To commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria (1877), Arima was declared a "Royal Borough" established by "Royal Charter" on August 1, 1888. The actual Charter of Incorporation was signed by the then Governor of Trinidad, Sir William Robinson and was issued by Queen Victoria. The Royal Borough of Arima was the only one of its kind in the colonial Caribbean.

The charter specified the boundaries of the town, the powers of the council, who would be responsible for its further development, maintenance, and forms of raising revenue. This new system of Town Government placed the emphasis on local democracy and therefore some independence from central government. Today, the Borough of Arima extends over an area of approximately four square miles and has a population of 35,000 persons. It is a growing modern industrial municipality.

The council met to conduct the town’s business in the Town Hall and still continues to do so today. The previous Town Hall building was typical of the colonial style architectural design of the 1900’s. It was wooden with jalousie windows, a portico and trimmed with intricate fret-work. In 1949, the present Town hall was built. Its architectural design is classic of the late 1940’s and 1950’s. It is a modern two-storey concrete building with large glass windows and stands today as impressive as always.

The dial is the most famous landmark in Arima. It stands as a symbol of progress, development and independence. It was given to the citizens of Arima and the Borough by Mayor John Francis Wallen (1898-1899). So antiquated was the dial that when it was installed the machinery which operated it was powered by a stream which ran through the town. This was changed by the advanced technology of the 20^th century. The present dial was installed on September 15, 1985. It contains a computerized public address system which is controlled from the Town Hall.

Link to the Arima Branch Library Homepage

The Caribs gathered at the sound of the "conch shell." This method became ineffective as the community grew and the tribes settled distances apart. Responding to an appeal by the Caribs, Lord Harris, the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago at the time (1846-1854) donated a cannon to them. The purpose of this was to summon the descendants of the tribes for the Santa Rosa celebration during the month of August. The cannon was fired on August 15, to gather the Caribs to prepare for the festival which was held on August 30. This day was known as the feast of Santa Rosa.

After Arima became a Royal Chartered Borough in 1888, objection to the noise made when the cannon was fired caused the administration to take the cannon away from the Caribs. However, after many years of pursuing the authorities, the present cannon, dated 1794, was presented to the Carib Community by the then Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, Sir Claude Hollis, in 1931. The cannon was used as intended until it was relocated from Calvary Hill to the Princess Royal Park in the heart of Arima, where it remained until August 1994, when it was returned to its original locale on Calvary Hill.

The Charter of Incorporation of 1888 provided for a council responsible for the local governing of the Borough of Arima. This council consisted of a Mayor, seven counselors, auditors and a town clerk.

Today the Arima corporation and all other municipalities fall under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation Act 1990 (Act 21 of 1990) as amended. The act provides that the council should consist of the Mayor, two aldermen and the counselors. Their term of office is three years. The Counselors are elected by the local electorate, each representing one electoral district. The Aldermen are elected by the Counselors. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected from among the Aldermen and Counselors.

The corporation also includes staff of chief officers and other officers who together comprise the administrative arm of the corporation. The Chief Executive Officer or Town Clerk heads this department. They are appointed by the Government’s Statutory Authorities Service Commission. Together the council and the administrators manage the Arima corporation. They comprise various committees and attend meetings where they discuss the business of the borough, make appropriate decisions and recommendations and ensure that these are implemented. In general, they are responsible for the improvements, development and growth of the municipality and the welfare of its burgesses.

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Twelve persons will be awarded by the Arima Borough Corporation tonight at a civic reception to mark the borough’s 109^th anniversary.

Recipients of awards are burgesses of Arima who have distinguished themselves in sports, community service, business, culture and education.

British High Commissioner, Gregory Faulkner and his wife will be guests of honour at the 6 p.m. function which will be held at the Town hall, Sorzano Street.

Collecting engraved plaques for their contributions to sport are Glensdale Sports Club, George Lewis and Robert "Keeto" Joseph. Leslie Marlay and Yacoob Ali, will be awarded for their contributions to business, while Dr. Lloyd Ramcharan, Rigsby Charles and William "Shirley" Pereira are the awardees for community service.

In the field of education, Gerard David and Sister Jacinta Rigsby have been chosen for awards, while Kerry Morris and Trinidad Nostalgic have been selected for outstanding work in the field of culture.

On Thursday, there will be an open-air concert at the public car park, opposite First Citizens bank on Hollis Avenue. A street parade on Saturday, will be the highlight of the Borough Day celebrations. Traditional carnival characters and steel bands will take tot he streets and there will also be stick fighting competitions. On August 24, Santa Rosa festival, the traditional feast day of the Arima Caribs, will bring the curtain down on Arima Fest celebrations.

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