The Etenesh Zeleke Public Dock on the Sacramento River was revitalized with West Sacramento Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) funds. Photo courtesy of the City of West Sacramento

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Etenesh Zeleke Public Dock revitalization project, situated along the Sacramento River next to River Walk Park, is just one of dozens of projects that the West Sacramento Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) has helped fund. The dock is named after Ethiopian immigrant Etenesh Zeleke.

Etenesh Zeleke was honored with a dock in her name for the difference she made here. Photo courtesy of the City of West Sacramento

Along with trail and street extensions, more than a dozen Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District projects include city yard relocations and affordable housing projects, including the Rivermark. Councilwoman Verna Sulpizio-Hull, who sits on the district's Public Financing Authority (PFA), said that the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District is essential to “realizing our city's long-term economic development strategy.”

According to West Sacramento City Manager Aaron Laurel, funds for the dock and other projects stem from Measure G, which passed with 87 percent of the vote.

West Sacramento “joined with other like-minded stakeholders around the state to advocate successfully for legislation that established the EIFD law in 2014,” Laurel said.

“We moved quickly to form the West Sacramento EIFD in 2016, becoming the first of its kind,” Laurel said of the 20 Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts now in California. “Measure G/EIFD revenues have served the key role fulfilled by the former redevelopment agency during the prior 35 years.”

Funding for the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District is generated by the incremental growth in property tax from properties located within the district, according to Laurel.

Locals and visitors boat in from other areas at the Etenesh Zeleke Public Dock on the Sacramento River. Photo courtesy of the City of West Sacramento

Laurel emphasized that the revenue comes from incremental property tax growth from new developments, property sales and building improvements.

"It is not a new tax on property," Laurel said.

According to Laurel, many of the city's most significant early accomplishments were made possible through redevelopment investment. 

“EIFDs have similarities to redevelopment agencies in terms of how they receive funding, the types of improvements they can finance and how they are used to facilitate economic development but there are significant differences that make them a much less powerful tool than redevelopment,” Laurel added.

Two important tools are the reappointments of Alex Hirsch and Micah Perez at the last council meeting in July.

“Mr. Hirsch and Mr. Perez were recommended by staff for reappointment and reconfirmed by the council for another term because, in addition to being deemed qualified to serve when they initially applied, they recently received an in-depth orientation from staff on the history and purpose of EIFD and the specific role of the PFA,” Laurel said.

Based on state authorization of Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts back in 2014, Laurel said, the requirement for single-jurisdiction Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts such as West Sacramento includes two public members serving on the Public Financing Authority and three council members.

“The purpose of this approach was presumably to include a diversity of public input in the infrastructure financing process,” Laurel said. "This board makeup also was set up to be deliberately different from that of former redevelopment agencies, which were generally governed by boards made up entirely of councilmembers.”

Councilwoman Sulpizio-Hull takes her seat in the Public Financing Authority very seriously.

“From infrastructure to affordable housing, our EIFD allows us to build a better community,” she said.