Finance committee reviews credit-card pilot at athletic events and a district hotel‑payment system; no action required

District staff briefed the finance committee on two operational finance items: a pilot program to accept credit-card payments at athletic events and a proposed third‑party hotel-reservation/payment engine that centralizes lodging payments.

On the credit-card pilot, the presenter said First Citizens donated seven card readers (three at Sumter High, one at Crestwood, and the remainder at other sites). The presenter reported concession revenue rose 24% during the pilot and that card usage represented about 11% of gate receipts. "Concession revenue though increased by 24% despite the lower ticket sales," the staff member said. The committee discussed a convenience fee; a board member estimated the fee is about 2% (the board member said the county tax office charges about 2.3%) and staff said they would provide the exact rate and communicate it to users. Staff confirmed the pilot was informational and that no board action was required at this time.

Staff also described moving to a third‑party hotel reservation engine that allows the district to pay hotels centrally and avoid issuing purchasing cards to multiple schools. The presenter said hotels prefer not to receive checks and that centralized payment reduces the administrative burden and the risk of missing payments. A board member urged extending the same travel courtesy provided to board members to district staff, requesting staff explore giving staff travel advances before conferences; the board asked staff to discuss this at a future finance meeting.

The committee approved the consent agenda and then adjourned; staff said the credit-card pilot will be expanded and operational details (including exact convenience-fee rates) will be provided later.