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.
Property owners overwhelmingly rejected the city's $2.2 million tax increase Tuesday, casting "no" votes by a 2 -to- 1 margin against the Fire Suppression District.
The Arcadia City Council voted to request an analysis of the initiative petition submitted by the citizens group Neighbors for Arcadia. The measure would keep the Santa Anita Park race track property zoned for horse racing unless Arcadia residents voted for a change.
El Monte city officials and residents asked the Planning Commission to delay its review of the environmental impact report for the proposal to fill a 150-foot deep ditch in Arcadia with dirt, gravel and concrete.
The City Council approved preliminary plans Tuesday for a nearly $2.7 million fire station that will replace the city's fire station No. 2 at the northeast corner of Huntington Drive and Baldwin Avenue.
The city's new graffiti removal program has logged at least 72 cases since Jan. 28 in which residents have asked the city to remove graffiti free of charge. In November, for the first time, the City Council allocated $20,000 for graffiti removal.
William Woolard, 50, Arcadia Planning Director for 22 years, resigned at the recommendation of City Manager Don Duckworth and a 4-1 City Council vote, with Robert Harbicht opposed. Woolard was asked to leave because of departmental reorganization, Duckworth said.
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.