So far, some council members want to have their cake and eat it, too. They seem to want a house-of-mirrors concept to fund a proposed gymnasium. Some council members have said that we can raise money from "here" or "there." The city currently cannot afford a gym simply because there are no monies to pay for it.

By using "collected funds" and practicing the principle of patience, the city can pay for a gym in advance and move forward in a responsible and disciplined manner. Following are steps that would enable a city gym to become a reality.

1. The council would by resolution allow an earmarked account to be set up on the city books for the collection of funds for a gym. Collected funds only could be used as defined subsequently.
2. The gym would be funded with collected funds only. Collected funds are defined as contributions of actual General Fund dollars that are paid to the city from taxes or other income sources and are on hand at the time of the contribution. Collected funds are also contributed monies from fundraisers by the basketball leagues and others who want a gym. This would allow our citizens to realize that not all facilities are free and that there is a fundraising component. Collected funds can also come from foundation money given to the gymnasium or from other sources, such as individuals.
3. The council would also by resolution state that no construction contracts or architectural and design work or any preliminary bids can be received by city personnel until the earmarked account is funded in its entirety to an amount set up by the council representing the full construction cost of the gym.
4. Priorities would be established all the way to the end. On each contribution by the city of collected money to the gym account, the council would be faced with such issues as the potholes on city streets, payments to the pension fund, etc. This is the democratic way and will result in hard choices, all of which are for the benefit of the citizens of Mission Viejo.
5. Once collected funds have reached the construction amount designated by the council, work on architectural and construction bids could begin and must be authorized by the council before any city employees would get involved in the gymnasium project.
6. The collected funds concept would encourage managing the project on budget. If construction goes over budget, the project is stopped. Collected funds must be used, and the project at that point is unfunded. The whole process goes on again to raise collected funds.

James Edward Woodin
Mission Viejo