Right now, it’s all hands on deck for local governments. Just performing day-to-day services can be challenging as needs increase and staff turnover is high.
This means local governments are in a bind between providing acute services and managing projects with longer term impact. Federal grants are one such example, as they come with specific reporting requirements, benchmarks, and timelines to meet.
Just when local leaders thought we were in the all clear, here comes Delta. The rise of this new COVID-19 variant has resulted in a significant wave of serious cases across the United States, including Illinois where it's the dominant variety. And it’s not the only variant. Scientists predict additional variants as vaccination rates lag.
The short-term rental market is taking off across America. Big cities, small towns—treehouses, even.
Local governments should consider whether rules and regulations should be put into place to manage this industry—and bring in additional funds for the community through registration fees or transient occupancy taxes.
In many communities, laws simply have not kept up with this changing market development. This guide gives community leaders some food for thought when starting the ordinance development process for short-term rental.
Interested in learning all about short-term rental platforms, regulation, administration of transient occupancy taxes, and tax compliance technology? Visit Localgov's short-term rental guide.
Welcome to the Azavar family, Lynwood, Illinois
Compliance audits really should be on every municipality’s to-do list. Because errors creep in tax rolls result in costly revenue leaks—and missed opportunities.
Local leaders across Missouri are scrambling to figure out how big a bite recent legislation will take out of their revenue streams over the next few years.
Gov. Mike Parsons recently signed a package of legislation that outlines how Missouri municipalities can collect online use tax. The state was the last in the country to reconcile the 2018 Supreme Court decision South Dakota v. Wayfair.
Part of the law includes a provision that cuts cable franchise fees in half by 2027. This has some communities panicking, as revenue from cable franchise fees shrivel over the past decade as consumers shift from traditional cable packages to streaming services.
At Azavar, we understand that local leaders are committed to the careful stewardship of every constituent dollar. That’s why we’re excited to announce our partnership with Webster, Texas.
Communities with populations less than 50,000 are now eligible to receive federal pandemic relief funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan.
These funds are critical for helping more than 1,250 small communities across Illinois recover pandemic-related costs and set up for long-term health and stability.
Tucked south of the Kansas border sits an Oklahoma town that wants to do right by its residents and business owners.
Azavar has been selected by Forest View, Illinois to conduct a comprehensive review of its taxes and fees. We are pleased to partner with this unique Cook County community, which lies along Chicago's west side border.
One key reason that municipalities seek out tax compliance audits is that they suspect what we call a revenue leak— a loss of income from taxes and fees caused by errors to tax rolls.
We’re excited to welcome yet another new customer to the Azavar family—Bath, New York. This town of more than 12,000 is located in New York State’s Finger Lakes region, a well-loved region known for recreation, agriculture, and viticulture.
