March Editors Alley
March is one of my favorite times of the year. Spring is in the air, and we celebrate Holi, a popular Hindu festival known as the “Festival of Colors” or the “Festival of Love.” People celebrate by throwing colored powders and water at each other, singing and dancing, and sharing sweets and festive foods. Many may have experienced a similar experience with color runs. Holi is a time of joy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It is a celebration of spring’s arrival and life’s renewal. It is a time for people to unite, forget their differences, celebrate their shared humanity, and create community.
Like many of you, the City of Citrus Heights is in budget development. As I go through this process, I can’t help but find many resemblances between Holi and the annual budget process. Both Holi and budget development involve community engagement and collaboration. Holi is a communal celebration that brings people together to share in the festivities and build community connections. Similarly, the best budget development involves community input and feedback to identify priorities and ensure that community needs and values are reflected and prioritized.
I’m sure many of us are in the same boat right now, knee-deep in budget development while preparing for year-end. Holi serves as a reminder to me during this season to take the time to pause and observe what is essential to my community as we approach this next season. One best practice for a budget “spring renewal” is a department-by-department review of operations. Then spend some time creating an inventory of proposed or desired new programs or initiatives that require funding to reflect community priorities in the planning process. A well-developed budget renews the city with a fresh outlook, ensuring it has the resources to provide essential services and programs while promoting fiscal responsibility and sustainability.
Susan Talwar joined the City of Citrus Heights on June 20, 2022 as the Administrative Services Director. Susan is very familiar with Citrus Heights having worked for the Citrus Heights Water District for nearly nine years prior to joining the City. She has experience in all the different facets of her position and has a number of initiatives that align with strategic goals to help advance the organization.
She is energized to help assist the team guide the City through implementing the Sunrise Tomorrow specific plan, developing a plan to address the City’s deferred maintenance, maintaining city services, upgrading technology to maximize efficient data processing and reporting, and enhancing the City’s organizational culture and efficiency.
Outside of city hall, Susan enjoys working with local community organization Soroptomist and hiking.
