Mayor Lee Brand and City Manager Wilma Quan today announced that Thomas Gaffery has been hired as Deputy City Manager for the City of Fresno.  In his new role, Gaffery will oversee customer service and related analytics of service technologies such as the City’s 311 system and FresGO mobile app in addition to maintaining management of the Parking Division.  This position was previously titled Director of Customer Relations and Analytics.

“I’m excited to have Thomas join our team as Deputy City Manager where we can combine his success in upgrading our parking services with his passion for exceptional customer service and his strong organizational abilities,” said City Manager Wilma Quan. “We’re fortunate to have someone with Thomas’ talents to lead our customer relations efforts.”

Gaffery joined the City of Fresno in 2018 as Parking Division Manager.  In that capacity, he has been instrumental in implementing a number of transformational changes to the City’s parking program including the successful launch of the ParkMobile app, the introduction of online parking permit sales, and progress toward deploying credit card parking meters.

Prior to joining the City, he spent over 13 years in leadership roles at the California State University, Fresno and San Bernardino campuses.

Gaffery has presented sessions at over a dozen national and international conferences.  He currently serves as the Legislative Committee Chair of the California Public Parking Association, and was recognized by the National Parking Association as one of its “40 Under 40.”

Gaffery graduated with his Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Fresno State.

The City of Fresno announced the launch of Opportunity Fresno, a branded “prospectus” for the city and county of Fresno that showcases the pipeline of investible business and development projects located in Opportunity Zones (OZ) in the City of Fresno and Fresno County.  The Prospectus was produced as a partnership between several agencies including the City of Fresno, the Fresno County EDC, the Fresno Housing Authority, the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, Access + Capital and the Wiebe Hinton Himbalek accounting firm.

“We are proud of the collaborative public-private partnership behind Opportunity Fresno and believe that it will serve as an insightful tool for investors, businesses and participating projects to showcase Fresno County as investment-ready and investment-worthy,” said Lee Ann Eager, President/CEO of the Fresno County Economic Development Commission.

Opportunity Zones were launched as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to encourage private investment in distressed communities by providing tax incentives for owners of development projects and operating businesses in locations that otherwise might have gotten a pass in favor of more wealthy communities.  Opportunity Zones correspond to Census Tracts; to be eligible, the Opportunity Zone must have a poverty rate of 20% or higher or a median family income not exceeding 80% of the statewide median.  Opportunity Zones in urban census tracts in Fresno County have an average poverty rate of 39.8% while rural Opportunity Zones in Fresno County have an average poverty rate of 36.5%.

The Opportunity Fresno website can be found at www.opportunityfresno.com and provides a data-driven summary of why the greater Fresno economy is an attractive target for private equity investment.  It provides a way to communicate to Qualified Opportunity Funds about the features and benefits of a particular community as well as to identify its challenges.

“This website is a key component of our strategic effort to connect key players in the development industry with existing local ventures eligible for the Opportunity Zone incentive program. It also provides a platform for local business owners and developers to showcase new investment opportunities and show the world why it’s great to work, live, and play in Fresno,” said Mayor Brand. “We encourage anyone who has a qualifying business investment or development opportunity to submit their projects to be featured on the Opportunity Fresno website.”

The website also offers local business owners and developers a platform to showcase their investable projects that match the region’s overall economic and community priorities with the hopes of reaching the broader investment community.

While the City of Fresno provides technical assistance to business owners for publishing their projects, the representatives of the individual projects are responsible for all financial information published on the website.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, February 17, 2020.  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, February 18.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions, and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) throughout the Presidents Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Code Enforcement:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.  Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Presidents Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  Sunday bus routes/schedule in effect.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details.  FAX route maps and schedules are available on the City’s website.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Presidents Day.  Office closed for citation payments.  Online services available at www.fresno.gov/parking.

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  Parks facilities and recreation centers operating with normal schedule.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Planning and Development:  Office closed.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the Presidents holiday.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Rental Housing:  Closed

Residential Solid Waste:  Administrative offices closed.  Normal residential and commercial collection schedule; for questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center.)  Online and phone transactions available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Presidents Day holiday, please call 3-1-1 or use our FresGO mobile app.

The City of Fresno has launched additional downtown parking enhancements.

Easy-to-use solar-powered parking pay stations have been installed in six public downtown parking lots.  The pay stations feature an easy-to-use interface and a 7” full-color display screen.  Coins, bills, credit cards, and debit cards are accepted.  Users simply enter the license plate number and select their desired parking duration.  Directional signage to the pay stations has been added to the parking lots.  Drivers can continue to utilize the ParkMobile app in these locations as well.

“The City is committed to ongoing parking enhancements in Downtown Fresno. We still have many more changes in store, including the launch of credit card enabled parking meters,” says Thomas Gaffery, Parking Division Manager with the City of Fresno. 

The installation of the new pay stations began on January 15.  The City is partnering with Flowbird, a leading provider of parking payment technologies.  The company supplies parking systems to major cities across the country including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oceanside, and Paso Robles.

The pay stations service the following locations:

• Promenade Lot, 2650 Tulare St
• City Hall North Lot, 2600 Fresno St
• Water Tower Lot, 1100 O St
• Fulton/Inyo Lot, 815 Fulton St
• Merced/Van Ness Garage, 2020 Merced St
• The Met Lot, 1605 Van Ness Ave.

Mayor Lee Brand today officially announced an agreement between the City of Fresno and San Francisco-based Gap Inc., to purchase 4.8 acres of land on Airways Boulevard for $1, with the intention of building a state-of-the-art, no-kill animal shelter on the site. Gap Inc. has also announced the intention to gift over five acres of land to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County which will provide the organization with ongoing financial stability.

The completed agreement for the animal shelter is expected to be brought to the Fresno City Council for approval at their February 13th meeting. By then, the agreement between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County and Gap Inc. is also expected to be completed.

“Gap Inc. has partnered closely with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County for many years, and we feel this donation will address multiple needs of this community that we call home,” said Shawn Curran, EVP, Global Supply Chain, and Product Operations, Gap Inc.  “We are proud to be a part of the Fresno community and are thrilled that we could gift this land to the City for causes that will benefit the region and are important to our employees.”

Gap Inc. is a leading global retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack, and Hill City brands. 

“We are very excited to receive such a tremendous and valuable gift to our Boys & Girls Club. It is transformational to our organization in enhancing our resources for serving over 5,500 youth in Fresno County,” said Diane Carbray, President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County.

The 4.8-acre parcel in the agreement is an ideal fit for the City’s needs and provides more than enough room for future expansion.  The parcel is part of the approximately 200 acres of land adjacent to Fresno Yosemite International Airport that the City sold to Gap Inc. commencing in 1997 to build a distribution center.

“We looked at a number of locations around Fresno that would be suitable for a new animal shelter and this property is by far the best site because it’s centrally located and close to the Airport,” said Mayor Brand.  “Gap Inc. has been a great corporate partner since the 1990’s and they’ve invested significantly in our city by adding their West Coast e-commerce fulfillment center to its distribution facility in 2018 and bringing over 500 good-paying new jobs to Fresno.  Gap Inc.’s generous gesture shows the importance of that investment and the depth of their concern for the community where their team members live, work, raise their families and play.  On behalf of the people of Fresno and all of our four-legged friends, I say thank you very much to Gap Inc. for stepping up to the plate in a very big way.”

The land purchase is the second step in a multi-step process of opening a state-of-the-art animal shelter in Fresno. The first step occurred on January 16, 2020 when the City Council awarded the design contract for the shelter to a group led by Tim Simons of Northstar General.  This project, which is projected to be completed in the summer of next year, aligns perfectly with the Governor’s initiative to make California a no-kill shelter state. 

While construction of the shelter is taking place, the City is working in harmony with the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CCSPCA) to continue providing quality animal control services and protecting animal health and welfare in the community.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday, January 20, 2020.  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, January 21.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions, and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) throughout the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Code Enforcement:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.  Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  Sunday bus routes/schedule in effect.  Call (559) 621-7433 for details.  FAX route maps and schedules are available on the City’s website.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  The office closed for citation payments.  Online services are available at www.fresno.gov/parking.

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  Parks facilities and recreation centers operating with a normal schedule.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Planning and Development:  Office closed.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Rental Housing:  Closed

Residential Solid Waste:  Administrative offices closed.  Normal residential and commercial collection schedule; for questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center.)  Online and phone transactions are available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, please call 3-1-1 or use our FresGO mobile app.

The City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday on Wednesday, January 1, 2020.  Normal operations will resume on Thursday, January 2.  Here is the schedule for City of Fresno operations for the holiday:

Airports:  Administrative offices closed;  Terminal, concessions, and airlines normal operations otherwise.

Building & Permitting:  Counter will close at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, and remain closed Wednesday.  Permit applications can be submitted, and progress can be monitored, online through our FAASTER portal at any time during the New Year’s Day holiday.

Business License:  Office closed.  The Business Tax Web Renewal will be available for TOT (only) and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the New Year’s Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Code Enforcement:  Closed.

Dog License Division:  Closed.

Finance Offices:  Offices closed.  Business Tax TOT (only) Web Renewal and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the New Year’s Day holiday.

Fire/Police Departments:  Administrative offices and public counters will be closed.  Normal operations otherwise.

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  FAX service is closed on New Year’s Day but will resume service on Thursday, January 2, with weekend bus routes/schedule in effect.  Administrative offices remain closed; call 621-7433 for details. FAX route maps and schedules are available on the City’s website.

Parking Division:  No enforcement at parking meters and City parking facilities on New Year’s Day.  Office closed for citation payments.  Online services are available at www.fresno.gov/parking.

Parks and Recreation (PARCS):  Administrative offices closed.  No senior hot meals.  Regional and neighborhood parks open every day.  Neighborhood and community centers will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 31, and remain closed on New Year’s Day.

Personnel:  Closed. Online applications accepted at www.fresno.gov/jobs.

Public Utilities:  Offices closed.

Public Works:  Offices closed.

Purchasing:  Office closed; Bid opportunities and updated information are available on the City’s website, under the “For Businesses” tab, then click on bid opportunities.

Rental Housing:  Closed

Residential Solid Waste:  There will be no collection service on New Year’s Day.  On Thursday, January 2, the regular schedule for Wednesday trash, recyclables and green waste collection will be followed.  On Friday, January 3, the regular schedule for Thursday trash, recyclables and green waste collection will be followed.  On Saturday, January 4, the regular schedule for Friday trash, recyclables and green waste collection will be followed.  Business office will be closed.  For questions regarding residential solid waste collection, please call the Solid Waste Management Division at (559) 621-1452.

Utility Payments/Business Tax:  Payment counters closed (Fresno City Hall and Manchester Center).  Online and phone transactions are available for utility payments.

For urgent matters during the New Year’s Day holiday, please call 3-1-1 or use our FresGO mobile app.