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Brook Park council approves ArbiterPay contract to speed referee payments
Summary
The council passed an ordinance authorizing the mayor to contract with ArbiterPay (Arbiter Sports LLC) and allocate up to $30,000 for a referee payment platform for 2026, after questions about fees, contract versions and security practices were raised and the law department said it would review updated documents.
Brook Park’s City Council approved an ordinance to authorize the mayor to execute a contract with ArbiterPay (Arbiter Sports LLC) to schedule and make electronic payments to game officials, allocating up to $30,000 for the service in 2026.
The measure, introduced in caucus by Councilman Scott and identified as ordinance 11504‑2025, drew presentation from Mayor Orcutt and Recreation Director Chris, who described the current process of issuing paper checks and running manual verification as cumbersome. Recreation Director Chris said ArbiterPay would let the city load funds into a platform and have finance staff verify games before authorizing payments, reducing manual work and simplifying year‑end reporting for officials who are independent contractors.
Council members asked detailed procedural and contractual questions. Councilman Poindexter noted the contract document in the packet appeared to be a prior version (dated April 1, 2023) while ArbiterPay’s public subscription form showed an updated payor agreement dated Aug. 15, 2024; he asked that the law department review the updated agreement before execution. Poindexter also asked about security practices such as two‑factor authentication and SOC‑2 compliance; the recreation director said he would obtain specific security documentation from the vendor.
Councilmember questions also focused on fees and operational mechanics. The packet lists processing fees that vary by payment amount; staff explained the platform’s tiered fees (for example, roughly $1.93 for payments under $75 and $2.48 for certain higher tiers) and said the city would initially load seasonal funds in batches rather than a single large deposit. Staff also said ArbiterPay can produce 1099 forms at year end for officials who are independent contractors.
After back‑and‑forth on timing, pricing and contracting details, the council moved the ordinance to the council agenda and later passed it under suspension of the rules. Before execution the council requested the law department review the vendor’s updated payor agreement.
What’s next: Ordinance 11504‑2025 passed and authorizes the mayor to finalize the ArbiterPay arrangement; the law department will review the most recent vendor agreement before staff signs the contract.
