Citrus Heights vice mayor tackles questions, talks future of city

By Mike Hazlip—
Citrus Heights Vice Mayor Tim Schaefer on Thursday provided residents at a neighborhood meeting with an update on the City Council and a look ahead at some positive changes on the horizon for the city.

About a dozen residents attended the meeting of the Park Oaks Neighborhood Association, held in a room at Advent Lutheran Church. Schaefer spoke about his time on the council over the past year and fielded questions from residents, addressing topics including property taxes, drive-thru restaurants, council politics, and more.

Property taxes
The agreement with Sacramento County that property tax dollars from Citrus Heights would continue to forfeited for 25 years as a condition of incorporation is set to expire this year, a windfall that Schaefer called “a really good thing.”

Schaefer said he expects to see first receipt of payment in December of about $4 million, with the yearly total of about $7 million that he said will grow to about $9 million over the next few years.

Drive Thru’s
In addressing recent comments he made advocating for fewer drive thru restaurants in the city, Schaefer said he was echoing what he has heard from residents. He said he tries to listen to residents and be their voice on the council.

“What are your needs, what are your concerns?” he said. “If you ever watch any of the council meetings, most of the time I’m rarely talking about what I really think. I’m talking about what I hear from you, what I hear from the community.”

He added the issue needs further study, saying: “I don’t know how many drive-thru’s we have in Citrus Heights. I kinda feel like we probably have enough, I think it seems like a lot to me. That’s something that’s valid that needs to be studied.”

Related: Citrus Heights vice mayor proposes moratorium on new drive-thru’s

City Council job
When asked if he likes being on the City Council, Schaefer said he enjoys being a voice for residents, but the job has its drawbacks.

“I would say ‘like’ is probably a little strong,” he said. “I’m the newest council member, I’m still learning what the job is. What I like is being your voice. There’s a lot of politics that happen behind the scenes that is not really fun.”

Schaefer said he plans to make community involvement a priority if he is elected mayor, something he said newly hired City Manager Ashley Feeney supports.

“If I’m mayor next year, I will be pushing hard for a rejuvenation of a better support for our neighborhoods,” said Schaefer.

Responding to a question about the council’s split on the Measure M sales tax two years ago, Schaefer said that while council members have no political parties affiliation, he has a frugal approach to budgetary matters.

“Right after Measure M had failed, we met with the city manager and he presented a budget to me that was $14.2 million in deficit by June 30,” Schaefer said. “He had $12 million in there allocated for road repairs, which the city has never spent $12 million in their life on road repairs in one year.”

As previously reported, Schaefer and former city manager Chris Boyd had several heated exchanges during budget discussions following the failure of Measure M, although tensions eased later in the process.

From last year: Discussion during Citrus Heights budget meeting gets heated

Despite differences between various council members, Schaefer sees a more united road ahead for the council and used the recent unanimous selection of Feeney for city manager as an example.

“There’s a lot of things that are good about being a council member. I just feel like we’re kinda getting our bearings again,” he said.

Sunrise Mall
The future of one of Citrus Heights’ economic engines, Sunrise Mall, was another concern from residents. Schaefer said the city has worked to make the property attractive for developers.

The city funded the completion of an extensive environmental impact report, a move Schaefer called “probably the biggest stumbling block” to development.

When asked if the mall’s current majority owner, Namdar Realty Group, supports redevelopment plans, Schaefer said he was “shocked” when the company wrote a letter of support after the Sunrise Tomorrow concept was approved by the Planning Commission. He echoed comments made by Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins during a Tuesday community meeting for Citrus Heights Areas Seven Eight and Nine hinting at interest from other developers.

“As I understand it, Seritage, that owns the Sears building, is primed and ready to convert to a more residential setting,” he said.

Schaefer said he is hoping the new city manager can bring his experience in working with developers to move the project forward “as quickly as possible.”

Median Fencing
Schaefer addressed a question about the partially completed fence along Greenback Lane by saying the delay was due to a miscommunication with the general contractor.

“There was a concern with how the contractor understood the job versus how the city understand the job,” he said.

The Sentinel previously reported construction has stopped due to what city spokeswoman Nichole Baxter said was “unforeseen material-related items and underground utility impacts.”

Work was slated to resume in February, according to the report. The fencing is designed to protect public safety by discouraging jaywalking across the busy thoroughfare.

Q&A: What’s with the partially finished fence on Greenback?

Schaefer’s presentation was made during the monthly meeting of the Park Oaks Neighborhood Association, which is one of nine neighborhood associations in Citrus Heights. The city originally was made up of 11 different neighborhood associations, each representing a different part of the city, but overtime several areas have merged together under the same association.

More information about each neighborhood association is posted on the city’s website at www.citrusheights.net/450/Neighborhood-Associations.