Mayor Jana Karpinski Costa and City Manager Ash Feeney delivered the City of Citrus Heights' sixth annual State of the City address, outlining fiscal priorities, new public-safety and infrastructure initiatives, and steps to advance the long-term Sunrise Mall redevelopment vision.

The address opened with an invocation of community partnership from Mayor Jana Karpinski Costa, who recognized council and executive staff and framed five long-term goals—fiscal stability, public safety, infrastructure maintenance, economic diversification and community engagement. "Citrus Heights works best when we work together," she said.

City Manager Ash Feeney presented the city's fiscal picture and key metrics. He said the city adopted a balanced general fund budget for fiscal years 2025–26 with projected revenues of $46,100,000 and projected expenditures of $44,600,000; he also announced a new open data portal to make budget and performance information public. The city manager described the budget as a tool to reflect community priorities and allow reserve contributions (the speech did not state a precise reserve-dollar amount).

Public safety and quality-of-life enforcement were prominent themes. Feeney said the Citrus Heights Police Department reestablished a problem-oriented policing unit and completed a modernization of the Police Emergency Communication Center. Citing department figures, he said drug-related arrests increased 83% from 2023 to 2024 and have risen an additional 19% so far in the current year; he attributed declines in illegal-camp incidents (down about 44%), loitering incidents (down about 54%) and other blight measures to coordinated enforcement and community reporting.

Feeney outlined homelessness work as a city–county partnership, saying outreach and the community health worker and street outreach programs provided ongoing engagement for 117 individuals this year, with roughly 30 people moving into housing through those efforts.

On redevelopment, both speakers reaffirmed the Sunrise Tomorrow specific plan adopted in 2021 as the community's vision for Sunrise Mall. Feeney said the city obtained a court-ordered inspection warrant, completed an assessment that identified health and safety violations, issued a notice to abate and has levied more than $1,700,000 in fines to date. He said Namdar Realty, which controls most of the property, visited city leadership and is seeking to sell the site; the city has advanced infrastructure planning, environmental clearance and land-use entitlements intended to make the property more attractive to buyers who will honor the adopted plan.

Infrastructure investment featured prominently. Feeney described a three-year pavement strategy that increases resurfacing from about 2 miles per year to an expected 52 lane miles per year and cited resurfacing of Sunrise Boulevard from Greenback to Madison as a recent example. He also said Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Phase 2 is a major project on schedule for completion in 2026.

On small-business and community support, the mayor highlighted an economic development work plan and a "Love Local" campaign that showcased 20 businesses and reached more than 200,000 residents. The city launched a Business of Distinction program and recognized Byers Gymnastics Center as the first awardee; the mayor also noted the council's designation of a Citrus Heights Arts District along Auburn Boulevard to promote cultural tourism.

The address included new and continuing programs for residents: a property purchase on Old Auburn Road intended to reduce animal-services costs, a lease to Field Haven Feline Center for adoption and low-cost spay/neuter services, and a "Chip Chip Hooray" campaign offering free microchipping and licensing events in November, December and January. "We're launching a campaign called Chip Chip Hooray, where residents can get their cats and dogs microchipped for free," Karpinski Costa said.

The event also honored volunteers and local businesses: the city presented a Chip In Hall of Fame award to volunteer Janet Harry and announced Byers Gymnastics Center as the first Business of Distinction.

What happens next: city leaders said enforcement and planning steps at Sunrise Mall will continue as the city engages potential buyers and advances entitlement work; the pavement program and Auburn Boulevard project will proceed on the schedules discussed. The city encouraged residents to consult the new open data portal for budget and performance details and to attend upcoming microchipping events (dates and locations listed on the city's website).

Sources and attribution: quotations and numbers in this report are drawn from remarks by Mayor Jana Karpinski Costa and City Manager Ash Feeney during the State of the City address. Where the presentation provided a numeric claim (for example, arrest and blight metrics, budget-line items, and fines), this article reports those figures as presented by city officials.