The candidacy filing period opens Dec. 22 for two seats on the Arcadia City Council and for a newly configured city clerk's position. The terms for Sheng Chang and Mickey Segal will expire.
City Clerk June Alford will retire in April, 2004 with her elected successor being paid a $500 monthly stipend and only handling mostly ceremonial duties.
Arcadia City Clerk June Alford, who has served in the elective office since 1988, will retire at the end of her current term in April. City Council approved the creation of a new job of Chief Deputy City Clark with a salary of $5600/month.
The City Council decided to ask voters to approve $8 million in bond funding for a bridge at Santa Anita Avenue. If 2/3 of voters support this bond, Arcadia would be the only city on the Gold Line extension route to finance its own grade separation.
Arcadia City Councilman Gary Kovacic will take over as mayor at the next City Council Meeting. He will serve through October 21 and then the position will rotate to John Wuo (October 21-January 4), Mickey Segal (January 4-April 20). Gail Marshall was mayor through April 15 of this year. All council members are rotating to the position of mayor during the city's centennial.
The city council has decided to appropriate $35,000 toward the design of a light rail bridge over Santa Anita Avenue. This is to pay for early design work needed for an environmental impact report. The bridge project is expected to cost the city $10.7 million which may come from a bond. The Construction Authority would pay $18.4 million bringing total bridge cost to $29.1 million.
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.
The Arcadia City Council is considering changes to fees charged by the city through the Development Services Department. One change might be a $25 fee for new business license applications. The fees may increase for design review of new commercial projects and appeals from an architectural review board to the Planning Commission. The General plan amendment fee may drop and tentative tract maps for condos may drop. The city plans to increase fines for code violations.
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.
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.
The city is asking residents to vote by mail by July 15 on a plan that would change the way the city splits the cost of street lighting. The city expects street lighting to cost about $1.15 million next year. Single-family homes on lighted streets would pay the most, $25.70 a year. Under the proposal, the assessments would no longer be tied to the value of a home but rather to the benefits that residents receive from street lights. If voters reject the plan, the current lighting assessment districts will expire in 2010. If that happens, the city will be responsible for paying the entire costs of street lighting.
Arcadia City Council has accepted a grant for $42,026 from the MTA in Proposition C funds to help operate Arcadia Transit. Other City Council items were discussed.