General Information:

The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is a regulatory state-mandated legislative agency. LAFCO's are established by State Law in 1963 pursuant to the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg (CKH) Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Government Code §§ 56000 et seq). to assist the Legislature in promoting orderly development and in balancing development with competing state interests of discouraging urban sprawl, preserving agricultural, open space land and extending government services efficiently. The Legislature also recognizes that an important factor in promoting orderly development is providing housing for residents of all incomes.

LAFCO carries out legislative duties through the consideration, approval or denial of boundary changes proposed by individuals, special districts, or other local agencies. LAFCO decisions strive to balance the competing needs in California for affordable housing, economic opportunity and conservation of natural resources.

The Commission promotes the wise use of land resources while providing an orderly growth pattern for the existing and future needs of communities in Trinity County. LAFCO is an independent regulatory commission operating at the county-level that receives it powers directly from the Legislature. LAFCO ensures the establishment of an appropriate and logical municipal government structure for the distribution of efficient and appropriate public services.
 

Objectives of LAFCO:

TO ENCOURAGE THE ORDERLY FORMATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES:

LAFCO's review proposals for the formation of new local governmental agencies and special districts for changes in the organization of existing agencies. Agency boundaries may be unrelated to one another and sometimes overlap at random. This complexity of local government can lead to higher service costs to the taxpayer and general confusion regarding service area jurisdictions and boundaries. LAFCO decisions strive to balance the competing needs in the county for efficient services, affordable housing, economic opportunity, and conservation of natural resources.

TO PRESERVE AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES:

LAFCO must consider the effect that any proposal will have on existing agricultural lands. By guiding development toward vacant urban land and away from agricultural preserves, LAFCO assists with the preservation of California’s valuable agricultural resources.

TO DISCOURAGE URBAN SPRAWL:

Urban sprawl can best be described as irregular and disorganized growth occurring without apparent design or plan. This pattern of development is characterized by the inefficient delivery of municipal services (e.g., police, fire, water, and sanitation) and the unnecessary loss of agricultural resources and open space lands. By discouraging sprawl, LAFCO protects against the misuse of land resources and promotes a more efficient system of local governmental agencies.

  Responsibilities:

The Commission’s efforts are directed toward seeing that services are provided efficiently and economically while agricultural and open-space lands are protected. To better inform itself and the community as it seeks to exercise its charge; each LAFCO must conduct Municipal Service Reviews to evaluate the provision of municipal services within its county.

Another one of LAFCO's responsibilities is its regulatory role. By law, any proposals for changes of organization of special districts or cities are subject to LAFCO review, pursuant to Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg (CKH) Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Government Code §§ 56000 et seq), and approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission.

In addition, LAFCO must review:

• Developing and updating Spheres of Influence (SOI) (Government Code §§ 56000 et seq).  or each city and special district within the county. Spheres are planning tools that represent the physical boundaries and service areas that local governmental agencies are expected to serve in the future. Sphere of Influences are used to provide guidance for individual proposals involving jurisdictional changes. They are intended to review ways to reorganize, simplify, and consolidate governmental structure to prevent duplication of service delivery. Territory must be within a city or district’s sphere in order to be annexed.

Changes of organization mean any of the following:

• City incorporation (create a city);
• District formation (create a district);
• Annexations (add land to a city or special district);
• Detachments of territory (removal of land from a city or special district);
• Disincorporation of a city (termination of the existence of a city);
• Dissolution of a district (termination of the existence of a district);
• Consolidation of cities or special districts;
• Merger or establishment of a subsidiary district;
• The regulation, through approval or denial on the review of contractual service agreements between property owners and service providers for boundary changes;
• Reorganizations (combinations of the above-listed  jurisdictional changes);

In its regulatory function, the Commission’s review of a proposal generally focuses on the following issues:

• Boundaries. Do the proposed service boundaries make sense? Do they represent a logical and recognizable area within which services can be provided?
• Financial Effects. What are the financial implications of the proposal on local governments and landowners within the study area?
• Service Effects. What are the range and levels of services that will be provided if the proposal is successful? Will the proposal adversely affect the ability of any governmental agency to provide service?
• Environmental Effects. What are the possible environmental consequences of a proposal?

LAFCO's regulate, through approval or denial, the boundary changes proposed by other public agencies or individuals. Any proposal to add land to a city or special district (annexations), create a new city or special district (incorporation or formation), remove land from a city or special district (detachment), consolidate, merge, or dissolve cities or special district must be reviewed and approved by LAFCO. LAFCO's do not have the power to initiate boundary changes on their own, except for proposals involving the dissolution or consolidation of special districts and the merging of subsidiary districts.

Typical applicants might include:

• Individual property/homeowners requesting annexation to a sewer district due to a failing septic system. 
• Developers seeking annexation to cities in order to obtain urban services for new housing. 
• Cities wishing to annex pockets of unincorporated land, or “islands,” located within their borders in order to avoid duplication of services with the county. 
• Special districts or cities seeking to consolidate two or more government agencies into one, in an effort to streamline their services and reducing the cost to the local taxpayer.