AVCA Responds to City Council Criticism

Editor's note: The Aliso Viejo Community Association released the following statement about criticism they received at the Aug. 17 Aliso Viejo City Council meeting, concerning the AVCA Park Improvement Fund.

"At the Aug. 17, 2011 meeting of the Aliso Viejo City Council, the city’s Recreation Ad Hoc Committee, comprised of Council Member Don Garcia and Council Member Phil Tsunoda, engaged in discussion questioning the funds within the Aliso Viejo Community Association’s (AVCA) Park Improvement Fund. This fund, which was started on June 16, 1997 through a Memorandum of Understanding with Mission Viejo Company, is intended for park improvements within AVCA parks.

The Recreation Ad Hoc expressed their concern that the exact dollar amount of this fund was not expressed by AVCA President Ross Chun when he responded to a question asked at their Recreation Ad Hoc Summit on Aug. 4, 2011 at the Aliso Viejo Conference Center. At the close of the meeting, President Chun was asked how much money was contained in the fund. In his response, President Chun estimated a balance of $1.8M. This estimate was not intended to be an exact calculation, but the immediate response to an attendee’s question.

'As the Recreation Ad Hoc Summit was coming to a close, I responded to an attendee’s question about the Park Improvement Fund. It was not intended to be an exact accounting of those funds, as I did not have any reference materials or budget documents in hand at the time of the question. If that estimate has caused concern or confusion with the members of the Recreation Ad Hoc, it is truly regrettable. The error was certainly not intentional, and I hope the Committee recognizes that these figures are contained in the financial documents provided to them several times over the past three months and recently requested again, and is available to our membership at any time. AVCA has been completely transparent. There is nothing to hide here,' said Chun.

AVCA publishes these figures, including the exact balance of the Park Improvement Fund each month in its Board of Directors Agenda for members of the Aliso Viejo Community Association. These figures are included in the minutes that are posted on the association’s web site once approved. The AVCA Board reads these figures aloud at each Board Meeting so its members remain aware and informed. The Aliso Viejo Community Association, a non‐profit public benefit corporation manages 21 parks, slopes and common areas in Aliso Viejo, California with a $8.2 million budget."

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