Jeremy Skinner is pictured in this InkFreeNews file photo. Skinner was promoted to the new role of director of community development.

Staff Report

WARSAW – Mayor Joe Thallemer announced Tuesday, Dec. 29, that longtime City Planner Jeremy Skinner will be promoted to fill the newly created position of Community Development Director for the City of Warsaw. 

He will assume his new role on Jan. 1, according to a news release from the city.

The announcement comes after the city, following a consultant’s recommendations, began looking this year at ways to split up the duties within the planning department, with some of those roles shifting to the new community development position.

Skinner has managed the Department of Building and Plan as department head since he was first hired by the city in 2004 as the City Planner, coming from Huntington County where he worked as an associate planner after graduating from the Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning in 2001.

He will be stepping down in his role as City Planner and department head at the end of the year.

Under Skinner’s leadership, he has strengthened and expanded building inspection, code enforcement, and land use planning, and other traditional services of the Building and Plan Department. 

As the City Planner, he has also focused on addressing the city goals of economic development. The department has grown to expand the role of tax increment finance in the promotion of business attraction and retention. The Redevelopment Commission now oversees three traditional and two residential tax-increment finance districts. He has played an important role in the development of the Warsaw Technology Park and the recent annexation and infrastructure improvements of the Airport Industrial Park.

His department has also grown to provide administration and oversight to critical infrastructure and building projects for the city, designed to improve quality of life and stimulate talent attraction.

His new role will allow him to focus on the community development work responsibilities that have broadened under his leadership as city planner.

Among his first priorities will be to develop and expand market rate and affordable work-force housing opportunities for the city. 

Other areas of focus will include the continued development of opportunities for industrial growth and expansion at the Warsaw Tech Park and the Airport Industrial Park.  He will continue to have leadership and oversight of Warsaw Redevelopment Commission tax increment finance districts and also maintaining the Warsaw Technology Park state certification.