Dear Citrus Heights Community,

Good local government starts with listening. Residents expect their local government to pay attention to the issues they experience every day and respond in practical, measurable ways. One of the advantages of being a locally governed city is the ability to respond directly to the priorities, concerns, and goals of the people and businesses who call Citrus Heights home. That is why community engagement continues to play such an important role in the decisions we make.

Each year, the City conducts a statistically valid FlashVote quality of life survey to help inform the City Council’s strategic planning process and measure resident sentiment over time. The survey helps identify where residents believe progress is occurring, where challenges remain, and where the community wants continued focus.

This year’s survey reinforced many of the conversations we hear throughout the community every day. Residents identified physical safety, community cleanliness, shopping and dining options, and ease of getting around town among the city’s strengths, while also noting visible progress in areas like roadway improvements, beautification efforts, community events, responsive city services, and reinvestment activity throughout the city.

At the same time, the survey made clear where residents want continued focus. Public safety and security, roadway conditions, community cleanliness, and a range of shopping and dining options ranked as the community’s highest priorities. Residents also emphasized continued attention to homelessness, neighborhood upkeep, commercial corridor maintenance, code enforcement, and momentum at Sunrise Tomorrow.

Surveys like these, along with all the feedback the City receives through community conversations, meetings, outreach efforts, and everyday interactions with residents, matter because every city operates with finite resources, and local government is ultimately about making thoughtful decisions on how those resources are invested. Resident input helps ensure the City remains focused on the priorities the community believes matter most while also helping guide how projects and services are phased and delivered over time. As costs continue to rise and community needs evolve, strong fiscal stewardship becomes even more important. Citrus Heights remains focused on disciplined decision-making, long-term thinking, and investing public resources in ways that deliver meaningful community value while continuing to advance the priorities residents identify as most important. That community-informed approach has helped the City carefully evaluate competing priorities and direct finite resources toward investments that generate the greatest long-term service value for residents. The result has been transformative investments in roadway resurfacing, beautification, public safety, and long-term reinvestment efforts throughout the city while maintaining a focus on measurable outcomes and stewarding public funds in a responsible manner to ensure long-term fiscal health of the City is maintained.

Citrus Heights has made meaningful progress because residents continue to stay engaged, the City Council continues setting clear priorities for the future, and City staff remain focused on implementation and accountability. If you are not already participating in FlashVote, I encourage you to sign up and make your voice heard. The surveys take only a few minutes to complete and provides an important way for residents to directly help shape priorities and decision-making in Citrus Heights.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s survey and continues to stay involved in the future of Citrus Heights.

In your service,