City to Abstain From Voting in Mail-In Election
There’s a twist to Arcadia’s mail-in election on a proposed annual fire service assessment.
Under election rules, votes are weighted according to how much tax a property owner pays. But the largest property owner--the city--is abstaining from the balloting.
The City Council late Tuesday voted unanimously to allow other property owners to decide the fate of the assessment district, which would provide $2.2 million a year for fire suppression.
The council abandoned a plan to cast its $10,000 worth of ballots in favor of the assessment after hearing from both passionate supporters and outraged opponents of the levy. The average homeowner would be assessed $122 annually.
Such elections are allowed under Proposition 218, which lets property owners approve local assessments by mail.
Property owners have until Aug. 5 to return the ballots.
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