LAWTON – A limited-service agreement between the city of Lawton and the Lawton Youth Sports Authority will help the authority begin the transition to managing the city’s youth sports programs.
The authority voted unanimously Thursday to approve the agreement, which provides limited financial assistance and other forms of aid for the authority’s start-up phase. The agreement will continue through the end of fiscal year 2021-22.
“This is the mechanism that, if there are available funds, the sports authority can be funded up to $5,000 based on the budget that we go along with,” said Authority Chairman Brian Henry.
The city will give the authority up to $5,000, which will help cover costs associated with the transition from city-run youth sports programs to authority-managed programs, for the rest of the 2021-22 fiscal year. All expenses will be in keeping with the authority’s proposed budget, which is subject to approval by the Lawton City Council.
Claims for funds will be processed by the city and paid to the authority in keeping with the city’s policies for paying contractual claims, according to the agreement. The authority will only be reimbursed for budgeted dollars that are used according to the agreement.
The authority may ask to include any money that was not spent during fiscal year 2021-22 in the authority’s budget for the following fiscal year, according to the agreement. The city council will decide whether to approve such a request.
As part of the agreement, the authority will submit a progress report to the city council by June 11. The report will include information about current and future projects during the reporting period, as well as projects and activities that the authority has planned for the following six months.
The authority is also required to manage the city’s youth sports facilities in a professional manner that will promote economic development, according to the agreement. The authority will submit claims for payment to the city’s accounting office for reimbursement.
The financial assistance will help the authority bridge the gap between now and the end of the fiscal year, said City Manager Michael Cleghorn.
“As my dad would say, it’s a little pocket money to get started,” he said.