The City of Fresno begin its three-day watering schedule today, June 1, and will remain in effect for the months of June, July, and August.

The City is implementing its three-day watering schedule to reflect residents need to provide more water for their gardens and lawns during the dry summer months.

Residents with addresses ending in an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) are permitted to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Residents with addresses ending in an even number (0,2,4,6,8) are permitted to water on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.  No watering is allowed on Mondays or on any day between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The City of Fresno continues to urge its residents to conserve water as much as possible.

Mayor Lee Brand introduced a new online customer service portal today that will dramatically improve the permitting and planning process at City Hall.  The new system, called FAASTER – which stand for, Fresno’s Accelerated Applications System to Track Electronic Reviews – was developed by Accela, the leading provider of cloud-based productivity and civic engagement solutions for government.

The City’s new FAASTER system will allow anyone who applies for a building permit with the City of Fresno to submit, pay for, and track the status of their permit application online, 24 hours a day.

“It was essential for our goal to make Fresno the most business-friendly city in California to have an online system that works and Accela has delivered,” said Mayor Brand. “FAASTER is a ‘one-stop-shop’ that’s easy to use and can be configured to work on mobile devices. That’s important because many of our customers spend most of their day on a project site and having the power to move their project forward without having to leave their worksite is a game-changer.”

FAASTER is a vital component to the mayor’s Business Friendly Fresno 2.0! initiative, bringing transparency to the permitting process and helping City staff identify problem areas that can be improved.  The portal will also help dramatically improve turnaround times for business customers and has already been beta tested by a number of developers and contractors.

The City had previously partnered with Accela when developing their highly successful FresGO mobile app.  For more than 15 years, Accela has been the industry leader in designing and delivering productivity and engagement software to help government agencies be their best.  Accela provides a robust platform of solutions that increase engagement, improve efficiency and deliver transparency to strengthen communities called the Accela Civic Platform.

The City of Fresno has introduced its newest customer service portal, called “EyeOnWater,” which allows Fresno water customers to monitor their water usage, view water usage history, discover short and long-term water trends and easily connect to their Department of Public Utilities (DPU) account directly from their computer, smartphone or mobile device.

EyeOnWater gives water customers direct access to their water consumption data, allowing them to easily view, understand and manage their water usage and pay their utility bill online.  Customers can view hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly data and charts as well as week-over-week consumption comparisons, and temperature and precipitation overlays are also available to help monitor and manage usage.

Customers can access their EyeOnWater account online at www.fresno.gov/eyeonwater or by mobile app FREE for both Android and Apple users.  Once connected, Fresno water customers can establish alerts via email or text message to better manage their water use and be notified of any possible leaks.

For additional information or help with your EyeOnWater reports, contact a DPU Water Conservation Representative at (559) 621-5480.

City of Fresno offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 28, 2018.  The delivery of some City services may be affected.  Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, May 29.  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) and new business tax online application submittals will be available throughout the Memorial Day holiday.

City Clerk’s Office:  Closed.

City Hall Offices:  Closed.

Development and Resource Management:  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 Memorial Day holiday.

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

Fresno Area Express:  Administrative offices closed.  Weekend 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 Memorial Day.  Office closed for citation payments.

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.

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.

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

For urgent matters during the Memorial Day holiday, please call (550) 621-CITY (2489) or use our FresGO mobile app.

Mayor Lee Brand, along with City Manager Wilma Quan-Schecter, today announced the proposed City of Fresno budget for Fiscal Year 2019 during a press conference at City Hall.  The $1.115 billion budget, which includes $341 million for the General Fund, puts an emphasis on continuing the City’s long-term financial stability, as well as economic development and infrastructure, while providing a road map to make Fresno a better, safer and more prosperous place to live, work and play.

“We’ve taken great strides in the past 12 months and we’ve been able to accomplish great things through the best possible use of our limited resources to address our most pressing issues,” said Mayor Brand. “My vision for Fresno is to transform our economy by creating citywide prosperity that will improve the quality of life for everyone in Fresno.”

The proposed FY 2019 budget represents a balanced approach to rebuilding the financial health of the City and maintaining core municipal services.  Among the highlights, the FY 2019 budget:

• Replacing 120 police vehicles, continuing the process of replacing the City’s aging fleet.
• Funds a 7-Week Drill School for the Fire Department, which will ultimately help with staffing levels as well as the continuance of meeting SAFER compliance.
• Funds land acquisition for the future relocation of Fire Station 10.
• Adds concrete crews in the Public Works Department to help address the City’s aging infrastructure.
• Also includes funding to repave 85 lane miles, the conversion of 38,000 street lights to energy-saving LED fixtures, and 14 new traffic signals and 6 traffic signal upgrades.
• Provides funding for a Litter Control Crew to address the increased requests for services relating to litter control and illegal dumping received via the City of Fresno’s FresGO app.
• Added funding for Business Friendly Fresno 2.0!  to improve application processing, plan check turnaround, and front counter support so we can reach our customer service goals.
• Projects the projected General Fund Reserve to be $23.94 million by the end of our current fiscal year and $27.54 million by the end of FY 2019.

City Manager Quan-Schecter added, “This budget reflects the commitment of our team, as well as the innovative ideas that have produced a strong, vibrant, and exciting future for Fresno.”

Mayor Brand will present the proposed budget to Fresno City Council at its meeting on Thursday, May 24, 2018. The City of Fresno’s budget must be adopted by June 30, per the city charter.

The full FY2019 Budget Proposal can be viewed online at www.fresno.gov/budget.

The City of Fresno Code Enforcement Division officially announces a Public Notice of the city-wide Weed Abatement Inspection Program, in accordance with Fresno Municipal Code (FMC) Section 10-605 that all vacant and unimproved lots are required to be free from public nuisance violations year-round.

Properties found in violation of FMC 10-605 are subject to citations ranging from $250 to $1,000.  In addition, the City may hire a contractor to abate the violations.  The property owner will be billed for the cost of cleanup plus the City’s administrative fees.

A property owner can determine if their lot is located in the City of Fresno by accessing the City’s website at www.fresno.gov, contacting the City Clerk’s Office in Room 2133 at City Hall, or by calling the Development & Resource Department, Code Enforcement Division at (559) 621-8400, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to ask staff to look up their Assessor’s Parcel Number or APN.

Mayor Lee Brand and City Manager Wilma Quan-Schecter today announced that T.J. Miller has been named the City’s Director of Customer Relations & Analytics.  In this newly created role, Miller will focus on streamlining customer service delivery through the City’s FresGO mobile app and its full-service, non-emergency customer service line at 621-CITY (2489).  She will also serve as a resource for the Administration and City Council by analyzing and delivering data gathered by FresGO and the call center to help identify high-priority projects and maximize efficiency from our services.

“T.J. has been at the head of the table during every discussion about improving our citizen engagement platforms and when it became apparent that we needed someone to take the lead on taking our customer service to the next level, she was our first choice,” said City Manager Schecter. “She’s ready to hit the ground running and foster a culture of accountability and responsiveness between City Hall and our residents.”

Miller most recently served as Assistant Director of Personnel Services; a position she held since January 2013.  In that capacity, she served the City by providing service to City departments with their Human Resources and Risk Management needs.  In 2015 the City Manager assigned her to co-lead the Assistant Director team with a focus on FresGO operations.

Prior to that, T.J. served for more than six years as Human Resources Manager with the City of Fresno.  She was instrumental in forming the Public Sector Collaborative as part of the Regional Jobs Initiative.  She also led the transition to an automated employment application and self-service environment for City employees.

Miller has a Master’s Degrees in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Mayor Lee Brand and his administration have reached an agreement with The Gap, Inc. (Gap) to relocate their e-commerce fulfillment operation to the City of Fresno.  The relocation allows Gap to place its e-commerce fulfillment center, currently located out-of-state, near its store distribution facilities in the vicinity of Fresno-Yosemite International Airport.

In moving their fulfillment operation to Fresno, Gap has indicated they will employ at least 515 full-time employees ramping up over three years and several hundred part-time and seasonal employees.  Additionally, they will invest at least $80 million in material handling equipment at the facility.  The fulfillment center will be housed in one of the current buildings owned by Gap at their Pacific Distribution Center here in Fresno.

“Fresno continues to build momentum as more major corporations like Gap, Inc. are establishing and expanding their operations in our great city. Companies know we are open for business and will help them grow,” said Fresno Mayor Lee Brand. “The addition of 500 new jobs moves us closer to my goal of 10,000 new, good-paying permanent jobs that will change our city’s narrative and make Fresno a better, safer and more prosperous place to live.”

The agreement is made possible through a 30-year Economic Incentive Agreement between the City and Gap as outlined in the Mayor’s Economic Expansion Act.  The agreement provides performance-based job-creation incentives for the creation of at least 500 net new jobs, and potentially hundreds more part-time and/or seasonal employees during peak business periods.  In addition, it will also ensure continued sustainability of their 351 employees currently employed at their Fresno facility.

“For over 18 years, our Fresno Distribution Campus has played a pivotal role in providing great service to our customers.  It serves as a key strategic location for growth and opportunity.  We consider our Fresno team members to be the very best in the business,” said Shawn Curran, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain & Product Ops for Gap, Inc. “We are thrilled to move on to the next step in our journey as we expand our operations adding 500 new jobs over the next two years. On behalf of the entire management team at Gap Inc., we would like to thank the City of Fresno for their commitment to our vision and their support throughout the planning process.”

The agreement goes before the Fresno City Council on April 5, 2018, for final approval.