Greenwood businesses to get digital boost with state’s online service

Companies in Greenwood soon will be able to do do the bulk of their local government business digitally.

The city announced Thursday it is the first municipality to formally partner with INBiz, the state’s one-stop-shop business portal that was launched by the Secretary of State’s office in 2016. It's designed to save companies time and legwork when they have business with the state—and soon services through the city of Greenwood will be available as well.

“Time is money,” Greenwood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Christian Maslowski told IBJ.

For example, Maslowski said, if a business needs a temporary or permanent sign permit, “it’s a form that’s downloadable online but you have to print it, fill it out, and walk it to the city office, and they’re only open Monday through Friday and certain hours of the day.”

“This is something that can be easily automated,” Maslowski said.

The INBiz online system will check that a business owner meets the requirements, accept payment, and automatically issue a permit.

“Business is 24/7,” Maslowski said. “You may be ready to complete that permitting paperwork at 9 a.m. and the city office isn’t open. That just takes unnecessary time.”

Another example of the online system's advantages can be found with construction permits and getting approval to start site work, Maslowski said.

“There’s no reason that shouldn’t be quickly approved,” Maslowski said.

The full list of automated services for Greenwood businesses is still being developed, he said. Most should be available by the end of the year.

As far as state functions, the INBiz portal offers automated services for dealing with the Secretary of State’s office, the Department of Workforce Development, the Department of Revenue and the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. When it launched, Secretary of State Connie Lawson said it was intended to become the "single point of contact for businesses as they do business with the state.”

The site aims to streamline much of the bureaucracy that comes with opening a business, including tax registration, securing permits, and paying annual filing fees.

Services related to the office of Indiana's attorney general will join the portal later this year.  

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said the announcement was a symbol of the “south side’s resurgence, with Greenwood leading the way.”

“We cannot sit back and relax, because there is still so much to achieve,” said Myers.