Mayor speaks of ambitious goals, optimism, challenges in 'State of the City' address

Folsom Mayor Sarah Aquino gave her State of the City address on Thursday, Jan. 23, with a powerful message filled with ambition, optimism and acknowledgement of major challenges ahead. The sold-out event was held at Lakeside Church and was hosted by the Folsom Chamber of Commerce. The venue was packed with community members from all walks of life, from residents to lawmakers, city and school employees, first responders and more, all eager to hear the message of Folsom's newest mayor as the city enters a phase filled with financial challenges yet also exciting visions and plans. Before Aquino took the stage, Chamber President Joe Gagliardi made a happy announcement about this year's Folsom Pro Rodeo: Longtime rodeo volunteer and popular community member Charlie Groves will be this year's Grand Marshal. Groves was clearly thrilled and honored. The rodeo, a marquee event for the city, will be held July 3-5. Another special moment before Aquino spoke: Her daughter Ellie, an accomplished musician, played the National Anthem on the violin alongside her former instructor (a brief video clip of the performance is posted on the Telegraph's Instagram and Facebook pages). When Aquino took the stage, she acknowledged a number of important people in the audience, including her husband John Aquino, who her co-worker said resembled "The Rock." Aquino said, "He's not 'The Rock,' but he's my rock," as a resounding "awe" echoed through the audience. Mayor Aquino began her message speaking of a lunch she had at Scott's Seafood recently with the current city council members and 11 former council members, including one who was elected in 1974. What she gathered from that lunch is there always has been and always will be budget challenges, infrastructure needs and unexpected events that require innovative solutions and a can-do spirit. "The city we know and love today is the result of a strong vision and years of careful, deliberate planning by those that came before us," said Aquino. "The future of the city is now in our hands, and it's time for my generation to deliver for the next." In that vein, Aquino said she's incredibly optimistic about the current city council of Mike Kozlowski, Anna Rohrbough and new members Barbara Leary and Justin Raithel, who were elected to the council in November. "In my opinion, they are two of the most qualified and prepared candidates ever to be elected to the city council," said Aquino. "This is a council committed to governance, to policy and to be a leader in the region, and we are off to a great start. ... Upstairs at city hall, we are looking from past to present to future at warp speed." City Hall will have another new face in March: Bryan Whitemyer has been hired as city manager, filling the very big shoes of retired City Manager Elaine Andersen. Aquino praised Interim City Manager Dan Haverty for filling the role with grace and expressed great confidence in Whitemyer, who she said beat out 50 other well-qualified candidates for the job. Aquino then addressed the financial challenges the city faces. There are staffing shortages, constrained budgets and millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements that are needed, Aquino said. Solving these issues will require creativity, collaboration and sacrifice. Tough choices will be made and in some cases, they will have to make do with less. Aquino explained that about 60 percent of the general budget comes from property and sales tax growth. While property tax growth remains strong at about 7 percent per year, Aquino said the rise of online shopping has contributed to a major flattening of sales tax growth, from 7 percent per year to about 2 percent. The mayor is appealing to Folsom consumers to do their part by shopping locally. "If you buy a jacket for $100 at a brick and mortar store, you'll pay $7.75 in sales tax. The city will receive $1. If you buy that very same jacket online, still for $100, you'll pay $7.75 in sales tax just like you did before but this time, the city will receive about 30 cents," explained Aquino. "Shopping local helps to ensure that we have the resources needed to fund essential city services like police and fire." Aquino said the city plans to target outreach to commercial real estate brokers to make better use of vacant underutilized properties such as the old Bed, Bath & Beyond site. They are also working closely with Intel, which has assured the city it is pursuing a buyer who would allow for a long-term lease back for a significant portion of their Folsom campus. "Our general fund budget is tight, and I want to be frank about that," said Aquino. "But it isn't all doom and gloom." Aquino said the Folsom Auto Mall has reported some of its best sales in years. Development in Folsom Ranch continues to progress and thrive, all four major health systems in the region are either building or have plans to build in the area in the near future. The Folsom Library continues to be an extremely popular hub of the community, with tens of thousands of parents and children using its resources yearly. The mayor also pointed to many other accomplishments in 2024 despite financial challenges, from opening a new, state-of-the-art fire station in Folsom Ranch and opening the city's 49th park, which serves the Folsom Ranch area; the first of many new parks planned for that area. Aquino dedicated a portion of her speech to praising first responders for achieving monumental things despite staffing shortages. Aquino pointed to Folsom Police's special investigations unit, which has led the regional fight against fentanyl. Working with the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, Folsom detectives helped file murder charges against five drug dealers who sold fentanyl that resulted in overdose deaths. And there have been other significant "wins" against criminals, such as a multi-agency operation called Folsom Blues in November, led by Folsom Police. "The two-day operation resulted in the arrest of 19 dealers, the seizure of thousands of dollars in suspected drug money and the removal of 170,000 potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from our streets," said Aquino. "As a result of our police department's tireless efforts, our city experienced a 60-percent reduction in fentanyl deaths last year." Aquino also praised the police department's Homeless Outreach Team (HOT), which has helped people secure housing, including an Army veteran and a man with a 7-year-old son. The mayor said officers have also helped people with job support get DMV licenses and veterans benefits. "Unfortunately, from July through December, they spoke with 87 individuals who refused resources offered," said Aquino. "Let me be clear. As a community, we will do our absolute best to connect you with services. But if you refuse those services, we're going to make it very inconvenient for you to be homeless in our city." Aquino mentioned the horrific wildfires in Southern California, which to date have burned more than 14,000 structures and resulted in at least 27 deaths. Aquino stressed that prevention is key to ensuring that sort of catastrophe doesn't happen here. Aquino said Folsom's fire and parks and recreation departments are working collaboratively on a three-year effort to remove "ladder fuel" from parks and open spaces; these fuels are living or dead vegetation that can carry a fire from the ground to the trees, making a fire much harder to extinguish. "We also use four-legged weedeaters, otherwise known as goats, to help reduce the fuel load," said Aquino. "May third is 'wildfire community preparedness day'; the city plans to launch an educational campaign focused on evacuation routes and what residents can do to help protect against the threats of wildfire." In the final section of Aquino's speech, she talked excitedly about projects that could be a boon for Folsom, such as a 250,000 square-foot sports complex, which would sit on 18 acres just east of Prairie City Road. The facility would have NHL-sized ice rinks, a lighted outdoor turf field and is expected to attract 1.3 million visitors per year. Another ambitious plan Aquino is especially enthusiastic about is a proposal to revitalize and optimize the central business district and river district of Folsom. "Imagine a revitalized city core between East Bidwell and Riley and Sutter Middle School to Blue Ravine," said Aquino. "A mixed-use development, eclectic shops and restaurants, funky art and increased walkability all contributing to a unique vibrant district with its own identity." The mayor's optimism was apparent as she discussed her hopes, dreams and visions for the future of Folsom, but there was also quite clearly a determined readiness to dig in her heels and go to work. "There's no doubt that these are big ambitious plans that will require hard work, teamwork and a little bit of luck," Aquino said as she wrapped up her speech. "My hope is that 30 years from now, the mayor will invite me and the colleagues I work with to lunch. And this time, we'll be the ones telling stories and giving the advice because we will have delivered. "Let's roll up our sleeves, we've got a lot of work to do." If you missed the address or would like to view it in its entirety, you can view video of it through the Choose Folsom page: https://folsomchamberofcommerce-dev.growthzoneapp.com/calendar/Details/chamber-state-of-the-city-1072349?sourceTypeId=Hub