Cities and towns across South Carolina constantly seek new ways to improve their communities to attract and retain businesses. Many have streamlined their business licensing and permitting processes through one-stop shops to ensure businesses can get up and running as quickly as possible.
Although the City of Mauldin had elements of a one-stop shop previously in place at city hall, those elements did not make doing business in Mauldin very easy, observed the city’s Director of Business and Development Services Kim Hamel.
Hamel and other members of the city staff took a bird’s eye view of the city’s business licensing and permitting processes under its one-stop shop, and they didn’t like what they saw. Businesspeople still had to visit multiple city departments, submit numerous applications and forms, and meet with city staff too many times to get their businesses off the ground.
Borrowing ideas used in other jurisdictions, city staff found the city council eager to improve the city’s business licensing and permitting system. The council fully supported changing Mauldin’s one-stop shop and the results have paid off.
"As I do ribbon cuttings for the many new businesses opening in our city, I always ask if they experienced any problems in getting their location open and all have been extremely positive about the new one-stop process we have implemented," said Mauldin Mayor Dennis Raines. "Our staff is dedicated to being professional, courteous and always have a ‘how can we help you’ attitude."
Businesses now work through the city’s Business and Development Services Office to submit plans and applications instead of visiting multiple departments. Representatives from various city departments now meet together with the business instead of holding multiple individual meetings. In addition, staff consolidated multiple forms and applications into fewer, easier-to-use documents.
Around the state, cities have streamlined their licensing and permitting processes by agreeing to accept the standardized business license application introduced by the SC Business Licensing Officials Association and the Municipal Association in 2013.
The SCBLOA and the Municipal Association are working together to develop additional business-friendly practices and processes that cities and towns can adopt. One of the new initiatives is a centralized portal for businesses to pay their business license taxes.
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