The Butler Parks Recreation Grounds and Facilities Authority is stuck in the baseball ownership business.

At least for now.

The Prospect League board of directors rejected the authority’s proposed sale of its 40 percent share of the Butler BlueSox.

“The board determined the deal was not in the best interest for either the Butler BlueSox or the Prospect League at this time,” said David Chase, commissioner of the league.

The board voted last week on the sale through a conference call, Chase said.

The facilities authority wants to sell its share of the team to the Nonprofit Development Corporation of Butler for $40,000.

The two sides signed an agreement in December and submitted an application for the sale to the league. Under the agreement, the nonprofit group also would take over management of Kelly Automotive Park, formerly Pullman Park.

The league board, which is composed of one representative from each of its 11 teams, must approve any sale.

The announcement of the proposed sale in December was met with opposition from the team’s majority ownership group, which owns the other 60 percent of the club.

William “Wink” Robinson, a Butler attorney and one of the five owners in the majority group, said at the time the authority was obligated to offer first right of refusal on any sale to the majority group, citing a clause in a 2009 agreement.

The interpretation of that agreement was debated by the facilities authority.

Robinson said at that time the authority never spoke with the majority group about a proposed sale, even though the group expressed interest in September in buying the minority share of the team.

Chase would not comment on the reasoning behind the rejected application, but did say it was an unusual situation.

“We have had other deals not approved,” Chase said. “But it is certainly not the norm. But then again, it’s not the norm for a minority owner to work out a deal without the blessing of the majority owner.”

Ed Codi, chairman of the facilities authority, said in the past that the authority had no interest in selling to the majority owner and would maintain its share if the league rejected the proposed sale to the nonprofit group.

Codi could not be reached for comment.

Robinson declined to comment on the league’s vote.

Mike Robb, executive director of the nonprofit group, said in an e-mail that he does not consider the nonprofit’s intent to purchase the team done.

“In my opinion we are still working through it,” he said.

Chase said the league contacted Robb following the vote but has not communicated with him since then.

He said the nonprofit was free to resubmit an application to buy part of the team in the future.

The BlueSox team of college players is set to play 30 games at Kelly Automotive Park this season.