Tag: Ash Feeney

Sentinel staff report–
The new city manager for Citrus Heights has been making the rounds to various community meetings in town, with his latest stop slated for Monday night at a neighborhood meeting.

See flier: click here

Ashley “Ash” Feeney will speak at the Sylvan Community Center at 6:30 p.m. on April 25 on his vision for the city, according to a flier published by the Sunrise Old Auburn Road neighborhood association (SOAR). Feeney will speak during the association’s monthly meeting, which is open to all residents to attend.

Jayna Karpinski-Costa, president of SOAR, said she is helping pass out around 600 fliers to residents in her neighborhood area, which covers the area from Sylvan Road to Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road to Greenback Lane.

The flier educates residents about the city’s nine active neighborhood associations, which serve as a voice for residents and keep members informed. The city is split into eleven neighborhood areas, represented by nine associations, with residents automatically belonging to the association covering their area.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for the meeting, which will be held at 7521 Community Drive. The meeting will also include a Police Department crime report for the neighborhood, news updates, and refreshments, according to an event flier.

By Mike Hazlip—
The city’s new top executive introduced himself to community members during a neighborhood meeting Tuesday, where he highlighted goals of bringing back community events, redeveloping Sunrise Mall and personally being part of the Citrus Heights community.

While working previously as assistant city manager with the City of Davis, Ashley Feeney said he established relationships with community leaders and organizations there, but didn’t feel a part of the community where he worked.

“I would go home to my home in Fair Oaks where my wife and our two boys live,” Feeney said, speaking to the Citrus Heights Area Seven Eight and Nine neighborhood association on March 15. “I really wasn’t part of the community per se, because that was more where I worked, and unless you’re living in that community, you’re not really part of the community.”

When prior Citrus Heights City Manager Christopher Boyd retired, Feeney said he kept an eye on the job announcement. When he read the description, he decided to apply.

“Then, when I started to read the recruitment in the brochure about what the City Council is looking for, I really got excited,” he said. “As I read through it, I said wow, they’re really looking for me.”

Feeney considers himself part of the Citrus Heights community after moving to Orangevale ten years ago. Feeney now lives in Fair Oaks, near the Citrus Heights border that runs along Madison Avenue.

Prior to becoming city manager for Citrus Heights, Feeney worked in the private sector for various companies including The New Home Company. When the housing market tanked in 2006, Feeny says he learned to be creative with development.

“I was in home building real estate development all the way down,” he said. “That was a great way to learn from a cash flow management standpoint and also to see how you can be creative and innovative on solutions with private development.”

After about a decade in the private sector, Feeney says the City of Davis asked if he would be interested in working in the public sector. He worked in community development before being promoted to assistant city manager where he was responsible for economic and community development.

His most significant accomplishment for the City of Davis was spearheading development of The Cannery, a new home community centered around a farm-to-fork concept that includes retail spaces, parks, and a recreation center.

Feeney says there was “probably more development in that period of time than they had seen in the last 20 years while I was in Davis.”

One of his first priorities as city manager has been to build relationships, as he also works to become familiar with the city’s policies and procedures.

A key aspect of relationship building is community events, something Feeney said has been negatively affected by the pandemic. He plans to increase the number of events, and says he has met with Sunrise Parks and Recreation District Administrator Dave Mitchell about future events in Citrus Heights.

“You can just feel that, it’s part of the family story, just the community pride,” he said. “I see that in City Hall, I see that over at PD, and just the events that I’ve attended. It’s a special place, so I’m excited to be part of that.”

The return of Sunday Funday later this year is one event that has already been announced. There has also been vocal support for bringing back the annual Red, White & Blue parade, which was discontinued in 2019.

From 2019: Citrus Heights says 2019 Red, White & Blue Parade won’t be happening

Another significant item on Feeney’s agenda is the future of Sunrise Mall. He said the City Council did a “fantastic job” in taking control of the 100-acre site, noting it has the potential to become the “heart of Citrus Heights.” He added that the outcome could have been very different had the city not taken an active role.

Naming the Palladio in Folsom and the Fountains in Roseville as similar developments, Feeney said a lifestyle center in Citrus Heights could serve the surrounding communities of Orangevale, Fair Oaks, and Rancho Cordova. He said age and income demographics of surrounding areas will be enough to attract developers to a lifestyle concept at the mall site.

In closing, Feeney said he wants to be “part of this community for the long run.”

“This isn’t intended to be a stop-over for me. I’m looking forward to getting to know everybody here in the years to come as we continue to work together to improve Citrus Heights.”

Sentinel staff report–
For a City Council that has seen its share of divided votes in recent years, a unanimous vote for a new city manager wasn’t to be taken for granted.

But on Thursday, the Citrus Heights City Council voted 5-0 in favor of selecting Ashley “Ash” Feeney to serve as the city’s top executive. Feeney has served as assistant city manager in Davis, and will now be tasked in Citrus Heights with overseeing all of the city’s departments, presenting a biennial budget, and following directives from the City Council.

Council members noted many qualified applicants had sought the position, but expressed excitement and optimism in voting for a four-year contract with Feeney to serve as city manager.

“Where you stood out head and shoulders above the rest was your ability to get things built,” said Councilman Steve Miller, noting Feeney’s record in seeing new hotels and developments in Davis. “This was in Davis, what we view as a ‘can’t do’ community. Well, I just can’t imagine, I’m so excited for, what you can do in a ‘can-do’ community and what what we can do with Sunrise Tomorrow.”

Councilman Bret Daniels also said the decision was initially difficult: “It was tough until the end… but then Mr. Feeney really stood out. He really, really stood out.”

Daniels also noted Feeney lives “a stone’s throw” from Citrus Heights, in Fair Oaks, and described him as “a really funny guy” and “a genuine guy.”

The months-long search for a new city manager began in May of last year, when then-City Manager Chris Boyd announced he would be retiring. An executive search firm was hired, and council members later held closed-door interviews with the top candidates.

“This opportunity definitely feels right to me,” said Feeney in remarks just prior to the council’s vote. “Citrus Heights has so much to offer today, and tremendous future opportunities.”

Mayor Porsche Middleton later tweeted that she was “beyond excited” to vote to hire Feeney, saying “Ash’s experience in Davis as the assistant city manager and director of community development, economic development and sustainability will help council and staff write the future of Citrus Heights.”

The city manager is the top executive position in the city, responsible for planning, supervising, and coordinating the city’s budget, policies, information technology, and general operations. The city manager is also tasked with hiring the city’s police chief, and takes direction from the City Council.

Feeney is slated to officially take the position as city manager by the end of January.

As previously reported, according to a contract posted in the council’s Jan. 13 agenda packet, Feeney’s starting salary will be $240,000, along with accruing 160 hours of annual leave, a 5% 401(a) match, health, and other benefits. Annual leave can be cashed out at up to 80 hours, and merit-based pay increases can also be authorized by the council.

Daniels, who has been critical of high salaries paid to city employees in the past, told The Sentinel he believes Feeney’s compensation is appropriate.

“We looked at the salary package more so from a total cost basis than simply the salary,” he said. “The outgoing city manager has additional benefit-cost factors that the new city manager will not receive. It’s a fair package.”

The prior city manager was paid a slightly higher base salary of $257,535, as of the most recent data from 2020 posted at publicpay.ca.gov. When factoring in benefits, other pay and cash-outs listed, the total compensation for the city manager in 2020 totaled around $363,000.