In 2014, Rancho Cordova voters approved Measure H, a half-cent sales tax to fund the Community Enhancement Fund program, which funnels grant money from its general fund to improvement projects submitted by residents, local businesses and other organizations that support the city’s key priority areas: public safety; education; economic development; public works; arts, culture, history, entertainmenat and sports; and community development.

Related: Krista Bernasconi on challenges facing Roseville with dwindling sales tax revenue

In fiscal year 2016-2017, the fund generated approximately $7.8 million and approved more than 50 local projects that represent improvements community members would like to see. Public safety efforts included $1 million to fund the Crime Suppression Unit, which conducts proactive investigations and has resulted in 17 percent decrease in property crime and 29 percent decrease in violent crime. Economic development priorities funded the architectural design plans for phase two of the Mather Veterans Village, a 46-bed transitional housing program for veterans. Educational projects supported after-school choir and music programs, concussion prevention education, and fee-free education at Folsom Lake College for 110 students through the City’s Promise Program.

“Every time we have a project come to fruition, we host a community celebration in that neighborhood to come together. This is a community that likes to celebrate its wins,” says Maria Kniestedt, communications and public affairs director, City of Rancho Cordova.