The City of New Orleans announced on April 29 that it is making improvements to the Office of Safety and Permits, including faster approvals, better customer service, and new tools to make the permitting process clearer for residents and businesses.
These updates were presented at a City Council meeting by interim Director Susannah Kirby and Cameron MacPhee. They highlighted their achievements in the first quarter of 2026 as well as plans to further improve service and efficiency.
Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso said, “For all departments, including Safety and Permits, Mayor Moreno has emphasized reducing red tape, ensuring better resident services, and working with greater urgency. Interim Director Susannah Kirby was hired to hit those marks and while more work remains to be done, she and her team are showing progress and results backed by data.” Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of City Services Austin Wilty said, “The mayor has been clear: after budget and infrastructure, fixing Safety & Permits is the priority. Bringing on Director Kirby was step one, and the Q1 results are promising, but we realize there is much more work to be done.” Kirby said, “In Safety & Permits, our mission is to deliver clear, consistent, and timely service for everyone who interacts with the city. To do that well, we must understand exactly how our systems perform today, use data to guide our decisions, and apply technology in ways that make the experience easier—not more complicated. The city doesn’t need a theoretical improvement effort; it needs visibility, discipline, measurable action, and sustained accountability.”
A new performance management tool called PermiSTAT has been introduced as part of these efforts. Developed through collaboration between several city offices—including Safety & Permits; Information Technology & Innovation; CAO; Performance & Accountability—PermiSTAT aims to identify bottlenecks in processes by tracking key metrics. These teams meet every two weeks to review performance indicators in real time.
Looking ahead, officials plan to launch a public-facing dashboard based on collected data so residents can follow progress easily. This dashboard will allow people to ask informed questions about services or hold departments accountable for outcomes.
City leaders say these steps are intended not only to streamline administrative processes but also improve experiences for both residents seeking permits or information from local government.
