UKIAH, CA., 4/28/26 — The City of Ukiah released a new proposed Ukiah annexation map and information about the proposed annexation April 23. The new area to be annexed is smaller than the previous proposal, but larger than a third option that the city mulled over. A community workshop will be held Thursday to go over the plan and address residents’ concerns.
Nine months ago, the city council decided to scale back the annexation map they had proposed a year ago. Now, they have put out a new map along with an informational video, an FAQ and more. The video explores the city’s analysis of two different possible maps for annexing Ukiah to the north and south. The city said the annexation alternatives “focus on areas already within Ukiah’s established sphere of influence and identified in the master tax-sharing agreement between the county and the cities.”
The bigger of the two maps the city looked at, what the city is calling the “sapling option,” includes more area to the north than the “acorn” option. The city is recommending the sapling map. City staffers said the acorn option would not be feasible because smaller annexation footprints “can create significant long-term financial strain and are not sustainable for the city.”
According to the city, the newly proposed sapling map was created after city staff evaluated alternatives, factoring in public safety and utility service areas, tax revenues, development patterns, infrastructure responsibilities, natural boundaries and the protection of agricultural land.
Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley explained that the sapling map, compared to the acorn map, includes more of what is called the designated area, which is the area proposed to be annexed to the north of Ukiah. That area generates more revenue for the city through sales tax than the area known as the balance area, which in this case is the area proposed to be annexed to the south. Riley explained that in the master tax-sharing agreement between the county and its cities, when annexing, a city must include a certain amount of the balance area in its proposal, not just the area that will generate more revenue.
Riley said that the actual designated area to the north is larger than what they are proposing to annex in the sapling option, but the community had voiced that they didn’t want an annexation that large. The city thus shrunk down its proposed annexation.
While the acorn option includes less of the designated area to the north, both the acorn and sapling maps have the same amount of the balance area. This means if the acorn annexation plan were to go forward, the city may not receive enough revenue to pay for services for the entire area.
Annexation is a multi-step process, which involves public input throughout, as well as city council consideration and review by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). The process is still in an early phase, and no final decisions have been made.
The community workshop will be on April 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 South School St. There is no Zoom option as the city intends to provide breakout rooms for smaller discussions.