A decision to table Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza’s financing plan to limit municipal investment in the Southeast Development Area puts the future of a planned ballot initiative into question.

On the morning of what was set to be a contentious council meeting, Councilmember Brandon Vang on Thursday preempted any discussion on Esparza’s plan by calling for a delay on the initiative.

From the dais, he said his office has not yet received long-awaited financing plans from the city administration on costs to build infrastructure in the 9,000-acre plan.

Councilmembers approved Vang’s motion on a 4-3 vote with Miguel Arias, Nick Richardson, and Annalisa Perea supporting Vang’s motion.

Esparza: Special SEDA Session ‘Remains to Be Seen’

With the deadline to get Esparza’s SEDA plan on the November ballot coming Aug. 7 and no city council meeting between now and then, the only path forward for that initiative would be a special session. Esparza told GV Wire that “remains to be seen.”

He called his plan to limit SEDA funding a “commonsense” approach to SEDA.

The decades-old SEDA plan would add tens of thousands of homes and job centers upon buildout. Critics have said the city cannot afford the necessary infrastructure that would cost more than $1 billion for certain areas.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer promised councilmembers to develop an in-depth financing plan for the region.

“If my colleagues don’t even have the courage to discuss the item in public, then I’m not optimistic I’ll gain their support from one week to the next,” Esparza said. “This was a middle-ground, commonsense measure to protect the city’s long-term finances without completely stifling future economic development.”

Karbassi: SEDA Delay Hypocritical

On Friday, Esparza announced his SEDA financing plan. It prohibited the city from using general fund revenue or bond financing to build infrastructure for SEDA with a carve-out for the Dyer-backed southern portion of SEDA.

He said this promotes infill development while not putting the city in debt if it moves forward with the development plan.

Councilmember Mike Karbassi, who voted against tabling the item, said the public deserved a discussion on the item.

He called the decision hypocritical as many councilmembers criticized a decision from county supervisors last week to delay approving a citizen-backed initiative to put a transportation tax on the ballot.

The Better Roads Safe Streets initiative collected more than 32,000 signatures to put a Measure C replacement onto the ballot.

“The item would likely have failed to pass anyhow since I was already leaning against it, but the public deserved an opportunity to be heard,” Karbassi told GV Wire. “The city council now looks totally hypocritical given that the county (board of supervisors) shut down Measure C.”

South SEDA Funding Should Be Limited

Esparza’s “last-minute” plan drew criticism from at least one property owner in the proposed SEDA area.

Brett Thompson, president of the Southeast Property Owners coalition, a vocal opponent of the SEDA plan, said in a public letter that the exclusion of the South SEDA from financing limitations contradicts what the city told area residents about the plan.

He said city officials promised “self-financing” for South SEDA. Dyer has backed development in the 2,000-acre South SEDA area as an industrial and job hub.

“How is it ethical to exclude Fresno County property owners within the proposed SEDA boundaries from voting on funding options for development within our community?” Thompson wrote in his letter.

No decision has been made regarding SEDA. The Fresno Planning Commission will hear the SEDA plan in August, according to reporting from Fresno Bee.

Esparza said he would still propose the limitations when SEDA ultimately goes before council. He said, however, without voter approval, those changes could be undone by a future council.

“I still intend for similar language to be part of any prospective passage of SEDA,” Esparza said. “But that’s something that can frankly be changed by any future council whose growth ambitions may potentially exceed the city’s public financing capacity.”