Santa Rosa PFA reviews state changes to EIFD process, sets draft and hearing timeline

Santa Rosa City Public Financing Authority members on Tuesday reviewed recent state law changes that shorten the formation process for an enhanced infrastructure financing district and discussed a proposed timeline for releasing the draft infrastructure financing plan and holding the required public hearings.

Gabe Osborne, director of the Planning and Economic Development Department, told the authority that “we did have some state changes that came into play towards the end of last year that affect the processing of EIFDs.” He said those changes, consolidated in legislation discussed as Senate Bill 1140, compress the previously four‑meeting structure used to introduce and adopt an infrastructure financing plan (IFP).

Why it matters: the changes affect how the city will notice and run hearings, how and when taxing entities (the county board of supervisors and the city council) will consider the IFP, and the schedule that determines which tax year serves as the base for tax‑increment revenues. Staff emphasized that missing the cycle tied to the county’s equalized tax roll could delay capturing incremental tax revenue for one year.

Osborne summarized two key procedural changes. First, the new law allows a…