Hello!
I want to take a few moments to introduce myself as the newest member of Folsom City Council. I have lived in many wonderful cities in the states of Alaska, Utah and my home state of Washington. Out of them all, and in a blink of an eye, Folsom became my favorite city by far and a home where we are so proud to make a life.
It could be the sun.
This past rainy winter reminded me of what I left and how grateful I was to join you all in sunny California.
It could be the trails.
You’ll see me with my dogs most often on the trails between Cohn and Nisenan parks.
It could be our historic district. We are very fortunate to have moved to a city that has such a rich history and a community that values it.
It could be the lakes. Running around Folsom Lake and paddle boarding on Lake Natoma has kept my toes wet and my soul happy.
But what I think really makes Folsom special – is the beauty and heart of the people who call Folsom home.
There is a real desire to keep Folsom safe, unique and family centered as we become even more vibrant through our growth.
I had the great privilege of meeting so many wonderful neighbors after I decided to launch my campaign to represent District 5. I truly enjoyed listening to your concerns and hearing your perspectives about what you wanted to build upon and what you wanted to see made better. As we enter into our budget discussions, I haven’t forgotten your words.
Our revenue continues to grow as does our city and our expenses. One thing that I believe is not keeping pace with our growth is our investment in our public safety. As I shared as a candidate and now as a Councilmember, we have an entire beat (area of patrol) in our city that does not have any officers regularly patrolling it. That’s not to say our Police Department doesn’t show up when called, they do.
Their professionalism and desire to go above and beyond is the foundation of what they have built our department upon. But they need more personnel to be as proactive as they have been in the past, so they can reduce red light runners, cut down on homeless and not only reduce but prevent future criminal activity.
They are continually being asked to do more with less. Soon it will be apparent, by no fault of the department, that they will have to do less with less. With a city population above 80k, current staffing for our PD can be as low as 4 officers available for the entire city at one time. It’s a strain on our officers mental health as they try to serve you at the highest level you have come to expect.
The same goes for our fire department. They just graduated their largest class of new trainees in quite awhile. With new firefighters comes the need for training and leadership. Without a Training Chief their level of service and ability to keep not only our residents but our firefighters safe is at a tipping point.
The growth in this city is growing exponentially. So should our ability to keep everyone safe.
I could share details in a similar matter for all city departments. They are all struggling to keep pace with our growth. We have an estimated budget of $246 million. $108 million of that is our general fund. We have healthy reserve accounts and I believe it is time for us to prioritize our budget with more focus on safety, infrastructure and economic development. We can’t even get close to doing most of what our city wants but we can certainly strategize around what you value and what the city needs.
I have a vision for this city and it’s to be the safest, most prosperous and dynamic city in our entire region and I will continue to work toward achieving it.
There is one document above all that depicts what our council truly prioritizes – our yearly budget. Please join us on May 23rd at City Council to let us know what you value most and want to see reflected in this years budget.
Thank you to all who have welcomed me to Folsom and on City Council, it has been such a pleasure to serve you so far.
With gratitude, Your friend and Folsom City Council Member, Anna.
Anna Rohrbough represents Folsom’s District 5 on City Council. She can be reached at AnnaR@folsom.ca.us.
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