The city budget passed unanimously on Tuesday night and included the elimination of 9 full-time employee positions, an increase in paramedics fees and a one-year, 1 percent utility tax increase.
The Arcadia City Council made good Tuesday night on its pledge to not let the budget sit for another 6 months, making cuts which will total approximately $300,000 annually.
On June 20, the Arcadia City Council adopted the City's operating budget and capital improvements budget. For the first time, the city is embracing a two-year budget program.
The Arcadia City Council approved a $48.7 million budget Tuesday without the significant reductions many other cities are facing due to a downturn in the economy.
In an attempt to produce permanent revenue enhancement, the City Council has agreed to go to ballot with a Fire Suppression District assessment which would ask property owners to tax themselves to achieve a balanced budget.
More than 400 people crammed City Hall and an adjacent outside courtyard Tuesday, as City Council wrestled with ways to slash $2 million from its annual budget.
A law designed to protect Arcadia's oak tree population was passed 4-0 by the City Council on Tuesday. The trees listed in the ordinance may not be cut down or excessively trimmed.