurants serve thousands of meals per week, thus vastly reducing the amount of discharge from homes throughout Mill Valley.

The Chamber forums yielded a compromise whereby the City’s sewer rate consultant recommended reducing restaurants’ “strength factor” associated with the type of sewage being processed while maintaining the volume-based calculation. In English: The City reduced the multiplier associated with the type of sewage restaurants produced but maintained the flow-based calculation. 

But that “strength factor” is just one of three components when it comes to how much customers pay for sewer service. The other is the rate itself, which goes up for 2020-21 and stays steady for the subsequent five years. And then there is the “flow,” i.e. how much volume of sewage a home or business produces. Because business plummeted in 2020 and continues to do so in 2021 due to the pandemic, the sewage volume associated with most businesses will likely go down.
​

When presented with a trio of options for how best to proceed given all of the complexities above, the Chamber successfully lobbied a City subcommittee to leave in place the aforementioned current approach to commercial users, namely, a volume-driven rate plan, as opposed to asking businesses, primarily restaurants, to cover additional fixed costs. That position was base dn the fact that commercial users represent only 18% of the population, have very different effluent strengths and volumes than resident users and have to manage the volatility of seasonal demands and other factors outside of their control, such as Covid-19 closures.

This is obviously a ton of information to digest. We welcome your feedback, and we've scheduled a Zoom call with City officials to discuss your concerns and have your questions addressed. Restaurant owners will receive Zoom call details via email.
​
​See the full sewer rate update presentation here.

Email us.
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Mill Valley Businesses Are Eligible For Pandemic Relief Starting Feb. 22 – Applications to open for $915,000 from Marin County Small Business Fund

2/18/2021

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Marin SBDC hosting a series of webinars on the application process.
On February 22, the County of Marin is launching a new lottery, no interest loan program to provide relief to local small businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified small business owners in Marin may apply to receive a portion of $915,000 in federal relief funding targeted businesses. The money will be in the form of grants of no more than $10,000 and interest-free loans of no more than $50,000.

KEY DETAILS:
  • Initial application opens Feb. 22 and closes March 15 at 11:59pm.
  • It is NOT first come, first serve.
  • It's for small businesses only (nonprofits cannot apply).
  • $800K available in loans and $115K in grants (you can only receive a grant if you are first selected in the lottery process AND also do not meet the loan underwriting requirements).
  • Loans are 0% interest and can be up to $50K.
  • 53% of funding will go to businesses in San Rafael, 27% to those in Novato, and 20% for the rest of the county.
  • Since this is coming from CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funding, the loans will target underserved groups and low income individuals

The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), a local Community Development Financial Institution, is administering the program. All applications with go through MEDA. MEDA uses federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds by way of the CARES Act to disburse $800,000 in zero-interest loans and $115,000 in grants over the next few months. On January 12, the County entered an agreement with MEDA to help distribute the funds.

In a recommendation by the Marin County Community Development Agency, 53% of the Marin County Small Business Fund is targeted for businesses in or near San Rafael, 27% to those in or near Novato, and 20% for the rest of the county. Funding distribution is tied to coronavirus infection rates throughout the county. Businesses will be selected by a lottery because of the expected high demand for assistance. 

Loan forms must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. March 15. 

To qualify, businesses must meet the following:
  • Provide an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Be a business located in Marin and with a business address in Marin
  • Have a valid Marin business license
  • Be a for-profit business in good standing
  • Have annual business revenues of less than $2.5 million
  • Have no town, city, or county tax liens or judgments
  • Demonstrate a 25% drop in revenues since January 1, 2020
  • Have no more than 50 employees
  • Have not previously received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of more than $150,000
  • If business has five or fewer employees (including business owner), either owner(s) must qualify as low-income or at least 51% of employees must be low-income. Low-income is defined as annual wages or salary of no more than $97,600.
  • If business has six to 50 employees (including business owner), at least 51% of employees must be low-income. Low-income is defined as annual wages or salary of no more than $97,600.

Application Process
1. Submit a loan inquiry form by March 15. 
2. Through a lottery process, MEDA will select businesses to move forward.
3. Notices of selections will be sent out by March 26.
4. If your business is selected, you will then have to submit certain documents (like tax forms and other typical loan documents) in order to receive funding.
5. MEDA will work with you to make sure everything is submitted properly.
6. Funds will be dispersed by April 30.
​
Marin SBDC is hosting several MEDA Info Sessions: 

INFO SESSION #1: Thursday, Feb. 18th, 2-3pm
INFO SESSION #2: Friday, Feb. 19th, 1-2pm
INFO SESSION #3: Monday, Feb. 22nd, 11am-12pm


Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6334004364?pwd=d0dNeVpKRVJlSFM3SVBJekdwS3c3Zz09

Meeting ID: 633 400 4364
Passcode: 637727
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,6334004364#,,,,*637727# US (San Jose)

MEDA serves historically under-resourced families throughout the Bay Area, especially those among the Latinx population, by promoting economic equity and social justice. This program is MEDA’s first foray into Marin. The use of CDBG funds prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, sex, and familial status. Marin’s Countywide Priority Setting Committee that oversees CDBG funding recommendations prioritizes funding for projects that serve these protected classes.
​

The Marin County Board of Supervisors has encouraged CDA to pursue federal funding to help keep local businesses alive during this economically challenging time. “Economy” is one of the Board of Supervisors' priority “Four E's” along with equity, environment, and education.

Need Help?
Marin SBDC is ready to support you if you have questions or need guidance with the application or paperwork. You are welcome to reach out to the SBDC Advisor who assisted you with your PPP, EIDL or CA Grant or please reach out to us at 415.482.1819.

MORE INFO.
 
1st Step in Application: Submit a Loan Inquiry Form 
English
Español
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Supes OK Use of $448k in Federal Funds As Grants for Small Biz IN Under-Resourced Areas in Marin

1/13/2021

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The County of Marin has entered an agreement with a community-based organization to help it distribute nearly $448,000 of federal funds to support Marin small businesses with lower-wage employees that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The money will be in the form of grants of no more than $10,000 and interest-free loans of no more than $50,000. In a recommendation by the Marin County Community Development Agency, 53% of the funding will be targeted for businesses in or near San Rafael, 27% to those in or near Novato, and 20% for the rest of the county. Businesses will be selected by a lottery because of the expected high demand for assistance.
 
The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved the staff proposal January 12. The County’s partner on the funding distribution is the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), established in San Francisco in 1973. MEDA serves historically under-resourced families throughout the Bay Area, especially those among the Latinx population, by promoting economic equity and social justice. MEDA will use federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to create a new Marin County Small Business Fund worth more than $900,000.
 
In December, the Board approved $1,790,994 in CDBG funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. A quarter of that, $447,749, was set aside for microenterprise and small business financial assistance. The funding does not affect the County’s General Fund.
 
The Marin CDA, which administers CDBG funding locally, is targeting small businesses with low-income owners and/or businesses with 50% or more employees being low-income. For this program in Marin, low income is defined as an employee earning less than $97,600. 
 
To comply with the CARES Act requirement to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, this  assistance is targeting businesses that are either located in communities most impacted by COVID-19 and/or businesses that have a majority of employees that live in communities most impacted by the pandemic. In Marin, that means the resources will be focused toward supporting the heavily hit Canal neighborhood of San Rafael, portions of Novato, and areas seeing heightened infection rates across the rest of the county. 
 
MEDA’s webpage for the Marin County Small Business Fund will have more information about how businesses can apply for the program in the coming weeks. Inquiries should be emailed to MEDA.

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Paycheck Protection Program, Round 2: How Can We Help You Navigate The Process? Let Us KNow

1/11/2021

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After a seven-month wait, the federal Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, which offers small businesses forgivable loans to help them retain and pay their workers if they meet certain conditions, reopens this week.

​Are you applying? Let us know and, if so, how we can help.

The first round of the program closed in August after distributing $523 billion to more than 5 million businesses. Last month’s stimulus package included $284 billion in new funding to restart the relief effort.

An Equitable Start
​Beginning today, the SBA is accepting applications from community lenders seeking loans for first-time borrowers. Lenders who specialize in working with Black- and minority-owned small businesses will have a head start in tapping program funds, a move meant to address complaints that the aid was not distributed equitably the last time around and favored businesses with existing banking relationships.

Community lenders are specially designated institutions that focus on underserved borrowers, including women-led businesses and those run by Black, Latino and Asian owners and other minorities.

The SBA has not said when it will begin accepting applications via non-community lenders, only that it will "
reopen to all participating lenders shortly thereafter." We'll keep you posted on this.

Double Up
Borrowers were previously limited to just one loan, but the new funding will be available to both first-time and returning borrowers. First draw loan
s are eligible to any business or nonprofit with fewer than 500 employees and can be used to help fund payroll costs, including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker protection costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused by looting or vandalism during 2020, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations.

On Jan. 13, lenders will be able to submit applications from people seeking second-round loans. Businesses will be eligible for a second loan if they suffered a sales drop of at 25 percent or more in at least one quarter of 2020, compared with the previous year. Second loans will be restricted to businesses with no more than 300 employees; initial loans are available to larger companies, generally those with up to 500 workers.

Mill Valley business owners leaned heavily on the program's first incarnation in 2020, garnering more than $32 million in forgivable loans for the period prior to June 30, enough to retain 2,795 jobs, or nearly 14 percent of jobs saved in Marin for that period.

Many sole proprietors, a sector heavily represented in Mill Valley, got little or no PPP aid.  Some were helped by other government relief programs like expanded unemployment benefits under the $2 trillion CARES Act, which are not typically available to those who are self employed. And millions of business owners got loans from a second S.B.A. program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan system, which offers low-interest loans. But those, unlike PPP loans, must be repaid.

Questions? Comments? Email us.

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Marin County Expands Curative Partnership For More self-administered, oral swab testing Sites

1/9/2021

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Marin County’s partnership with Curative Inc. is expanding to bring additional self-administered, oral swab testing to Marin. Six locations were announced on December 17, and a seventh location that will operate five days per week is set to open on Wednesday, January 6.

The new drive-through testing location in San Rafael offers FDA-authorized, pain-free swabbing that is self-administered. Instead of doing nasal swabs, residents will simply open a swab package, cough deeply three to five times and swab inside each cheek, upper and lower gum, underneath and on top of the tongue, and the roof of the mouth. This swab is then placed inside a biohazard bag and returned to a Curative worker. Results are returned within 72 hours by email or text.

All curative testing sites remain free, but appointments must be scheduled in advance through the Curative website (available in English and Spanish). Appointment slots open about 3-4 days in advance of each scheduled testing day. The updated schedule of Marin County -based Curative test sites includes:
  • Bolinas: Mondays, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM; Bolinas Fire Station (100 Mesa Road)
  • Larkspur: Thursdays starting January 7, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; Piper Park (250 Doherty Drive)
  • Novato: Fridays starting January 8, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; Novato Library (1720 Novato Boulevard)
  • San Anselmo: Tuesdays, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; United Market (100 Red Hill Avenue)
  • San Geronimo: UPDATED! Mondays, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; San Geronimo Golf Course parking lot (5800 Sir Francis Drake Blvd)
  • San Rafael: Starting January 6; Armory Parking Lot (Armory Drive)
  • Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Sausalito: Wednesdays starting January 6, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; Sausalito City Hall (420 Litho Street)

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California Opens Application Window for Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Relief Program – Here's Some Guidance If You're Having Trouble

12/30/2020

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On. Dec. 30, the California Office of the Small Business Advocate opened the first round of applications for the state's $500 million California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. The CAReliefGrant.com website is live. MORE INFO.
​
HAVING ISSUES APPLYING FOR THE GRANT?
You're not alone. The good news is that this Grant Relief Program is NOT first come, first serve. If you face any technical issues during the process, you can still submit your application any time before Jan. 8, 2021,11:59 PM. If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the high volume demands, circle back to the application portal in lower peak demand times, today and throughout the holiday weekend. We have seen successes with clients submitting at non peak times. 

The Marin SBDC compiled screenshots of the application once you are in the portal: 

CLICK HERE FOR SCREENSHOTS OF APPLICATION

CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION GUIDANCE

GETTING ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT WITH YOUR APPLICATION 
If you are an existing Marin SBDC client, please contact the SBDC Advisor that you worked with already (whomever helped you with EIDL, PPP or another program). If you are a new client, sign up HERE.

Our SBDC CA network created webinars to help you apply and answer your questions. All webinars are at 11:00am PST - REGISTER HERE

We will be discussing:
  • The Grant Program
  • Eligibility Requirements
  • What the funding can be used for
  • The Application
  • Required Documents
  • Who to Contact for Assistance

Webinars occur daily at 11:00 a.m.
  • Jan 1 - English
  • Jan 2 - English/Vietnamese
  • Jan 3 - English/Korean
  • Jan 4 - English/Arabic

REGISTER HERE FOR ANY OF THESE WEBINARS
INFO ON FIRST ROUND FOR CA GRANT RELIEF PROGRAM OPENS DECEMBER 30 -
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • This is NOT a first come first serve process. 
  • They will have 2 rounds of funding open. First round opens December 30 at 6:00 AM - January 8 at 11:59 PM - Second round TBD
  • You can apply even if you received EIDL, PPP or other COVID funding

WHO CAN APPLY
  • Active small businesses with gross revenues of $2.5M or less and small nonprofits 501(c)3 and 501(c)6 with gross revenues of $2.5M or less
  • Operating in business from June 1 2019

HOW MUCH CAN YOU ASK FOR
  • Eligible businesses with annual revenues of $1,000 to $100,000 can ask for $5,000
  • Eligible businesses with annual revenues of $100,000 up to $1,000,000 can ask for $15,000
  • Eligible businesses with annual revenues of $1,000,000 up to $2,500,000 can ask for $25,000

HOW WILL APPLICATIONS BE CHOSEN
Eligible businesses will be scored based on COVID-19 impact factors incorporated into the Program’s priority criteria so that distribution can take into account priority key factors, including the following:
  1. Geographic distribution based on COVID-19 health and safety restrictions following California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy and county status and the new Regional Stay At Home Order;
  2. Industry sectors most impacted by the pandemic; and
  3. Underserved small business groups served by the State supported network of small business centers (i.e., businesses majority owned and run on a daily basis by women, minorities/persons of color, veterans and businesses located in low-to-moderate income and rural communities). 

FIND ALL INFO HERE: https://careliefgrant.com/

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MV Chamber Launches New 'Mill Valley Thrive' Fund Allowing You to Directly Support Your Favorite Businesses With Tax-Deductible Donations!

12/18/2020

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Through the spring and summer of 2020, the Mill Valley community locked arms with local small businesses, donating to the Chamber's COVID-19 Mill Valley Business Fund, our campaign to raise funds for as many $1,000 direct cash grants as possible at a moment of crisis amidst the pandemic.

You donated, en masse, raising nearly $100,000 to support almost 100 grants to businesses. Due to the ever-murky prospects for local Mill Valley businesses on the horizon, we're hoping you'll take the opportunity to support your local community again, in a slightly different but no-less-meaningful way.

The biggest differences this time are that you have the ability to designate your donation specifically to your favorite business(es) and your donation is tax-deductible via MarinLink.org, our fiscal custodian and nonprofit partner. To make a donation online by credit card, click the Donate button below to be directed to the MarinLink website. 

Indicate recipient(s) in the "In Honor of" portion of the form – we'll split the donation evenly among them. If you don't designate a business, we will pool not-designated donations to support the continued creation of $1,000 direct cash grants to the businesses that applied to our GoFundMe campaign in the spring and summer but weren't fulfilled with the funds raised.
DONATE HERE
Key details:
  • We welcome donations of any size to the Mill Valley Thrive Fund to help our business community, and we have already received donations from $25 to $25,000.
  • Donations of less than $100 will go into the General Fund for businesses that have previously applied for $1,000 direct cash grants. Applications for these grants closed in July 2020. We are no longer accepting new applications due to the overwhelming demand.
  • Donations earmarked for a specific business must be $100 or more.
  • Folks can specify multiple recipients at the $100+ level.
  • Not one nickel of the funds raised will go to the Mill Valley Chamber. This is one more way we are trying to help an incredible community in pain. After you donate, please spread the word! 

Questions? Email us.
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It's Not Too Late to Apply for a Property Tax Penalty Waiver, & Your Chances Are Good

12/8/2020

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According to data from our Public Records Act request, the vast majority of property tax penalty waiver applications were successful.
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Way back in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, just after the first Bay Area shelter-in-place order, the Mill Valley Chamber worked feverishly to hunt every form of relief for Mill Valley businesses.

One form of relief proved a tough nut to crack: property tax relief, i.e., the County of Marin providing a way for people to pay their property taxes late but avoid paying the late fees and penalties associated with doing so.

As a result of Governor Newsom’s earlier Executive Order N-61-20, small commercial businesses can apply for a property tax PENALTY waiver, but still have to pay the base tax.


According to data from our Public Records Act request last month, the vast majority of property tax penalty waiver applications were successful:

Per County of Marin's Dept. of Finance: "As of November 24, 2020, we have the following Requests for Cancellation of Penalty from small businesses:
40           Approved
13           Pending
1             Denied                 
54           Total small business requests."
​
The last day to submit payment of base taxes AND the Penalty waiver request/justification is May 6, which would cover the taxes due this December 10 AND April 10, 2021.

You need to submit separate requests for the Dec 10th and April 10th payment dates.


If you do not want to submit your request online, please print the Request for Penalty Cancellation PDF form and mail it with your tax payment to this address:
Marin County Tax Collector
ATTN: Penalty Cancellation
P.O. Box 4220
San Rafael, CA 94913-4220


Questions? Contact the Department of Finance here or at 415.473.6133.

Contact the Mill Valley Chamber here.

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Inside Job: As Marin's COVID Metrics Continue to IMprove, Here's How You Can Prepare Your Space To Protect Your Employees & Customers

10/7/2020

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PictureDr. William Ristenpart.
As you may have heard, Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis indicated this week that Marin’s COVID-19 metrics continue to improve to the point that we could advance to the “orange” tier 2 within the statewide Blueprint for a Safer Economy framework as soon as Oct. 27, a move that would allow several business sectors, including restaurants, to move from 25% to 50% density indoors.

Many business owners have said that getting to 50% density was the minimum they’d need to be able to create a business model that might pencil out, e.g., takeout/delivery + some outdoor dining + some indoor dining for restaurants.

So in the (fingers-crossed) hope that increased density guidelines improve later this month, we wanted to help you take the necessary steps to improve your restaurant, cafe or retail space and protect your employees and customers by maximizing the amount of outside air being delivered to your space.

To do so, Mill Valley Lumber Yard’s Matt and Jan Mathews and Equator Coffees’ Helen Russell reached out to Dr. William Ristenpart, a professor of chemical engineering at UC Davis and director of the university’s Coffee Center for a tutorial on the science of airborne disease transmission and how to reduce airborne disease transmission in your business.

The nearly two-hour presentation is embedded in full below and chock full of excellent detail about how airborne diseases like coronavirus are transmitted and what you can do to improve the safety of your space. But in our continued mindfulness of your time, we’ve distilled the presentation below:

Early in the COVID-19 era, scientists focused on transmission via contact (handshakes) and fomite (door handles). But now there is a lot of evidence pointing to “aerosol” – droplets or simply breath – as a major form of transmission, says Ristenpart, with people getting infected in spaces in which they had no direct contact with an infected person. Also, studies have shown that as many as 86% of transmissions come from people with “mild, limited or no symptoms.”

Despite repeated mixed signals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent weeks, a group of aerosol scientists reported that "there is overwhelming evidence that inhalation represents a major transmission route.”

“Plume” vs “Room”
Respiratory plumes, or particle emissions from people who are simply breathing and talking, particularly in close proximity, can be potent forms of transmission, as speech emits a large amount of particles, and the louder you are, the more particles that come out.

“This can potentially be the biggest source of transmission from asymptomatic people,” Ristenpart says. Room transmission is caused by long distance aerosol spread through a room. Though the transmission occurs in lower concentrations, it can be a significant factor depending on the air flow, and the amount of fresh air circulation within a space.

“All the people that were infected at the top part were in the middle of this recirculatory air conditioning flow,” Ristenpart says of the graphic below. “And the longer you’re exposed to the pathogens the more you are likely to inhale.”

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A graphic of an air conditioning unit recirculating air without infusing the room with fresh air from outside.

Size Up Your Space

Determine “Room Volume”: The starting point for you to figure out how to improve the air flow within your space is length x width x height or, more simply, square footage x height.

Determine “Ventilation Flow Rate”: This crucial measurement of the amount of air change per hour is critically important, Ristenpart says. HVAC units supply air from the central air handler and recirculates it with fresh air, and it is highly recommended that those buildings with HVAC units contact an HVAC technician to help them through the process of determining how many cubic feet per hour of fresh air are you delivering to your space, and what must be done to improve it.

CDC guidelines call for small restaurants, for instance, to have four air changes per hour, depending on the size of the space, while the National Comfort Institute calls for 8-10 air flow changes per hour in dining areas.

Here are recommendations to make your space as safe as possible for you, your customers and your employees:
  • Be wary of your use of conditioners: Comfort is obviously important, Ristenpart notes, and central air conditioners typically deliver fresh air and/or filters the recirculated air (assuming you have inline filtration). But he cautions against ductless AC air conditioning unless there is an introduction of outdoor air and/or additional HEPA filtering used in conjunction with it.
  • Masks are mandatory: Require customers to keep masks on at all times except when they are actively sipping their coffee and eating food. Face shields may block plume transmission but not room transmission, so mask usage is critical. The same is true with plastic partitions, as plumes can simply travel around partitions. Partitions may be useful if deployed in very   high interaction locations. 
  • Increase your ventilation: Find out what the “air changes per hour” is in your space and if you need to improve it. “By far the best ventilation is being outside, as the air changes per hour is essentially infinite,” Ristenpart says. “And open the windows as much as possible. Use window fans or freestanding fans to help direct air from outside.
  • If your building has an HVAC unit, get advice from a technician on how best to maximize the amount of outside air being delivered to your space – recirculation is not ventilation, so it won't be effective to turn on a ceiling fan. Ristenpart suggested what he called a crude but clear analogy: “That would be like peeing in a bathtub and saying ‘I’m going to clean it up by stirring it.’”
  • Get an air purifier: “They are fantastic,” Ristenpart says. When buying a purifier, focus on the MERV rating, or the “minimum efficiency reporting value.” The higher the rating, the more small particles it catches. ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, recommends a MERV rating of at least 13-14. 
  • Locate as much of your air purification and fresh air inflow efforts in areas where employees and customers cluster most frequently. 
  • Limit your exposure: Encourage brief and quiet use of your space. Perhaps set time limits on reservations or appointments. Encourage outdoor use after a sales transaction. If your space has music playing, keep the volume down to discourage loud conversations.
  • Encourage employees to stay at home if they’re feeling sick and get rid of policies that encourage policies to work despite illness.
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HOMEOWNERS & COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS CAN SEEK EXEMPTIONS DIE TO COVID IMPACTS FROM ON 2020-21 PROPERTY TAX PENALTIES – DEADLINE MAY 5

10/1/2020

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PictureMarin Center.
In the days leading up to the official Bay Area shelter-in-place order in March, the Mill Valley Chamber feverishly hunted for every form of relief for Mill Valley businesses amidst the Covid-19 outbreak.

That included a ban on evictions related to income loss due to COVID-19, all manner of loans and grants (including the new PPP), timely webinars  and unemployment benefit tutorials.

But one form of relief proved to be a tough nut to crack: property tax relief, i.e., the County of Marin providing a way for people to pay their property taxes late but avoid paying the late fees and penalties associated with doing so.

At the time, Roy Given, the County of Marin's director of finance, said he was unable to waive lates fees and penalties prior to the April 10th property tax filing deadline. But he did allow that COVID-19 and its horrific economic impacts will be a consideration for those applying for a Penalty Waiver with the Tax Collector.

For the 2020-21 property tax cycle, Marin County homeowners and commercial property owners directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will have until May 5, 2021 to apply for extra time to pay their property taxes without a penalty.

Given mailed Marin County’s 91,184 tax bills on Sept. 25. The 2020-2021 tax roll amounted to $1.22 billion, up 5.73% over the previous year, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

Property tax bills are normally payable in two installments – at least half due Nov. 1 that must be paid before Dec. 10 to avoid a penalty. The remainder of the bill must be paid by April 10, 2021.

Due to an executive order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom in March, homeowners and small businesses may be eligible for late penalty forgiveness if they meet certain conditions.

Taxpayers seeking an exemption from penalties must demonstrate to the tax collector that they have “suffered economic hardship and/or an inability to tender payment of taxes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or any local, state or federal response to COVID-19” for the request to be approved.

Penalty cancellation requests must be submitted with tax payment, penalty payment, and interest by May 5, 2021. If the application is approved, the penalties and interest paid will be returned to the taxpayer.

Parameters for the penalty cancellation program were set by Newsom’s order and since then guidelines have been provided by the state Controller’s Office.

Under the current rules, owners of rental properties can apply for penalty waivers if they hold an active county business license and meet small business standards for average annual receipts or number of employees.

Property taxes accounted for nearly 36% of Marin County’s revenue in fiscal year 2019-20 and also helped fund local schools and special districts. Marin County is more dependent on property tax than ever since state funding, which relies heavily on sales tax revenue, is threatened by COVID-19, according to the IJ.

​MORE INFO.

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Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
85 Throckmorton Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 388-9700