San Ramon commission approves revised cosponsorship (facility allocation) policy after public comments and debate

The Parks & Community Services Commission voted unanimously to approve a revised cosponsorship policy that restructures how the city evaluates and allocates facilities to community organizations.

Keith Hesse (program manager) told the commission the update was prepared after feedback from the commission’s policy committee, prior commission meetings and public comments. Key changes include clearer Tier 1 and Tier 2 eligibility definitions, an expanded code of conduct covering participants, parents and coaches, formalized staff‑communication standards, additional privacy and records‑retention language, and a scheduling/allocation framework that adds roughly 18 factors staff may consider when assigning facilities.

Hesse said the policy returns an additional level of oversight to the commission for new cosponsored groups: "The revised policy also clarifies the expectations for cosponsor groups and strengthens accountability for both city staff and approved cosponsor groups," he said. Staff also said the document includes definitions for primary and secondary (off‑season) program months and that, where appropriate, staff will prioritize primary‑season activities.

Commissioners asked how the policy would treat long‑standing organizations and how capacity would be assessed when new clubs apply. Hesse said staff will perform needs and capacity assessments from submitted documents, look at requested days and hours, and that the recently approved midyear budget included money to do a field‑assessment study to help quantify current capacity.

Public comment included appeals from sport‑program representatives. Pascal Lisdatios, a founder of a local swim club, asked the commission to recognize that year‑round USA Swimming programs have ongoing administrative and certification needs and said competing for prime‑time pool space with off‑season recreational programs could threaten sustainability: "We are a program that started… and as a year‑round USA Swimming affiliated [program] we will not be sustainable if we have to compete for space with such big programs," he said. Other speakers representing cricket and youth-club interests asked the commission to protect long‑standing users and to ensure transparency.

Commissioners debated notice periods for allocation changes and whether a fixed 12‑month notice is always feasible (staff noted construction and funding schedules can make strict advance notice impractical). Staff noted the policy includes an appeals process; commissioners emphasized the value of clarity and defensible allocation criteria. Several commissioners praised the flowcharts and clarity of the revised document.

Commissioner Dorlick moved to receive, deliberate and, if appropriate, approve the revised policy; the motion passed 7–0. Staff said the updated policy will be posted, distributed to current cosponsored organizations and shared with the city council, and that scheduling/allocation details will be applied starting with the next scheduling period as staff implements the document.