IN BRIEF : LAFCO to take up sphere of influence expansion

July 2, 2009 8:16 AM

COUNTY The Santa Barbara Local Agency Formation Commission will hold a hearing today at 2 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St.

The agenda includes talk of a proposed sphere of influence for the city of Santa Barbara by less than one acre adjacent to Coyote Road and a proposed out of agency service agreement on a single-family home on the aforementioned .78 acre lot.

The purpose of these proposals is to provide sewer service to a home that is being reconstructed after it burned down in the Tea Fire.

"We need to expand the city's sphere of influence so that we can provide this house sewer service," said Bob Braitman, LAFCO Executive Officer, "and we need to annex the property."

Mr. Braitman explained that annexing the property would be a time-consuming process, and because the home will be built before that can occur, a recorded agreement will be made by the property owner that will guarantee the city future annexation.

LAFCO also plans to consider adopting a policy of "out-of-agency service agreements that would determine under what conditions urban services may be extended to agricultural parcels," according to the hearing agenda. This policy consideration comes on the heels of an event in which the city had to annex 22 acres of property in order to provide sewer services to only four acres of that land. "We want to avoid that in the future," said Mr. Braitman. LAFCO will also select a temporary committee regarding its staffing and ratify disbursements for June 2009.