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February 19, 2007
Government Boring You? You Need LAFCO!
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| Most people are unaware of the Butte County commission
responsible for ensuring public access to humor. The agency is called
LAFCO and brings
smiles
to the general public by funding silly dance troupes and stand-up comedians
(www.buttelafco.org). Okay, that's not really what LAFCO does. I previously posted something about Chico's Sphere of Influence. The "sphere" is the area where the County and City boundaries overlap, and where the City expects to grow into. Each city in the county has an agreed upon "Sphere of Influence". LAFCO stands for local agency formation commission, and is mandated to exist by state law. LAFCO is responsible for giving a stamp of approval to changes in the sphere of influence. It is made up of representatives of the county supervisors (2 elected by the 5 supervisors), the city mayors (2 elected by the 5 mayors), special districts, and a member of the public (see this page for members of the commission). In addition to changes in "spheres" Butte County LAFCO also approves annexations by cities, and attempts to streamline and remove duplicate services. Cities wanting to provide services outside of their area would need approval from LAFCO to do so. An example of this might be the City of Chico providing police and fire services to a casino in the county. Cities whose spheres of influence approach one another (like Biggs and Gridley) will likely go to LAFCO to resolve differences over who grows where. I would describe a LAFCO's job as one that oversees that hazy demarcation point between incorporated city and rural county. Reducing inefficient urban sprawl by coordinating local planning decisions is the goal of this government agency. LAFCO's were created in 1963, but are currently governed by the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000. |
Posted by Lon at February 19, 2007 09:11 AM