Sentinel staff report–
Citrus Heights is on a path for dramatic improvement under the leadership of a new city manager, according to council members who last week spoke highly of a new four-prong approach to tackle key goals over the next two years.
City Manager Ashley Feeney, who took the helm as the city’s top executive in January, is credited with drafting the plan, which was formally adopted by the City Council on May 26. The plan was developed after receiving community input and will focus on blight abatement and homelessness, infrastructure, economic development and community connection.
After highlights from the plan were shared publicly during the council’s last meeting, the city’s vice mayor called the plan “powerful” and “important to our community growth and pride.” Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins called the plan “creative.”
“We want the people of Citrus Heights to know we’re making a turn and we’re addressing things that are really important to our community,” said Councilman Bret Daniels, who also described the city as being on a path toward “dramatic change” under new leadership.
The plan relies in part on one-time American Rescue Plan Act funding to allocate $875,000 in COVID recovery funds to go towards a proposed “Beautification Crew.” The crew would be a new team of two full-time employees and a vehicle, tasked with cleaning up homeless camps, illegal dumps, litter and abandoned shopping carts across the city.
Additional funding is proposed to go towards a “Community Block Party Trailer” which would be used for assisting neighborhood events. Funding would also go to vehicle replacement for the Police Department and upgrades for the department’s communications center. The City Council is slated to vote on the funding allocation on June 23.
Under the plan’s objectives for improving community image is more aggressive tackling of homeless issues, including a community prosecutor program to “collaboratively solve problems relating to homelessness and blighted properties.” A conservatorship program to get homeless persons with severe mental illness or addiction into treatment is also listed.
Under infrastructure maintenance, the plan notes an ongoing lack of funding for road repaving, but lists lower-cost objectives like expanding pothole repair operations, refreshing median strips, cleaning up sound walls, and re-striping lanes and crosswalks.
The 19-page plan includes 13 objectives under infrastructure maintenance, nine for enhancing community connection, another nine for economic development, and 17 objectives for improving community image. The Sentinel will be publishing stories over the next month covering each of the four focus areas in detail.
