CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Mayor Jeff Slowey returned to City Council Chambers for the July 9 Citrus Heights City Council meeting, while the other members joined the meeting through online teleconference to meet social distancing requirements. (Councilmember Porsche Middleton was absent.) City Clerk Amy Van read the public comments, which were submitted online.                         

David Warren wrote in to express concern that the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) is not enforcing the California mask mandate: “An asymptomatic Covid-19 infected individual who refuses to wear a mask is as dangerous as a person who carries a concealed weapon, the only difference is the difficulty of identifying the weapon, making the weapon more deadly. The statistical probably of [becoming] ill or dying of Covid-19 in Citrus Heights is dramatically higher than being killed or injured as the result of gunfire or being struck by a driver under the influence.”

Warren cited Health & Safety Code 120290, the California statute that makes it a crime for a person to intentionally transmit an infectious disease: “Considering all of the publicity surrounding the use of face coverings and the peer reviewed science which demonstrates that public safety requires the use of face coverings in public, no person can assert lack of knowledge of the safety issue.” Warren stated that individuals who refuse to wear masks are likely to cause illness or death as result, so he believes the CHPD should enforce the mask mandate just as they do all other laws that protect the health and safety of Citrus Heights residents.

The City Council considered whether to record delinquent solid waste charges on the Sacramento County tax roll to be collected with the general tax levy. Garbage pick-up service is mandatory throughout most of the County, and the property owner of record is responsible for payment. Recording the overdue amounts on the tax roll ensures the City will receive payment from residents who do not pay their bi-monthly bill.

As of June 23, 2020, there were a total of 922 delinquent accounts, with past due balances totaling $384,191.65. Including additional late penalties of $38,419.16, the total owed is $422,610.81. The City set July 9 as the date for the public hearing and published a notice of the hearing in the Citrus Heights Messenger. Republic Services, the waste collection company that serves Citrus Heights, also mailed notices of the public hearing.

Residents still have an opportunity to pay their past-due charges by contacting Republic Services before the final reconciliation of the tax roll on August 2020. After recording the list from Citrus Heights, the County will collect the payments and forward them to the City in January and May 2021. The City will then forward payments due to Republic Services.

There were no objections submitted during the public hearing, and the Council voted unanimously to record the delinquent charges on the County tax roll. 

Affordable housing is a critical need in California and within Citrus Heights. Senate Bill 2 (2017) established the Building Homes and Jobs Trust (funded by a $75 real estate transaction fee), which aims to provide local governments with a permanent, on-going source of funding for housing-related projects and programs that address housing needs. Citrus Heights is estimated to receive $1,876,554 from the fund over the next five years. The annual Permanent Local Housing Allocation will fluctuate depending on actual revenue collected but will be approximately $376,000 per year.

To receive funding, the City must authorize the application and submit it to the state by July 27, 2020. The application must include funding percentages for each eligible activity the City intends to fund with the money. Staff recommended that funds be used toward three broad categories of eligibility: development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable rental and ownership housing; assisting persons who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness; and homeownership opportunities, including down payment assistance.

The projects that would receive funds under these categories would be the Sayonara Drive Redevelopment project to replace some of the City’s affordable housing; adding a second navigator to the CHPD Navigator Program, which offers assistance to people who are homeless in Citrus Heights; and the City’s First-time Homebuyer Program.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve the funding plan and authorize the submission of the application.