LAFCO 201 Island Annexations in Santa Clara County

1. LAFCO 201 Island Annexations in Santa Clara County 2010 CALAFCO Annual Conference, Palm SpringsNeelima Palacherla

2. What is an Island? Unincorporated parcels of land surrounded completely or substantially by incorporated lands CITY

3. How Islands were Created… 1960s… County approved development at the urban edges gradually became surrounded as city expanded and annexed around it CITY

4. Why Should Islands Annex? • Better neighborhood services • Greater influence over decisions affecting neighborhoods • Less confusion about services and regulations • Increased governmental accountability

5. Why Should Cities Annex Islands? • Inefficiencies resulting from two agencies providing service in one area • Negative impacts on surrounding city neighborhoods • • Development not consistent with city policies • Residents use city facilities but don’t pay taxes

6. Why Should Counties Eliminate Islands? • • Impossible to deliver services efficiently • • Difficult to provide a responsive government •Municipal Services and urban development responsibilities vs. preserving open space and farmlands responsibilities

7. Why does LAFCO Encourage Island Annexations? LAFCO’s mission is to: • Promote logical boundaries and orderly development • Discourage urban sprawl • Preserve agricultural and open space lands • Ensure efficient delivery of services

8. Why don’t Islands Annex? • 1. Lengthy, expensive and uncertain annexation process • 2. Misinformation about impacts of annexation, negative impressions of city • 3. Cities / County lack staff and resources for level of effort required • 4. Differences in County standards, satisfaction with status quo • 5. No financial advantage for cities

9. 2005 Island Annexation Law Special provision available until January 1, 2014: Annexation of islands that are less than 150 acres may be approved without protest or elections at a public hearing with notice if annexation proposal meets certain criteria

10. Santa Clara LAFCO’s Island Annexation Program • 1st Step • In cooperation with County, inventoried all islands and prepared maps for each city

11. Santa Clara LAFCO’s Island Annexation Program • 2nd Step Adopted Island Annexation Policies in 2005 • Waive LAFCO processing fees • Encourage cities to complete island annexations prior to seeking further expansions • Encourage County to remove incentives for island residents to remain in county by making its development standards comparable to surrounding city

12. Santa Clara LAFCO’s Island Annexation Program • 3rd StepWork collaboratively with cities and County • Conduct workshops to provide information on annexation process to cities, help prepare Annexation Answer Books • Work with County and SBE to reduce annexation mapping / report costs

13. Santa Clara LAFCO’s Island Annexation Program: Results Accomplishments… • # of cities participated: 9 • # of islands annexed: 77 • # of acres annexed: 1,652 • Total population annexed: 11,448

14. Santa Clara LAFCO’s Island Annexation Program: Results …and Challenges • # of cities that did not participate: 5 • # of islands remaining (<150 acres): 79 • # of islands remaining (>150 acres): 16

15. Santa Clara LAFCO’s Island Annexation Program: Costs • Over the last five years…. • LAFCO fees waived: $80,000 • Costs covered by the County: • SBE fees: $51,650 • Annexation maps and reports: $260,253 • Road upgrades as incentives in islands slated for annexation: ______