CANCELLED - Ukiah Planning Commission Set to Meet on May 28th to Approve Ukiah Annexation Proposal

THIS MEETING ON MAY 28TH HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE WILL MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOU UPDATED AS TO WHEN THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD

The City of Ukiah’s Planning Commission will vote on May 28th whether or not to “recommend to the City Council to expand the city limits.” If the Planning Commission recommends that the city does proceed with annexation, it will then be sent to the City Council to “conduct a notice public hearing to consider the recommendation.”

We oppose the current annexation proposal by the City for the following reasons:

• The proposed Annexation Area is too large – this would greatly increase the size of the city limits.

• This proposal is excessive and would place unnecessary strain on infrastructure, public services and law enforcement for not only the proposed areas but for the residents within the city limits.

• This proposal would increase fees for District residents for Building Permits, Sales Tax, utilities that are provided.

• The City has a higher sales tax and higher business license fee than compared to the County.

• The City is planning to increase fees for the sanitation district by 30% over the next 5 years, meaning that the newly annexed residents would have to pay this excessive fee.

• Ukiah Police Department lost more officers than it hired and just a few years ago, they were operating at just 62% of required staffing. Even as they offer a $25,000 signing bonus, they still struggle to recruit and retain officers.

  • This shortage has impacted response capacity—highlighted during a recent Zoning Commission meeting, where a project manager for Habit Burger stated they excluded outdoor seating to avoid attracting homelessness, knowing police don't respond to those calls due to lack of capacity. Annexation would only increase the burden on an already overwhelmed police department. Link to UDJ Article here.

  • Currently, UPD has about 20% of their deputy positions that are unfilled.

We hope that everyone who is interested in the issue of annexation will come to the Planning Commission’s meeting on May 28th at 6pm at 300 Seminary Avenue. The meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers. If you have any questions regarding the meeting or annexation, please email noukiahannexation.com.