CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - At the City Council meeting on Thursday, November 10 Citrus Heights City Council unanimously adopted fresh strategic planning objectives that will continue the advancement of City goals in community priority areas. City Council set the objectives at the most recent strategic planning retreat held on October 25, 2022. 

During the strategic planning retreat, city staff presented updates on goals achieved in the six months since adopting a two-year Focus Area Work Plan in May of this year. The work plan lays out 48 recommendations to advance community priorities in four categories: Community Image, Economic Development, Community Connection, and Infrastructure. Staff reported significant advancements in the Community Image category of the work plan, where a toolbox has been built to advance community priorities to decrease blight and beautify public areas. The toolbox includes four new critical programs that will increase community beautification. These tools include: 

The launch of a Beautification Crew: a two-person, full-time crew and fully stocked truck patrolling and proactively maintaining public areas, including removing abandoned carts and debris, unlawful camp abatement, illegal dumps, trash and litter removal, graffiti removal, weed abatement, and more.

Increased collaboration with neighbor jurisdictions: Many blight issues occur outside our borders. We are partnering with adjacent government agencies that share borders with the city to increase clean-up and enforcement. Recent success includes collaborations with Cal Trans on extensive clean-up and beautification of the I-80 and Antelope on-ramps and off-ramps, as well as new iron rod fencing installed at I-80 and Auburn. 

Shopping Cart Ordinance: This ordinance should help keep shopping carts in the commercial areas where they belong, thereby reducing the number of unsightly obstacles left in the public right of way or creek corridors. This ordinance will also allow quicker City clean-up response by reducing the timeframe necessary for the beautification crew or Police Department to impound stray shopping carts. 

Chronic Nuisance Offender Program: Citrus Heights Police Department has implemented this program to prosecute chronic offenders of codes and individual/property ordinances. Additionally, working with the City Attorney’s office, severe cases can now be referred for community prosecution.

Other successes and new programs reported during the strategic planning retreat included the creation of a Community Block Party Trailer launching in December, the creation of a Community Projects Grant program launching in February, infrastructure financing analysis for the Sunrise Tomorrow project, planning for sound wall repair and beautification, finalizing funding for the Arcade Cripple Creek Trail, and more. For additional information on the city’s strategic planning and focus area work plan, visit www.citrusheights.net/159.