Port Richey committee presses for online registration, clearer marketing for Centennial events

Members of the City of Port Richey Centennial Committee on Tuesday urged officials to move quickly from paper sign-ups and single-email intake to a centralized online registration and payment system for upcoming events, saying manual processes will swamp staff and reduce participation. The committee discussed options including JotForm, Google Forms and the city—s existing web payment portal and asked staff to provide a short list of feasible integrations and the attorney—s guidance on accepting online payments.

The exchange began after committee member Cheryl Taylor raised concerns about marketing and the mechanics of collecting registrations and fees. "We have to get this out on social media. We have to get it out on the website," Taylor said, adding that relying on email alone would not produce the participation they need. She urged a single registration repository so event leads could see who had paid or registered.

City staff members confirmed that the city can collect registrations through a form that only records sign-ups, and that credit-card processing can be enabled but requires additional configuration and coordination with finance and the city attorney. Staff described two technical paths: (1) use an external form (JotForm) as a front-end for registrations, with payments processed separately and recorded manually by finance; or (2) integrate registrations with the city—s existing web payment portal so payments are automatically posted against a WebID and traceable in the municipal system. Staff warned the committee that any online payment path will incur processing fees (a card-processing fee was discussed in the meeting as roughly 2–3 percent) and that implementation requires coordination with the city—s finance team.

Committee members recommended immediate interim steps if the integrated payment option is not ready before near-term events: publish online registration forms (JotForm or Google Forms) and direct any payments to City Hall by check until a card portal can be set up. Several committee members said staff should send a short template for promotional posts and sized artwork for Facebook, Instagram and Eventbrite to ensure sponsors and event listings render correctly on social platforms.

The committee asked staff to return with (a) a short list of technical options and estimated setup time for each; (b) the city attorney—s guidance on using third-party payment processors and collecting fees online; and (c) a recommended interim process for registrations and receipts that minimizes duplicated inbox traffic for the city clerk and finance team. Staff said they would follow up with finance and the city attorney and attempt to enable a WebID-based payment path that would allow weekly reconciliation and receipts for registrants.