Cooper City, Optimist Club discuss facility-use agreement; city to pilot RecTrac, collect registration and sponsorship funds

Cooper City commissioners and officials met with leaders of the Optimist Club in a workshop to discuss a draft facility‑use agreement that would govern the club’s use of city fields and facilities and change how registrations, sponsorships and some operations are handled.

City officials and Optimist representatives agreed to test the city’s RecTrac registration software in a phased rollout (starting with a single sport such as softball or flag football), to move registration and sponsorship receipts through city systems, and to have staff inventory concession equipment and return with cost estimates for modest facility improvements and air‑conditioning options.

Why it matters: The discussion followed revelations about accounting gaps in the club’s operations and broader public concern about transparency. Commissioners emphasized fiduciary oversight for resident funds and asked staff to create accountable, auditable flows for registration, sponsorship and concession revenue while minimizing disruption to volunteer operations.

What the meeting covered and the key outcomes

Registration software and operations: City staff and Optimist leaders outlined a compromise: the city will provide and work to expand RecTrac so it can run registration, separate resident and non‑resident fees, and eventually support league scheduling and team management. Optimist leaders said RecTrac can collect fees now but is not yet built out for league operations; the Optimist club asked for a hybrid approach while the system is completed.

City staff estimated the full build‑out could take months (staff mentioned a multi‑month rollout and estimated it could be into the next season). Commissioners asked staff…