Council authorizes amendment to limited‑term property tax sharing agreement to lift revenue cap through 2028‑29

City leadership presented and the council approved an amendment to a limited‑term property tax increment agreement with Placer County intended to allow the city to retain more property tax revenue from specified tax‑rate areas for a defined period.

City staff described the original agreement’s mechanism, which diverted the majority of incremental property taxes from raw land build‑out to the city for a set period but included an annual cap (about $1.5 million) that the city is now exceeding. The negotiated amendment removes that annual cap for roughly the next three to four fiscal years and limits the overall term to end in fiscal year 2028–29. The county's board of supervisors voted in support of the amendment earlier in the day.

Staff framed the change as a strategic, time‑limited approach to secure funding stability for police and fire staffing while preserving the city’s option to propose a sales‑tax measure in the coming years. The amendment includes a city concession: if the city successfully passes a local sales‑tax measure during the term, the tax‑sharing agreement becomes null and void 90 days after certification of the election.

Council moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the amendment and voted unanimously to approve the action.

Why it matters: The amendment allows Lincoln to retain more growth‑related property‑tax revenue in the near term to sustain public‑safety staffing increases that the council and staff have prioritized. It is time‑limited and explicitly structured to avoid long‑term county revenue loss while providing the city opportunities to pursue a voter‑approved sales‑tax measure later.

Next steps: The city manager will execute amendment number 1 and staff will incorporate the revised revenue projections into near‑term budgeting and financial planning.