Notice of Public Protest Hearing North Sonoma County Fire Protection District Reorganization

NOTICE OF PUBLIC PROTEST HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission that the Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at or after 2:00 p.m., at the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa.

The purpose of the hearing is for the Commission to receive written protests filed against the following item:

File No. 2022-03: Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District Reorganization No. 2022-03 Involving Detachment from County Service Area 40 – Fire Services, and Annexation of That Same Territory to the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District

The proposal was initiated by resolution of the board of directors of the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District.

The affected territory includes territory within County Service Area 40, including “Incident Response Areas” 61 and 63, and the northern portion of 64. These areas are known as the Geysers area, the Fitch Mountain area, and the Sotoyome area respectively.  All territory is located in northern Sonoma County.

The reason for the reorganization is to achieve greater economy and efficiency in providing fire protection and emergency medical services for the residents of and visitors to the district.

Owners of property annexed to the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District will not be subject to any special taxes, including parcel taxes, as the District has not sought voter approval for special taxation.

The Commission approved the reorganization on September 7, 2022, by Resolution No. 2755, which sets forth a full and complete description and the terms and conditions of the Commission’s approval. The Commission found the proposal exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15320 of the State CEQA Guidelines.

HOW TO FILE A PROTEST

Any registered voter residing within, or owner of land within, the territory proposed to be annexed to the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District may file an official protest. All protests must be made in writing and must be received during the official protest period, which begins as of the date of this notice and ends on November 2, 2022, at the close of the protest hearing.

Protests submitted by a registered voter must be signed, dated, and include the name of the voter and the voter’s residence address. Protests submitted by a landowner must be signed, dated, and include the name of the landowner, the street address of the land owned within the affected territory, and the Assessor’s Parcel Number or other description to identify the location of the land.

If you are both a registered voter and landowner within the affected territory, you may file both types of protests. Protests are counted in the two categories for the purposes of evaluation. It is not necessary to state a reason for filing a protest. Anyone who has filed a protest may withdraw it at any time before the end of the November 7, 2022, hearing. If sufficient protests are filed within the protest period, confirmation of the reorganization may be placed before registered voters through an election, or the reorganization may be terminated.

Protest forms can be accessed on the Sonoma LAFCO website, www.sonomalafco.org or at the LAFCO office. Use of a protest form is not required, but a protest must meet all of the requirements described in this notice.

Written protests can be mailed to Sonoma LAFCO, 111 Santa Rosa Avenue, Suite 240, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Protests cannot be accepted by fax or email. All protests must be received by Sonoma LAFCO by the conclusion of the protest hearing on November 7, 2022. Any protest that does not meet the conditions stated in this notice will be considered invalid.

Copies of all related documents are on file and may be reviewed at the office of the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission. For questions, call Sonoma LAFCO: (707) 565-2577.

By: Mark Bramfitt, Executive Officer                                                        Date:  September 14, 2022