20250929-003: Improve Access to Ball Fields — original pdf

Recommendation

PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD RECOMMENDATION 20250929-3 Date: September 29, 2025 Subject: Improving Public Access to City of Austin Baseball, Softball, and Soccer Fields Motioned By: Lane Becker Seconded By: Pedro Villalobos Recommendation WHEREAS, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) manages multiple baseball, softball, and soccer fields through contracts with 25 organizations across 28 active agreements; WHEREAS, these contracts were developed over many years to address specific localized needs and maintenance challenges, but have inadvertently created barriers to public access to public recreational baseball, softball, and soccer facilities; WHEREAS, community members have expressed concern with inconsistent and unclear processes for accessing city-owned baseball, softball, and soccer fields, including difficulty determining which fields are available for public use, when these fields are available, who to contact to reserve or otherwise access these fields, and what constitutes guaranteed public access; WHEREAS, the Office of the City Auditor’s Special Report on Ball and Soccer Field Contracts [1] found that contract language specifying public access requirements is often vague, with little guidance on how public access should be managed or what it means in practice; WHEREAS, there is currently no centralized system for the public to easily determine field availability, contact information, or reservation procedures across the various contracted facilities; WHEREAS, maintaining quality baseball, softball, and soccer fields requires significant time, labor, and financial resources, necessitating partnerships with organizations willing to provide such maintenance; WHEREAS, the City’s commitment to equitable access to public recreational facilities requires balancing the guarantees embedded in these maintenance partnerships with a commitment to ongoing public access; WHEREAS, improving public access to these facilities aligns with the City’s broader efforts to make public services more accessible and user-friendly; and WHEREAS, PARD staff have acknowledged these recreational field access challenges and are actively working to address them; 1 of 3 THEREFORE, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Board (PARB) recommends: 1. A Centralized Information Source. The City of Austin and PARD should centralize and publicize information about public access to all baseball, softball, and soccer fields, including contracted fields. Information should be available in an easily discoverable online format, posted adjacent to relevant public fields, and in any other appropriate environments. This should include: a. Contact information for field reservations; b. Available time slots for public use; c. Clear procedures for accessing fields; and d. Standardized definitions of “public access.” 2. A Robust Online Scheduling Platform. PARD should develop a technology solution to simplify access to public baseball, softball, and soccer fields. The platform should provide real-time information about all public field locations and availability, along with a simple, standardized online reservation process. PARD should consider expanding the functionality of the City’s existing Interactive Soccer Map [2], mandated by council resolution No. 20240229-059 [3], to achieve this. 3. Standardized Contract Language. PARD should standardize contract language regarding public access requirements across all field use agreements, while considering partner organizations’ varying sizes and capacities along with the different contract types outlined on page 3 of the Office of the City Auditor's Special Report on Ball and Soccer Field Contracts. This standardized language should be applied in all future partner contracts and should clearly specify roles and responsibilities for both the City and the contracting organization regarding: a. Division of responsibility for field maintenance, including maintenance types, frequency, and obligations; b. Division of responsibility for payment of field maintenance costs; c. Scope, duration, benefits, and limitations of priority field access for contracting organizations; d. Minimum number of days fields must be made available to the public, which can vary between fields, but should have a standard minimum; and e. Contracting organization responsibilities for public interactions supporting field access, including reservation management, record-keeping, and data entry required to maintain all publications and technology solutions used to make the public aware of field availability. PARD should apply these same contractual roles and responsibilities when city funds are used to support public access to privately owned fields and facilities. 4. Revised Agreements for Youth Sports Organizations (YSOs). PARD should revise the various agreements that govern the city’s interactions with Youth Sports Organizations (YSOs)[4], which restrict use of certain city fields to contractually identified YSOs during agreed timeframes. Instead, PARD should guarantee a standard, reasonable minimum number of days for non-YSO organizations to reserve these fields exclusively, consistent across all agreements. For all other timeframes, PARD should offer YSOs priority access to reserve contractually specified fields while still allowing other individuals and organizations to register for any availability not claimed during the priority registration process. 2 of 3 5. Clear and Consistent Performance Metrics and Accountability Measures. PARD should develop clear performance metrics and accountability measures for contracted partner organizations regarding public access obligations, including roles and responsibilities outlined in this recommendation. These requirements, with appropriate noncompliance penalties, should be included in all future partner contract agreements. 6. An Amended City Ordinance Regarding YSOs. Council should update City Ordinance No. 20100204-039 [5], “AN ORDINANCE REPEALING RESOLUTION 861211-19 AND AMENDING CITY CODE CHAPTER 8-1 RELATING TO USE OF ATHLETIC FIELDS FOR YOUTH RECREATION,” to support these recommendations. [1] https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=447584 [2] https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/cb20ac9a4c16416bb1af59a520bea074/ [3] https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=425176 [4] https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=403145 [5] https://capitalcityathletics.com/common/_GetDownload.aspx?d=xRIu3qqX6IhmbHQkqekUmF7DjBTKe3UVyG%2FKcCrd0ck%3D Vote: For: The motion to approve the recommendation as posted was approved on Board Member Becker’s motion, Board Member Villalobos’ second on a 9-0 vote. Board Members Kearns-Osterweil and Taylor absent. Stephanie Bazan, Kathryn Flowers, Luai Abou-Emara, Lane Becker, Ted Eubanks, Jennifer Franklin, Nicole Merritt, Shelby Orme, Pedro Villalobos. Against: None. Abstain: None. Absent: Diane Kearns-Osterweil, Kim Taylor. Attest: Tim Dombeck, Board and Council Liaison, Austin Parks and Recreation. 3 of 3