Shortly before the city cut $400,000 in salaries and programs to help close a nearly $1 million budget shortfall, the city's managers and supervisors asked the City Council to consider giving them what they termed long-overdue raises.
City Manager Bill Kelly outlined a $16 million program to finish all public building projects for Arcadia in three years, as part of the city's five-year capital budget. The spending would include a new $6.5 million City Hall, a $1.3 million upgrade to Fire Station 106 on Baldwin Avenue. The city plans to build a new fire station to replace Fire Station 105 on Santa Anita Avenue. A city gym for the civic center property is in planning stages. The city plans to re-roof the community center for $150,000 and to put up 1/2 of the $800,000 cost to make the high school sports field an all-weather facility.
Arcadia City Council has voted to impose fees on developers to pay for intersection-widening projects. A chart shows the traffic count at developments, at intersections, and the fee structure.
Questions answered by the nine candidates running for City Council: (1) Why do you want to run for City Council? (2) What knowledge do you have of local government?
Local city governments in the San Gabriel Valley and Whittier are realizing the future costs of pensions and retirement benefits for their employees. The costs will be enormous and city governments need to save money for their future obligations. Arcadia's retiree medical cost is $375,062 this year and its unfunded health liabilities for current employees and retirees is $10.3 million. Unfunded health liability is the amount that would be needed to pay for all health obligations to current employees if they were to retire today, and for all retirees. Other cities' obligations are shown in a chart.
City Manager Bill Kelly outlined his proposed budget for the 2003-2004 fiscal year which begins July 1. The Arcadia City Council will hold a public hearing and is scheduled to adopt it at its June 17 meeting.