Sentinel staff report–
Local coronavirus relief funding provided through the federal $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan will be able to be used to restore 22 positions in the Citrus Heights Police Department, according to a staff update provided to the City Council on Thursday.
The city’s share of the massive federal funding bill is around $15.7 million, of which the city received half last month. How those funds can be used is still being determined, but the city manager’s office says staff are now confident that funds can be used to “rebuild public sector staffing to pre-pandemic levels,” although other eligible uses are still “too vague” in guidelines published by the U.S. Treasury Department.
According to an update posted on the city’s website Friday, that means relief funds can be used to restore staffing to the level the Police Department had in January 2020: boosting staffing for the department by 22 positions, with funding provided for two fiscal years, ending in mid-2023.
The update came as welcome news to the City Council, which had previously passed a controversial budget in April that slashed funding for the Police Department by $3 million in an effort to balance the city’s $39 million General Fund budget. A total of 26 full-time positions along with additional part-time positions were cut from the department’s budget, although no layoffs were required due to the positions being unfilled vacancies.
City officials have cautioned about filling positions with one-time funding, as long-term funding is needed to sustain positions without future cuts. However, the city’s financial situation is projected to improve with the arrival of new sustained funding from property taxes, which will stop being handed over to the county beginning in fiscal year 2022-23.
According to the city’s two-year budget approved in April, the city’s books came just shy of fully balancing for the next fiscal year — without federal relief funds factored in. The following year’s budget shows a $3.7 million surplus, largely due to the city maintaining control of its property taxes for the first time, with the surplus going to boost the city’s reserves to a projected $9.3 million by mid-2023.
Budget figures from April did not include federal relief funding and will be updated at the City Council’s next meeting on June 24, pending approval from the council.
In addition to funding for the Police Department, city staff have proposed a second phase of utilizing funding from the American Rescue Plan, with plans for “ongoing community engagement” to be sought to determine the best uses for the funds.
“As both a guiding principle for Citrus Heights and a recommendation from the ARPA guidelines, community engagement will be a huge part of developing our recovery plan,” Mayor Steve Miller said in the statement posted Friday on the city’s website. “Our residents and business community should expect robust communication from the City as we look to educate and field applicable ideas on how to best serve our community with these one-time Federal funds.”
