Sonoma council opens door to county-led EIFD study, seeks details before any commitment

The Sonoma City Council agreed on Aug. 26 to continue exploring whether to participate in a county-led enhanced infrastructure financing district (EIFD) covering parts of Sonoma Valley, a financing tool that would let participating jurisdictions set aside future growth in property tax “increment” to pay for infrastructure and housing.

The council heard a detailed presentation from consultants Joe Diego and Richard Kerrigan of Cosmo, and from County staff including Crystal Carrie Harrell. Cosmo described the EIFD as a long-term, parcel-specific tax-increment mechanism that “does not add a new tax,” and said it can be used for water, sewer, roads, parks, remediation, wildfire resilience and affordable housing. The county’s preliminary outreach asks cities to decide whether they want their boundaries included in an exploration phase that could lead to a formal plan and separate approvals by each agency.

Supporters say the tool can accelerate projects by providing a predictable funding source and attract state grant dollars, while skeptics and several council members pressed for…