District Formation FAQ
After years of being ignored at “County Hall,” the people of the Sonoma Valley are fighting back. The first step is to establish the tools needed to take control of the former Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) and to reduce the scale of that development.
The first of these tools is a District to represent us and to get this done. The Sonoma Mountain Community Services District will be an “Independent Special District” formed under California State law.
Why is a District important?
The creation of an Independent Special District will provide an essential tool to ensure that the SDC property remains in local ownership for the long term. Perhaps most importantly, it will allow the people of the unincorporated areas of Sonoma Valley, who care deeply about the future of the land and buildings of SDC, to have a direct say in its future now, twenty years from now, or even a hundred years from now. And it will provide community services beyond SDC that are much needed.
A local Independent District keeps it local - and independent.
How will the District be formed?
Two approaches are being explored. One is through State legislation, hopefully in the 2024 Legislative session. That is the quickest and most complete way since it puts in place both the District and its financing options and allows a range of activities compatible with the needs of the Sonoma Valley and its people.
The other is to work locally through the Sonoma County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).
Either way, the actual formation of the District, along with the election of its five member Board, will require a majority vote of the registered voters in the District. That will hopefully occur as early as November 2024, or possibly March 2025.
How will the District be funded?
If the District is formed through Legislation, it will have a built-in long term funding method. Formed this way, the new District will have access to interim funding to begin its work with Community Finance District bonds, grants and financing needed to work with other partners and developers. It will also help us take advantage of the special tax benefits that will accrue in the later years as the buildings are built, retrofitted and occupied.
If the District is formed through the local process, it may require a small parcel tax for a limited time until the flow of incremental tax funds begins.
Why doesn’t the District include all of Sonoma Valley?
Time and Money! Money: It would have cost $75,000 to draw district boundaries wherever we wanted. So the proposed District uses the Sonoma Valley Fire District boundaries and major roads like Highway 12 and Arnold Drive to carve out a smaller area. Time: We need to get the District on the ballot rapidly, so we need a reasonable number of signatures to collect - almost 1,000 signatures by end of March. Annexation of other areas is possible after the District is established.
What are the next steps?
A petition to put the District on the ballot in the next election cycle will be circulated beginning in January 2024, designed to demonstrate to the State and LAFCO that there is strong support in our community for the District. Volunteers will be going door to door to get signatures from registered voters in the proposed District.
How will the land and buildings of SDC be transferred to the District?
With The District in place, the community will have a formal mechanism that does not exist now through which to negotiate for a position in the stewardship of the SDC over the long term. Should the currently selected developer be deselected, the District will have both standing and a priority position under State law, to negotiate for the transfer of SDC land. That’s why forming the District is so important.
Will this go to a vote of the people?
Once the terms for the District are confirmed, an election will be called to provide the registered voters in the District with the opportunity to both ratify the District and to elect its initial five-member Board of Directors.
Will there be new taxes?
We are working hard to avoid any new taxes as a result of the formation of the District. Any new tax must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the voters in the District.
If the efforts to gain control of SDC are unsuccessful, is a District still useful?
Yes.
What services could the District provide?
Parks & recreation services and improvements, roads, affordable housing (pilot study), childcare in support of housing, transportation, infrastructure, microgrids, utilities and resource management, communications (broadband), emergency preparedness and the management and acquisition of open space.
Is there a map of the District?
What can I do to help?
We need funding to support the Signature Drive and to get the District on the ballot. If you can make a donation, large or small, please click on the Donate button below. If you would like to volunteer to help in other ways, please email us at SDCnext100@gmail.com.