CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - During the June 11 meeting, Citrus Heights City Council considered various items on the consent calendar, including a 1.3% cost-of-living increase for the city’s administrative services director, community development director, economic development and community engagement director, and general services director. 

Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa also drew attention to the approval of SB 1 funding for road maintenance projects. Karpinski-Costa said the funding is coming from California’s expanded gas tax, from which Citrus Heights is expected to receive an additional $2 million annually.  

General Services Director Regina Cave said the funding will go toward street resurfacing and complete streets projects.

“This is on top of the $4 million a year we get from the city’s General Fund, and on top of the gas tax and Measure A maintenance that we put forth toward our streets,” Cave said.

The council voted 4-0 to approve the consent calendar, with Vice-Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff absent. 

The council then considered amending the Master Fee Schedule to ensure fees are charged based on the actual cost of service. A major overhaul of the Fee Schedule was adopted by the council in 2019 and these additional changes would apply to planning fees. 

The new proposed fees were $5,000 for parcel map-urban lot splits, $9,000 for development agreements and $3,000 for amendments to development agreements, reduced from $5,140, $10,280 and $5,140 respectively.

Applicants will pay a deposit based on the new fees and then funds will be deducted, based on actual staff time. Any remaining funds will be refunded to the applicant. For many applicants, the cost will be lower with the amended schedule, although more complex permits might result in a higher cost. 

Another proposed change was the rental deposit for the event center. Reducing the cost will increase the public’s ability to rent the space and the city typically doesn’t use the full deposit amount to cover cleaning fees or damages. The renters are also required to have event insurance for the days of use, which would cover any damages beyond the deposit amount.

Depending on the type of use, current event center deposit fees range from $1,400 to $5,200. The proposed new rates would range from $800 to $2,500.

The amended fee schedule was approved 4-0. 

The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 Biennial Budget was also presented for council approval. 

For 2025-2026, the General Fund is expected to have $46.1 million in revenues and $44.6 million in expenditures. For the total city budget across all funds, $99.7 million is expected in revenues and $98.3 million in expenditures. 

For 2026-2027, the General Fund budget includes $46.9 million in revenues and $45.7 million in expenditures. Across all funds, the budget anticipates $88.7 million in total revenues and $87.6 million in total expenditures. 

With these totals, staff projects an operating surplus of $1.5 million in 2025-2026 and another surplus of $1.2 million in 2026-2027. 

The council’s Finance Committee reviewed the budget and proposed a change to how the city allocates funds supporting neighborhood area groups. Councilmember Tim Schaefer explained that the neighborhood areas currently receive $500 automatically each year from the city. The proposed change would require the groups to submit a simple application, which would allow them to request higher amounts of funding. Any funds not used by the end of the year would be returned to the city for reallocation. 

Councilmember Schaefer thanked staff for their work on the budget report and said it was clear and easy to understand.

“We’re now in a stable budgetary process,” said Schaefer. “I like that. It’s very predictable.” 

Mayor Karpinski-Costa said, “It includes all the projects that we set in our strategic goals. Everything is covered in there and anticipated. We plan our spending, we stick to our budget, and you’re going to see that we’re good stewards of your money.” 

The council voted 4-0 to approve the proposed budget. 

Finally, the council considered the appointment of Scott Kaufman to the Planning Commission. 

Commissioner Oleg Shishko resigned from the Planning Commission in May. Shishko was a direct appointee by Councilmember Schaefer, so Schaefer selected Kaufman to fill the vacancy and serve the rest of the term, which expires Dec. 31, 2028.

The council voted 4-0 to approve Kaufman’s term on the planning commission. 

Mayor Karpinski-Costa ended the meeting with concern about helping unhoused people with pets stay cool during the heat of the summer. While there are cooling centers available in the city, Karpinski-Costa said, animals are not allowed. She asked the council and the community to help come up with possible solutions to be discussed in the future. 

The next Citrus Heights City Council meeting is scheduled for June 25.