Maintaining Local Safety & Essential Quality of Life Services

A Community Conversation

Provide Your Feedback

Questions and Answers

What is the Maintaining Local Safety and Essential Quality of Life Services Community Conversation?

The Cosumnes Community Services District and the City of Elk Grove want to hear from as many residents as possible about their perspectives and priorities for maintaining public safety, safe neighborhoods, streets, parks and other quality of life services. It’s important that we hear from you. Provide your feedback.

What community priorities have you heard so far?

To date, top priorities identified by the community include reducing crime, addressing homelessness, helping prevent human and sex trafficking, maintaining 911, police, fire and emergency disaster response, maintaining streets and parks, and enhancing youth crime and gang prevention programs. Please provide your feedback.

How has emergency medical response been affected?

We all know that when there’s an emergency, seconds count. Approximately 75% of calls to the local Fire Department are for medical emergencies, and in 2020, property loss from local fires exceeded $6 million. National standards recommend an emergency medical response time of five minutes, but in the past year, response times are up to 7 ½ minutes locally. We must ensure that Elk Grove has the needed firefighter paramedics and lifesaving equipment to improve its emergency response times and save lives.

What about public safety needs and priorities?

Maintaining essential public safety services that keep our neighborhoods safe is always a top priority. Unfortunately, from 2020 to 2021, there was an increase in violent crime by 12.3% and an increase in property crime by 3.7%. Domestic violence is the number one cause of violent crime in Elk Grove and due to COVID we’ve seen a rise in domestic disputes. The City needs to hire 27 public safety positions over the next five years to keep our level of service commensurate with community expectations as our City continues to grow. We need to enhance victims' services, improve neighborhood police patrols, and focus on crime and gang prevention programs.

Can you tell me more about our local parks needs?

Our community has over 100 parks, award-winning amenities, and over 1,000 acres of open space serving more than 178,124 residents. Sustainable funding is needed to continue to adequately keep them clean and safe, which is always important. It is critical we maintain and repair public bathrooms; maintain landscaping and sports fields; and ensure that our children have safe places to play by repairing and replacing deteriorating playgrounds and equipment.

What about local road safety and traffic congestion?

Many of our local streets and roads are over 25 years old and in need of repair and ongoing maintenance. We currently have a $2 Million street maintenance deficit. We know enhancing major roads would improve traffic flow and reduce congestion for the safety of all drivers, bikers and pedestrians, including kids riding or walking to school. It is fiscally responsible to maintain our streets, roads, and fix potholes to enhance traffic safety now, so they don't deteriorate further and become more costly to fix in the future.

How can we address homelessness?

At any given time, there are 150+ people that are homeless in the city, and it seems to be growing. To help address this and support those who are at risk of becoming homeless, we need to continue connecting people with the services they need. Maintaining and enhancing programs that pair mental health professionals with police officers and emergency medical responders to people in crisis ensure our parks, neighborhoods, and public spaces are clean and safe for all.

Why is this important?

Safe neighborhoods, fast emergency response times, well-maintained streets, and a wide variety of activities for youth, seniors and families are necessary to maintain not only our overall safety and quality of life, but they are a big part of maintaining local property values as well.

How can I provide my feedback?

The City and the District are committed to responsibly addressing the community’s needs and priorities. That’s why we want to hear from as many residents as possible. Please tell us your feedback today. We will continue to keep the community updated.