Commissioner Zach Swearingen outlines plan to shift Runyon Field administrative staff to nonprofit board

Commissioner Zach Swearingen told the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners at a work session that the county is proposing an operational change at Runyon Field that would move about three administrative positions — including the general manager and assistant general manager — to employment with the Runyon Sports Complex Commission Inc., a nonprofit that currently runs programming at the complex.

"The work that they do is 80 to 90% on behalf of the Runyon board," Swearingen said, describing the staff duties that include scheduling, family outreach and taking payments. He said the shift would make those employees Runyon board employees while Pueblo County would continue to own the facility, perform maintenance (mowing, HVAC, warning track) and fund capital upgrades such as converting infields to turf. Swearingen also said the county expects to continue providing a substantial cash subsidy and will retain oversight through appointing 25% of the Runyon board membership.

Commissioners present praised the negotiated arrangement as a partnership rather than a top-down directive. Commissioner Paula McPeters said the structure would alleviate some county costs while preserving services: "In the end, we reached a good agreement," she said. The board noted a community meeting on the change is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Runyon Field the same day.

Next steps discussed were finalizing the agreement details and carrying the operational adjustments into the county's upcoming budget process; commissioners also signaled they will review how the subsidy and staffing transition are reflected in the FY '26 and '27 budgeting cycle.