Auctioneers May Now Renew Licenses Online

by Tom Johnson

	The West Virginia Department of Agriculture has launched the first online system for renewing auctioneer’s licenses in the U.S. The eGovernment service, provided by Kelly Registration Systems, Inc. (KRS), was made available on the West Virginia
KellySolutions.com Web site during the renewal season, which ended December 31, 2004. Other types of license renewals available on KellySolutions include commercial meters and pesticide dealers. West Virginia has 678 licensed auctioneers, some of whom reside in surrounding states. Each licensee is required to complete three hours of continuing education prior to license renewal. After logging in, the online renewal system displays a single screen to allow the user to enter or confirm his or her name, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number and other personal information. They check a box if they also hold a West Virginia real estate license. Users then enter the date and location of the CE course taken during the year. The following screen displays the fees that are due and gives the user the option of paying by credit card or check. The secure credit card payment system is protected by VeriSign® SSL Encryption. “This is the fifth online license renewal program we have launched this year for the Department,” said Stuart Edmondson, chief technology officer of KRS. “We are pleased to be their partner in providing customer-friendly eGovernment solutions to the businesses and individuals they serve.”