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, August 7, 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:

The proposal was initiated by resolution of the board of directors of the Geyserville Fire Protection District. The reason for the proposed reorganization is to provide improved fire and emergency services to the Knights Valley area and to officially include, within the Geyserville Fire Protection District (District), territory in County Service Area No. 40 (Fire Services) (CSA 40) currently served by the District under contract with CSA 40. This territory is generally referred to as Integrated Response Plan Areas (IRPs).

The territory that is the subject of the proposal is generally located west of the County lines for Lake County and Napa County, north of Petrified Forest Road, east of Pine Flat Road, Briggs Ranch Road, and Chalk Hill Road and south of Pine Flat Road and Socrates Mine Road, in unincorporated Sonoma County. A map of the annexation area is available on the Sonoma LAFCO website: www.sonomalafco.org.

The Commission approved the reorganization on June 5, 2019, by Resolution No. 2708, 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 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 August 7, 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.

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 August 7, 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 and are available at the Sonoma 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.

By: Mark Bramfitt, Executive Officer                                                        Date: June 19, 2019