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Lago Vista youth leagues urge city to reconsider proposed $15 hourly fee at Sunset Park
Summary
Youth-league leaders and parents told the parks advisory committee a proposed $15/hour rental at Sunset Park could cost local leagues about $18,000 a year, force registration hikes and exclude low-income families; city staff said the fee is intended only to recover part of roughly $47,000 in annual maintenance costs and that formal council action would be required to adopt fees.
Public commenters asked the Lago Vista Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee on Wednesday to pause consideration of a proposed $15 hourly rental fee for reserved use of Sunset Park’s sports fields, arguing the charge would push volunteer-run youth leagues to raise player registration and could cut participation.
“My name is Geo, and I am the vice president of softball for Lago Vista United Baseball and Softball,” said Geo, representing a nonprofit league that registers about 300 youth each year. He told the committee the league expects to use Sunset Park 186 days this year and estimated a $15/hour charge would amount to roughly $18,000 in new costs, on top of other rising expenses. “For a volunteer-run youth league, an $18,000 increase is significant,” he said.
City staff member David presented the proposal and supporting cost evaluation, saying the city spends about $47,000 a year maintaining the two ball fields and a soccer field at Sunset Park and that a modest rental fee is a regional norm intended to recover some, not all, operating costs. David said the proposal also seeks to formalize priority for recreational (no-tryout) leagues over select or travel teams when demand is high.
The committee heard a string of public comments from parents and league leaders who described local conditions at Sunset Park — limited parking, no permanent lighting, one portable restroom at times, and volunteer-provided supplies — and questioned elements of the staff’s use and hours table. An 11-year-old player who said she has been playing at Sunset Park since age 4 asked the committee to “please consider letting us stay there.”
Several commenters and committee members asked the staff to account for “sweat equity” — volunteer labor and donated materials that league volunteers already provide, such as dragging fields, chalk, bases and sand. Geo and other speakers said much maintenance and setup is done by volunteers and that those contributions should be credited when calculating any fee or discount for 501(c)(3) nonprofits.
Committee members expressed concern about equity and access if fees were adopted. “The kids that can’t then be in the league are the ones maybe the single-parent household,” Craig Devine, president of the youth football association, said. Committee members discussed alternatives including phased fees, fee waivers or discounts for registered nonprofits, and negotiated maintenance agreements that would allow volunteer labor to offset some charges.
No fee or policy change was adopted at the meeting. A committee member moved and the group voted to move the discussion to a later agenda so members and staff could refine the numbers, consider documentation of volunteer maintenance, and allow community groups to return with proposals for reduced or phased-in costs.
The committee directed staff to share the usage data and the underlying cost materials with members and to solicit league proposals that describe what volunteer maintenance the groups can reliably commit to and what they can afford to contribute. City staff emphasized that any final decision about fees would be made by the city council, not the advisory committee.
What’s next: The advisory committee will revisit the Sunset Park facility-use agreement at a future meeting after staff and community groups provide additional documentation and options.
