Survey: Citrus Heights residents want more action on blight enforcement

By Sara Beth Williams–
New FlashVote survey results released last week show Citrus Heights residents want stronger code enforcement in commercial areas and neighborhoods.

The city’s recent FlashVote survey asked residents how they viewed code enforcement of local commercial areas and neighborhoods in Citrus Heights. Forty-one percent of the 368 respondents said commercial areas and neighborhoods need “a little more” code enforcement and 24 percent said commercial areas and neighborhoods needs “a lot more” code enforcement.

Sixty percent of those surveyed said they wanted to see more code enforcement in visibly abandoned and rundown commercial buildings or lots. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they felt high visibility, high traffic corridors, residential neighborhood streets, and commercial areas all needed to receive equal treatment when it came to improving appearance.

Only three percent of those surveyed said there needed to be less code enforcement, and about one-quarter of respondents thought that the current level of code enforcement was enough. Eight percent said they were unsure.

Dozens of participants commented on the survey, indicating many areas of concern, such as the poor condition of roads, weeds on sidewalks, overgrown trees and bushes blocking driver visibility on sidewalks and corners, homeless encampments, panhandling, and unkempt yards with inoperable vehicles. Other commenters mentioned the Sunrise Mall needing more attention from code enforcement, as well as and the poor conditions of various mobile home parks.

Some who commented thanked the city’s code enforcement team. One said thank you for all the work being done to beautify the city, another said the city is doing a “much better job” than in the past, and a handful of residents said, “keep up the good work.”

“I believe that code is doing the best that they can with the limited personnel that they have,” one commenter said, while another thanked the city for thinning trees and vegetation in and across the greenbelt and creek areas behind the Sylvan Oaks library. The resident suggested continuing to thin vegetation in order to “discourage” homeless encampments and prevent potential fires from occurring.

Several commenters suggested that the city should take a more proactive approach to code enforcement instead of relying solely on reports from neighbors and the See Click Fix app. Others warned that code enforcement should not be “nitpicky” but “do common sense things.”

The Code Enforcement team is part of the Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Unit and also works closely with the Planning Division, Building and Safety Division, and General Services Department, “to keep the city beautiful and safe,” according to the city’s website.

Individuals who receive a code violation are given the opportunity to voluntarily correct the situation and comply with current codes without any penalty. If a correction is not made, then the individual may be subject to fines and other penalties, the city states.

To report a code enforcement concern, residents can visit the city’s website here. 

FlashVote surveys cover a variety of topics that impact local residents and are emailed directly to Citrus Heights residents. Surveys are only open for 48 hours.

To participate in future FlashVote surveys issued by the city, residents can sign up here. To view full survey results, click here.