Allen County subcommittee credits Acela fixes, maps and staffing plan for faster permits

A Joint Permit Oversight Board (JPOB) subcommittee reported to the Allen County Council on April 9 that changes to the county’s Acela permit system and procedural improvements have cut online permit approval times from weeks or months to days while identifying further staffing needs.

The subcommittee’s report, delivered by Melissa Woodworth, permit system coordinator for Fort Wayne–Allen County, said short-term fixes and staff responsiveness reduced an online application backlog in some cases from “8 to 10 months” to “1 to 2 business days.” The subcommittee recommended continued use of a dedicated online-permit clerk and further process improvements to serve contractors and inspectors more consistently.

Why it matters: Permitting is central to an expanding construction market in Allen County and Fort Wayne. Faster, clearer permitting reduces delays for residential and commercial construction, affects job valuations and inspection workloads, and helps contractors and the public understand regulatory steps.

The subcommittee’s review used data from 2018 through 2024 to compare permit volumes, inspection totals and job valuation. The report showed that, while the number of permits dipped slightly, job valuation rose markedly — cited in presentation slides as rising from roughly $2 billion to $3.6 billion — reflecting larger, higher-value projects that require significant inspection work. The group also inventoried 163 inspection types and assigned life-safety definitions and authoritative code sources so contractors and staff know why particular inspections are required.

Melissa Woodworth said the review included seven subcommittee meetings in 2024 plus focused residential and commercial sessions, and that staff and contractors responded to targeted troubleshooting. "We found a temporary work around while a permanent solution is being developed, went down from 8 to 10 months for him to 1 to 2 business days," she said of a specific contractor’s delay that was resolved. The subcommittee also identified and fixed issues such as invisible department comments, display problems for inspection requests on some devices, missing address fields in certain email templates and GIS mapping display issues.

The group recommended publishing process maps that show the steps from application to certificate of occupancy, and routine interdepartmental meetings to reduce last-minute changes communicated by informal channels. Council members said the maps are the first such published process guides in decades.

Staffing and training: The subcommittee contracted with Purdue University for a manpower study. The Purdue report, included in the packet, recommended additional inspectors to meet present and projected workloads; the presentation said the study identified a need for about seven inspectors and noted an aging inspector workforce with several employees eligible for retirement in the next two years. The subcommittee reported that the council previously approved five new positions after the report was drafted and that additional hiring is underway. The report stressed six-month onboarding and on-the-job mentorship requirements for new inspectors.

Recommendations and follow-up: The subcommittee recommended the county continue the dedicated online permit clerk, publish the life-safety table for the 163 inspection types, pursue staffing additions per the Purdue study, and publish clearer information on the county website for contractors. Council members requested a six-month follow-up report to track progress.

No formal ordinance or appropriation was proposed by the subcommittee at the meeting; the presentation concluded with council direction to return with updates and implementation timelines.

Ending: Council members praised the collaborative, cross-jurisdictional approach and asked staff to return with progress metrics in six months.