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Wetumpka council approves online concession ordering after debate over convenience fee
Summary
The Wetumpka City Council approved a contract with Family Food Product Services to add online and QR-code concession ordering at city recreation sites after council members debated security, convenience fees and alternatives such as raising menu prices. Cash payment will still be accepted.
The Wetumpka City Council on Feb. 3 approved an agreement with Family Food Product Services to add online and QR-code concession ordering at city recreation locations, after several council members questioned payment security and the proposed convenience fee.
The contract, approved by voice vote during the council's new-business items, authorizes an online ordering platform and QR-code access at concession points. The city will rely on a third-party credit-card gateway for payment processing; city staff said the gateway provider handles card security and compliance.
Council discussion centered on whether customers should pay a separate convenience fee or the city should raise menu prices to cover processing costs. “How secure will credit cards or debit cards be on that?” a council member asked during discussion. Mike, a city staff member, replied that the credit-card gateway would assume responsibility for security and compliance and that the system would move handling away from the city.
Several council members and a resident objected to charging customers an extra convenience fee for card payments, saying it penalizes people who use cards for small purchases. One council member said raising menu prices to cover processing costs would keep transactions simpler for customers. City staff responded that the fee rate is set by the payment processor, that the city currently pays processing fees under the existing point-of-sale setup, and that passing the convenience fee to customers is a standard practice among recreation departments to avoid absorbing those costs.
Staff also said the system will allow customers to use a QR code at concession areas without downloading a dedicated app, an option intended to help visiting tournament participants and one-time visitors. Cash payments will still be accepted at concession stands.
The motion to approve the agreement with Family Food Product Services passed on a council voice vote. The contract description in the agenda was "approval to enter into an agreement with Family Food Product Services to provide an online form of sale, concession ordering capability at all concession locations." The mover and seconder were not recorded by name in the transcript.
The contract terms, the exact convenience-fee rate the city will pass to customers, and whether the council will later opt to instead raise menu prices were not specified during the meeting.
