Permitting Excellence Coalition Honored for Work on Streamlined Permitting

April 19th, 2017

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The jurisdictions participating in Northeast Indiana's Permitting Excellence Coalition (PEC) were honored at a Permitting Recognition Reception Wednesday, April 19 hosted by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and the HPG Network.

Participating jurisdictions in the Permitting Excellence Coalition include:

Allen County / City of Fort Wayne
City of Angola
City of Auburn
City of Decatur
DeKalb County
Huntington County
City of Huntington
LaGrange County
City of New Haven
Town of North Manchester
Rome City
City of Wabash
Wells County
Whitley County / City of Columbia City

PEC representatives met throughout 2016 – the third year for the coalition – to focus on process and communication improvements that align with the core customer values of consistency, transparency and easy access.

Accomplishments this year include improved tracking of performance data, utilization of a standardized customer feedback survey and regular input from high volume customers through a customer-oriented taskforce.

“The Permitting Excellence Coalition’s dedication to continuous improvement gives Northeast Indiana a competitive edge in attracting new businesses and encouraging investments by existing businesses. Our tireless commitment to bettering our permitting processes continues to advance and empower the region. That’s good for our businesses, our residents and our communities,” said Nathan Bilger, Executive Director of Planning and Building in Whitley County.

With the third year of the program complete, the Permitting Excellence Coalition now has a foundation to continue work on its three core values of consistency, transparency and easy access. The group’s efforts this year will allow it to better measure and communicate the effectiveness of the process in order to meet customer needs.

“Driven by a diverse and robust economy, Northeast Indiana’s streamlined permitting process provides a distinct and unique environment in which to do business,” said John Sampson, president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. “The jurisdictions committed to the PEC are critical to efficiently and effectively navigating the permitting process with direct services to make planning and zoning easier for new and existing businesses.”

The PEC members are also renewing their request for non-residential permit applicants to complete a 16-question customer survey to provide input on the process. Survey questions are about customer service, responsiveness, timeliness and availability of information. The survey is designed to provide local government leaders with customer feedback they can use to make process improvements. Many jurisdictions distribute surveys at the time of permit application, or customers can take the survey by visiting this website. Feedback received is carefully reviewed and incorporated into the improvement process.

Streamlining business permitting is a top priority in the region's Vison 2020 initiative, which is spearheaded by the Regional Partnership. The HPG Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating thriving communities, manages the PEC on behalf of the Regional Partnership. The collaborative effort aims to help create a business-friendly environment that will encourage greater economic growth in Northeast Indiana by making it easier for businesses to obtain appropriate permits to build and expand in the region.

For more information about the Streamlined Permitting priority, visit www.neindiana.com/permitting.

About the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was formed in 2006 to build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana. It is a public-private partnership with the mission to build, market and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investment. In 2010, the Partnership launched Vision 2020 to bring the region together around five key areas for economic growth: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. The Partnership supports 11 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties. For more information, visit www.neindiana.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

John Sampson
President and CEO
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.469.3471
john@NEIndiana.com

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