Aliso Viejo City Council Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from the Feb. 1 Aliso Viejo City Council meeting.

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Policy for freebies

The council approved a recommendation to enact a policy for free tickets and passes given to city officials, City Manager Mark Pulone said Thursday.

Tickets and passes are defined as complimentary admission to events, shows or performances, according to the staff report.

The Fair Political Practice Commission (FPPC) requires a policy “that identifies the legitimate public purpose for which the ticket or pass was distributed,” according to a staff report, so as not to be considered a gift.

The policy also won’t allow tickets to be transferred to another person unless it is to another city official or an immediate family member.

City officials must report all gifts that cost more than $50 in their Statement of Economic Interest.

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City reports healthy finances

Pulone said Thursday that the city is in “really good shape.” He said the city anticipated a surplus of around $360,000 and now they’ll add about $190,000 to that due to enhanced revenues.

Pulone pointed to conservative estimations and the hotel tax, also known as the transient occupancy tax (TOT), which brought in 22% more than originally estimated.

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Green City Initiative application OKd

The city approved a staff recommendation to apply for Proposition 84 grant funding, which would reimburse the city on various expenditures associated with already completed facets of the intiative, such as the enhanced community outreach program.

According to Pulone, the city has already funded the first update to the general plan.

The application asks for $332,680 to cover items such as draft plans, policies and implementation action programs, public workshops, and technical consultant services associated with implementing various parts of the initiative.

The application will be submitted by Feb. 15.

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AVX on its way

The council gave direction to move forward with Councilman Phillip Tsunoda’s “Aliso Viejo Exchange,” which will be a way to link up volunteers with service opportunies in the city, Pulone said.

Council members plan to discuss it at the March 7 meeting.

—Joanna Clay

Twitter: @joannaclay