Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Aurora unveils streamlined business registration, aims for 10,000 signups in 2025
Summary
City staff presented a revamped, mandatory business registration pilot that reduces application questions from about 60 to 15, adds GIS and analytics, increases MWBE recruitment, and aims for 10,000 registered businesses in 2025 while keeping registration free.
City staff on Jan. 7 presented a revised business registration program that reduces the application burden, adds GIS mapping and analytics, and aims to register more than 10,000 businesses in 2025.
John Curley, Aurora’s chief development services officer, and Dr. Kenneth Campbell of the mayor’s office of economic development told council members the program grew from post‑pandemic efforts and a history of several earlier attempts to collect reliable business contact data. Curley said staff reduced the registration questionnaire from about 61 detailed questions to 15 targeted items to avoid timeouts and improve completion rates. “We’ve whittled it down to only 15 specific questions now,” Curley said.
Officials said the registration remains mandatory under city ordinance but is free to businesses. The city will require annual renewal at the start of each year. Staff described an opt‑out for public sharing: businesses still must register, but they may opt out of appearing on the public GIS mapping overlay that supports marketing and developer inquiries. “If businesses don’t want their information shared on our GIS mapping portion … they can opt out of that,” a presenter said.
The new workflow includes a QR code flyer for quick registration, automated confirmation emails, and a satisfaction survey for feedback. The system routes vendor‑interest responses to purchasing, and diversity information to the city’s DEI division to help MWBE entities seek certification and grants. Curley said the pilot already shows improved participation and a higher share of MWBE registrations.
City officials also said they tested stability and plan a larger marketing push after the pilot. The city plans to publish a public dashboard and provide an online business registration portal with instructional content and videos.
Council members asked about privacy and external sharing; staff said sharing is currently internal and any external release would undergo additional scrutiny. The ordinance excludes home‑based businesses from the mandatory registration.
