KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Fresno Mayor Announces Blue Ribbon Task Force To Oversea PIPES

Fresno Mayor Announces Blue Ribbon Task Force To Oversea PIPES

Mayor Ashley Swearengin is continuing her commitment to creating more jobs in the City of Fresno.

On Tuesday, Mayor Swearengin announced the establishment of a Blue Ribbon Task Force which will oversee the PIPES initiative; an initiative she created upon taking office which promotes local job creation.

The Blue Ribbon Task Force is made up of members from local businesses and economic organizations which will meet to review the PIPES processes and ensure they are running properly.

"Without a system of transparency and predictability in our planning environment, we will never achieve the level of economic development we need for Fresno to reach its full potential," Mayor Swearengin said.

PIPES, Process Improvement and Permit Enhancement Strategy, was created in January of 2009 to address concerns about Fresno's lengthy and costly planning review process.

Since it's creation, PIPES has reviewed City Development processes, identified issues which have created "bottlenecks" such as zoning codes and lack of active project management and also created a new streamlined application process.

"For too long, economic development in our City has been hampered by unclear and inconsistent rules and processes," Mayor Swearengin said. "PIPES is an important first step to making Fresno much more business-friendly, which in turn will create significantly better conditions for job creation in our City."

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