Santa Rosa’s plans to annex Roseland head for key vote

When Santa Rosa began talking seriously about annexing Roseland decades ago, most current City Council members weren't yet involved in local government and politics. Two weren't even born.

The year was 1977, and a group of civic-minded Santa Rosa residents concerned about growth in the unincorporated areas southwest of Santa Rosa formed an organization called “Concerned Citizens of Roseland for Better Government.”

Forty years later, the city says the time for better government in Roseland has arrived.

The City Council last year agreed to annex the remainder of the Roseland neighborhood and four smaller unincorporated islands in southwest Santa Rosa.

The move would bring 714 acres and 7,400 residents into the city and be the single largest expansion of the city limits in its history.

“It's is a big deal,” Mayor Chris Coursey said. “This is something that's long overdue.”

The annexation will be far larger than the 1997 agreement that brought 300 acres of Roseland under city control, making instant city dwellers out of 4,700 residents of unincorporated Sonoma County. It will even top the 1955 annexation of Montgomery Village, which made city residents out of an estimated 7,100 residents of the neighborhood and shopping center prominent developer Hugh Codding built in east Santa Rosa.

Seeking approval

But before its police officers can begin patrolling Roseland streets, its engineers can start designing new streets or its inspectors begin ensuring buildings are up to code, the city needs the approval this week of an obscure government agency known as the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission.

The mission of LAFCO, as it is known, is to make sure local government services are efficient by ensuring their boundaries are “sensible and coherent.”

The board will meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. to consider the city's annexation request. LAFCO staff are recommending approval and think it highly likely the board will agree.

“I think it's teed up completely and ready to go,” Mark Bramfit, LAFCO's executive director, said of the city's application for annexation, which it submitted in April.

The seven-member board is chaired by Petaluma Vice Mayor Teresa Barrett, and includes county Supervisors Susan Gorin and Lynda Hopkins. The meeting takes place at the Board of Supervisors chambers, 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa.

Bramfit said he thinks approval is likely because the city and the county have made thorough preparations.

They include, over the past three years, hammering out a financing agreement with the county, performing detailed environmental studies, pre-annexing all the parcels so people know what their new zoning regulations will be, and hosting dozens of outreach meetings with residents.

The financing agreement with the county presented some delicate negotiations, but resulted in a deal providing the city about $12 million toward its increased costs for roads, parks and policing in Roseland over the next decade. It also included a permanent tax-sharing deal that kicks the city an extra amount - starting at $226,400 and adjusted annually.

Costly proposal

The city is still going to bear the brunt of the costs, however. A 2015 city report estimated that Roseland would need to invest at least $80 million in parks, roads and storm drains to bring the area up to the same level as the rest of the city.

While the LAFCO board decision is crucial, Roseland residents get the final say.

They could block the annexation one of several ways, all of them long shots.

If LAFCO approves the expansion, a 30-day reconsideration period follows during which residents can request the board change its mind. If passed on Tuesday, the reconsideration period would run through Sept. 1.

Then there is a protest period during which property owners and registered voters in Roseland can formally protest the annexation.

This provision is important because past opposition by residents has long been cited as one of the reasons the city never pursued full annexation. Significant underground pollution in the area from historically leaky underground storage tanks and dry cleaners has also loomed as another legacy the city would have to confront in an expansion.

Expressing opposition

LAFCO staff are proposing the protest period open Sept. 5, and run from 30 to 58 days, depending on the board's preference. That would close the protest period on Oct. 4 or Nov. 1.

If less than 25 percent of the registered voters within the area or less than 25 percent of property owners who own at least 25 percent of the total assessed value of the parcels being annexed protest, the annexation is approved.

If more than 50 percent of the registered voters in the area protest, the annexation is blocked. If somewhere between 25 and 50 percent of voters or property owners protest, then an election is held, with annexation being decided by a majority vote of Roseland residents.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.