Commissioner of the Revenue Ryan LaFountain Announces Re-Election Bid

                Today, Ryan LaFountain is proud to announce his intent to seek re-election next year as Commissioner of the Revenue for the City of Roanoke. Since taking office in 2022, LaFountain has worked to bring new technology to the office, to encourage cooperation between city offices, to work with city council to modernize the city’s tax code, and to emphasize customer service to the taxpayers of the City of Roanoke.

 

                Under LaFountain’s leadership, the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office, in conjunction with the Treasurer’s office and other departments in the City of Roanoke, was able to implement a tax processing system that brought those systems out of the 20th century and into the 21st century. “This system conversion was a success and we’ve learned to treat every bug and problem as an opportunity to create solutions for the taxpayers of Roanoke,” comments LaFountain, adding “Without the cooperation of the Treasurer’s office and other city departments, we would not have been able to deliver on a long-promised systems upgrade.”

 

                In addition, LaFountain has worked with the Treasurer’s office to more effectively address taxpayer issues, encouraging improved communication between offices. LaFountain adds, “Sometimes the biggest problems are caused by ineffective communication. We’ve had tremendous success improving customer service simply by improving how we communicate between offices.”

 

                LaFountain also proposed that city council eliminate late filing penalties on non-business cars and trucks. On his recommendation, Roanoke City Council passed an ordinance that eliminated late-filing penalties for non-business vehicles. He comments, “With the technology at our disposal to verify if a vehicle is subject to taxation by the city and nearly all taxpayers reporting their moves to the DMV, it makes sense to remove a penalty when taxpayers think that they are already doing their due diligence.”

 

                LaFountain has joined all these efforts together to make customer service a top priority for the office. “To me, it’s simple. We can use technology to make a challenging process less daunting to taxpayers. City offices must work together to deliver services, so effective communication makes the process smoother for taxpayers. City code needs to be amended to keep up with the times we live in and meet taxpayers where they are. Taken together, these three pieces help us meet and exceed our taxpayers’ service delivery expectations.”

 

                LaFountain adds, “It is with that in mind that I am seeking re-election as Commissioner of the Revenue for the City of Roanoke. As a new father, I hope to bring my child up in a city where we have worked continuously to do better. It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Roanoke and it is my hope that the people of Roanoke grant me the honor to continue serving them.”

Posted on 06 Jan 2025, 8:02 - Category: News