LAFCO stands for "Local Agency Formation Commission." These are decision making government entities in California with the responsibily to decide issues pertaining to city and county (non-incorporated) lands, including "spheres of influence," and issues about the annexation of county lands into a city. A sphere of influence, in this context, is a plan for the probable physical boundaries and service area of a local agency. Jump to: navigation, search Melbourne, Australia by night For alternate meanings see city (disambiguation) A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count. ... Annexation is the legal merging of some territory into another body. ...
Local Agency Formation Commissions were established in each California county except San Francisco by the California State Legislature in 1963. LAFCO's current legal authority and mandate are defined by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Act of 2000 (Government Code Section 56000 et seq.) LAFCOs have both regulatory and planning authority:
As a regulatory agency LAFCO is charged with “discouraging urban sprawl and encouraging the orderly formation and development of local agencies” based on “local circumstances and conditions.” LAFCO's regulatory responsibilities include reviewing, approving or denying proposals to annex land to cities or special districts.
As a planning agency LAFCO is charged to determine and update at least every five years the “sphere of influence” of each city and special district. In updating spheres of influence LAFCO must prepare Municipal Service Reviews of relevant local agencies and services. LAFCO may initiate proposals to consolidate special districts, merge a special district with a city, dissolve a special district, establish a subsidiary district or any combination of these changes.
LAFCOs 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.
LAFCO's are responsible for coordinating logical and timely changes in local governmental boundaries, conducting special studies that review ways to reorganize, simplify and streamline governmental structure and preparing a Sphere of Influence for each city and special district within each county.
In reviewing proposals, LAFCO is required to consider certain factors such as the conformity between city and county plans, current levels and need for future services to the area, and the social, physical and economic effects that agency boundary changes present to the community.
The Local Agency Formation Commission was created by the Legislature in 1963 to discourage urban sprawl and encourage the orderly formation and development of local government agencies.
LAFCO is a seven-member Commission comprised of two city council members (chosen by the Council of Mayors), two county supervisor members (chosen by the Board of Supervisors), two special district members (chosen by Independent Special District election), and one public member (chosen by the members of the Commission).
Feeds |
Contact