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How Florence, Alabama Found Millions in Sales Tax Revenue

With just over 40,000 residents, Florence is Alabama’s 11th largest city. Home to the University of North Alabama, this vibrant and welcoming town also hosts the state’s most popular renaissance festival, held annually each October.

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Bob Leyde, beloved City Clerk for the City of Florence, Alabama, is a pillar of the local community as well as a talented and innovative administrator. He wisely utilized Avenu’s vast capabilities to generate up-to-the-minute analytics for more accurate projections of sales tax revenue during the COVID pandemic and increase the efficiency of his administration staff.
Here’s a sneak peek:
  • Detailed reporting helped Bob overcome budgeting challenges and increase compliance.
  • Accurate and real-time information about current business opportunities and revenue collection is crucial to his decision-making process.
  • Avenu streamlined the city’s tax administration with a laser-focused audit process.
  • Bob encourages leaders of cities of any size to see how Avenu’s technology can optimize operations and maximize revenue generation.

This discussion was taken from our show Local Government Insights. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple, and all your other favorite podcast platforms. Take a moment listen on your favorite platform. We would appreciate your reviews and feedback as we continue to release upcoming episodes.

Business License Administration and Compliance

For the City of Rolling Hills Estates in California, the adoption of new technology has already paid off with a unique approach to administering and maximizing compliance of business license tax revenues.

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In this episode, we talked with Mike Whitehead, Administrative Services Director and City Treasurer for the City of Rolling Hills Estates in California. We covered:
  • Challenges faced with business license administration and overall compliance
  • Finding solutions tailored to the unique needs and problems cities are facing
  • Responsibilities of staff and the shifting priorities with the use of new technology
  • Cost savings with technology partnerships and client facing portals

This discussion was taken from our show Local Government Insights. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple, and all your other favorite podcast platforms. Take a moment listen on your favorite platform. We would appreciate your reviews and feedback as we continue to release upcoming episodes.

City of Birmingham Excited to Empower Local Businesses

Local businesses are already excited about Birmingham’s new effort to provide on-line processing of city business licenses and related taxes though Avenu Insights and Analytics. Starting in December, this new program will help businesses save time by enabling business owners to focus on growing their businesses.

Mayor Randall Woodfin is focused on bringing a customer-first approach to the City of Birmingham, and recently sat down at a popular local restaurant to talk about the new program.

“Municipal and local government have to do the fundamentals of blocking and tackling first. We should give our small business owners the option to renew their business license online. It’s not only common sense, but it makes things more efficient and effective as well. We should be more supportive of our small business owners. It just makes sense.”

Local entrepreneur and restaurant owner, Crystal Peterson, spends more than an hour annually travelling around the city to filer her business licenses as well as additional time each month to file her taxes. Now, with access to Avenu’s online filing, Crystal can remit taxes and process renewals in minutes from the comfort of her home, saving her valuable time and money.

With Avenu, the City of Birmingham is empowered to help businesses and make the lives of entrepreneurs easier and encourage small businesses and economic growth.

Avenu is in the business of helping jurisdictions help their citizens. Together we can deliver more efficient and effective results for local communities.

Learn more about our Tax and License Administration solutions and how we can help your community today.

City of Birmingham Partners with Avenu Insights & Analytics to Bring Online Portal for Business License and Tax Administration

CENTREVILLE, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The City of Birmingham partnered with Avenu Insights & Analytics (Avenu) to launch online filing as a new way to file for the 2020 business license tax season. Businesses will submit and pay their business license renewals online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week versus having to either pay in person at City Hall or having to mail renewals. Businesses will also be able to submit payment via ACH Debit (checking or savings) or credit card.

An equally great benefit of filing online is that business owners will not have to worry about overlooking required information or miscalculations. Each business will have a unique access code for a customized experience and the online form will pre-populate basic business information and load the renewal license categories on file for each business. The online filing system will automatically calculate the license taxes due based on the gross receipts (or other required amounts) entered by the business, saving business owners time and providing confidence that they have filed correctly.

Avenu CEO, Paul Colangelo, stated, “The partnership with Birmingham is personal for Avenu’s Tax Administration team, who is located in Birmingham. The services and support that our office will provide, in addition to the opportunity to secure and find additional revenue for the City that we live, work and play in adds a higher level of responsibility. We are personally invested in the strategic plan for this City and excited to be a part its continued success.”

“One of our core values is customer service and this goes directly to that commitment,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “Online filing adds tremendous convenience to our businessowners, which saves them valuable time and streamlines the process. Partnering with a local company who has a vested interest in our community is an added benefit as well.”

About the City of Birmingham

The City of Birmingham, Alabama, is the largest city in the State of Alabama, with a population currently estimated at 212,237, and a metro population of 1,136,650. Birmingham is a beautiful diverse city nestled at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. At the height of the nation’s manufacturing age, the city grew so fast in population, it was called the “Magic City.” Today, Birmingham has transformed itself into a medical research, banking and service-based economy, making it one of the nation’s most livable cities with a vibrant downtown, flourishing loft community, a world-class awarded culinary scene, thriving and diverse neighborhoods and more green space per capita than any other city in the nation! To learn more, visit the City’s website at www.birminghamal.gov.

About Avenu Insights & Analytics

Over 3,000 state and local governments have partnered with Avenu to boost revenue, optimize operations, and deepen community trust. Avenu provides revenue enhancement and administrative solutions that uncover new sources of untapped revenue and deliver software that streamlines day-to-day operations. State and local governments partner with Avenu to increase revenue without raising taxes, streamline internal operations, and improve services by enhancing connectivity for constituents. Avenu is a portfolio company of Mill Point Capital. To learn more, visit www.avenuinsights.com.

Press release from the City of Birmingham available here.

Contacts

Corinne Aycock, Avenu Marketing Manager, (703) 863-1366