City of Arcadia is highlighted as part of the Strong Cities-Strong State Campaign, a project of the California City Management Foundation and the League of California Cities.The city's profile is at www.strongcitiesstrongstate.com/city/arcadia. The website promotes city success stories with profiles of elected officials and city managers.
Arcadia officials project a $1.2 million budget deficit and have approved a combination of using reserve funds, hiring freezes, and other budget mechanisms to offset it. In order to avoid deep cuts in city services, the City Council has approved a plan to defer the city's slurry sealing program (street surface maintenance) for one year.
This article compares the public access that citizens have to local government/city council meetings. Arcadia provides minutes of council meetings dating back to 1957. About 70% of area cities offer some form of archived video, whether it's replayed on a local cable channel, or the Internet, or on DVDs available at the local library.
Nine City Council candidates discuss the salaries of city employees who make over $100,000, the salary survey requested by citizens, and the hiring of Don Penman, Assistant City Manager.
Arcadia seeks to prohibit short-term vacation home rentals through Airbnb, VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). Convenient and homey, short-term rental sites are resistant to regulation and willing to put up a fight.
Arcadia City Council hears residents' concerns about large housing development and its associated loss of native sycamore trees. Council official abandons China and Taiwan (sister city) trip for now.
Arcadia Citizen’s Financial Advisory Committee releases last report. The committee, an independent, ad-hoc advisory body of civic volunteers empaneled by the City Council to review the City’s General Fund long-range financial forecast and provide recommendations to the City Council for cost containment and/or revenue enhancements, recently released its final report. The 40-page report includes 15 recommendations to Arcadia City Council to address the $8,000,000 structural budget deficit. A key recommendation is for the city to consider increasing the city’s local sales tax rate by ¾ of one cent in order to maintain current levels of services.
"Visions of Arcadia", the anthology of essays celebrating the city's centennial, will be out in time to be presented at the city's 100th birthday party on August 5. The book was edited by Councilman Gary Kovacic. The printing cost over $15,000.
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.
New Arcadia City Council member April Verlato brings a new voice. She is a lawyer born and raised in Arcadia. She has been an activist against mansions. She is president of Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association (AIA). Her goals for her time in office are 1) to address the uptick in residential burglaries and 2) to improve Arcadia's business districts.
Arcadia police and firefighters have voted to defer a portion of their salaries and health benefits to help close the city's budget shortfall. In total, employee pay and benefit deferments will free up about $300,000. The city is trying to close a $600,000 deficit this fiscal year in its $48 million general fund budget.
Arcadia company Gemcoin, a digital currency or "cryptocurrency," has been using Arcadia City Councilman John Wuo's image on its website and marketing materials. John Wuo denies any endorsement of Gemcoin.
The Arcadia City Council has voted to disband its Sister City Commission. However, this does not affect Arcadia's sister city relationships with Newcastle, Australia, or Tripolis, Greece.
Arcadia City Council declared its intention to provide seed redevelopment money--provided a state Supreme Court ruling in January frees up such funding--to help the Arcadia Downtown Business Association breathe new life into the city's traditional downtown, by establishing a property-based business improvement district.