[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6625841,"mediaKeyId","2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f","parentId",2756341,"title","Parks staff report large increases in youth scholarship use after process changes; board praises program","audioSeconds",368,"startMs",1532000,"endMs",1900000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f&start=1532&end=1900","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f/thumbnail_1532000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6625841/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Parks-staff-report-large-increases-in-youth-scholarship-use-after-process-changes-board-praises-program","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625841-2b39e2d5695944c03877b3fb73bba89c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132399&Signature=Tbi8F51HDsnp-PDAEHwIPGF2f7NqThUefyyMg852B2UVpK5V4ZXLTsnrdM6FQVyHZeV7g1aoRaDXeJShhxCgCJVZSJezIBcln92iIB74nicvZKyLyhJlTXGnnSEIsw8OAPvZHLydQHpgzdzWJjg6UgL2r0cP~J3XYa8vutTtWDDXAkM-B-HCDU~tE25oW~4Wp4yP~qjAwXVHEXthZWo4pukROdH8Zlr0BJSyycotKuJqIygGXkG3LJSsWoEl~vgC-m~6FFpc76A8Sx3TRRqWcDLnrG-p-aojt9vc4YtX3JsmJnC0DBfMcHlnkzK5CcqccbhTuVllppBAHQNHrVG57w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Austin","date","2025-03-24T00:00:00Z","article","Parks department staff briefed the board March 20 on changes to the youth financial aid and scholarship program that department managers said have substantially increased access and utilization.

What staff told the board: Kristin McCarthy, division manager for recreation services, and Davin Bjornis, program manager, described reforms dating to about 2014 that the department recently expanded. Key changes include automatic enrollment through partnerships with Austin Energy and AISD community eligibility lists, a move from one‑year to two‑year renewals, multilingual online applications, elimination of prior caps on scholarship usage, increased scholarship awards (from $400 to $700), and an early summer‑camp registration window reserved for scholarship recipients. Staff reported increased utilization: scholarship usage rose from about $19,000 in 2022 to roughly $121,730 in 2024, and the department reported roughly 3,000 current participants—about 1,600 families—and a significant increase in scholarships awarded (from roughly 65 in earlier years to 835 awarded in one recent January cycle).

Why it matters: The department said the changes reduce administrative barriers for low‑income families, increase the number of children served in summer camps and other youth programs, and better leverage community donations (the Austin Parks Foundation donated roughly $100,000 annually to support scholarships). Early registration for summer camp has improved access for multi‑child and working families, staff said.

Board action: The Parks Board read a letter commending the Community Initiatives team’s work and approved the letter during the meeting (see the board’s votes roundup for formal motion and vote details). Board members praised the program’s improvements and described receiving positive feedback from families.

Follow‑up: Staff said they continue to survey scholarship recipients for feedback on barriers and program improvements, and will return to the board with updates as requested.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Austin - Parks and Recreation Board - Mar 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","PARD staff told the board that scholarship access and utilization have increased after streamlining renewals, adding online applications, increasing funds from the Austin Parks Foundation and creating early summer‑camp registration for scholarship recipients; the board read and approved a letter of support.","taxTitle","Austin, Travis County, Texas","taxId",2819,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6625845,"City hires consultants to analyze park funding options; public survey open through April 11",156,6516000,6672000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f&start=6516&end=6672","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f/thumbnail_6516000.jpg","/articles/6625845/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/City-hires-consultants-to-analyze-park-funding-options-public-survey-open-through-April-11","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625845-91a4893efcd3a09368fa392560e20f88/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132399&Signature=BE1KTLzUzHEehjcdtxcGLaIO9OQ~zLgC~50rLpIatrb-ZErTYw0gjTL02bioATFGU7-M9OlXC4B7DDvEr2UPXLMMKw~clwKSMVTL2BsZtDTqNLj69nBhN3YYbI~6Bsw~ivO-CXi1BV6gW66L71cZrVNcTXomavkatPh1Zucv7pdfbKQkNgD-PTV973VEz8HLMT7b~P1drThvm7aXlMUbFfpJF3NASu09OzS2-pz6YwxN8-U7YS0VkxR5p6WVQtDTRS6KbrsgaGRl-W7Mp8zdR8VaOaxqvCwxltR1C5BqFKgsCaXo7tcBECV1XKs7IXU5yQD9B84UQYH27fy9bQonUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Parks and Recreation Department briefed the board March 20 on a council‑directed effort to identify new, sustainable funding mechanisms for Austin parks. The department has contracted a team led by PFM (public financial management) with technical assistance from The Trust for Public Land. The consultants will deliver work in phases — benchmarking comparable jurisdictions, analyzing revenue and economic landscape options, and preparing scenarios for council — and will present a progress memo to council in late March and a final recommended package by May 31.

Public engagement: A public survey launched March 11 and closes April 11. As of the board briefing staff reported several hundred views and initial responses; the survey and a sign‑up for small‑group discussions are posted on the city’s SpeakUpAustin portal.

Why it matters: City Council directed the city manager to explore additional funding methods for park acquisition, maintenance, capital projects and programming and to evaluate options and opportunity costs. The consultants will compare how other cities fund parks (examples cited in briefing include utility/clean‑community fees, tourism/hotel taxes and other user‑fee models used elsewhere) and will provide scenarios for Austin decision‑makers, including fiscal estimates and implementation considerations.

Timeline and next steps: Phase 1 benchmarking is underway; phase 2 will develop revenue scenarios and economic benefit analysis. The department and consultants meet weekly with internal city teams; staff and consultants offered to return to the Parks Board with intermediate findings before the May 31 final report if the board requests it.

Department highlights: Park staff listed recent acquisitions being processed for council consideration, ongoing capital repairs at facilities such as Givens Recreation Center, and volunteer engagement metrics (more than 3,300 participants in an \"It's My Park Day\" event across the city). Board members asked the consultants for examples of funding models used by comparator cities and were given early examples such as a small dedicated community fee used in San Antonio that yields recurring maintenance revenue.","Parks staff and newly contracted consultants (PFM Group and The Trust for Public Land) are benchmarking peer cities, modeling funding options and will deliver a progress memo in late March and a final report to council by May 31; a public survey is open March 11–April 11 to gather resident input.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6625849,"City auditor finds 28 active baseball/softball/soccer agreements; public access provisions vary and lack enforcement language",611,4584000,5195000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f&start=4584&end=5195","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f/thumbnail_4584000.jpg","/articles/6625849/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/City-auditor-finds-28-active-baseballsoftballsoccer-agreements-public-access-provisions-vary-and-lack-enforcement-language","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625849-d30d02de1388331cad2dec7c52bb5f85/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132399&Signature=W883hXog9Hsbh6mWSV5knELnH40MNvtxpln9-d~m~4ic1hunjRT4CDDkDBWz4V~vhy6JQE5ol785LJ1Zt26ORuHNCLpUNNvEu8RAhXvjWL2xq2fwUTRM7qNBV3Uyqj~qfpOESX10pTXE1SIBSdN9P9~7cTocM7ypxBANDfWHgtC7CVeBzGMF61dV8TvSv9hbG-xGD8eAYVKMKLiYFJQpIZ5Of63N5ZLQCTA2owRfMPYLz1M37g0MCVG2PcOPpzEajWA1Ko8iwIh8grey0y5YSOxKQcxIbg-DPSO5xTTz7PmNZho9IyiU82YRG~OgpCnTePCvGGTWkuaSMJuWX~YB5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Auditor’s Office presented a special‑request report March 20 finding that the City of Austin has 28 active contracts that pertain to baseball, softball or soccer fields, executed with 25 outside organizations. The auditor told the Parks Board the contracts vary in length — from multiyear leases to annual renewals — and in how fields are reserved or made available to the public.

Why it matters: Residents have complained in recent months about difficulties locating available fields and understanding when city‑owned facilities are open for general public use. The auditor’s work was a targeted review requested by council offices to map contract terms, renewal dates and any contractual requirements for community access.

Key findings
- Contract counts and partners: 28 active contracts, 25 partner organizations; three organizations (West Austin Youth Association, RBI Austin and AISD) appear with more than one relevant contract.
- Contract duration and renewals: Most youth athletic facility use agreements renew annually. Parkland improvement/land‑use agreements and some long‑term athletic‑use agreements show a broad range (5 to 25 years) in contract terms.
- Public access and scheduling: For city‑owned athletic facilities managed under contract, the general public remains permitted to use the facilities, but availability depends on schedules managed by the Parks athletics office or the contracted organization. For facilities hosted on third‑party property, the contracted organization often manages scheduling directly.
- Enforcement and community access language: The auditor’s review found that while contracts typically include breach and termination clauses, they generally lack specific, enforceable language tying breaches to community‑access requirements or specifying remedies if contracted organizations limit public access.

Department process and next steps: Auditor Tyler Myers said the report provides an appendix listing each contract’s dates, renewal options and the contact(s) a member of the public should approach for access. Board members discussed using the report as a starting point to centralize public information (for example, a single calendar or web tool showing field availability) and to consider standard contract language to clarify public access expectations.

What the board asked for: Several board members requested follow‑up from staff on discrepancies that appeared in mapping online field maps to contracts (for example, fields showing as reserved on a public map while no contract was listed in the auditor’s appendix). The auditor and department staff agreed to follow up with additional detail by email to the board.","The City Auditor reported that the Parks and Recreation Department has 28 active contracts covering baseball, softball and soccer fields with 25 partner organizations; contracts vary widely in length and renewal practice, and the auditor found little contract language specifying enforcement steps tied to community access.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6625854,"Parks Board approves budget recommendation with added maintenance staff; OKs letters and facility agreements",168,2435000,2603000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f&start=2435&end=2603","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2756341-51ee088a28fe4fbf6a105b7c9bed881f/thumbnail_2435000.jpg","/articles/6625854/Austin/Travis-County/Texas/Parks-Board-approves-budget-recommendation-with-added-maintenance-staff-OKs-letters-and-facility-agreements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625854-379bc0187576efdaf6d6161e5bf5075e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132399&Signature=HjLvGzwCs-RLpystr1WPj7IDZHrn02L-9R9KHAUpy8SqW3ed~c6W6IgJTCfJr~3R80caifNiJmWeKpzyyCn3mSzSucxHEQPDYU5wjHM7djMnwveccB2HZCRtIcOEodWq8NaM1MoJ16HDn65tUHNnVm4mUYH-cUCdntZS1Ca7wrQXb9690ML8qQhkvLXdoBJWFtfuGiTY-dHMte5AIkYYy03P1vOxG~XwN-gghS-FVk7Ln26QKRmtnT8-E3Ipd-XodyckRthtmC9qWgbDaR1UDzJJgD2PivZEWL6B9yzh3wEd7jg8QGlpEOG~RHqHcvLZS3lacJ~jtVgJ5SahrkhDGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Austin Parks and Recreation Board on March 20 approved its budget working-group recommendations, amended to request six additional operations and maintenance full‑time positions, and cleared a set of other motions including a letter of support for the department’s youth financial aid program, a recommendation to continue and expand school-based first-grade swim lessons, and an agreement enabling Austin Community College welding students to repair historic iron fencing at Oakwood Cemetery.

Why it matters: The board’s budget recommendation bundles a set of priorities — wildfire/land‑management funding, a public tree inventory request tied to a council resolution, cemetery maintenance, senior- and recreation-center resourcing, and park ranger staffing — and the added six operations and maintenance positions will be included as an amendment the board will forward for the city’s FY26 budget discussions.

Votes at a glance
- Approve minutes, regular meeting Feb. 24, 2025 — Outcome: Approved (unanimous). Motion to approve the minutes was made and carried; the board recorded approval during the meeting.
- Letter of thanks and support for the PARD Community Initiatives youth financial aid work — Outcome: Approved (unanimous). The board read and approved a written letter recognizing staff efforts to expand scholarships and remove barriers to youth program enrollment.
- Recommendation endorsing expansion of first-grade swim lessons in schools — Outcome: Approved (6 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstain). The board approved the draft recommendation as posted in backup and encouraged continued expansion of the program.
- Agreement enabling Austin Community College welding students to research and repair historic iron fencing at Oakwood Cemetery — Outcome: Approved (unanimous). The board approved an agreement to allow students to perform historic fencing repairs in coordination with appropriate historic-review authorities and city staff; only damaged sections will be replaced.
- Parks Board FY26 budget recommendation (working group report) — Outcome: Approved with amendment (unanimous). The board approved the working group’s five primary recommendations and accepted an amendment to add six additional full‑time positions for Parks operations and maintenance to be requested for FY26.

Notes and context: The budget recommendation contains several large asks. Board members debated the best way to present priorities given limited citywide budget information; discussion focused especially on (1) wildfire prevention/land management, (2) a comprehensive public tree inventory that staff and other bodies have estimated at up to $10,000,000 in recent briefings, and (3) resourcing for rec centers, cemetery maintenance and park rangers. During deliberations the board agreed to add a targeted request for six additional operations/maintenance FTEs to the recommendation after Parks staff indicated the department had requested similar positions in its internal FY26 requests.

Procedural outcome: All motions listed above were moved and seconded during the meeting and taken by voice/hand vote. The meeting transcript records the votes described above.","At its March meeting the Austin Parks and Recreation Board approved its FY26 budget recommendation (with an amendment adding six operations and maintenance positions), authorized support letters for youth financial aid work, and approved several agreements including a cemetery fencing partnership and a schools swim program recommendation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parks staff report large increases in youth scholarship use after process changes; board praises program

City hires consultants to analyze park funding options; public survey open through April 11

City auditor finds 28 active baseball/softball/soccer agreements; public access provisions vary and lack enforcement language

Parks Board approves budget recommendation with added maintenance staff; OKs letters and facility agreements