Arcadia city officials have approved across-the-board fee increases that are expected to generate $500,000 in revenue this year. Parking tickets will go up from an average of $40 to $50. Other fees going up include building permits, towing fees, business license fees, water, street, and engineering services.
The City of Arcadia faces mid-year budget cuts as the state has its own budget problems. Arcadia will have to sustain a $2.9 million cut this year, a loss of funds that comes from vehicle license fees.
The Automatic License Plate Recognition system will soon be implemented at Westfield Santa Anita Shoppingtown and Santa Anita Park race track to monitor vehicles entering and exiting. License plate numbers will be run through criminal databases.
Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy of Arcadia was among state lawmakers who did not support Assembly Bill 60 which would have allowed undocumented immigrants to get a drivers license. Governor Davis vetoed the bill.
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.
Massage therapists will have to pay a $265 fee to be licensed in Arcadia under a new city ordinance. A background check will be done on applicants and they will be fingerprinted.
The City of Arcadia budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year projects a positive balance of $236,892 but includes several spending cuts and revenue enhancements. The list of spending cuts includes freezing 6 police officer positions, shifting some signal maintenance, delaying city communications upgrades and eliminating a coyote management program. The list of revenue enhancements includes a $2 Internet use fee for library guests, among other things.
The FBI is tracking vandals who caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage across San Gabriel Valley area sport utility vehicle dealerships. The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) claimed responsibility for these acts of ecoterrorism.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich met with Arcadia City Council and the Redevelopment Agency to discuss the Gold Line issues and state funding.
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.
Police arrrested an Arcadia juvenile after he allegedly sideswiped a United States Mail carrier's vehicle and then fled the scene at Second Avenue and El Dorado. His license plate was left at the scene.
The Arcadia City Council has approved a $46 million budget for fiscal year 2009-2010. The city made deep budget cuts across the board, including freezing positions and cutting employee travel. The budget includes roughly $2 million in cuts and concessions from all four city employees' unions, and projects about $45.1 million in estimated total revenues, $45.7 million in proposed expenditures, and $270,000 in employee compensation and benefit deferrals.
A package of new and increased city service fees designed to eliminate a potential budget shortfall will take effect on September 1, 2008. The higher fees are expected to bring Arcadia nearly $512,000 in the new fiscal year, by increases in fire services, swim classes, business licenses, plan checks and library services.
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 City Council members voted to place a 45-day moratorium on all new license applications for businesses that supply massages as a secondary service such as spas, acupuncturists and chiropractors. Arcadia will also stop issuing new licenses to massage therapists. Arcadia is overwhelmed by the surge in license applications and concerned about the possibility of prostitution. The ban could be extended for up to one year.
Mimi Hennessy, Superintendent of Arcadia Unified School District, writes in response to anonymous letter about the district's vehicle perquisite, after a district vehicle was involved in an accident in Las Vegas.