In a whirl of madness surrounding California, there is a little city north of Los Angeles that has steered clear of economic woes, financial ruin and destructive over-spending that have plagued most cities within the county. Agoura Hills, has a population of just under 30,000 and boasts an average home value of $327,300 has achieved the rare status of having a balanced budget. This week the city's newpaper, The Acorn, reports that the city allocates most of its budget to capital improvements (39%) and public safety (12%), according to Nathan Hamburger, the assistant city manager.
The city was not immune to the weakened economic climate, as the city's sales taxes have been in decline and the budget was reduced by 5% from the prior year.
"We balanced our budget, but it was tight," Hamburger said.
Agoura Hills is surviving by keeping honest, knowledgeable leaders working for the people in what should be a microcosm for the rest of LA county. Little or no cuts were made to local schools, scholarships remained available to local schools and community programs and spending is limited to what is mandated through their annual budget.
Over eighty percent of the professionals in Agoura hold white-collar jobs. While the city ranks well above the national average in key areas such education, city contributions, gifts and household expenditure, the city ranks far below average in critical areas such as total crime, murder, rape, robbery and burglary risk, which makes it one of the best cities to live if you can handle a lack urban diversity, though recent growth in diversity is indicated in the city's demographics in the past 10 years.
Sources:
Wiki Agoura
http://homes.point2.com/Neighborhood/US/California/Los-Angeles-County/Agoura-Demographics.aspx
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