Countywide : Laguna Hills Annexation Expected to Get OK

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is expected to give final approval to a plan by Laguna Hills to annex a 1.5-square-mile unincorporated community to the north of the city.

City and county representatives last week completed negotiations on the annexation, which Laguna Hills officials have sought for four years.

Most of the negotiations dealt with the legal wording of the agreement and on how the two government entities would divide tax revenue from the area, known as North Laguna Hills.

The Board of Supervisors gave tentative approval to the annexation earlier this month.

The Local Agency Formation Commission, a government panel that reviews all annexations and incorporation, also must approve the North Laguna Hills proposal.

Several other cities including Irvine and Costa Mesa also have expressed interest in taking control of neighboring county pockets. Some county officials see such annexations as a way of reducing costs in the wake of the bankruptcy.