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Macomb committee advances plan to move business licensing online
Summary
City staff recommended buying a BSNA business registry module to let local businesses register and renew licenses 24/7, expand to liquor and gaming licenses, and provide limited, FOIA-compliant data access to first responders; council placed the item on next week’s agenda for action.
Macomb’s Committee of the Whole on Wednesday reviewed a proposal to purchase a business license registry module through BSNA that staff said would let local business owners register or renew licenses online at any hour and reduce the need to come into City Hall.
City planner/staff member Miss Scalf said the presentation included screenshots from jurisdictions that have implemented the module, and stressed the proposal is intended to make the process “more seamless” for business owners and city staff. “It would allow them to register any hour of the day, any day of the week,” she said, adding the city could expand the module to handle liquor and gaming license renewals and align renewal dates so businesses have one annual interaction with the city.
The presentation said the rental certificate program would remain on the existing certificate platform and that the registry would not be used to sell business data. “We do not anticipate using any of this information to provide for solicitors of any fashion. We’re not selling this information,” Miss Scalf said, adding the city would comply with FOIA requirements while limiting disclosure of personal information. Staff also said limited information could be provided to 9-1-1 dispatchers for emergency response.
Councilmembers asked process questions and noted examples from Buffalo Grove and Greenfield, Wisconsin. Mr. Coker and other staff said the module would make it easier for the fire department and city marketing staff to access non-sensitive business data for operational and outreach purposes. No members requested further changes; the committee placed the purchase on the agenda for final action at next Monday’s City Council meeting.
If approved, the city will move forward with procurement and any necessary configuration to integrate liquor and gaming licenses into the new module, while maintaining the current certificate system for rental registration.
