HYDE PARK — With spring comes outdoor sports, and Hyde Park City Council wants to make sure everyone gets time at the parks.

“We want to make sure our residents can utilize the parks they pay for,” said Mayor Bryan Cox.

Club sports keep growing but Hyde Park wants to make sure city recreational sports get their time on the field as well.

“Recreational sports will always take precedence over club sports in scheduling our parks,” Cox said. He said there are 22 club soccer teams and only five or six baseball teams, but they want to make sure that those recreational teams don’t get overlooked.

There will be more discussion on the actions the council will make in order to ensure that the scheduling of city parks is done to the best interest of the residents. Cox said residents will always be the first priority.

In other business at the meeting, the council discussed the possible acquisition of old police vehicles for city employees to use.

“I just don’t feel comfortable with city employees on city time using their own vehicles for city purposes,” Cox said.

Donja Write, city recorder, presented some figures about cost. The city spends approximately $2,963 every year reimbursing city employees for the gas used on city errands. Cox said it would cost the city around $3,000 for insurance, gas and the price of the vehicles.

A motion to acquire three vehicles passed unanimously on the condition that the vehicles were in good condition. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for our city to utilize,” Cox said.

Published in cooperation with the Hard News Cafe. Original story is here.