The San Diego City Council's Audit Committee asked the city auditor on Monday for a financial and performance review of the nonprofit group that tried to put together a yearlong celebration of Balboa Park's 100th anniversary.
City Auditor Eduardo Luna told committee members he would make room in his department's schedule and start work on the audit of Balboa Park Centennial Inc.
City Councilman Scott Sherman said the audits were the only way to "get some answers for the taxpayers and citizens here."
The BPCI board of directors announced last month it would disband and turn over its activities to the city. The action came amid questions over what the city got in return for its $2.6 million investment in BPCI, and whether the organization would open its records to the public.
BPCI has been posting its records online since it decided to disband. The vote for the audit was unanimous.
BPCI was a mostly volunteer group. It was unable to get support from sponsors needed to turn next year's centennial into a major extravaganza. City leaders had hoped the centennial, 100 years after the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, would receive international attention.
Planning has now taken on a local focus, anchored by the annual December Nights holiday festival and special attractions being arranged by the park's cultural institutions.
