Citrus Heights City Council members will meet Thursday evening to hold several public hearings related to federal funding and zoning, as well as consider taking action on a revised shopping cart ordinance, among other items for votes and discussion.
A summary of key items on the 216-page agenda packet for the Oct. 27, 2022, meeting of the City Council is included below:
Roadwork. The council will vote on final acceptance of the Mariposa Avenue Safe Routes to School Phase 4 project, which is the final phase of a 1.2-mile project bringing complete streets connections on Mariposa, from Greenback Lane to Madison Avenue. The final cost of construction for Phase 4 was just under $1.6 million, which a city staff report says came in $147,000 under budget.
$154k Reimbursement. The council will consider approving a staff recommendation to authorize a reimbursement of $154,565.44 to be released to California C&S Properties, which owns the Stock Ranch Commercial Center on Auburn Boulevard. A staff report says the reimbursement was part of an agreement to incentivize development of the commercial district, with funds coming from the city’s Roadway Impact Fees. A remaining balance of about $30,000 would be paid out by the city once building space constructed reaches 364,354 square feet. The plaza currently has 305,040-square-feet of enclosed space.
Public Hearing. The City Council will hold a public hearing regarding a proposed “zoning overlay,” which would prohibit new gas stations, car washes, storage units and other auto-intensive businesses from being allowed to locate in the Sunrise MarketPlace business district. The Planning Commission previously held a public hearing, where commissioners voted in favor of the overlay in a 4-0 vote.
Federal block grant. A public hearing will be held to receive input from the public on a draft 2023 “Action Plan” and funding recommendations for an anticipated $600,000 in Community Development Block Grant Funding. Draft allocation is listed at $390,000 for capital projects, 20% for administration, and 15% to go towards nonprofits offering public services.
Underground Utilities. The council will hold a public hearing to establish an Underground Utility District on Auburn Boulevard, between Sylvan Corners and the Roseville border. If approved, all future private and public projects would be prohibited from constructing overhead utility facilities. Existing properties would also be connected to underground utilities as part of the Auburn Boulevard Phase 2 improvements, at a cost of approximately $330,000 to the city, according to a staff report. A routine second reading of a related ordinance allowing the creation of UUD’s will also be held during the meeting, which the council approved in a 5-0 vote on Oct. 13.
Shopping carts. The City Council will consider a proposed shopping cart ordinance to that would require any business with more than five shopping carts to submit a Shopping Cart Retrieval Plan to the city, in an effort to reduce the number of carts being stolen and abandoned. Initially proposed fines up to $500 for those found in possession of stolen carts appears to have been dropped from the proposal. Businesses may still be fined $25 per cart, if retrieved carts are not picked up within 72 hours, and may be fined $50 per occurrence for repeat offenses if failing to retrieve carts more than three times in a six-month period. (See updated draft proposal)
Investment management. The City Council will consider adopting a staff recommendation to contract with Chandler Asset Management, Inc., to handle the city’s investment management in an effort to get more return on investment. A staff report says the cost of the city’s current investment management is up to 1% of the average market value of the city’s portfolio through the Local Agency Investment Fund, which has typically only yielded a return of .62%. The proposed management fee through Chandler would be one-tenth of 1% (10 basis points) on the first $25 million, with the fee gradually dropping to as low as four basis points depending on the amount of funds invested.
Financial update. The council will hear an update from the city’s finance manager and administrative services director on the status of the city’s budget. A staff report shows the city’s 2021-2022 fiscal year ended with $1.5 million more in revenue than budgeted for, with total general fund revenue at $36.7 million. The report says the surplus is largely due to sales tax revenues exceeding the budget by around $300,000, building permit and plan check fee revenues coming in $200,000 higher than projected, and another $200,000 from “other revenue,” along with other
Tech upgrade. The City Council will consider approving a staff request to allocate around $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to go towards upgrading the city’s information technology hardware and software. According to a staff report, the request fits within ARPA limitations that allows funds to go towards “Technology infrastructure to improve access to and the user experience of government IT systems…” The report says allocating ARPA funds toward the improvements “free[s] up budgeted General Fund dollars for other projects/operating needs.” If approved, the city would have $6.8 million remaining, of it’s total $15.68 million in ARPA funds.
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 Oct. 27 meeting agenda packet can be viewed in full online, with links for the Zoom meeting included in the packet. (click here)
