Maximize Revenues and Streamline Compliance

Enjoy 360 degrees of efficiency, technology, and service with our comprehensive approach to local government revenue management

TRUSTED BY MORE THAN 550 CUSTOMERS

The City of Fort Worth, Texas

Digitized hotel occupancy tax compliance, grew STR registrations 9x, and cut processing costs

The Problem: Fort Worth relied on a homegrown system to administer hotel occupancy taxes, but it was unreliable, broke under updates, and made reporting nearly impossible. Short-term rentals (STRs) were expected to pay taxes but compliance was largely voluntary and unenforced. Only about 10 STRs were registered, leaving hotels frustrated by unfair competition and the city without needed revenue. And many hotels still paid by check or credit card, creating inefficiencies and added costs.

The Solution: Partnering with Localgov, Fort Worth implemented a customized compliance and collections platform that automated registration, tax collection, outreach, and reporting. Localgov respected the city’s ordinances while easing the workload of its small tax staff and improving taxpayer experience. The results have been significant: STR registrations increased ninefold, from 10 to 99 properties, while 100% of hotels now pay online via ACH instead of checks or credit cards—cutting processing costs and reducing administrative burden. With Localgov managing taxpayer support and customer service, the city’s small staff only steps in on rare exceptions. Most importantly, both STRs and hotels now participate in a fairer, more transparent system that builds trust and maximizes compliance.

Short-term rental | Hotel occupancy tax | Registration & tax collections | Digital compliance | Ordinance alignment

The City of Springfield, Illinois

$980K reclaimed from underpayment of franchise fees

The Problem: The City of Springfield suspected it was missing out on utility franchise fees, but didn’t know quite how much.

The Solution: Azavar’s team of analysts discovered that Comcast had underpaid Springfield by nearly $1 million. We quickly negotiated a settlement for Springfield and added significant revenues to the city’s budget.

Franchise fee review | Sales tax review | Lodging tax review | Tax clawbacks | Settlement negotiation

Erie County, Ohio

Identified the total volume of short-term rental hosts and digitized compliance

The Problem: The County didn’t know how to identify or collect taxes from short-term rentals, per new legislation. And it didn’t even have a way for hosts to register rentals or pay taxes on their rental properties.

The Solution: Our team implemented Localgov's Short-Term Rental Administration solution and identified 100% of short-term rental hosts in the jurisdiction. We added online tax-payment capabilities so hosts can now manage their accounts, remit steady payments to the County, and stay compliant.

Lodging tax review | Online-travel company compliance | Taxpayer support | Digital filing & payment

Boost Revenue Without Raising Taxes

Cut Costs Without Cutting Services

Increase Your Bond Rating & Secure Optimal Interest Rates

Eliminate Risk With No Out-Of-Pocket Review Expense

Recover & Collect the Maximum with Azavar's Revenue Reviews

"Our community will continue to benefit in the years to come from ongoing revenues ($133k+) that were uncovered by Azavar's investigation."

John Thorson, Administrative Services Director
City of Rock Island, Illinois

Achieve Better Revenue Collections Through Ordinance Improvement

"Azavar helped to educate my staff, me, and our hotel staff. There were a lot of ambiguities in our old ordinances that had been on the books for thirty, forty years, and we updated and clarified our ordinances."

Linda Moore, Treasurer
City of Quincy, Illinois

Streamline Taxpayer Filings & Applications with Localgov Tax & Licensing Administration

"I highly recommend Azavar and Localgov for any local government seeking revenue and registration management support. Their engaged team provides constant updates on all situations, deliverables, and expected resolutions, which is crucial for the city.”

Monica Arrañaga, Revenue Supervisor
City of Fort Worth, Texas

Tax (5)

Empower Your Decision-Makers with Localgov Insights & Analytics

Local governments count on sales taxes from local businesses for up to one-third of their total tax revenues. Automating the process of tracking revenues helps monitor the business health of your community and assists in deciding where to allocate resources. Insights & Analytics empowers finance leaders to explore data, discern trends, and make actionable plans for their community. For Illinois and Texas customers only.

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360° Revenue Cloud

Most Popular

Complete Revenue Maximization & Compliance Program

Starting at $13,000/year

Price includes minimum annual subscriptions for the Localgov Tax Filing Module, Registration Module, and Sales Tax Insights & Analytics Module. Itemized module prices provided upon request.

Contingency-Fee Only Revenue Audit Program

Free Ordinance Development & Optimization Consultation

Insights & Analytics Sales Tax Reporting Tool

Localgov Tax & Licensing Administration

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Frequently Asked Questions

What if my municipality doesn’t administer a lot of local taxes?

We hear this question a lot. In reality, your municipality probably administers more taxes or fees than you might realize—everything from dog-walking licenses to fuel taxes, lodging to franchise fees. Every penny matters. After we complete a baseline compliance review of your revenue streams, our self-auditing Localgov platform will automatically keep your taxpayers in compliance going forward. We’ll work with your staff to get this online filing & payment platform up and running and help your taxpayers get started.
Will Localgov work if I just purchased financial software or work with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool?
How will this fit into my budget?

We understand just how tight municipal budgets can be. That’s why our pricing structure for revenue reviews involves no up-front costs. We work on a contingency basis. If we recover revenue, we’ll share in the rewards. However, we don’t take a dime until your community is paid first.

Localgov, our online remittance platform, is priced based on the needs of each municipality and we’ll work with your team to arrive at a price based on transactions processed and other custom requirements. However, the platform is so easy to use that it is a guaranteed revenue generator. Your taxpayer constituents will be able to remit payments more swiftly and consistently. Funds are available almost immediately, ensuring that you can continue to provide service to your residents.
Do I really need an outside vendor to conduct revenue reviews?

Yes! Here’s why: a truly comprehensive revenue review includes initial discovery, reckoning, and collections. That entire process, when conducted internally, can take up to two years, depending on complexity, responsiveness, and collections. Few municipalities have the staff required to manage such a thorough and complex process and the funds generated could be cancelled out by payroll costs. However, Azavar takes on the financial risk by offering a no-fee, contingency-only model for municipalities. We only get paid after you do.

We do more than just check addresses. Using our proprietary GIS software and a time-tested process, we uncover all errors, rate issues, and boundary concerns. Our 360-degree approach looks at every single ordinance and levy from all possible angles.
My municipality is so small. Do we really need your services?

Yes! We don’t discriminate on size when it comes to revenue reviews—and neither do tax errors. Smaller communities lack the kind of oversight abilities that larger municipalities have and we bring those to the table. Here’s a great example: we worked with Sesser, IL (pop. 1,875) to uncover $10,000 in revenue. Sounds pretty great, right?

Localgov, our digital remittance platform, helps small municipalities offer more high-value services. Instead of pushing paperwork, your staff can work directly with businesses and residents on more meaningful efforts. Plus, your taxpayer constituents will save on late fees and fines when they have the option to file, pay, and manage their businesses' local tax compliance online.
Will a revenue review or Localgov implementation take up a lot of time?

Absolutely not. The benefit of hiring a seasoned local firm such as Azavar is that we do all of the heavy lifting. After a short call and subsequent site visit to collect relevant documents, our team will be off and running.

Adopting Localgov is similarly straightforward. The platform takes as little as one month to implement—again, with our team doing much of the heavy lifting. And then, you’ll watch the time savings add up as previously paper processes are replaced by speedy digital methods.
Can I trust Azavar & Localgov?

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Schedule a call today to start your journey towards revenue maximization.