Efforts are underway to make McKinleyville an incorporated city. Do you believe McKinleyville should have its own municipal government or remain part of unincorporated Humboldt County?

— Eric Taylor

Responses

Evan Schwartz

Thanks for your question, Eric. I think Mckinleyville incorporation is a really interesting topic. In 2023 A Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommended that an incorporation feasibility study was necessary to clearly understand what incorporation may look like. I am in favor of supporting that study and exploring reasonable ways to fund it. It should be acknowledged that city incorporation is not a quick, easy, or straightforward process. Humboldt LAFCo (Local Agency Formation Commission) has specific criteria that must be met to pursue incorporation. I encourage you to explore www.humboldtlafco.org/common-questions/ I think the Mckinleyville community wants more local control, and in the meantime it may be gained in other ways. For example, The MCSD earning an advisory role with The Humboldt County Association of Governments is great step in the right direction. It shows that the county is willing to listen to Mckinleyville and consider MCSD insight related to transportation infrastructure decision making. If the math pencils out I have no issues with incorporation and local governance. If the math doesn’t work, I hope the county can continue to work with the MMAC, MCSD, and the sitting Supervisor to understand and serve Mckinleyville’s wants and needs. What are your thoughts on the issue, Eric? Thanks!

Mary Burke

McKinleyville will only incorporate if voters decide it makes sense for their pocketbook and for services that improve their quality of life.

People may have questions about incorporation - what would it mean for sidewalks, streets, business and housing development, and community health - and there is good news - everyone can come share their thoughts during the listening session for economic development in McKinleyville on April 18th from 10-12pm at the McKinleyville Activity and Teen Center 1705 Gwin Road. I will be there and hope to see you there!

Four years ago the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee created a subcommittee called McKinleyville Incorporation Exploration Sub-Committee (MIESC) to bring forward facts about the incorporation process and answer whether incorporation is feasible for our community. I have been on this committee since the start and am glad to report we have made great progress. Thanks to the continued efforts of Supervisor Madrone and the MIESC, the County of Humboldt now has the resources to do an initial feasibility analysis and in the next year, we will understand whether incorporation makes financial sense for our community. 

This isn’t the first time McKinleyville has been curious about whether incorporation could work for our community. Twenty-six years ago the McKinleyville Chamber worked on this question and saw a favorable outlook but the process stalled out. I am impressed with the dedication of my colleagues on the MIESC and the Chamber who are back at the table today, wading through a complex process, and putting in the hard work to find resources and information that will support the community making decisions for future generations. 

This is an exciting time for McKinleyville, discussing how we can have better participation in how our community is designed. I believe in fair representation and right now McKinleyville has one County Supervisor who represents the whole 5th District of over 27,000 people and is making decisions with the other 4 supervisors across the County of over 136,000 people. If McKinleyville were to incorporate, decisions would be made by a Council of 5 people from our own community. Local people making decisions about local issues. 

More info about the incorporation process can be found here: https://humboldtgov.org/238/McKinleyville-Municipal-Advisory-Committ

 

 

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