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Council committee backs change to Morris ticket fee so web prices comply with new FTC rule
Summary
City attorneys and venue staff told the Committee on Personal and Finance they will convert a per‑transaction fee into a per‑ticket charge so the Morris’s online checkout will show an all‑in ticket price required by an incoming Federal Trade Commission rule; committee voted to forward Bill 28‑25 with a favorable recommendation.
City Attorney Jenna Throw presented Bill 28‑25 to the Personal and Finance Committee on April 28, asking members to convert the Morris Performing Arts’ existing $5 per‑transaction charge into an equivalent $1.25 increase to the per‑ticket fee so the venue can show a single, all‑in ticket price online ahead of new Federal Trade Commission rules that take effect May 12.
The change “is to convert that transaction fee to an equivalent update to the per ticket fee so that we’re not losing any revenue, but it can be incorporated into our ticketing service in a compliant manner,” City Attorney Jenna Throw said. Amber Schisler, who gave a brief operational explanation, said the proposal increases the per‑ticket fee from $3.50 to $4.75 and eliminates the $5 transaction charge. “This, per ticket dollar 25 bump that we're proposing will replace the existing transaction fee,” Schisler said, adding that some orders (for example, four tickets or fewer) could cost patrons less under the new structure.
The ordinance is intended to align the Morris’ online checkout with the FTC’s “truth in pricing” requirements, Throw said, and staff said the Morris and its ticket vendor have already updated other ticket disclosures and only needed the fee structure change for full compliance.
Committee members asked no technical questions and there were no public speakers. A motion to send Bill 28‑25 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation carried on a roll call (four ayes), sending the ordinance forward for full council consideration.
The shift changes how fees are displayed to buyers but does not increase the venue’s overall expected revenue, staff said; the change was framed as an administrative update to meet federal disclosure rules rather than a taxpayer subsidy or new city charge.
Votes at a glance: Bill 28‑25 — motion to send to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; outcome: approved by committee (4 ayes).
