Some Catoosa County parents say sports leagues in the area operate on a "good ol' boy" system that lacks accountability and has spread itself too thin, and the city's parks and recreation department is searching for a way to alleviate the issue.
At a county budget hearing on Aug. 9, Catoosa Parks and Recreation Director Randy Wilson asked the County Commission for funding for a program specialist that would help develop and manage new rec league youth sports such as basketball and soccer.
Wilson said he's heard complaints from several Catoosa parents - who currently enroll their kids in sports leagues across the state line in Chattanooga - that the problems, which they say are endemic within some youth leagues in Catoosa, have made them disinterested in signing up their children to play sports in the county.
A main issue is that the county's sports leagues are unable to give each sport they run the attention it requires, Wilson said.
"The youth organizations provide a good niche," he said, explaining that the smaller sports leagues serve a worthwhile purpose. "We've needed them, and they've helped the county out."
However, by having a more centralized recreation league through the Parks and Recreation Department, Wilson said he and his staff could alleviate these complaints and bring more Catoosa residents back to the county for their kids to play ball.
Currently, parent-run sports leagues such as the Ringgold Youth Sports Association, among others, run much of the county's youth recreation. Wilson said putting more sports leagues under the umbrella of the department would lead to more consistency and a better experience for parents and kids.
In a followup interview, Earl Epps, head of RYSA, disagreed with Wilson's comments regarding the association. RYSA has seen membership growth of 15 to 20 percent each year, Epps said, and feedback from the children and parents has been excellent, he added.
"Sports in our county are successful because they allow the parents to have input into their children's sports and guiding them," said Epps, regarding the current setup.
Wilson said his department already manages and maintains the recreational facilities across the county. While he isn't interested in breaking up any existing youth sports organizations, he hopes his department can take some of the burden off parents. In addition, the revenue that youth rec leagues would bring it would be a boon to the county.
"It's not about making revenue, though. If we're breaking even, that's all I want," said Wilson. "I just want to provide a good quality of life for programs for all the county's kids."
Epps said while he believes Wilson has a personal issue with him and how he runs RYSA, he would be interested in sitting down with the County Commission and Parks and Recreation Department to hammer out a comprehensive plan to improve the state of youth sports in the county.
"It would be fantastic if they [the Parks and Recreation Department] got involved in supporting the associations," Epps said in light of the department's new proposal. "Anything else would be a mistake."
The cost of the additional employee would be around $55,000 to the county, which includes salary and health benefits. Other costs associated with the proposal are not yet known, said Wilson.
During another budget meeting on Aug. 19, commissioners said they most likely wouldn't fund Wilson's request - at least this year - because of how close youth sports' seasons are to beginning. However, they said they were open to the idea of the recreation department playing a larger role in the county's youth recreational offerings.
Commissioners called on Wilson to outline a concrete plan by early next year for potential implementation in the 2018 fiscal year.
"We just want to give these kids a good experience," Wilson said.
He conceded in a follow-up interview that it would be easier for the department not to take on more programs, but added that "wasn't what we're here to do."
"I want to be more in line with parks and recreation departments around the country," he said.