Notice of Public Hearing on County Service Area 40 Fire Services Sphere of Influence Study and Amendment

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission will conduct a public hearing at or after 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, in the Board of Supervisors Chamber located at 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, at which time all interested persons may be heard on the following item:

File No. 2023-09:    Sphere of Influence Study and Amendment for County Service Area 40 – Fire Services

County Service Area 40 is a dependent district of the County of Sonoma, with territory that is otherwise not served by independent fire protection districts or city fire departments.

The territory examined by the study includes the areas served by nine volunteer fire companies, including Lakeville, San Antonio (inactive), Wilmar, Two Rock, Valley Ford, Bloomfield, Bodega, Camp Meeker, and Ft. Ross and IRP 81. Two other areas of territory are not covered by the study.

The study evaluates several options for amendment of the sphere of influence of the dependent district, including, but not limited, to amending the sphere of influence of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District to include the territories noted above.  The Commission will consider several possible actions.

At the hearing, LAFCO will consider any relevant oral or written testimony and evidence presented or filed regarding the determinations of the Sphere of Influence study.

The proposed action has been determined to be exempt from the State of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under provisions of Section 15061(b)(3) and Section 15320.

Copies of all documents relating to the actions will be made available for review on or before March 31, 2023 at the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission Office, 111 Santa Rosa Avenue, Suite 240, Santa Rosa, California, 95404, (707) 565-2577, on the Commission’s web site at www.sonomalafco.org or by request to lafco@sonoma-county.org.

Please direct comments, questions, and requests to the office. In order to be included with hearing materials, written comments must be received by March 28, 2023. 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 DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE.

If you challenge the actions of the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission on the sphere of influence amendment 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: March 3, 2023