*Editor’s note: In an effort to give community members more advance notice of items on the City Council agenda, The Sentinel will now be publishing The Civic Minute on the Sunday prior to each council meeting rather than on the day of the meeting.
Sentinel staff report– Citrus Heights City Council members will meet on July 14 to hold a public hearing and consider taking action on several other items, including a proposed contract related to improvements planned on Old Auburn Road and a sale agreement for the water district to purchase several vacant parcels on Sayonara Drive.
The meeting will be held Thursday at the new, earlier time of 6 p.m., which was a change approved by the council last month in an effort to make the meetings more convenient for community members to attend. Below is a summary of what’s on the agenda.
Presentation. The meeting will begin with a presentation recognizing one or more employees for their service.
Landscape and Lighting Fees. More than 100 pages of the agenda packet are devoted to three agenda items, all related to routine actions required for annual updates to various landscape and lighting assessment districts in the city. Assessment districts are areas with special fees tacked on to property taxes for certain parcels in the city to cover specific maintenance of areas associated with those parcels. Some of the districts have negative budgets, lacking funds to pay for maintenance. Public hearings are slated to be held at a future council meeting.
Old Auburn Road Project. The council will consider a staff recommendation to approve a $1.9 million contract with GHD, Inc., to provide preliminary engineering and environmental documentation for the first phase of the Old Auburn Road Complete Streets Project. The first phase will extend from Garry Oak Drive to Tiara Way, while the full project will extend all the way to Sylvan Corners. The project includes separated bike lines, sidewalks, storm drain and traffic signal upgrades, and removal of one westbound travel lane. Funding will come from a transportation grant as well as Measure A. (See 64-page plan document)
Public Hearings. A public hearing related to fire impact fees, which are proposed to increase by around 7% for new residential development and up to 68% for new commercial development, will be held by the City Council. The council will also hold a public hearing regarding delinquent solid waste accounts and ordering collection via the property tax roll. Related: Citrus Heights council votes to phase in 569% fee increase over 5 years
Property sale. The council will consider a staff recommendation to sell three of 13 city-owned, vacant parcels on Sayonara Drive to the Citrus Heights Water District. A staff report says the properties total about half an acre and have been identified as a “potentially prime location” for ground water wells. A purchase price has not been set, but a draft agreement says the amount will be determined based on a commercial appraisal for the “highest and best use of the sites.” A nonrefundable $10,000 deposit is to be made by the water district, with the sale pending a 90-day due diligence period for the district to determine the viability of the site for a well, according to the draft agreement.
Public comments for the council meeting can be submitted to cityclerk@citrusheights.net, with up to 250 words, or emailed directly to the City Council as a whole at citycouncil@citrusheights.net. Comments sent to the clerk will be read aloud during the meeting.
The council’s July 14 meeting agenda packet can be viewed in full online, with links for the Zoom meeting included in the packet. (click here)
