By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday is slated to discuss approving a feline spay and neuter clinic, a $25,000 grant to the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce, and a contract for on-call architectural engineering services. The Citrus Heights City Council will meet on Wednesday, Aug 27, at 6 p.m. at Citrus Heights City Hall.
Proclamation honoring Renee Larscheid: Larscheid has served for 38 years with the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce. Recently, the Chamber announced that she would be retiring and was honored with an award during the Best of Citrus Heights celebration on Aug. 21.
Fireworks and shopping cart ordinance amendments: The City Council will be slated to approve a second reading of a handful of ordinance amendments to illegal fireworks ordinances and the shopping cart ordinance. The first reading was already approved at a previous city council meeting, and a second reading is standard procedure. This item is part of the consent calendar, and items in the consent calendar are voted on as a block of items unless one is pulled for discussion and a separate vote.
The proposed changes include removing duplicative language, changing the hours when the sale of fireworks can take place, updating the structure of tiered fines to include a $5,000 fine for third and subsequent offenses within one year from the date of the administrative citation or notice of second violation, and changing violations from a misdemeanor to an infraction, among other changes. The shopping cart ordinance amendment proposed includes adding the stipulation that it is illegal to both remove a shopping cart and be in possession of a shopping cart without prior written consent from the business owner.
On-Call Architectural Engineering Services contract: The City Council on Wednesday will be asked to award an on-call services contract for architectural engineering services. At this time, approval of the agreement will have no fiscal impact, staff said. The initial contract term will be three years with two one-year options to extend the contract for a total contract term not to exceed five years.
The total contract value for the initial three-year period is not to exceed $500,000, with one-year extensions not to exceed $100,000 per year. According to the staff report, actual costs will vary depending on the volume of orders, the number of projects completed and other factors.
All fees, time, and materials costs associated with each contract will be funded with previously approved budgets and funding sources. For task orders to support private development projects, funding will come from private sources or, in some cases, economic development grant funds as determined appropriate by the city manager or economic development and community engagement director.
$25,000 grant request: The Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce is requesting a $25,000 grant from the Economic Development Support Fund. According to the staff report, the chamber plans to use the total amount in three different ways.
$10,000 would go toward a Chairman’s Circle Diamond Sponsorship, $7,000 would go toward the cost of renting the Citrus Heights Event Center for luncheons, and $8,000 would go toward a Presenting Sponsorship of “Leadership Citrus Heights.”
The Chamber recently announced in their weekly business newsletter the relaunch of Leadership Citrus Heights, a program which takes candidates through various leadership trainings over a nine-month period.
“For more than a decade, the City of Citrus Heights has partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to highlight the city’s business-friendly approach and expand opportunities for engagement,” city staff said in the staff report, adding that the city typically participates in Diamond Sponsorship and Event Center rental coverage.
Field Haven Feline Center: The City Council on Wednesday will be asked to approve a low-cost spay and neuter clinic lease agreement with Field Haven Feline Center, which currently operates a clinic in Lincoln and wants to open one in Citrus Heights. The clinic would offer low-cost spaying and neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, and lifesaving emergency procedures and isn’t intended to be a long-term care veterinary facility, the staff report indicates.
City staff acknowledged that local veterinary businesses have expressed concern that the clinic would impede on their business and have chosen to limit the scope of the services offered in the terms of the lease agreement. Several other regional animal shelters, rescues, pet hospitals, and the director of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program have sent letters of support for the approval of the new clinic.
The initial lease agreement, if approved, would last for a trial period of 18 months and cost Field Haven $1. If the lease continues beyond the pilot phase, Field Haven would pay $2,500 per month ($30,000 annually) for a three-year term. Additionally, the city will then receive 250 spay and neuter vouchers for cats annually.
See the full agenda packet here.
Those wishing to make a public comment during the meeting can do so by attending the council meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at City Hall, at 6 p.m., or by submitting a written comment beforehand using the city’s website. The deadline to submit comments online is 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting. City Hall is located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.
