Notice of Public Hearing

Notice of Public Hearing
Hearing Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Time: at or after 2:00 p.m.
Location: Location: Sonoma County Administration Building, 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A, Santa Rosa, California

Notice is hereby given that the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission will conduct a public hearing at which time all interested persons may be heard on the following item:

File No. 2018-16: Amendment No. 2 to the Sphere of Influence of the Windsor Fire Protection District.

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

The territory that is the subject of the sphere of influence amendment consists of: (A) two unincorporated areas west of the City of Santa Rosa (City), generally located: (1) south of State Highway 12, north of Ludwig Avenue, east of Llano Road, and west of South Wright Road; and (2) along Yuba Drive, south of Barndance Lane, north of Ludwig Avenue, and east of Stony Point Road; and (B) three unincorporated areas within County Service Area No. 40 (Fire Services) (CSA 40), identified as: (1) that section of Integrated Response Plan area (IRP) 61 generally located north of the boundary of the Rincon Valley Fire Protection District (Rincon Valley FPD), east of Geyserville Fire Protection District and Windsor Fire Protection District (Windsor FPD), and southwest of the area served by the Knights Valley Volunteer Fire Company; (2) IRP 31-32-75 generally located north of Kenwood Fire Protection District, east of Rincon Valley FPD, and west of Napa County; and (3) IRP 75 which generally encompasses Annadel State Park, southeast of the City.

The reason for the proposed sphere amendment is to allow the areas described to be eligible for annexation to the Windsor FPD. There are two aspects to the proposed sphere amendment:

Regarding the territory identified in (A): In September 2018 the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) amended the sphere of influence of the Windsor FPD to include all territory within the Rincon Valley FPD in anticipation of the potential dissolution of the Rincon Valley FPD and annexation of all Rincon Valley FPD territory to the Windsor FPD. The areas identified in (A) were not within the sphere of influence or boundary of the Rincon Valley FPD at that time but are proposed to be included within its sphere of influence and annexed to it in a public hearing on February 6, 2019, immediately prior to LAFCO’s consideration of the subject sphere amendment. Territory must be within an agency’s sphere of influence to be eligible for annexation to that agency.

Regarding the territory identified in (B): IRP areas are designed for territory not within the boundary of a city or district providing fire services, which, in Sonoma County, means they are within the boundary of CSA 40. The three IRP areas identified in (B) are located adjacent to the current sphere of influence of the Windsor FPD.

The proposed action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines.

In the second hearing, LAFCO will consider an application by resolution of the boards of directors of the Windsor FPD, the Rincon Valley FPD, the Bennett Valley Fire Protection District (Bennett Valley FPD), and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors acting as the board of directors of CSA 40, for a reorganization consisting of dissolution of the Bennett Valley FPD and the Rincon Valley FPD; detachment from CSA 40 of the area served by the Mountain Volunteer Fire Company (Mountain VFC of CSA 40) and the IRP areas 31-32-75, 75, and one specific area of IRP 61, as described in this notice; and annexation of those territories to the Windsor FPD.

In September 2018 LAFCO accepted a municipal service review and sphere of influence study conducted for the Windsor FPD, Bennett Valley FPD, Rincon Valley FPD, and the Mountain VFC of CSA 40. Subsequently, LAFCO amended the districts’ spheres of influence, such that the sphere of influence for Windsor FPD encompassed the territories of Bennett Valley FPD, Rincon Valley FPD, and the Mountain VFC of CSA 40, to enable a reorganization of all four agencies into a single entity.

Prior to the actions proposed in the hearings that are the subject of this notice, LAFCO will consider amendment of the sphere of influence of the Rincon Valley FPD and annexation to the Rincon Valley FPD of territory remaining in the Roseland Fire Protection District, proposed for dissolution because the majority of its territory was annexed to the City in 2017.

The service area of the Mountain VFC of CSA 40 and the three IRP areas, as described in this notice, are contiguous to the boundaries of the Bennett Valley FPD and Rincon Valley FPD, which are proposed to be dissolved and annexed to the Windsor FPD.

The four agencies that have applied by resolution for the proposed reorganization into a single district state that service levels will be maintained and, in some aspects, improved.

Owners of property within the Bennett Valley FPD and Rincon Valley FPD, which are proposed for dissolution, and owners of property within the Mountain VFC of CSA 40 and the three IRP areas, as named in this notice, all of which are proposed for detachment from CSA 40, would be subject to special taxes, in the form of assessments, that have been established by the Windsor FPD, upon annexation.

Environmental Determination: Exemptions pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) and Section 15320 of the State California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.

At the hearings, LAFCO will hear any relevant oral or written testimony and evidence presented or filed regarding the proposed amendment to the Windsor FPD sphere of influence and the reorganization consisting of dissolution of the Bennett Valley FPD and Rincon Valley FPD; detachment of territory served by the Mountain VFC of CSA 40 and the three IRP areas, as named in this notice; and annexation of those territories to the Windsor FPD.

Copies of all documents relating to the actions may be reviewed at the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission office, 111 Santa Rosa Avenue, Suite 240, Santa Rosa, California, 95404, (707) 565-2577. Please direct comments, questions, and requests to review to the office. In order to be included with hearing materials, written comments must be received by January 28, 2019. Written comments received after that date will be provided to the Commission at the public hearing.

All Interested Persons are hereby invited to be present and heard  on the matters describe in this notice.

If you challenge the actions of the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission on the sphere of influence amendment or reorganization in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues raised at the public hearings described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission at, or prior to, the hearings.

By: Mark Bramfitt, Executive Officer
Date: January 16, 2019