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Citrus Heights Messenger

City Plans to Purchase 1.74-Acre Property on Old Auburn Rd.

Jul 17, 2024 11:47AM ● By Shaunna Boyd

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - During Public Comment at the July 10th Citrus Heights City Council meeting, resident Linda Maxsom spoke about safety concerns at the Arcade-Cripple Creek Trail: “The City spent a lot of money to build this beautiful trail and … we now see people using the path for crime and graffiti.”

Maxsom said she saw a young woman at the end of the trail who was frightened by the presence of two men nearby who were “up to no good.”

“As women, we should be able to use that path any time of the day to walk by ourselves, to run or anything,” Maxsom said.

She suggested that the police department come up with a plan for officers to conduct routine patrols of the pathway.

Resident David Shelton spoke about the high number of incidents of illegal fireworks that he witnessed on the Fourth of July. He lives near a greenbelt and was concerned about the fireworks starting a fire there that could then spread to his house or neighboring residences.

Resident David Warren also expressed concern about the number of illegal fireworks and the long response time for officers trying to address the problem. He said that the city needs to establish a reserve of officers to increase patrols over holidays to ensure a higher level of enforcement.

“We’ve grown and we have to expand to meet the needs,” Warren said.

Two written comments were submitted in support of homeless rights, urging the city to practice compassion when considering policies to address homelessness.

City Council then held a public hearing on amendments to the Draft Citizen Participation Plan, which guides the city’s strategies for public engagement with the Community Development Block Grant Program. Citrus Heights receives approximately $600,000 each year in federal funding from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department to be allocated to various Community Development Block Grant-eligible programs, such as public services, neighborhood improvements, capital improvements, small business support, affordable housing and homeless prevention.

Every five years, the Draft Citizen Participation Plan must be updated so that it accurately reflects the needs and priorities of the residents who will benefit from these programs. Staff have been conducting outreach through pop-up events and online surveys, and now a public hearing, to obtain community feedback.

Proposed amendments include a Language Action Plan stating that any documents related to the Community Development Block Grant Program be available in Spanish and Russian to ensure the engagement of residents who do not speak English. Another change is to publish notices in local newspapers, such as the Citrus Heights Messenger, which is more likely to reach the local population. Outreach efforts will also focus on non-English speakers, low- and moderate-income residents, residents who are disabled or members of minority groups, and residents of public assisted-housing developments.

There were no public comments during the Public Hearing on this item.

Vice-Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said Citrus Heights has many Ukrainian residents, so she suggested that Ukrainian also be included in the Language Action Plan.

City Council voted unanimously to approve the amendments to the Community Development Block Grant Draft Citizen Participation Plan.

The council also held a public hearing to consider a resolution confirming the report of delinquent solid waste charges and ordering that their collection be added to the property tax roll.

City Council takes this action every year to assist Republic Services in collecting past due charges for residential garbage and recycling services. The charges will be levied as a lien against the properties where the services were provided and the overdue amounts will be added to their property tax bill. 

Notices of this public hearing were mailed to all the delinquent account holders, so they had an opportunity to either dispute the charges or pay them before they are sent for collection.

As of July 9, there were 1,035 delinquent accounts with a past due balance of $608,262.13 and penalties of $60,826.21 for a total of $669,088.34. The final list will be sent to the county in August, and when property taxes are paid in December, the outstanding amounts from those properties will be collected and forwarded to Republic Services.

City Council voted unanimously to confirm the report and send the delinquent accounts to the property tax roll.

At the end of the meeting, Vice-Mayor Karpinski-Costa asked for support on a future agenda item to increase the penalties for illegal fireworks in Citrus Heights. After hearing residents’ concerns on this issue, she wanted the city to do more to stop the problem. Councilmember MariJane Lopez-Taff supported the request, so the item will come before City Council at a future meeting.

City Council then adjourned the regular meeting and convened a special meeting to consider buying two adjoining parcels, 7555 and 7569 Old Auburn Road by the city.

The 1.74-acre property is the site of a former preschool that recently closed with two existing buildings at 3,128 square feet and 4,000 square feet. There are fencing, landscaping and other improvements.

Citrus Heights City Manager Ashley Feeney said that public facilities are a permitted use in that zone, so the property provides “a unique opportunity for strategic investment for the city of Citrus Heights.”

“It’s not often that we see structures that could support future services that come available on the market that are not too far from our City Hall campus,” Feeney said.

One of City Council’s strategic objectives is to explore the feasibility of increased local shelter and reunification options for lost pets, Feeney said. This site has the potential to serve that need in the future or if they find other sheltering options, according to Feeney, this property still “provides for a number of different opportunities.”

The proposed purchase agreement would be for a price of $1.2 million, with a $25,000 refundable deposit that guarantees a 60-day feasibility period to investigate the property. An additional 60 days could be secured with a non-refundable deposit of $50,000. The deposit will be applied to the final sale price. The agreement also includes a $5,000 per diem paid to the seller, Stoney Investment LLP, which is not applicable to the sale price. Escrow would close 130 days from the execution of the purchase agreement.

Mayor Bret Daniels called the purchase “a great opportunity.” He said that the city has been “spending our money wisely and that’s why we have the ability to make this kind of a purchase at this time,” with enough in the General Fund reserves to cover the cost.

City Council voted unanimously to approve the purchase agreement.

The next meeting of the Citrus Heights City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 24 at City Hall, 6360 Fountain Square Drive.