Rejection of Fire District Levy May Force Layoffs
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The Arcadia City Council may have to layoff dozens of employees and cut programs after property owners voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to reject a new $2.2-million assessment for fire services.
The assessment would have freed up funds for other uses and helped the city overcome a $2-million budget shortfall.
“We said to property owners what do you want . . . less services or higher taxes?” said Mayor Robert Harbicht. “They have spoken. They want us to cut services.”
Harbicht said he will propose laying off 10 firefighters, cutting the Police Department’s DARE program and closing the city’s only public library a few days each week.
The mail-in election was held under the provisions of Proposition 218, with voting weighted according to how much assessment a property owner would pay.
With all the voters tallied, property owners with a combined assessment of $644,612 (71%) opposed the Fire Suppression District, while those with a combined assessment of $264,129 (29%) supported it.
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