How Arcadia is run
Who runs Arcadia, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Arcadia's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Arcadia
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day as its chief administrative officer. The five council members, elected by district to four-year terms, set policy, adopt ordinances and the budget, and appoint the city manager and city attorney. The city clerk is appointed by the city manager.
What they are paid
- Nine months' base salary as severance if fired without cause, plus continued health coverage
- $375 a month car allowance (2012 contract)
- $3,900 a year city contribution to a 457 deferred compensation plan (2012 contract)
- 80 hours of management leave a year
- CalPERS retirement plan
- City-paid vision plan for the member and dependents
- $75,000 life insurance
Arcadia city staff
314 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 97, Fire 60. FY2024-25. City of Arcadia · Jan 30, 2026
The city posts salary schedules, labor contracts and benefit summaries on its Human Resources page. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Arcadia in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $27.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep an emergency reserve equal to 20% of general fund operating spending. That reserve is held in a separate Emergency Reserve Fund ($18.7 million budgeted for FY2026-27), which counts as assigned, not unassigned, fund balance. The FY2024-25 audit report says the policy is more than fully funded. City of Arcadia · Jan 30, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Sales tax (including Measure A)$25.3M · 24%
- Property taxes$22M · 21%
- Vehicle license fees (state)$10M · 9%
- Utility users tax$10M · 9%
- Transfers in (mostly from the equipment replacement fund)$9.5M · 9%
- Licenses and permits$7.9M · 7%
- Hotel tax$5.1M · 5%
- Other (charges for services incl. ambulance fees, interest and rents, recreation, franchise and other taxes, fines)$16.2M · 15%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$34.9M · 33%
- Fire and paramedics$27.7M · 26%
- Development services$7.1M · 7%
- Public works$7M · 7%
- Transfers out (capital improvement, equipment, lighting, law enforcement)$5.7M · 5%
- Library and museum$5.7M · 5%
- Recreation and community services$5.5M · 5%
- Other (administrative services, general city, human resources, manager, attorney, clerk, council, new programs)$12.2M · 12%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Arcadia is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityArcadia Police DepartmentCity of Arcadia · Jan 30, 2026
- FireThe cityArcadia Fire Department (three stations)City of Arcadia · May 28, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityArcadia Fire Department paramedicsCity of Arcadia · May 28, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Arcadia water utilityCity of Arcadia · Jan 30, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Arcadia Public Works ServicesCity of Arcadia · May 28, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste ManagementCity of Arcadia · Jun 16, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Arcadia Public Works ServicesCity of Arcadia · May 28, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Arcadia Recreation and Community ServicesCity of Arcadia · Jan 30, 2026
- LibraryThe cityArcadia Public Library (city)City of Arcadia · Jan 30, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | LincolnCA | Fountain ValleyCA | HighlandCA | ArcadiaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 56,494 | 56,596 | 56,655 | 57,095 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $281,190 | $306,569 | $289,000 | $329,948 |
| Council member pay | $7,860 | $6,001 | $9,600 | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $579 | $1,508 | $489 | $1,853 |
| Debt per resident | $404 | $544 | $111 | $1,433 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $551 | $1,652 | $110 | $1,575 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.0 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 5.5 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Highland pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Arcadia publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Audited financial report filed on time City of Arcadia
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe Human Resources page posts the city manager employment agreement and a city manager salary schedule through 2027. City of Arcadia
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Arcadia
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Arcadia
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Arcadia
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Arcadia
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund had $27.6 million unassigned on June 30, 2025, plus an $18.7 million emergency reserve, and the FY2025-26 plan included a $10 million one-time transfer out. What was that transfer for, and how much reserve does the council want to keep?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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