BLS team wins national recognition
Your BLS Partnership Services Team is the 2021 winner of the Best Practices in Tax Administration award from the Federation of Tax
Administrators (FTA).
The Partnership Services team of 16 is part of Revenue’s Taxpayer Services division. It's a specialized work unit dedicated to assisting the public servants that manage local business licenses and state registrations. This year's national award was given for the team's ongoing efforts to add cities to Washington’s unique combined licensing partnership. BLS offers its “one-stop” licensing portal where business owners can manage local business licenses and hundreds of state endorsements, such as liquor licenses.
The Partnership Services team of 16 is part of Revenue’s Taxpayer Services division. It's a specialized work unit dedicated to assisting the public servants that manage local business licenses and state registrations. This year's national award was given for the team's ongoing efforts to add cities to Washington’s unique combined licensing partnership. BLS offers its “one-stop” licensing portal where business owners can manage local business licenses and hundreds of state endorsements, such as liquor licenses.
A better, faster onboarding process
In 2017, lawmakers charged BLS staff with providing the free service to more than 150 new municipal partners by 2023. The team used Lean
techniques to identify roadblocks, streamline opportunities, and speeding up onboarding. Staff completed nearly 100 partnerships
in just three years by expediting timelines, grouping partners by region, and creating specialized staff roles. Staff also elicited feedback, collaborating with customers to provide targeted training and on-demand resources.
Results please customers
The improvements were met with enthusiasm.
“The City of Redmond is excited to be partnering ... to streamline and ease the application and/or renewal process
for our business community,” said Mayor Angela Birney.
Partnership Services staff also said the changes improved
relationships as they added systems expertise to their
professional skill sets.
BLS is on track to meet its goal by next year’s deadline. More than 170 cities are BLS partners – nearly tripling the number since the 2017 legislation. Revenue Director Vikki Smith praised the partnership team for rising to the
challenge.
“We’re proud of the improved service we are providing our
city partners and thousands of businesses,” Vikki said. “Finding better ways to
make licensing easy and convenient is a statewide benefit.”
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The Local Government
Partnership Meeting is July 22.
Local Government Partnership meeting set for July
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| The Local Government Partnership Meeting is July 22. |
The Department of Revenue’s annual Local
Government Partnership meeting is going virtual again in 2021. The online-only
meeting is set for the morning of July 22. You can get agenda information and a meeting
invitation by signing up for Revenue’s local government
notifications by either text, email, or both.
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BLS adds more partners in May
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| Ferries run frequently from Seattle to Bremerton |
The rising tide of new BLS city partners is swelling this
spring as Pe Ell, Montesano, and Toledo join the combined licensing service this month. All of these cities follow in the footsteps of neighbor communities that
joined BLS recently. By summer, more than a dozen Southwest
Washington cities will have linked up with BLS in 2021. Cosmopolis and Vader add BLS administrative support in June, as does Waitsburg in
Walla Walla County.
In July, the first BLS partner city will be Bremerton – the home of a Navy base, a state ferry terminal, and 40,000 residents connected by a vibrant business community.
Welcome to all of our new BLS municipal partners.
