What's so special about a special district?

A special district is one of the most basic forms of local government, created by the people within the district to provide a specialized service. Some examples of special districts are water districts, sewer districts, library districts, school districts, cemetery districts, parks districts or vector control districts. The oldest special district in California is the Turlock Irrigation District, formed in 1887 and still in existence today.

Special districts have very precisely defined responsibilities which minimize their overhead and provide a value-added service to the people they serve. Because they are localized, special districts tend to be very responsive and accountable to the voters. They are also a very efficient form of government.

Special districts may be dependent (part of a city or county government) or independent (governed by its own publicly elected board of directors). Special districts may further be divided into enterprise (fees are billed or assessed, with the amount linked to what each customer uses) or non enterprise (dependent on tax dollars). Irvine Ranch Water District is an independent, enterprise special district.

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