Imperial Local Agency Formation Commission

By state law, the Imperial County LAFCo Commissioners are selected from the groups most affected by its decisions, e.g., the Cities, County, and Public. Commissioners serve four-year terms with an expiration date of January 1st on a staggered four-year rotation. Members are as follows:

• Two City Council Members representing the seven Cities in Imperial County are appointed by a committee consisting of a mayor from each of the seven Cities within Imperial County (known as the City Select Committee).

• Two Imperial County Board of Supervisor Members representing Imperial County, appointed by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.

• One Public Member representing the Public in Imperial County, appointed by the Imperial County LAFCo.

For each category represented on the Imperial County LAFCo, there is an alternate member. Alternate members may attend the meetings and participate in the discussion of items, but they only vote on items when a regular member from their category is absent.

In addition, the Commission could allow the seating of two additional members representing the Special Districts. While the Imperial County LAFCo has encouraged the seating of Special Districts, to date, they have elected not to serve on the Commission.

Each agency that is eligible to have one of its officials seated on the Commission must contribute to the Imperial County LAFCo budget. The amount of this contribution is determined by statute.

Legislature charged the Local Agency Formation Commissions with carrying out changes in the governmental organization to promote specified legislative policies now codified in the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000, as amended.  Among the major policy statements are:

• LAFCo is to encourage orderly growth and development essential to the social, fiscal, and economic well-being of the state of California.

• LAFCo is responsible for encouraging the logical formation and determination of boundaries while discouraging and eliminating "islands".

• LAFCo must exercise its authority to ensure that the affected population receives efficient and quality government services.

• LAFCo is required to exercise its authority to guide development away from open space and prime agricultural land uses unless said actions would not promote planned, orderly, and efficient development.

LAFCo, having the authority to retain its own independent legal counsel, currently utilizes the contract services of Walker & Driskill.  

To process the various projects that come before the Commission, LAFCo does use the services of independent consultants to achieve accurate and timely processing of projects.