CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - At the June 24, 2021 City Council meeting, Interim City Manager Chris Boyd and staff recommended a budget amendment to Council to allocate a total of $5,353,210 from the City’s portion of 2021 American Rescue Plan Act funds to restore 22 positions within the Citrus Heights Police Department for Fiscal Years 2021-2022 and 2022-23. The amendment was approved unanimously by Councilmembers and staff will immediately begin the recruitment process for filling the now-funded vacant positions. While several of these positions may be filled immediately, the extensive recruitment process and subsequent training may take many months to complete. A total of 28 positions were originally left unfunded in order to balance the City’s two-year budget.

The City of Citrus Heights is set to receive a total of $15,676,972 of Federal ARPA funds for COVID-19 relief and economic recovery, with one-half of the funds ($7,838,486) received in May and the remaining funds to be distributed in May 2022.  

The newly-approved budget amendment will appropriate $2,541,434 in Fiscal Year 2021-22 and $2,811,775 in Fiscal Year 2022-23 for a total of $5,353,210 from the City’s allocation of 2021 American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The City Council received an extensive update from staff on ARPA funding on June 10, 2021. While the final guidelines for expenditure of the one-time Federal recovery funds are still being worked on by the U.S. Department of Treasury, the current draft Interim Final Guidelines identify the rebuilding of public sector capacity – including rehiring public sector staff to pre-pandemic levels - as an eligible expenditure. Interim Administrative Services Director Bill Zenoni, who is head of the City’s Finance Department, explained that staff feel there is enough clarity on that specific element of the guidelines, which is the basis for the latest budget amendment to support the Citrus Heights Police Department.  

As mentioned in previous updates, there are two phases of proposed ARPA spending in Citrus Heights:

Immediate amendment to the Police Department budget, to utilize one-time ARPA funds to restore 22 positions for Fiscal Years 21/22 and 22/23; Ongoing community engagement, including education around the Treasury’s guidance as it is further defined and collecting input and ideas on applicable spending for remaining funds.

With the Police Department budget amendment approved, CHPD will begin its process of recruiting and training. “The men and women who serve the Citrus Heights Police Department are committed to delivering the highest quality of service to our community,” said Police Chief Ron Lawrence. “Our recruiting and training processes emphasize empathy, professionalism, and care. Our department has become well known for our partnerships with our community, and we continue to work with our businesses and residents to keep Citrus Heights safe.” As the Police Department looks to fill 22 positions, they would like to remind the community that the recruitment and training process takes time; some positions may not be filled until the end of the calendar year, and only 22 of the 28 vacant positions are funded with the ARPA funds. 

City staff will continue to provide updates on ARPA funding and engage the community, as Citrus Heights received further clarification on the Treasury guidelines and moves into the second phase of its Federal relief spending plan.