By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council will discuss the fate of the city’s Planning Commission in an upcoming council meeting on Thursday, May 9.
At a council meeting on April 11, Vice Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa requested that the City Council discuss “suspending the Planning Commission for a year or two.” The discussion topic was seconded by Councilmember Porsche Middleton.
“They don’t do anything different,” Karpinski-Costa said, adding that the commission meetings require attendance by the city attorney and city clerk and that large-scale projects like the proposed Sylvan Corners housing development project had to go to the City Council for approval anyway.
The city is asking the council to take one of the following actions in the upcoming council meeting:
- Direct City staff to proceed with the necessary Municipal Code updates to dissolve the Planning Commission.
- Have Mayor Bret Daniels nominate one regular member to fill the unexpired term on the Planning Commission, subject to ratification by the City Council.
- Appoint an individual, by majority vote, to fill the at-large unexpired term on the Planning Commission.
- Do nothing. The Planning Commission would remain a five-member commission until January 2025.
The Commission typically consists of seven council-appointed members, with five regular members and two at-large members. Regularly appointed members serve four-year terms, and at-large members serve two-year terms.
Currently, the Planning Commission has two vacant seats. Commissioner Max Semenenko, who was appointed in January 2023 to serve a two-year term, resigned effective Feb. 29, 2024, according to the city. Commissioner James Remick resigned from the Planning Commission effective May 1. Remick was also appointed in January 2023 to serve the unexpired term of former commission member Paul Makhnovskiy, who was appointed in January 2021 according to prior Sentinel reports.
Related: 2023: Four new faces join Citrus Heights Planning Commission – Citrus Heights Sentinel
The city accepted applications to fill commission vacancies from March 20 through April 26, and the council reviewed 13 applications at the end of April.
According to the city, commission members are only eligible to serve eight consecutive years on the Planning Commission. Applicant Michael Lagomarsino previously served for eight years between 2013 and 2020 and is now eligible for re-appointment. Lagomarsino is also listed as part of the board for CHANT, Area 3’s Neighborhood Association, according to the city’s website.
Other notable applicants include CHANT President Kelsey Nelson, CHANT Treasurer Andrew Saunders, CHASEN President Bill Shirley, and former Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Ebbitt-Riehle, who recently resigned from the Chamber in January.
The Planning Commission was established in 1997, shortly after the city’s incorporation, and convenes twice a month on Wednesdays. The commission makes decisions on land-use-related proposals, holds public hearings, and reviews proposed ordinances. The commission also makes recommendations to the City Council on major development projects.
Previously, the City Council voted to change meeting times for both council meetings and Planning Commission meetings. As of July 1, Planning Commission meetings will be held twice a month on Tuesdays.
The Planning Commission budget for Fiscal Year 2024/25 is approximately $12,700, according to the City.
Those wishing to make a public comment during the upcoming City Council meeting can do so by attending the next council meeting held at City Hall 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. See the full agenda packet online: Click here.
