HomeMy WebLinkAbout28-25 Amending the Historic Preservation Ticket Surcharge for the Morris Performing Arts Center 301 S St.Louis Blvd. DAMES MUELLER
CITY OF SOUTH BEND South Bend,IN 46617 Mayor
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RS & ARTS O:574.245.6053
F:574.245.6053 JORDAN V.GATHERS
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April 9, 2025 Filed in Clerk's Office
Councilman Canneth Lee
4th Floor, County—City Building Bianca Tirado
South Bend, IN 46601 City Clerk, South Bend, IN
RE: Federal Trade Commission Ruling Morris Performing Arts Center Historic Preservation
Fee Adjustment
Dear President Councilman Lee:
Enclosed is an Ordinance amending the Historic Preservation Ticket Surcharge for the Morris
Performing Arts Center. The Morris Performing Arts Center is expected to update its ticketing
fee structure in response to new Federal Trade Commission regulations requiring full disclosure
of all fees at the time of ticket purchase. Currently, a $3.50 Historic Preservation/Facility Fee is
charged per ticket, and a$5.00 Order Fee is charged per transaction. However, the Morris's
ticketing vendor, E-Tix,is unable to incorporate the per-transaction Order Fee into the total
ticket price as required by the new regulations beginning May 12, 2025. To ensure compliance
while maintaining necessary revenue for the Morris, the proposed ordinance eliminates the$5.00
Order Fee and instead increases the per-ticket Historic Preservation/Facility Fee by$1.25,
bringing it to $4.75. This change allows all costs to be clearly disclosed per ticket, ensuring
transparency and aligning with federal guidelines.
The full ordinance is attached for your reference. If you have any questions, please feel free to
contact our office.
Sincerely,
Dezha Moore
General Manager of Venues, VPA
CC: Jordan Gathers, VPA Executive Director
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
Filed in Clerk's Office
BILL NO. 28-25 Bianca Tirado
City Clerk, South Bend, IN
ORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND,
INDIANA, AMENDING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION TICKET SURCHARGE
FOR THE MORRIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT
The City of South Bend's("City")Morris Performing Arts Center(the"Morris")currently
charges a Historic Preservation/Facility Fee of Three Dollars and Fifty Cents ($3.50)that is added
onto the face value of each ticket sold at the Morris.
The Morris also charges an Order Fee on each transaction of Five Dollars ($5.00), which
represents an average cost of extra materials and processes for all ticket purchases, such as
shipping, ticket stock, printing costs, stamps, and intangible operation costs.
Recent regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission governing the disclosure of
fees at the time of ticket purchase have changed the way the City presents Morris ticket prices
through its ticketing vendor to prospective purchasers.
The City's ticketing vendor is not able to include the Order Fee into the Total Price, as
required by the new regulations on or before May 12, 2025, as it is charged per transaction rather
than per ticket. It remains unclear whether a disclaimer regarding the transaction fee on the City's
ticketing website would allow the City to be in full compliance with the new regulations, as best
practices are still developing. The most clear way to comply with the regulations is to include all
fees per ticket in the Total Price.
The City and Morris recognize the Order Fee is an important part of the revenue of the
Morris, and desire to ensure that this revenue is able to be captured at the time of purchase while
remaining in compliance with federal regulations.
The proposed ordinance would shift the transaction fee into a small increase, in the amount
of One Dollar and Twenty-Five Cents ($1.25), in the per ticket Historic Preservation/Facility Fee
and eliminate the Order Fee.This increase reflects the average cost of extra materials and processes
for all ticket purchases, such as shipping, ticket stock, printing costs, stamps, and intangible
operation costs so that it may properly be disclosed at the time of purchase.
This ordinance is in the best interest of the City and its residents.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA as follows:
SECTION I. The Historic Preservation/Facility ticket surcharge is hereby increased from
Three Dollars and Fifty Cents ($3.50) to Four Dollars and Seventy-Five Cents ($4.75) and the
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Order Fee is hereby eliminated. There shall be no change to the distribution of the first Three
Dollars and Fifty Cents of this surcharge. The additional Dollar Twenty-Five Cents ($1.25) shall
be distributed in the same manner as funds from the prior Order Fee.
SECTION II. This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect after adoption by the
Common Council, approval by the Mayor, and any publication required by law.
Canneth Lee, Council President
South Bend Common Council
Attest:
Bianca L. Tirado, City Clerk
Office of the City Clerk
Presented by me, the undersigned Clerk of the City of South Bend, to the Mayor of the
City of South Bend, Indiana on the day of , 2025, at _ o'clock .m.
Bianca L. Tirado, City Clerk
Office of the City Clerk
Approved and signed by me on the day of , 2025, at o'clock
.m.
James Mueller, Mayor
City of South Bend, Indiana
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