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, May 5, 2021, at or after 2:00 p.m., via video conference. 

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

File No. 2021-01: Sonoma County Fire District Reorganization No. 2021-01 (Forestville Fire Protection District) Involving Dissolution of the Forestville Fire Protection District and Annexation of That Same Territory to the Sonoma County Fire District

The proposal was initiated by resolution of the boards of directors of the Sonoma County Fire District and the Forestville Fire Protection District. 

The affected territory includes all territory within the Forestville Fire Protection District, including the communities of Forestville, Mirabel Park, Rio Dell, Hollydale, Hacienda, and Summerhome Park. All territory is located in West Sonoma County. A map of the affected territory is available on the Sonoma LAFCO website at:

http://sonomalafco.org/News/Notices/Attachments/ForestvilleLAFCOFDMap/

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 Sonoma County Fire District would be subject to parcel taxes currently in place for the District, which are higher than parcel taxes that Forestville levied. For further information or questions about specific parcels or parcel tax rates, please contact the Sonoma County Fire District at (707) 838-1170. 

The Commission approved the reorganization on March 3, 2021, by Resolution No. 2734, 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 Sonoma County Fire 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 May 5, 2021, 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 May 5, 2021, 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, Here 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 May 5, 2021. 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:  March 15, 2021