Town Refinances Measure K Bond The Town of Fairfax authorized the sale of $2,880,000 of Revenue Bonds (Series 2012) to (1) refinance existing bonds issued in 2002 at a more favorable interest rate and (2) finance the acquisition and construction of public capital improvements consistent with the intent of the original bond issue. The bond bidding and award was Feb. 15, 2012. Six bidders participated, each submitting bids with 16 interest rates for each of the years remaining on the bond. The individual coupon rates bid varied from 2% to 4%. The lowest overall interest rate bidder was …

  The Fairfax Town Council adopted a resolution objecting to the National Defense Authorization Act over grave concerns about violations within NDAA of several sections of the U.S. Constitution. NDAA could allow for indefinite detention without trial of any person, including US citizens. The FBI Director, the Defense Secretary, the Department of Defense, and many of our nation’s generals, admirals, and service men and women have opposed the NDAA’s detention provisions. The town of Fairfax has an extensive history of protecting its residents’ civil rights and liberties embodied in its …

  Plans and Specifications Released for Bid on Pastori Sidewalk, Drake Bike Lane Striping Project and Street Light Energy Efficiency Project The Fairfax Town Council approved resolutions to release the plans and specifications for three projects: Pastori Sidewalk: This project includes installation of a new sidewalk on Pastori Avenue from Center Boulevard to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard on the west side of Pastori Avenue, on the side of the street where the new Good Earth Natural Foods store will be located very soon. It will also include natural swales for improved drainage and will preserve …

  Another year has gone by in our great town and you may wonder what has the town accomplished this year? Certainly there are few dull moments in Fairfax. Here is a list of some of the highlights of 2011 in chronological order:JANUARY- MARCH 2011FairBuck Coin Created Heard a presentation from Polla Pratt and David Bernard regarding the FairBuck - a local currency project being sponsored by the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Fairfax and the Town of Fairfax. The basic idea is that special coins are minted for use only in a specified area (such as businesses in Fairfax). The coins have…

  Police Dispatch Services for Town of Ross The Fairfax Town Council approved a five-year agreement with the Town of Ross to provide police dispatch services. The town of Fairfax, without adding any additional staff, will be able to provide this service to Ross for a fee of $21,000 per year for the first three years and $31,000 each year thereafter. This agreement also saves Ross some money as they currently are being dispatched through the Marin County Sherriff’s Department. The council also approved an agreement to share police supervisory services (vacation relief) with the town of Ross at…

Resource Recovery Agreement The Fairfax Town Council approved a ten-year franchise agreement with Marin Sanitary Service (MSS). The agreement covers all aspects of resource recovery, getting to zero-waste, and other special issues such as household hazardous waste, medical waste, paper-shredding and many other programs. The current Solid Waste, Recycling and Resource Recovery agreement was written and approved on April 19, 1993 and was with a different garbage hauler. MSS took over this agreement without any changes. Much has changed in the solid waste, recycling and resource recovery world …

Planning Commissioner Appointment The Fairfax Town Council interviewed two candidates for one Planning Commissioner vacancy. After interviews and consideration of the written applications turned in by both candidates the council appointed Barbara Coler.  Barbara has served on the Open Space Committee for a number of years and currently works for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District as a program manager. Barbara holds a Master’s Degree in Arts and a Bachelor’s Degree in Systematics and Ecology. Barbara is filling the seat that was vacated by Peter Ramsey, who moved out of town.  …

Master Fees The Fairfax Town Council adopted the master fee schedule for the next twelve months on Sept. 7. Only a few fees were changed from last year. The significant change was the banner installation fee was reduced from $456 to $250. Other fee changes include: basic sign permit fee was raised from $88 to $100 and variance fees were raised to reflect actual costs. Residents and businesses can review the entire master fee schedule at the town’s home page with a link to the Finance Department. Smart Meters This item put on the agenda by Mayor Bragman was a discussion and request to delegate…

As the Aug. 17 Fairfax Town Council meeting began, the Mayor announced that Item 12, Introduction of Terrapin Crossroads and consideration of establishing a methodology for preparing a traffic impact study for this project was pulled from the agenda at the request of the applicant.  Shortly thereafter, the Mayor invited the public to speak under open time for public expression. During open time, twenty-five people spoke on the Terrapin Crossroads project. A majority of those that spoke favored the project. Concerns were raised on a number of issues ranging from the size and scope of the …

The Fairfax Town Council discussed at length the draft town budget for the 2011/12 fiscal year and a possible local sales tax for the town of Fairfax at their meeting on July 13.   Town council members commented on the current challenges of balancing a budget that has shrinking revenues and increasing expenses. The budget deficit currently stands at $267,000, down from $305,000 as reported at the June 22 council meeting. The reduction is due to the state funding the COPS program at the last moment in the budget drama in Sacramento.  However, the town is awaiting the property tax revenue …

The Fairfax Town Council at a meeting on June 22, approved the Good Earthroject. The council  adopted a resolution approving the initial study, draft mitigated negative declaration and traffic impact permit for a project encompassing remodeling the existing commercial building and adding exterior improvements and landscaping and resurfacing the parking lot.  The natural foods store has a projected opening day in early November of this year. Twenty-four speakers addressed the council, virtually all in support of the project. The town staff, the applicant and the neighbors living across the …

The Fairfax Town Council at its regular meeting on April 6 approved a ten percent rate increase for solid waste and recycling services provided by Marin Sanitary Service (MSS). On April 14, the town council discussed the need for professional services to review the current draft franchise agreement. The council members agreed to charge the Mayor and Vice Mayor with providing the names of three solid waste consultants to Marin Sanitary Service and Marin Sanitary Service will provide three names to the town. The town and MSS will pick one consultant to assist in crafting a new franchise …

The Fairfax Town Council at its regular meeting on March 2 terminated the agreement with Muni Services for the processing of business licenses. Many business owners objected to a large company handling the businesses license and requiring the license payments be sent to Alabama, where Muni has a large processing center to handle business licenses from many jurisdictions in California and elsewhere. The council will discuss how to handle the business license program, particularly for how to collect next year’s fees, in the ensuing months.  Other actions taken at the regular meeting on March 2…

Excerpted from San Anselmo-Fairfax Patch's article 'Marin Energy Authority Gives Fairfax Check; Money to Fund Local Currency': Interim Executive Director Dawn Weisz presented the town of Fairfax with a check for $7,368 Wednesday at the Fairfax Town Council meeting. The check was a payment for the $100,000 loan guarantee the town gave the fledgling authority last year as it brought Marin Clean Energy to the grid. Later in the evening the council voted to use $4,000 of the check to put towards the creation of a new town currency, which will be used to encourage local business within Fairfax. …

The Fairfax Town Council at its regular meeting on Jan. 12 adopted the 2010 Building and Fire Codes.  The changes from previous codes have to do with exceptions to sprinkler requirements on some second units. The town was required to adopt its own building and fire codes by January 2011 or else the state codes would take full force and effect.        Other actions taken at the meeting: Heard a presentation from Polla Pratt and David Bernard regarding FairBuck - a local currency project being sponsored by the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Sustainable Fairfax and the Town of Fairfax. The basic …

The Town Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2010/11 Operating and Capital Budgets on Oct. 6. The budget adoption was later than usual in part because the council had to balance the $205,000 deficit. The general fund operating budget is $6.901 million, down from $6.988 million the prior year. Estimated revenues for property taxes are 2 percent less than last year and have been flat or lower than previous years for the last three years. This loss, coupled with sales tax losses, amounts to a loss of about $125,000 in revenue just over last fiscal year. To balance the FY 2010/11 several vacant …

After considerable discussion and public testimony, the town council heard a first reading on an ordinance yesterday that places a moratorium on any new applications for a marijuana dispensary in Fairfax for a minimum of forty-five days. The town council can extend the moratorium for a period of forty-five days.  Mayor Lew Tremaine explained the reason for the moratorium, "If the ballot measure legalizing and taxing marijuana passes statewide, the entire terrain is going to shift. We are going to have a whole lot to deal with in terms of how the new law is implemented in town and how it …