Richmond City Hall. (BizSense file)
The City of Richmond has launched an online system that business owners must now use to register and file taxes, and it’s giving them an extra month to do so.
The RVA Business Portal was launched in January and is now the only way to register businesses and renew licenses in the city. The portal also allows for online payment of business personal property taxes and BPOL (business, professional and occupational license) taxes, though payments are still accepted by mail.
The system is intended to improve service efficiencies and replace what Finance Director Sheila White described as a “very manual- and paper-intensive environment” that was “ripe for human error.”
Sheila White
“Prior to this year, every single business filing coming into the city, even payments for our monthly taxes – all paper,” White said. “It was a very inefficient process that was just ripe for opportunities for error. This really does make it more efficient and effective.”
Before and after the portal was launched last month, the city sent emails and mailers to existing business customers and ran ads to alert them to the changes, White said. She said customers started using the portal right away and traffic has increased in the weeks leading up to the city’s typical March 1 deadline for renewing licenses and paying BPOL taxes.
However, the city announced this week that it is extending that deadline to March 31. White said the additional time is being provided in light of the newness of the system, as well as the unexpected events surrounding last month’s dayslong water outage that affected businesses throughout the city.
“Realizing that change takes time, especially a change of this magnitude for our business community, we wanted to be sensitive to that,” White said.
“Especially since at the beginning of the year, folks’ minds were on what was going on with all of the other things that were happening with the city in January. We thought about that and said this is no fault of their own; they’ve just been busy running their businesses, running their lives. We need to give them some additional time and make sure that that grace period is there.”
The portal is the latest in an ongoing effort to move certain city services online. The city’s planning and development review department, for example, has moved permitting and inspections services online and no longer accepts paper submissions.
The city also is working to fully roll out its RVA Pay system that would allow all taxpayers to look up their accounts and manage payments online. White said that system, which the city expects to help prevent tax collection issues that have plagued Richmond restaurateurs in recent years, is targeted for full rollout later this year.
For RVA Business Portal, the city spent just under $50,000 for development of the system, advertising and outreach. The bulk of the funds were paid to local print shop BambooInk, which handled postcard and business letter printing and mailing; marketing firm SIR for video production; and vendors GroundTruth (geofencing services), Effectv (TV and online ads) and AudioGo (radio/streaming ads).
Despite those efforts, some business owners and tax filers have said, on online forums and to BizSense, that they were not aware of the portal or that it was mandatory until recently. Some also cited technical issues with the portal upon its launch and questioned how successfully the city’s communications were received.
A screenshot of the RVA Business Portal.
White said she has heard about some of those issues and complaints about certain aspects such as multiparty authentication. She said such feedback is welcomed to address any issues and maintained that the system was built with many of them mind.
“The feedback that I’m getting, other than people saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know I had to do it this way,’ it has been overwhelmingly positive,” White said. “Once they get in and they use it, it’s easy to use and they’re happy with their ability to go in, file, certify. They can also pay now.
“I was really happy to see that that really started the conversation, because we do want them to talk about it. What I don’t want them to say is, ‘Hey, I can’t do it.’ Come to us; let us help you,” she said. “This is our first foray into it, so there’ll be opportunity for us to continue to refine and make this even better going forward.”
While payments can still be mailed if customers don’t want to make them online, White said it was intentional to not include a paper option and to make registering and filing online the only option.
“Paper just isn’t efficient. It’s not the best way for us to do it,” she said. “We needed to move to a more modern approach.
“When you take the human element out of it, my staff taking what someone might have intended to do and translate that and put that into our systems, I think we end up in a better place when the business owner is able to put in their own information and then certify that is what they intended to put in. That piece of it, to me, is really critical,” White said.
The RVA Business Portal webpage includes audio tutorials and reference guides to help customers learn the online system. White said customers also can meet with city staff to go through the process in person. Appointments can be made with the finance department’s support staff or through the city’s 311 system.
Late fees will be waived for users who register and file before March 31, the city said in its announcement. More information about online payments is available on the city’s website.
Richmond City Hall. (BizSense file)
The City of Richmond has launched an online system that business owners must now use to register and file taxes, and it’s giving them an extra month to do so.
The RVA Business Portal was launched in January and is now the only way to register businesses and renew licenses in the city. The portal also allows for online payment of business personal property taxes and BPOL (business, professional and occupational license) taxes, though payments are still accepted by mail.
The system is intended to improve service efficiencies and replace what Finance Director Sheila White described as a “very manual- and paper-intensive environment” that was “ripe for human error.”
Sheila White
“Prior to this year, every single business filing coming into the city, even payments for our monthly taxes – all paper,” White said. “It was a very inefficient process that was just ripe for opportunities for error. This really does make it more efficient and effective.”
Before and after the portal was launched last month, the city sent emails and mailers to existing business customers and ran ads to alert them to the changes, White said. She said customers started using the portal right away and traffic has increased in the weeks leading up to the city’s typical March 1 deadline for renewing licenses and paying BPOL taxes.
However, the city announced this week that it is extending that deadline to March 31. White said the additional time is being provided in light of the newness of the system, as well as the unexpected events surrounding last month’s dayslong water outage that affected businesses throughout the city.
“Realizing that change takes time, especially a change of this magnitude for our business community, we wanted to be sensitive to that,” White said.
“Especially since at the beginning of the year, folks’ minds were on what was going on with all of the other things that were happening with the city in January. We thought about that and said this is no fault of their own; they’ve just been busy running their businesses, running their lives. We need to give them some additional time and make sure that that grace period is there.”
The portal is the latest in an ongoing effort to move certain city services online. The city’s planning and development review department, for example, has moved permitting and inspections services online and no longer accepts paper submissions.
The city also is working to fully roll out its RVA Pay system that would allow all taxpayers to look up their accounts and manage payments online. White said that system, which the city expects to help prevent tax collection issues that have plagued Richmond restaurateurs in recent years, is targeted for full rollout later this year.
For RVA Business Portal, the city spent just under $50,000 for development of the system, advertising and outreach. The bulk of the funds were paid to local print shop BambooInk, which handled postcard and business letter printing and mailing; marketing firm SIR for video production; and vendors GroundTruth (geofencing services), Effectv (TV and online ads) and AudioGo (radio/streaming ads).
Despite those efforts, some business owners and tax filers have said, on online forums and to BizSense, that they were not aware of the portal or that it was mandatory until recently. Some also cited technical issues with the portal upon its launch and questioned how successfully the city’s communications were received.
A screenshot of the RVA Business Portal.
White said she has heard about some of those issues and complaints about certain aspects such as multiparty authentication. She said such feedback is welcomed to address any issues and maintained that the system was built with many of them mind.
“The feedback that I’m getting, other than people saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know I had to do it this way,’ it has been overwhelmingly positive,” White said. “Once they get in and they use it, it’s easy to use and they’re happy with their ability to go in, file, certify. They can also pay now.
“I was really happy to see that that really started the conversation, because we do want them to talk about it. What I don’t want them to say is, ‘Hey, I can’t do it.’ Come to us; let us help you,” she said. “This is our first foray into it, so there’ll be opportunity for us to continue to refine and make this even better going forward.”
While payments can still be mailed if customers don’t want to make them online, White said it was intentional to not include a paper option and to make registering and filing online the only option.
“Paper just isn’t efficient. It’s not the best way for us to do it,” she said. “We needed to move to a more modern approach.
“When you take the human element out of it, my staff taking what someone might have intended to do and translate that and put that into our systems, I think we end up in a better place when the business owner is able to put in their own information and then certify that is what they intended to put in. That piece of it, to me, is really critical,” White said.
The RVA Business Portal webpage includes audio tutorials and reference guides to help customers learn the online system. White said customers also can meet with city staff to go through the process in person. Appointments can be made with the finance department’s support staff or through the city’s 311 system.
Late fees will be waived for users who register and file before March 31, the city said in its announcement. More information about online payments is available on the city’s website.
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I just signed up on the RVA Business Portal. I was very suprised when I emailed to request the training offered, shout our to the trainer Q’Nique Cotman – she was “A-M-A-Z-I=N-G”. She was VERY helpful sitting our accounts up, patient, graciously waited for me to run thru the sign on etc.. In the past 18 years we have dealt with City of Richmond, this was a “breath of fresh air”! as far as customer service. Congratulations Shelia White – I sense Finance Department is headed in a much better direction!
So NO back up system or paper forms for when the new system crashes. City has bought so many “improved systems” and process my head is spinning but has anyone seem improvements.