Centennial committee reports about $7,000 residual, approves refunds and sponsor plaques and recommends standing events group

The Port Richey City Centennial events committee said it expects roughly $7,000 in residual funds after final invoices and sales are reconciled, and approved a set of refunds and spending to close out the centennial budget.

Committee members spent the meeting reconciling sales of centennial merchandise, unpaid invoices and sponsor recognition items. Member Adam Thompson, who led the budget review, said the committee still needs final counts but estimated roughly 54 shirts sold from a 100-shirt order and sizable remaining coin inventory. He said about $7,055.64 in an invoice to “Spartan Manor” already has been paid and that after outstanding items the city should be “about $7,000 to the good.”

Why it matters: the committee must reconcile event cash, sponsorships and vendor transactions before transferring any leftover funds to a new event account or the general fund. Members also want to preserve some of the residual for future community events rather than treating it as one-off centennial revenue.

Most important decisions and directions - Refunds: The committee agreed to refund $50 to Laurie (Simpson) and $100 to Terrell Hopkins (a $1,000 sponsor who bought tickets online), and to refund food-vendor fees totaling $350 (a $300 grouping and one $50 vendor). The committee also authorized refunding anglers’ entry fees where duplicates were identified; the fishing tournament had 13 paid entries, not 15. These refunds were described and approved during the meeting for staff to process. - Plaques: Members directed staff to order sponsor plaques of varying sizes by sponsorship level and to circulate mock-ups by email before production. The committee asked staff to use a mix of trophy-case items for higher-tier sponsors and wall plaques for smaller donors. - Final closeout meeting: The committee set a follow-up meeting for July 15 at 4 p.m. to finalize finances and distribute remaining materials; members said they would push outstanding vendor and invoice items toward that date.

Discussion details and background Committee members reviewed merchandise counts and sales records and discussed missing cash or donated items. Thompson said he was still reconciling the number of shirts actually distributed at events and noted the office stock was brought to major events. The committee agreed staff should produce a final inventory and reconcile sales reports before the July closeout.

Members also discussed operational lessons for future events: creating a formal fee schedule and vendor application that would enumerate expected city services (police overtime, public-works setup, barricades, trash cans) and how those costs would be passed to event organizers. Staff gave example, order-of-magnitude estimates used for planning: three officers at an estimated combined $90 per hour for 5–6 hours and two public-works staff for roughly four hours at an estimated $20 per hour; trash cans/boxes were estimated at about $10 each and roughly a dozen used. The committee asked staff to draft a formal fee schedule for council review.

Records and follow-up City staff will: finalize counts of shirts and coins, process the approved refunds, circulate plaque mock-ups and prepare the July 15 closing packet. Members asked staff to compile a post-action report with police, fire and public works to recommend infrastructure or park improvements (signage, parking guidance, pavilion sound). Thompson emphasized the need for written guidelines so future vendor-managed events can follow consistent rules and fees.

Member reactions and next steps Member Debbie Robinson and others commended the committee’s effort and quality of events despite lower-than-expected participation. The group recommended closing the ad-hoc centennial committee after financial reconciliation and exploring a new, ongoing events/marketing committee to steward future festivals and sponsorship funds.

Ending The committee closed the discussion by asking staff to return final numbers and recommended documents at the July 15 meeting; members said they will consider dedicating some or all residual funds to a continuing events budget if council approves the new committee structure.