NOTICE OF PROTEST HEARING: 

The Executive Officer of the Humboldt Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 5:30p.m. at the Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, Arcata, CA 95521. The hearing will be conducted by the Commission's Executive Officer has been delegated authority to conduct this public hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to receive written protests filed against the following item: 

ANNEXATION OF GOODWILL RESPONSE AREAS TO THE ARCATA FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

Proceedings for this annexation were initiated by the Arcata FPD and includes annexation of approx. 3,561 acres of land (117 parcels) located outside the boundaries and currently served by Arcata FPD on a goodwill basis. LAFCo held a public hearing and approved the annexation on March 20, 2024, as set forth in LAFCo Resolution No. 24-02. 

To be considered valid, protests must be written and filed by either a land-owner or a registered voter within the annexation area. 

The protest must be signed and dated, must state whether it is made by a landowner or a registered voter or both, and must include the name and address of the protestor. An Assessor's Parcel Number identifying the location of the land is acceptable for a landowner. A registered voter's protest must show the name and address appearing on the addidavit of registration. Protests may either be hand delivered at the protest hearing, mailed to Humboldt LAFCo at 670 9th Street, Suite 5, Arcata, CA 95521 (new address), or emailed to the LAFCo Executive Officer at collettem@humboldtlafco.org. Only written protests that are received prior to the end of the hearing will be accepted as timely. 

The agenda is posted on the Commission's website and at the link below this paragraph. For further information or to obtain a copy of the LAFCo resolution or protest forms, call (707) 445-7508, email colettem@humboldtlafco.org (preferred), or visit the LAFCo website at www.humboldtlafco.org/public-hearing-notices-2024/.

 Protest Form

Meeting Agenda

What is annexation?

Annexation is a process by which a property is incorporated into the fire district. You may be surprised to learn that your home may not be covered by a fire district if you live in the Upper Jacoby Creek or Fickle Hill areas. 

Our utmost priority is the health and safety of our community. By joining, you allow the fire district to provide you with emergency services, including timely fire or EMS response without recieving a bill after your services. This can help secure your home and prevent further impact to you financially following a disaster. 

Current State

As it stands right now, these areas of Fickle Hill and Upper Jacoby Creek are considered 'Unprotected' for structure fires, rescue and EMS incidents.  There is no obligation for any fire agency to respond to these unprotected areas.  However, these areas are considered in the 'State Responsibility Area', meaning CalFire is only responsible for a wildland response. 

History

In the past 5 years, Arcata Fire District has responded to 6 fires, 6 EMS calls, 2 rescue calls and 5 other incidents in the proposed annexation area, 3 of which were structure fires resulting in a major loss. Following that loss, we had to hand the resident a bill for our time spent responding to those incidents. The proposed annexation would allow us to consider these communities in our response area, therefore billing would not be necessary. 

Based on California law, property owners have the right to decide whether to be included in the District's service area by paying taxes to their local fire district. 

Is My Property in the Proposed Annexation Zone?

Here is a map of the Arcata Fire District's current service areas which include: Arcata, Manila, Bayside, Jacoby Creek and McKinleyville. The areas slated for annexation are the Fickle Hill and Upper Jacoby Creek communities.

You can toggle on/off various mapping layers, such as parcels and boundary layers. You can also click on a parcel to review the estimated special assessment and special tax charges specific to a parcel’s land use description. This will be useful to those living in the annexation area to estimate parcel charges levied annually by Arcata Fire District that would be collected as part of the annual property tax bill.

Click HERE to view the map. 

Questions and Answers:

Is there a cost to me, the resident? 

Yes, there will be an annual cost added to your property tax bill depending on the use of your property. You can click on the above map to see an estimate of the proposed cost to you.

What do I get as a resident of the Arcata Fire District? 

No charge for any incident response (fire, rescue, EMS) and additionally you would be covered by the District's insurance rating from ISO. Want to know more about ISO? Click here (you will stay on our website).

How do I express my support or concern? 

Written comments must be received by Humboldt LAFCo by 12:00pm, the day prior to the meeting in order to be distributed to Commissioners. Please direct comments, questions and requests to reciew documents to Humboldt LAFCo, 1125 16th Street, Suite 202, Arcata, CA 95521. Phone: (707) 445-7508. Email: colettem@humboldtlafco.org (preferred). Or, you can attend the public hearing on March 20, 2024 at 9:00am at Eureka City Hall Chambers (second floor) located at 531 K Street, Eureka CA 95501.

How can I find out more about the progress of this situation?

You can visit the Humboldt LAFCo website's page for Proposed Arcata Fire Annexation HERE.