Citrus Heights could see borders expand to these four areas

By Phillip Pesola–
The Citrus Heights City Council last month approved a contract for up to $60,000 to evaluate the feasibility of annexing four new areas into the city limits, moving the ball forward on an idea decades in the making.

The Sentinel previously reported that if annexation were to be successful in all four areas, the city could stand to end up gaining land near Greenback Lane and I-80, along with hundreds of more homes near the railroad tracks, the addition of Mercy San Juan Hospital within the city limits, and several new commercial businesses in a shopping center off Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Two of the areas were previously considered for annexation in 2006, located just outside the western and northwestern city limits, known as Greenback Gateway and Roseville Pointe. Two additional areas are also being considered near Celtic Cross Church along Dewey Drive and the commercial center on the northwest corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Madison Avenue.

An April 27 staff report recommended that City Council authorize a contract with RSG for a project to evaluate these potential annexation opportunities in Citrus Heights. The City Council had previously set a strategic goal to assess annexation options in May of 2022, and after receiving direction and feedback, they approved the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant support.

Two consulting firms, RSG and Kosmont, submitted proposals, with staff opting to recommend RSG be awarded the contract due in part to their experience with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) process. RSG’s proposal included a comprehensive scope of work, including refining annexation study areas, analyzing revenues and expenditures, hosting workshops, and conducting a fiscal impact study.

The proposed budget for the project is $60,000, which will be funded through the existing professional services budget. Any future formal annexation resulting from the study will have additional fiscal impacts that will be evaluated separately.

The study will focus on the feasibility of annexation and will provide findings and recommendations to City Council. The proposed timeline includes executing the contract in May 2023, reporting preliminary findings in August, a community workshop in October, and a City Council presentation in November.

As previously reported, if annexation is pursued, at least three public hearings would be required, as well as approval from affected property owners.

The award of contract to RSG was passed without comment from the council during the consent calendar portion of the April 27 council meeting.

Why annexation?
Annexation has been considered in the past, and the city’s General Plan has listed a goal to pursue possible annexation near Interstate 80 as a way to “gain better control of routes into the city and to establish a distinctive city presence along Interstate 80.”

The city’s vice mayor, Bret Daniels, has described the annexation proposal as “cleanup” of the city’s borders, to include areas that should have been included in the original incorporation effort 25 years ago.