Measure GG raises badly needed funds

Editor,

I’m writing in support of Measure GG. Raising the city’s transfer tax to be more in line with our neighboring cities of Oakland and Berkeley is a reasonable way to raise the funds necessary to fund city services and projects.

As a long-serving member and current Chair of the Parks Commission, I successfully advocated for the City of Piedmont to complete a parks master plan. The plan’s conclusions are pretty clear: we’re loving our parks too much, and there is a real need for infrastructure replacements, improvements, and ongoing maintenance to keep our parks welcoming, functional, and sustainable. Park pathways and irrigation systems, in some cases decades old, need priority replacement. Steep slopes in Piedmont and Dracena Parks need erosion mitigation. Costs for all incremental improvements, including ADA upgrades and the replacement of play structures, continue to rise.

Measure GG raises badly needed funds, which can help address these needs over time without adding an annual tax burden to city residents. Please join me in supporting Measure GG.

– Tom Smegal
Chair, Piedmont Parks Commission