Mission Viejo Has A $1 Million Surplus

Editor's Note: Please see Dan Avery's correction below.

The city council meeting on September 17th had to be one of the shortest in Mission Viejo history. The reason for this was simple. Ten minutes before the meeting started Cathy Schlicht emailed to say she couldn’t attend. Without Schlicht’s constant interruptions, requests to make additional statements in order to stall voting, and long-winded, paranoid fantasies about back room deals and her colleagues being “on the take,” the meeting lasted an appropriate amount of time. It was like looking into a hopeful future once Schlicht loses her seat; the other four council members were able to work extremely well together and get the city's business done.

The audience was one of the largest I’ve ever seen at a city council meeting. The majority were there to honor our young baseball teams, coaches, and parents for their successes this year. The rest were there because the council would receive information on the end of the fiscal year surplus of $1 million and to listen to the ensuing debate about how to best allocate those funds.

Public Comments: Lies and Campaign Violations

Public comments are often one of the most interesting parts of the meeting because you hear what is on people’s minds. Desi Kiss spoke first and spread a bunch of misinformation about the city’s financial solvency, ultimately claiming that the city only had $800,000 cash on hand; that is a figure which is completely false and he apparently got from Cathy Schlicht.

I spoke next as the owner of Side Six (we’ll make your one web site fit the screen of any device). I had noticed a political site in town called stopthetackylights.com. The owners of this site paid extra to hide their identities. Campaign laws require information on campaign sites that is not on their site. Clearly the owners of the site are less than ethical; the site is filled with outright lies. I thought the public should be aware of that. It is interesting to note that this website address keeps turning up in campaign literature that is being left on doorsteps all over town. The literature always mentions the web site and Candidate Schlicht in a way that makes it clear her backers are behind it.

The final public speaker was a citizen who asked for clarification of a statement made by Mayor Pro Tem Reardon that Council Member Schlicht had been lying to the public. This citizen made it clear she did not like being lied to. What followed was a Wizard of Oz moment when the curtain was pulled back to reveal both Desi Kiss and Cathy Schlicht as cheap carnival hucksters who are lying about city finances. Both Mayor Ury and Mayor Pro Tem Reardon testified that the city has $25 million or 52% of its operating budget in reserves, and that we have a AAA bond rating from Moody’s. Mayor Ury and Mayor Pro Tem Reardon are often at odds on issues in the city, so their agreement on the facts gave them extra weight.

The City’s $1 Million Surplus

The bulk of the rest of the meeting concerned the $1 million surplus for this fiscal year. This is the second year in a row Mission Viejo has banked a surplus. Last year the city had a $1.8 million surplus. This fiscal year’s surplus brings the amount in reserves to $26 million, or 53% of the operating budget. In part, the surplus was generated by an $800,000 increase in revenues and a $600,000 decrease in expenditures. Interesting to note that the increase in revenues is the exact amount Desi Kiss claims the city has for a total amount of reserves. The bottom line is simple: when people say this city’s finances are in trouble, they are lying.

Why Did Council Member Schlicht Play Hooky?

Correction: I do apologize. I usually don't get it wrong, but Mr. Gilbert does bring up a valid point (see comments below). So here are the facts:

Cathy Schlicht emailed the city council and city staff ten minutes before the start of the meeting to say she wasn't attending.

The council honored our kids and decided what to do with a $1 million surplus from a budget Cathy Schlicht called irresponsible. (Gilbert: note the lack of quotation marks around "irresponsible." That means I'm paraphrasing.)

Cathy Schlicht attended the Republican Party Central Committee Meeting instead.

Cathy Schlicht was not recommended by the nomination committee to received the Republican Party Endorsement; they did not find her worthy of an endorsement.

The only Mission Viejo Candidates recommended for a Republican Party Endorsement were Mayor Frank Ury and Commissioner Wendy Bucknum.

At 9:36 pm Chairman Baugh is forced to ask Larry Gilbert to leave the stage after the Parliamentarian had repeatedly stated Gilbert's time was up.

Cathy Schlicht did not speak at the meeting; apparently she went to watch.

The Central Committee decided not to endorse anyone from Mission Viejo.

Deciding not to endorse is not the same as "rejecting" as Mr. Gilbert characterizes the act. Cathy Schlicht was actually rejected by the sub-committee. Mark Twain once said that "whiskey is carried into committee rooms in demijohns and carried out in demagogues."

Mayor Ury who was recommended for an endorsement was present at the city council meeting. I believe when we elect someone to represent us they have a sacred duty to attend all  meetings and act in our best interests. Blowing off a council meeting to not seek an endorsement is completely immature behavior.