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Citrus Heights council calls special meeting to address COVID crisis, nuisance property

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By Mike Hazlip–
The Citrus Heights City Council will convene a special session at 5 p.m. Thursday to vote on a pair of resolutions addressing emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic and assessing a $100,000 lien against a nuisance property on Greenback Lane.

First up on the City Council’s May 14 meeting agenda is consideration of whether to extend the mayor’s proclamation declaring a local state of emergency in response to the novel coronavirus. Extending the proclamation would enable the city to continue to request reimbursement for costs related to COVID-19 preparation and response. The reimbursement will come from state and federal emergency funds.

From March: Citrus Heights declares state of emergency

The emergency proclamation was originally issued in mid-March. Thursday’s resolution before the council states the original proclamation must be reviewed every 60 days until the state of emergency is terminated. 

Additionally, the council will decide whether to assess a $105,783.53 lien against a property at 7210 Greenback Ln. for costs related to the recent demolition of an abandoned building at the location.

From December: Commercial building demolished on Greenback Lane

A previous story from The Sentinel reported the demolition of the building in December of last year after being severely damaged by a fire in July 2019.

City records show a history of blight complaints and code violations at the location dating back to April 2017. Previous attempts to contact the property owner, George Voncil Petker, have gone unanswered. 

A city notice sent to Petker on May 1 shows he will be given an opportunity to speak during the hearing before the council votes. The meeting agenda states the session will be open to the public by viewing online at www.citrusheights.net.

An update on Thursday’s council meeting will be included in The Sentinel’s May 17th Weekend e-Edition. To sign up for our free email editions, click here.

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