CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The Citrus Heights City Council at its March 12 meeting considered a project to wrap traffic control cabinets with local art, which would enhance community vibrancy and highlight local artists. 

Sixty-three control cabinets of various sizes are throughout the city and General Services Director Regina Cave said the vinyl art wraps last up to seven years. She recommended that the art selection process include community input from Neighborhood Area groups, community service groups, schools, business districts and developers.

Possible project funding could come from the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP), sponsorships by developers or businesses, Measure A Maintenance funds or the Community Support Fund. Cave also added that public art deters vandalism, reducing the need for blight abatement, which would be another benefit to the city. 

The proposed program would include a map of the cabinets and a program webpage to solicit sponsors and community stakeholders interested in participating. Submissions would need to be original works of art that are family-friendly and add beauty to the community. They must be continuous designs to cover all sides of the cabinets and no words, numbers or corporate brands could be included. 

If approved by council, staff will move forward with a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the cabinet wrapping services, and then produce a packet with sponsorship application, program guidelines, design restrictions, and installation and maintenance responsibilities. 

Councilmember Porsche Middleton said that artificial intelligence (AI) is frequently being used as a tool in art creation now and suggested “maybe we limit it. We don’t want to see a bunch of art that’s been computer generated.” Middleton said she would prefer to see art created hands-on through individual creativity. 

Councilmember Kelsey Nelson said she could be open to some AI-generated art since it does take creativity to generate the right prompt. She also said this would be a great opportunity for local students to display their artwork and suggested that the webpage showcase selected artists.

Vice-Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff suggested phasing in the project, starting with the most visible cabinets. 

The council directed staff to move forward with the project.  

The council also considered an Arts and Culture Program, which would promote creativity, cultural awareness and community engagement. City Clerk Amy Van suggested the city could hold a public workshop or roundtable discussion with local artists, businesses, schools, and residents to gather input on the types of art initiatives the community wants to see. This would help the city identify opportunities for partnerships, events and long-term arts planning.

A partnership framework would guide collaboration between the city and local arts organizations to define roles and expectations for shared event promotion and opportunities for in-kind support or use of city spaces for art exhibits, workshops or other art programs.

The city’s website could host an Arts and Culture resource page to promote arts and cultural events, funding opportunities and community-driven initiatives.

Councilmember Nelson said she “loved” all the ideas presented and was excited to involve the community. 

While Councilmember Tim Schaefer said he likes the ideas, he cautioned against “going off in a bunch of different directions right off the bat.” He suggested slowing down and narrowing the focus. 

Vice-Mayor Lopez-Taff said the city should first highlight existing programs before creating something new. She liked the idea of a webpage highlighting existing art programs and resources within the city, and she wanted to ensure performing arts are included, particularly youth theater. 

Councilmember Middleton agreed that the first step should be a webpage to showcase existing art amenities for those who want to get involved: “Put a spotlight on it. This is what art looks like in Citrus Heights.” 

Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said they were all great ideas and the community engagement can begin right away. She suggested that the council select two members to serve on an ad hoc art committee to discuss plans for new art initiatives before they come to the full council for consideration.  Staff will bring back the ad hoc committee proposal at a future meeting. 

City Council then heard the mid-year 2024-2025 budget report. Staff explained that many significant sources of General Fund revenue are not received until later in the fiscal year, which necessitates the use of cash reserves to fund operations. There is currently an operating shortfall in the General Fund of approximately $5.3 million. However, once the expected revenues are received, staff expects that there will be a $685,000 surplus by the end of the fiscal year, with a total of $45.8 million in revenue to fund expenditures of $45.1 million.

Recommended budget adjustments include a $84,500 increase in revenue and a $405,000 increase in expenditures. Most of the expenditure increase is for police department booking fees ($381,000) paid as a reimbursement to Sacramento County.  

While revenues are expected to exceed expenditures, some revenue adjustments were recommended to account for lower-than-expected funding from sales tax and property tax. 

Councilmember Schaefer said that while “things look fine,” he was concerned about the reduction in sales tax, particularly if that trend continues into the next fiscal year. 

Mayor Karpinski-Costa asked for clarification on the increase in booking fees. Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) Chief Alex Turcotte explained that the increased cost is the result of the city’s enforcement efforts to address blight and homelessness in the city.

 “We’ve seen a significant spike in our arrests, which is a wonderful thing for our community but there’s a cost on the back end,” Turcotte said.

City Council voted unanimously to approve the amended 2024-2025 budget. 

Finally, Police Chief Turcotte provided an update on the operations funded by a $2.7-million grant to curb Organized Retail Theft (ORT).  

Funded by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), the grant cycle will end in December 2026 and then a local evaluation report by an objective third party will rate the efficacy of the Citrus Heights Police Department’s program. Turcotte said that the Citrus Heights Police Department is using the funds to focus on technology but other jurisdictions might employ different methods: “These evaluations will help them come together and see…what’s the best practice moving forward that we can all then hopefully copy and replicate.”

The Citrus Heights Police Department has installed 55 fixed cameras in the community, with another 21 in process. There are also three mobile trailer camera platforms already deployed and new software systems are in the implementation phase. 

Citrus Heights Police Department is collaborating with Elk Grove Police Department for use of their Real-Time Information Center (RTIC), where a grant-funded full-time Real-Time Information Center operator provides real-time assistance and monitoring for in-progress crimes in Citrus Heights. The operator also identifies and shares crime trends and repeat offender data throughout the region.

The grant is also funding a part-time Organized Retail Theft detective, who acts as lead investigator for significant retail theft cases. The detective works closely with retail businesses on loss prevention and helped disrupt a statewide crime ring. 

While this program is still in the implementation phase, Turcotte provided some initial statistics. Prior to the grant, in October 2022 through September 2023, there were seven Organized Retail Theft incidents reported leading to seven arrests, as well as 597 motor vehicle and accessory thefts leading to 55 arrests. After grant implementation, from October 2023 through September 2024, there were 21 Organized Retail Theft incidents reported and nine arrests. Motor vehicle theft incidents were reported at 393 with 76 arrests. 

Turcotte said they have also seen a 45% increase in recovery of stolen property. While there is still a lot of work to do, he said, they are seeing improvements. 

The city will hold a strategic planning meeting on March 26, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall, 6360 Fountain Square Drive. City Manager Ashley Feeney said the meeting will result in a “work plan for the next year” and the public is invited to attend. 

Due to the strategic planning meeting, there will not be a regular City Council meeting that night. The next regular Citrus Heights City Council meeting is scheduled for April 9.