Auditor finds PARD employee improperly used rec center for birthday party

A new report from the Office of the City Auditor found that a Parks and Recreation Department employee violated city policy by organizing a birthday party at a recreation center he oversaw without reserving or paying the proper fees to use the facility. The report also found that Mark Vasquez, a PARD recreation program supervisor in charge of the Montopolis Recreation Center, entered a back-dated reservation into the system used to manage the facility and made a partial rental payment after he learned the auditing staff were investigating the the incident.

The party took place in November 2023 outside of the facility’s normal rental hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which would have cost $420 instead of the late $300 payment that was initially made. Event rentals also require an approval 30 days in advance, but Vasquez made no such reservation record until after the event – incorrectly putting the location at a facility in South Austin – and noted the time as during normal rental hours that would have lowered the cost.

The $300 partial payment came more than two weeks after the event, coinciding with the auditor’s request for security footage from the Montopolis Recreation Center.

During an interview with the auditors, Vasquez admitted that he had violated city policy and did not reserve the space in advance. He also acknowledged that he would not have allowed another individual to do the same under his supervision. He claimed that the last-minute decision was due to weather concerns, though weather records showed otherwise, with conditions on the day being mild.

In response to the audit findings, Vasquez corrected the record and made an additional payment of $110, bringing his total payment closer to the full amount owed. Despite this, the auditors concluded that Vasquez had violated city code by using his official position to secure personal privileges.

His actions were judged to have constituted a clear breach of City Code §2-7-62(I), which prohibits city employees from using their positions for personal gain. The findings have been forwarded to appropriate authorities for review, and further action may be taken.

In a response letter included in the report, Vasquez wrote in part: “I take full responsibility for the unprofessional way I handled that rental. This was an unacceptable lack of attention and amount of procrastination. I try to provide all community member and organizations the same opportunities. We have our guidelines to help with organization, but we are also here to serve the community. We get multiple ‘last minute’ rental requests. If they do not affect programming and staffing is available, I will do everything in my power to serve the community. We do our due diligence to collect fees prior to participation. We, as a department, run a monthly ‘aging report’ to remind us to seek all past due payments. The same goes for trusted organizations and third-party payers. This is not our practice but it does happen. I should have been more on top of the rental.”

Also in the report, interim PARD Director Angela Means said the department agreed with the findings and plans to address the incident with Vasquez and the Community Recreation Division. She also said the department will ensure all employees have passed recent city ethics training while closely monitoring rental processes at all facilities.

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