As his final act as Rossmoor Community Services District President for the 2012 term, Director Alfred Coletta presented the 2012 State of the District address at the January meeting of the District’s Board of Directors on Tuesday. The address focused on the accomplishments of the district and several important issues experienced in 2012.
The most prominent of these were the all-consuming matters concerning the future governance of Rossmoor. These included the proposed annexation of the Rossmoor’s only business center at the intersection of Katella Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard by the City of Los Alamitos, the possible annexation of Rossmoor resulting from the City of Los Alamitos’ General Plan amendments, the proposed provision of municipal services by the City of Los Alamitos on a county contract and the opposition expressed by Supervisor Moorlach regarding the assumption of additional municipal services by the Rossmoor Community Services District.
The more significant governance issues included two Attorney General opinions that the district could contract for direct police services with the Orange County Sheriff and that an unincorporated island could not be subdivided for purposes of annexation by a city. Both of these opinions were critical in the pursuit of latent powers by the district and thwarting the annexation of the Rossmoor Shopping Village by the City of Los Alamitos.
The district also pursued relevant county financial data through the use of a Public Records Act request. The data was received by the district and forwarded it to its forensic accountant to determine whether or not Rossmoor was a financial drain on the county. Preliminary analysis indicates that Rossmoor is in fact, a financial donor to the county in an amount of approximately $1.3 million. Discussions will soon be undertaken with the county to validate these findings.
Director Coletta also discussed the state of the district’s finances, citing the frugal business practices of the district which have resulted in a balanced budget and a healthy district reserve. Coletta then spoke about the state’s financial situation and how the district remains unaffected with either the financial woes of the state or the county. More particularly, he reported on the district’s independent auditor’s recommendations to transfer excess bond reserves to the district reserves and to the Bond Reserve Fund. These actions would replenish the general fund’s reserves, provide funding for capital projects and save residents considerable interest payments over the life of the bond payment schedule.
Next, he focused on the district’s accomplishments which included the refurbishment of the Rossmoor Park basketball court, the installation of a new four-bay swing set in Rush Park, and the agreement reached with the County of Orange Public Works Department to remove hardscape obstacles in parkway locations so that street trees could be planted. Finally, he reported that in 2012, the district was ranked as the number one suburb in California and ninth in the nation.
“All in all”, said Coletta, “2012 was a challenging but productive year. While the state and county budgets are facing serious challenges, the district’s finances are in good order and service levels are funded at normal levels through December 2012. Beyond that time we will have to pay close attention to the current budget crises and react quickly to any unforeseen developments.”