County streamlines its services with new department

Madera County has established an Office of Development Services to streamline the delivery of services among its core resource departments as well as to better manage groundwater county-wide.

The new office, launched earlier this month, will house the Department of Public Works, Department of Community and Economic Development, and a newly created Department of Water and Natural Resources.

Norm Allinder, who has served as Madera County’s planning director since 2009, now oversees the new office as chief of development services. Allinder brings more than 16 years of planning expertise to the position. He also received a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

“Having Community and Economic Development, Public Works, and Water and Natural Resources under one roof will initiate critical dialogues among the county’s resource and development agencies, which will ultimately work to ensure the consistent delivery of services to our communities,” said Allinder...