Notice of Public Hearing

Hearing Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Time: at or after 2:00pm.
Location: Sonoma County Administration Building, 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa, California.

Notice is hereby given by the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission that the Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at or after 2:00 p.m., in the Sonoma County Administration Building, 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa, California.

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

File No. 2018-16: Windsor Fire Protection District Reorganization No. 18-01 (Windsor FPD) Involving Dissolution of the Rincon Valley Fire Protection District and the Bennett Valley Fire Protection District, Detachment of Territory from County Service Area No. 40 (Fire Services) and Annexation of Those Territories to the Windsor Fire Protection District

The proposal was initiated by Concurrent Resolution No. 18-0491 of the boards of directors of the Windsor Fire Protection District, Bennett Valley Fire Protection District, Rincon Valley Fire Protection District, and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, as the board of directors of County Service Area No. 40 (Fire Services).

The affected territory, totaling approximately 180 square miles, generally surrounds the City of Santa Rosa. It extends, in part, from the Napa County line and the northern, western, and southwestern boundary of the Kenwood Fire Protection District, in the east, to the Laguna de Santa Rosa and the City of Sebastopol to the west; and from the northern boundary of the City of Rohnert Park and Sonoma Mountain Road, in the south, to north and west of Mark West Springs Road and south of Porter Creek Road in the north. A map of the affected territory is available on the Sonoma LAFCO website: www.sonomalafco.org.

The reason for the reorganization is to form a single, unified fire district in the central portion of Sonoma County. The Sonoma County Fire District, previously erroneously identified as the “Sonoma County Fire Protection District,” would provide fire protection and emergency services more efficiently and effectively and with greater financial feasibility to territory currently in the Windsor, Bennett Valley, and Rincon Valley Fire Protection Districts and portions of County Service Area No. 40 (Fire Services).

Owners of property annexed to the Sonoma County Fire District would be subject to parcel taxes currently in place for the Windsor Fire Protection District.

The Commission approved the reorganization on February 6, 2019, by Resolution No. 2700, 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, pursuant to Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15320 of the State California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.

How to file a protest

Any registered voter or owner of land within the territory proposed to be reorganized 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 April 3, 2019, 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. English (PDF)| Spanish

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 April 3, 2019, 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, or delivered in person during business hours Monday through Thursday. Protests can also be submitted at the protest hearing. Protests cannot be accepted by fax or email. 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.

Map of Windsor Fire Protection District(PDF: 1.14 MB)

Fire Agency Reorganization FAQ

By: Mark Bramfitt, Executive Officer                                                      
Date: April 3, 2019