
By Sara Beth Williams–
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream recently opened a new location on the outskirts of town with a business address listed in Citrus Heights — but the company’s website indicates the business is located in Fair Oaks, prompting questions from some.
Confusion and disputes over jurisdiction boundaries have been ongoing for years. In 2022, a shooting just outside the border of Citrus Heights at Fair Oaks Park led to separate investigations by different agencies after a suspect ran across the street and into the city limits of Citrus Heights, where he was subsequently shot.
Elsewhere, near the northern city limits, residents who live on a stretch of Roseville Road have said that they are frequently forced to deal with a jurisdictional maze including four different law enforcement agencies: Citrus Heights Police, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Roseville Police, and the California Highway Patrol.
In July, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded to a commercial fire on the property of a private school located on the edge of Citrus Heights, even though the school lists a Roseville address. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District does not serve Placer County.
In 2023, the Citrus Heights City Council, for a second time, sought to study the feasibility of expanding the borders of Citrus Heights in several different areas. One of those areas included portions of commercial businesses located in the Almond Orchard shopping center, where Handel’s is located.
When viewing the city boundaries on Google Maps, the border of Citrus Heights runs right through the center, north to south, of the Almond Orchard shopping center and ends at Madison Avenue, instead of extending east toward the intersection of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Madison Avenue.
Businesses located west of the Citrus Heights boundary line, such as Miller’s Ace Hardware, Pastry Heaven, and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, all have Citrus Heights addresses. Businesses east of the boundary lines, such as Fabian’s Italian Bistro & Bar, Alexandria Salon & Spa, and Security Pacific Real Estate, are given addresses that list them in Fair Oaks.
Likewise, homes west of Fair Oaks Boulevard have Citrus Heights addresses, and homes east of Fair Oaks Boulevard have Fair Oaks addresses, until you travel north past Woodmore Oaks Drive, and then the boundary of Citrus Heights extends farther to the east.
The City Council was presented with the results of an annexation fiscal impact study in October 2023, and according to the study, projected expenditures would exceed projected revenues by $3.6 million if all four areas were annexed.
Collectively, sales taxes within the four areas studied would equal $211 million annually. However, it’s assumed that Citrus Heights and Sacramento County would split that revenue fifty-fifty, RSG Senior Analyst Monroe Roush said, adding that such an outcome is typical for annexations. Citrus Heights would also receive less-than-normal property taxes in annexed areas of the city because there is no state law that allows for cities to collect motor vehicle license fees from annexed sections of a city.
The commercial area of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Madison Avenue had the least projected revenue shortfall, at roughly $12,000, making it the most “fiscally neutral” area to annex, according to the city’s report.
Following the city’s findings, the City Council directed the City Manager to approach Sacramento County to informally discuss negotiations on sales and property taxes of the unincorporated areas in which Citrus Heights expressed interest in annexing.
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Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream recently opened a new location on the outskirts of town with a business address listed in Citrus Heights -- but the company’s website indicates the business is located in Fair Oaks, prompting questions from some...
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