Last Thursday, I attended my first Business Advisory Council meeting.I had been to a meet and greet previously, but this was the first meeting for me, where a presentation was made by a City of Knoxville employee. Our presenter was Peter Ahrens, director of building inspections. When I saw the topic, I thought, this is going to be boring, but it was anything but boring. We learned more about permits, pre-submittal conferences and expedited permits, and blighted neighborhoods. Peter’s department is changing some procedures to expedite approval of new buildings and re-modeling of current buildings so that business can get in their buildings a lot faster. Making it easier for permitting, inspections etc. makes it easier for business to locate in the city. More business in Knoxville increases the tax revenues, creates jobs and helps the overall economy of Knoxville. For me, as a small business owner, this is very important.
Lets keep moving forward Knoxville.
