By Galen Patterson
Official council business began with commending the Arcadia High School Apaches football team for their performance this season. The Apaches went undefeated in the Pacific League Championship for the first time since 2003.
“They went on to play the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Finals for the first time in 40 years,” said Mayor Sho Tay. “In the end, the Apaches lost by 3 points to their opponent,” he said.
Next, the council saw a presentation on the city’s municipal fee schedule, to examine and adjust 62 of Arcadia’s 950 annual fees.
The presentation suggested adding 11 new fees to the list, which would adjust the price residents would pay for the ability to legally participate in things like mobile food vending and home-design reviews.
A fee for residents to legally cultivate marijuana was introduced at $70. The city has previously taken a hard stance against the commercialization of marijuana in Arcadia, but with passing of a 2016 California ballot initiative by a margin of 57 to 43 percent, the city can only halt the opening of cannabis dispensaries and cannot prohibit the recreational use or cultivation inside private residences.
Building permit fees increased by 5 percent. However, the city proposed reduced costs of small business start-ups by up to 50 percent, thereby adding incentive for small businesses to come to Arcadia. “We wouldn’t give it to every single new business in the city but … this would give us the opportunity to reduce those costs to get those businesses into the city,” said City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto.
After debate and interrogation from council on several of the items, an astonishing proposal was made by Councilman Tom Beck to give the city the ability to reduce the small business start-up fees from the proposed 50 percent reduction “down to zero, depending on how (the city) views the business and what it adds to the city,” said Beck. The offer was seconded by previous Mayor and current Councilmember Peter Amundson.
Many more fees were discussed in the presentation, and the program was unanimously adopted.
A majority of the new fees is expected to reach around $340,000, which the city would appropriate to the general fund. Roughly $64,000 would go to the water fund, and less than $2,500 to the sewer, according to City Manager Lazzaretto.
Many more fees were discussed in the presentation, and the program was unanimously adopted.
With approval the consent calendar, which can be viewed on the city’s website, the council moved onto the next item of official business for the evening: imposing regulations on sidewalk vending.
With several specifications and limitations, the motion was passed unanimously by the council. Sidewalk vending now has more clear guidelines in Arcadia.
