Sharon Matthews To Be Honored by Silicon Valley Business Journal on May 16
CENTREVILLE, VIRGINIA, April 24, 2019 – Sharon Matthews, vice chairwoman of Avenu Insights & Analytics (Avenu), has been selected as one of 100 Women of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. The publication will honor the awardees at a May 16 ceremony in San Jose, California.
The publication chose the individuals for their contributions of time and expertise in improving businesses and the community. Matthews’s active involvement in multiple organizations led to her selection in the distinctive group that represents well-known brands such as Apple, Facebook, Cisco Systems, LinkedIn and Juniper Networks.
“Just as there is always a need for continuous improvement in a business, in a community, there are also always opportunities to become an influencer and help others move forward,” says Matthews. “I’ve been fortunate to do that and it’s a great honor to have been recognized.”
In addition to serving as Avenu’s vice chairwoman, Matthews is an operating partner of Mill Point Capital, Chair of City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, that helps students stay in school to succeed, and a board member of Road Scholar that provides educational travel programs for older adults.
“It’s not a surprise that Sharon would be noticed for her service, but it certainly is a delight,” says Paul Colangelo, CEO of Avenu. “I know firsthand how she brings her service mindset to our company and ultimately to our state and local government customers.”
About Avenu Insights & Analytics
Avenu Insights & Analytics has a long history of helping state and local governments boost revenue, optimize operations, and deepen community trust. Avenu’s revenue enhancement and administration solutions enable jurisdictions to provide truly digital government that meets expectations of citizens, employees and elected officials. Avenu is a portfolio company of Mill Point Capital.
Mention the word “landline” to modern consumers, and you’ll likely get the same quizzical look as if you’d said “rotary phone.” As consumers shift almost uniformly to mobile phones and larger organizations rely on cable connections instead of DSL for their office “landlines,” the local income associated with telecom franchise fees has nosedived. Adding to the complexity of the revenue issue is the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA) of 1998, which prohibits taxing internet usage – so, even though telecommunications companies are utilizing locally-owned phone lines to provide broadband internet access to residents, localities can no longer tax the services being provided like they used to.
However, creative minds have been working to find ways that accommodate the various federal statutes while still increasing revenue for local governments. In recent months, cities have started to pass legislation allowing localities to tax internet providers directly for using city right–of-ways (ROWs). It’s a highly technical loophole, but with broadband being at the forefront of the next major tax revolution, its one that your municipality may want to consider – and soon.
Read the full story by Avenu’s Jonathan Gerth at Efficient Gov.
Jonathan Gerth, Esq., is vice president of compliance auditing for Avenu Insights & Analytics. Contact him at Jonathan.Gerth@avenuinsights.com.
HERNDON, VA, October 15, 2018 – Avenu Insights & Analytics (Avenu) has named public sector expert Roger Murphy as director of the Information Technology (IT) Managed Services division.
As an IT executive, Murphy has responsibility for contributing to business development, delivering IT strategy, operations and achieving expected results for clients in state, county and city governments.
“Costs are often cited as a main reason that jurisdictions are behind the curve regarding their IT investments,” states Murphy. “But it doesn’t have to cost a lot to reach a high level of modernization, and Avenu has a deep history in achieving this with high-demand constituent applications and the human resources, finance and other administrative applications.”
Murphy joins Avenu at an opportune time when governments are moving more aggressively to the cloud for performance and optimization. The company leads these transformational efforts for clients along with driving workflows and processes, network and case management, and handling call centers and security.
Notes Avenu CEO Paul Colangelo, “state and local governments need to increase their level of IT innovation and use of data in order to serve their constituents. Roger has done this for multiple cities and counties and Avenu is well positioned to do more of this with his leadership.”
About Avenu Insights & Analytics
Since 1978, Avenu Insights & Analytics has helped state and local governments adapt to the changing needs for information management and their impact on service delivery. Avenu’s revenue enhancement and administration solutions enable jurisdictions to provide truly digital government that meets expectations of citizens, employees and elected officials. This approach results in more predictable revenue and cost, and allows governments to sustain a high quality of life.
About Mill Point Capital
Mill Point Capital is a middle-market private equity firm focused on control-oriented investments in the business services and industrial sectors. The firm works with executive partners to leverage its investment professionals’ experience, while providing strategic and operational guidance designed to drive long-term value creation in its portfolio companies. Mill Point is based in New York, NY.
Media Contact:
Chris Ourand, Avenu Director of Marketing, (571) 441-2891
Local governments increasingly seek private-sector solutions when it comes to administering revenue programs, as the Avenu client roster shows.
Elmore County in Alabama has agreed to use Avenu for processing revenue for sales and use taxes, while in Georgia, Floyd County has engaged Avenu to audit its hotels and increase compliance with the requirements of the county ordinance. Avenu also will support Georgia’s City of South Fulton with compliance audits of its business license and alcohol taxes.
As pressure builds for jurisdictions to fund services without raising taxes, programs like these help by increasing the amount of taxes already owed and ensuring the fairness of the tax system.
Avenu’s Vice President of Tax and Auditing Services, Jonathan Gerth, is bringing his expertise to Opelika, AL on Aug. 15 for a one-day business workshop in partnership with the Opelika Chamber of Commerce. Titled “Everything You Want to Know About the Collection of Sales Tax in the City of Opelika,” the one hour seminar is designed to educate local chamber members and potential chamber members on topics such as municipal business licenses requirements, how municipalities apply rental taxes, and the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding sales & use tax. Interested parties are encouraged to register online. Registration is $10 for Chamber members and $15 for prospective members. Lunch will be provided.
Avenu has renewed its sponsorship of the California City Management Foundation (CCMF). This reflects the company’s acknowledgement of CCMF’s importance in elevating the city management profession in California through scholarships and programs.
CCMF provides critical support to California’s municipal executives throughout their careers. The educational and networking support, especially now when cities have so many competing priorities, is essential to the executives to thrive as leaders.
CCMF provides support to current and future city managers in several ways. The Wes McClure Scholarship is awarded to two graduate students who are currently serving in or are pursuing a career in local government. The Harvard Leadership Program Scholarship provides financial assistance for up to three current CCMF members who are accepted into the Harvard Leadership Decision Making program at the Kennedy School of Executive Education. For current city managers, CCMF offers the New and Future City Managers Seminar to guide and inform participants’ choices.
Through an alliance with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the Foundation helps to establish ethical standards in the industry. CCMF also offers an array of members-only resources to help city managers develop their careers.
“CCMF is grateful for the continued support of Avenu. As a company built around the practice of helping local governments across the country maximize their revenue and function as effectively as possible, they are a valued partner of the CCMF organization,” says Wade McKinney, CCMF President.
On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that internet retailers can be required to collect online sales tax, even in states where they have no physical presence. The landmark decision, South Dakota vs. Wayfair, Inc., reverses a 1992 ruling and can result in a greater revenue source for state and local governments. As explained in this free Avenu webinar held right after the ruling, there are still uncertainties that need to be worked out. Below are highlights from the presentation that inform local government leadership about online sales tax, its revenue potential and what must or may happen before those funds are realized.
It’s been estimated that state and local governments lose nearly $13 billion per year.
Consumers are increasingly choosing the convenience and savings of online shopping. However, if those purchases were made at brick and mortar stores, the sales tax revenue that governments would collect amounts to as much as $13 billion according to the federal General Accountability Office. Having an online sales tax will allow states, cities and counties to collect this money. All governments struggle with pension, operational and other costs, and raising taxes is not an easy option. This makes online sales tax a sound choice under the right circumstances; retroactive tax collection is not permitted.
The ruling includes protections for small online businesses.
The court specified that its ruling was applicable to businesses with more than $100,000 in sales or more than 200 unique transactions per year. This may provide some relief to small, independent online retailers that will have a more difficult time adjusting to a new tax code.
Congressional Action/Implementation Moratorium.
Some stakeholders are advocating for Congress to create a six-month moratorium on sales tax collection to help businesses comply with different state statutes. Therefore, a like outcome is that some states will need to modify their current legislation to comply with the decision. If states enact laws perceived as limiting interstate commerce, then there is a strong chance that Congress will draft a federal standard. There is no timeline for this to happen.
Implementation and Timing.
Several states are issuing guidelines and implementing these new rules, so this will take time. It is still possible that there will be appeals in the lower courts for specific areas of compliance. Localities need to stay vigilant and proactive to ensure they are receiving the revenue they are entitled to.
To hear more about Avenu’s take on the case and how it might affect your area, download and watch the webinar for free here or view it on YouTube.
What are cities doing to remain livable? See the United States Conference of Mayors Business Council Best Practice Report for innovation at work. Avenu is honored to be included on page 10 for its hotel revenue recovery program in El Paso, Texas. Download report here.
Adam Rubin
South Carolina’s city managers will be on the lookout for Avenu Insights & Analytics at the Municipal Association of South Carolina Annual Meeting. Taking place July 18-22 at the Marriott Hotel, Hilton Head Island, the MASC is a place for local government leaders to network, learn, and share their own insights on how to best manage the state’s municipalities. An avid supporter of local agencies, Avenu remains committed to helping South Carolina’s cities maximize their revenue and run more efficiently, and will be on site throughout the week. Look for Avenu Business Development Executive Adam Rubin at sessions – he will be ready to answer your questions regarding:
For any questions or to get in touch with Adam at the conference, reach out to him at adam.rubin@avenuinsights.com.
Download our recent webinar by Avenu Senior Vice President Doug Jensen and Product Developer Eric Myers on how Avenu’s Clearview software can help you recognize and anticipate changes in your jurisdiction’s revenue. Doug highlights all that Clearview can do for your agency, and Eric goes over features such as graphic displays, overlays and real-time data. With this you can easily show your council, mayor and citizens why revenue changes occur and how they affect overall economic performance.
This free presentation will also provide you with an overview of how Clearview can:
View the webinar for free on YouTube, and if you want to try Clearview Avenu is offering a free 30-day trial. Email webinars@avenueinsights.com to sign up.