Cibolo Little League Leadership Update
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Before getting into the details about what or what has not transpired with the city, here’s list of those who have either received emails or been directly involved with the meetings.
You can also get your city council members email address from the website.
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Name |
Position |
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Kara Latimer |
Mayor |
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Randy Roberts |
City Council |
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Wayne Reed |
City Manager |
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Bryan Higgins |
Director |
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Julio Gomez |
Manager, Public Works |
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Margarita Hernandez |
Unknown |
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Doug Desbien |
YMCA Staff Employee |
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This email went to Randy Roberts and Kara Latimer after there was no response from the email sent on Monday. CLL has not heard from Randy or Kara as of the publication of the email.
Randy,
Cibolo LL would like to outline what’s occurred over the past 14 months, just to make sure we’re all on the same page.
November 2024
- Cibolo LL and the city have their first meeting.
- CLL makes commitments to several projects, including new field construction, install lighting, bleachers, concession stand, etc.
- These commitments were submitted in writing to the city.
- The city asked to review the meeting and meet again in December.
December 2024
- CLL and the city “seem” to be on the same page.
- CLL presents a PowerPoint presentation including registration projections, financials, and 5-year estimates.
- CLL is informed the city will request to get on the agenda during a city council meeting.
January 2025
- CLL receives a phone that we’re on the agenda for the last meeting of the month.
- That day in the afternoon, CLL receives a phone call that CLL is presenting and not David Sparks.
- CLL presents, city council votes unanimously authorizing city staff the move forward and “make it happen”.
February 2025
- Meeting with CLL and city staff to recap all aspects of the project.
- Wayne Reed, city manager, gives specific instructions to David Sparks to meet with the city attorney.
- The instructions were very clear, rewrite the contract between the city and YMCA.
- This would be Wayne Reed’s last meeting he would attend.
March to October
- Several phone calls attempting to get an update from David Sparks went unanswered.
- Several emails asking for updates when unanswered.
October 2025
- Email from David Sparks inviting CLL and the YMCA to a Teams meeting.
- The meeting starts off with David Sparks saying that his purpose was to “facilitate” the meeting between CLL and the YMCA to come to an agreement about the fields at the sport complex.
- The YMCA indicated that this was the first they had heard anything about this. Thus, creating a very tense and unprofessional situation.
- The YMCA on several occasions reiterated the exclusivity contract with the city.
- The YMCA is holding the city hostage.
- Meeting ends with no solutions.
December 2025
- Meeting now with Public Works, CLL and the YMCA.
- David Sparks had been removed from the project.
- The meeting with public works includes Bryan Higgins, Julio Gomez, and Margarita Hernandez.
- On several occasions the city stated this was going to happen.
- Documented adjustments (Exhibit B) were made to the proposal and submitted. Estimated saving to the city, $4.9 million in 5 years.
- The details and comments of the meeting are below.
January 2026
- January 5th, CLL sent emails to the city and YMCA requesting RFPs.
- RFP Deadline was January 10th.
- Email from the YMCA to CLL asking what an RFP is.
- Neither the city nor the YMCA, as of this email, has submitted anything in writing.
- CLL has submitted 3 updated versions of its proposal.
As indicated below, the YMCA, by its own admission, anticipates 130 players that consist of only 3–4-year-olds. Our projections show 500 in what would have been the 2025 spring season, and 250 in fall season. Cibolo LL was also awarded post-season tournaments in 2027 which consists of 18 leagues playing for the right to advance to the state tournament. 18 teams, 11 divisions, or the equivalent of playing 198 games during a 2-week period. That’s a little over 7,000 coming in and out of the city. CLL has had to withdraw itself from consideration for this tournament.
See the notes below about the YMCA’s reputation in the community and registration fees.
Cibolo Little League expresses its utter and complete disappointment with the city staff. It has failed to see the short- and long-term impact to the Cibolo residents, the revenue impact to local businesses and severely lacks decision-making ability. Over the course of these events, the city only has had hallow words and empty promises. As a board, CLL is very committed to complete transparency with our Little League community in all aspects of operations.
Tony Knight
President
Cibolo Little Legue
From: Tony Knight <
Date: Monday, January 12, 2026 at 9:20 AM
To: Gomez, Julio <
Cc: Hugghins, Bryan K. <
Subject: Re: Request for RFP
On January 5, 2026, the Cibolo Little League Board of Directors sent an email to the City of Cibolo and the YMCA requesting RFP’s. The deadline was January 10, 2026, no exceptions. Both the City of Cibolo and the YMCA have failed to meet the terms and conditions of the email. Failure to meet the terms and conditions serves as the City of Cibolo and YMCA decisions not to collaborate with Cibolo LL.
CLL has no trust in anything that is discussed verbally with the city. The city has made statements in the past that have had no follow through. The Cibolo BOD reiterates the city will comply with the communication details (NO MEETINGS, NO PHONE CALLS. NO TEXT) as outlined in the email dated January 5th. This has been going on now for over a year even after city staff was given specific instructions by city council (who voted unanimously) to “make this happen”.
The City of Cibolo has done a disservice to the Cibolo residents, the local business community and have impacted any long-term benefits of establishing LL in the city.
The email received from the public works had several misstatements and false statements regarding past events. The content below will clarify any and all misconceptions.
Paragraph 1: What the city has failed to see is that the YMCA is holding the city hostage. How? If you remember in the meeting on December 10th, they anticipate registering about 130 kids (10 teams) ONLY T-ball age 3 and 4. But their "operations employee" wasn’t sure and could not even provide last year's registration totals. They stated that their season, interesting enough, would run the same number of weeks of CLL. By their own admission, they play a 7-game season yet need field space for 14-16 weeks and utilize 3 fields for 10 teams during the week. They only play games on Saturday.
The YMCA suggested subleasing the fields at the complex based on the current rates. As mentioned in the December meeting after the YMCA left, they were simply going through the motions for their own satisfaction that an offer was made, lacking any true validity. The YMCA’s lack of professionalism further confirms the poor reputation in the community.
Paragraph 2: As stated in the meeting, Niemietz Park and Al Rich fields are not acceptable for the following reasons. Niemietz is unsafe, disgraceful and would takes months to prepare. CLL BOD members have walked the fields and found several potential safety hazards that could cause player injury. There are no facilities for concessions, and the bathrooms are in such bad condition, one BOD didn’t even want to enter the women’s bathroom. Not to mention parking issues or lack thereof. CLL is not and will not risk player safety playing on substandard fields. There has also been no concrete evidence the city is going to be making improvements to the facility. Only that “improvements are scheduled to begin sometime in 2026”. Niemietz field is an embarrassment.
Paragraph 3: The city does not fully understand the impact LL will bring to the community. As much as the city wants to convince itself that it does, the lack of experience is affecting its judgements. Along with the regular season, this doesn’t include any post-season district tournaments or even the possibilities of hosting state tournaments in Cibolo. And this is all been given up accommodating a league with only 130 players.
If the current win (YMCA) lose (City) agreement defines a strong relationship, might want to get a second opinion. If you also remember during the December meeting, the city mentioned that the city and YMCA would have to look at the current maintenance contract and discuss it. Remember what the YMCA said? Send us a proposal.
CLL adjusted and updated the original proposal to include Exhibit B, to include maintenance, new field construction, and lighting among several other commitments. So yes, CLL provided in writing its commitments. The forecasted savings for the city would be more than $4.9 million over 5 years. What has the YMCA put in writing?
Paragraph 4: There are no outstanding CLL items. As discussed in the December meeting, CLL stated our charter prohibits working with other non-little leagues. We were correct on this.
After speaking with several residents, the YMCA has such a terrible reputation and there is no interest to participate in their league. Calling the local office, the YMCA registration fee is $180-200 dollars unless you sign up for a monthly membership for $70 per month, then registration is only $150. And then there’s a $20 uniform fee. For one 1 player that’s $200 for a 7-game season. That’s $28.50 per game for an hour. CLL T-Ball registration fee is $75 for 12 games and includes the uniform and hat.
CLL has and will continue to recommend, encourage, and direct our baseball and softball community to register and play with an adjacent Little League. CLL WILL NOT, under any circumstances, recommend or encourage anyone within the CLL community to play at the YMCA.
Just to be very clear as stated in the January 5 email, CLL has withdrawn its original proposal whether implied, expressed, or written, including both Exhibits A and B. From the start, CLL has documented its commitment and what has the city leadership and YMCA provided, nothing in writing and just a year’s worth of hollow words and empty promises.
One other major disappointment was when CLL and the city meet in February 2025. The city manager said they were going to meet with the city attorney and have the contract rewritten between the city and the YMCA. Not being informed of the details, we know this didn’t happen.
CLL is officially suspending all discussions until the BOD meets to determine next steps.
Here’s some free advice. NEVER sacrifice the masses for the one. The most difficult decision is the right one 99% of the time. Leadership and respect are more than a title. Education never replaces experience.
Tony Knight
President
Cibolo Little League
From: Gomez, Julio <
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 5:46 PM
To: Tony Knight <
Cc: Hugghins, Bryan K. <
Subject: RE: Request for RFP
Tony,
Good evening sir. I know we were supposed to connect today but I am sure you have been busy. I want to clarify the City’s position and ensure it accurately reflects what was discussed during our December 10, 2025 meeting with City staff, the YMCA, and Cibolo Little League.
As discussed at that meeting, Spring 2026 is not a feasible launch window for full CLL operations at the sports complex. This was acknowledged by all parties and is due to existing contractual obligations with the YMCA, limited field capacity during overlapping seasons, known infrastructure deficiencies (including lighting), and registration and insurance timelines. For these reasons, staff outlined a phased approach, with Spring 2026 serving as a transitional period and Fall 2026/Spring 2027 identified as the realistic target for integration.
City staff also previously discussed Niemietz Park and Al Rich Fields as potential temporary options for Spring 2026. At that time, CLL stated it was not interested in utilizing those locations and that the sports complex was the only acceptable option. As discussed, that option is not feasible for Spring 2026 under the current YMCA agreement, particularly given their upcoming T-Ball and Baseball seasons and the resulting field capacity constraints. As a result, and due to CLL’s decision not to pursue Niemietz or Al Rich, the City has opened the Spring season field lottery to all other organizations.
The City recognizes the value and community impact that Little League brings. However, any future agreement must include a defined commitment from CLL to assist with ongoing maintenance of the facility. The YMCA has been a strong partner with the City and has committed to maintenance responsibilities, and any final agreement related to field use or maintenance must make sense for the City to support a sustainable partnership involving both organizations.
Several follow-up items from the December 10 meeting remain outstanding. Most notably, CLL committed to consulting with Little League regional and national officials (Waco/Williamsport) regarding potential charter flexibility to allow a YMCA/Little League pipeline or, at a minimum, to formally recognize a partnership structure. To date, staff has not received the outcome of those discussions.
The City remains committed to a collaborative process and to developing a long-term agreement that serves the best interests of the community. We look forward to meeting again once the outstanding items have been addressed so we can continue moving this forward.
Thank you
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JULIO GOMEZ, MBA DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS & CAPITAL PROJECTS |
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Direct 210-619-0069 Main 210-658-9900 200 S. Main St. Cibolo, TX 78108 |
From: Tony Knight <
Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 2:05 PM
To: Hernandez, Margarita <
Cc: Hugghins, Bryan K. <
Subject: Re: Request for RFP
ATTENTION: External Email Source Detected! EXERCISE CAUTION, Verify before clicking.
The email on December 11th was received. And as mentioned in a previous meeting, these terms are not acceptable, and yet, there’s been no other offer from the city. Why? It’s also worth mentioning that a year ago, city council voted unanimously to make this happen. And we’re no closer today that we were then.
Let’s also consider that the two locations, Niemietz and Al Rich, are not equipped to support CLL operations. In addition to the park at Niemietz being unavailable mid 2026.
What the city has failed to recognize is the impact Little League will bring to the community. LL is the number 1 youth sports program in the world. LL has over 3 million kids who play little league every year. Of the two San Antonio leagues that I have personal knowledge of, the impact into their local communities in well into the millions of dollars annually.
The proposal that CLL submitted regarding lighting, new field construction, new infields, new bleachers, electric, water, sprinkler system repairs, etc. would have saved $4.9 million dollars over the next five years.
It’s highly recommended that the city reach out to other municipalities and do its homework. The city will find that everything that CLL has discussed and proposed is consistent with the relationship other little leagues and cities have around the country. The relationship between the local Little Leagues and the municipalities is driven on a collaborative community partnership, not profit.
Tony
From: Hernandez, Margarita <
Date: Monday, January 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM
To: Tony Knight <
Cc: Hugghins, Bryan K. <
Subject: RE: Request for RFP
Thank you, Tony. We are in receipt of your email. Did you receive the email from Ashley back on Dec. 11, 2025? Were you able to submit your request then?
From: Tony Knight <
Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 1:22 PM
To: Gomez, Julio <
Cc: Hugghins, Bryan K. <
Subject: Request for RFP
To Whom It May Concern:
Cibolo Little League (CLL), an official chartered league with Little League International in Williamsport, PA, is formally requesting proposals (RFPs) from the City of Cibolo and the YMCA to utilize the athletic fields at the following locations: Cibolo Youth Sports Complex, Niemietz Park, and Al Rich Fields. The intent is to secure access for CLL activities, including practices, games, and tournaments, for the upcoming season.
Each RFP should include the following details:
- Field availability schedule for each location
- Terms and conditions of the sublease agreement, including duration and usage restrictions
- Fee structure and payment terms
- The City and YMCA field maintenance schedule and expectations
- Insurance and liability requirements
- Any additional requirements or considerations relevant to field use
Please submit your detailed proposal by January 10, 2026. No exceptions will be made to the submission deadline. Failure to submit an RFP will be interpreted as a decision not to collaborate or allow CLL to utilize the locations for the upcoming season.
Upon receipt of each RFP, CLL will review the submissions and may request clarification. Any clarifications, questions or responses are due back within one (1) business day upon receipt of the CLL email.
If deemed appropriate, CLL will notify via email the intent to meet and discuss further details. If CLL determines no further negotiations are warranted, one or both organizations will be notified via email the negotiations are terminated.
In addition, any previous implied, expressed, or written commitments by CLL regarding, including but not limited to, field improvements, maintenance, lighting, or new field construction, are now hereby officially withdrawn.
We appreciate your attention to this request and look forward to receiving your proposals. Should you have any questions prior to submission, please contact us at your earliest convenience via email only. Phone calls are not acceptable.
Please forward this email to the YMCA so it can be completed by the proper YMCA employee.
Sincerely,
Cibolo Little League Board of Directors