Arcadia will benefit from the State Municipal Advisory Reform Team : Enhanced Report (SMARTER) plan for restructuring local government finance which will help stop the city's dependence on sales tax.
The county unemployment rate climbed to 5.8% in May, but is still lower than the 6.8% rate of a year ago. Arcadia has 800 people unemployed, or 2.9% rate of unemployment.
Arcadia seeks to extend the right to collect cell phone usage tax. Officials plan to hold a special election in May or June in 2009 for a ballot measure. If communicated to voters correctly, it should pass, because it would not raise the tax but protect the city's revenues. At stake is about $1 million in yearly revenue. To do that, voters must allow the city to legally redefine what a telecommunications tax is. Recent court rulings have suggested cities cannot tax cell phone use by relying on older telecommunications tax ordinances.
Arcadia City Council approved the first of a projected series of ten annual 5% increases in the city water rate. Sewer and trash rates will also increase.
Los Angeles County's unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent in December 2005, up from 5.1 percent the previous month but down from 6.5 percent a year ago. Arcadia has a 2.7 percent jobless rate.
Unemployment rates in Los Angeles County dropped to a record low in October. Countywide, the unemployment rate was 4.3 percent last month. Arcadia and several other San Gabriel Valley communities had unemployment rates below 3%.
Los Angeles County's unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent in November, down from 4.3 percent the previous month and 5.3 percent a year earlier. Arcadia's jobless rates appears on the chart at 2.1 percent, along with rates for other cities.
Arcadia considers rate tiers for water use. Santa Anita Park race track, Los Angeles County Arboretum, Westfield Shoppingtown, and the two golf courses are Arcadia's biggest users. The tiered rate structure means that users would be charged more per gallon once they cross certain thresholds.
Arcadia voters will decide, in a special election next week, whether or not to approve ballot Measure A, which seeks to protect the city's right to collect taxes on cell phone usage. Measure A would not raise any taxes. The city already collects taxes on residential cell phone usage and is seeking to legally protect that practice by redefining what constitutes a telecommunications tax.
Methhodist Hospital of Southern California has been named a "Distinguished Hospital" by two firms that rate medical facilities on the quality of patient care.
Many San Gabriel Valley cities are seeing an increase in property tax revenues in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, namely San Marino, Arcadia, Bradbury, Alhambra and South Pasadena. Arcadia's property tax revenue is expected to be $3,359,282.80 compared to $3,294,314.77 in 2008-2009. Other cities' figures are given. In the average city, property taxes make up 11% of the city budget.
Los Angeles County's unemployment rate reached 9.9% in December, 2008, according to the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Arcadia's was 1,500, or 5.4% unemployment.
Officials estimate the infection rate of West Nile Virus is higher than what is currently known since health officials stopped testing dead birds where the virus is confirmed to be present. Arcadia and West Covina had high rates of infection among San Gabriel Valley communities.
In this ailing economy, San Gabriel Valley property values have dropped significantly, as reflected in the county's home assessments. The county property roll is at $1.1 trillion, a nearly 1% decrease compared to 2008. Homeowners will have smaller tax bills but cities are having to reduce services and employees as they lose businesses, sales tax revenue, and property tax revenue. See a chart of Los Angeles County Assessor's Office property values report showing Arcadia and neighboring cities. Arcadia is a city whose 2009 value increased 2.2% compared to last year.
Arcadia Unified School District ranked among the top performers in LA County by the Academic Performance Index ratings. AUSD received an overall rating of 826 out of a possible 900 points.