Cities provide a range of direct services including police, fire, water, sewer, library, recreation, public works, recreation, senior citizen services, building, code enforcement, zoning/land use, disaster planning, and economic development. The services cities provide are tailored to meet the needs of their particular community.
Maintaining Arcadia’s infrastructure is a major part of the City operation. Roads, traffic signals, street signs, the water and sewer systems, parkway trees, equipment and facilities all have Master Plans in place to ensure that they remain functional and are maintained consistent with the needs of the community, both now and in the future. Conservative spending and use of this kind of strategic planning have enabled Arcadia to remain financially stable in a very difficult time for local government.
City of Arcadia Government Operations:
The City of Arcadia is governed by a five-member City Council. Every even-numbered year, either two or three Council Members are elected at large to serve four-year terms. The City Council elects a Mayor from its membership to serve as the presiding officer for a one-year period.
The City Manager is employed by the City Council to carry out its policies and to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the City.
Regular City Council Meetings:
Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at 240 W. Huntington Drive. Meetings are broadcast live on AT&T channel 99 and Spectrum digital channel 15-257 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Meetings can be viewed online. Occasionally, special meetings are held for a specific purpose.
The City Council follows a regular order of business, as provided in the agenda for each meeting. The agenda is prepared and made available to the public 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Full agenda packages are available for review prior to the meeting online, in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, at the Arcadia Public Library.
Citizen Participation:
Members of the public are is invited at all City Council meetings. At each regular meeting, time is reserved for those in the audience who wish to address the City Council on any matter. Please be aware that pursuant to the provisions of the Brown Act, the City Council is prohibited from taking action on any matter not listed on the agenda, unless an emergency exists requiring City Council action or an urgent need for action arises after the agenda is published.
Time is also reserved for individuals wishing to address the City Council about a scheduled “public hearing” item. With respect to public hearings, persons addressing the City Council should limit their remarks to the matter under consideration.
Consent Calendar:
On the agenda, consent calendar items are considered to be routine in nature and may be enacted by one motion.
Ordinance:
An ordinance is a City law that can only be amended or repealed by the adoption of another Ordinance. A proposed Ordinance requires two readings – an introduction and an adoption – at separate meetings. Ordinances become effective 31 days after adoption.
Resolution:
A resolution is an official statement of City Council policy, directs certain administrative or legal action, or represents a public City Council statement. A Resolution is adopted at the same meeting it is proposed. Once adopted, it remains City Council policy unless changed by a subsequent Resolution.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in a City Council meeting, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 574-5402 at least three working days before the meeting or time when special services are needed. This notification will help City staff in making reasonable arrangements to provide you with access to the meeting.