Eight Cities Receive National Recognition for Outstanding Municipal Programs

NLC Honors Cities with Annual Awards for Municipal Excellence

DENVER, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eight cities from across the country will receive the National League of Cities' (NLC) 2010 Awards for Municipal Excellence for creating outstanding programs which improve the quality of life in America's communities.  These awards recognize city programs that demonstrate community determination and individual commitment at the local level.

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The cities will be honored during an awards ceremony and luncheon on Friday, December 3 during NLC's Congress of Cities & Exposition in Denver, Colo.  The winners were selected by population size; each population category had a "Gold" and "Silver" winner.

Gold Winners:

• Kingsport, Tenn.
• South Bend, Ind.
• Newport News, Va.
• New York City

Silver Winners:

• Clemson, SC
• North Charleston, SC
• Minneapolis
• Los Angeles

"The collaboration and creativity shown in these eight programs are outstanding models for other cities to emulate," said Donald J. Borut, NLC's executive director. "As cities continue to struggle financially, the Awards for Municipal Excellence exemplify the innovation and determination needed to solve some of our nation's most pressing challenges."

The Awards were established in 1989 and are divided into four population categories: less than 50,000; 50,001 to 150,000; 150,001 to 500,000; and more than 500,000. The Gold winners in each category receive $2,000 and the Silver winners in each category receive $1,000, which is donated to a community non-profit of the city's choice.

Details of the award-winning programs:

• Focusing on education as a way to spur economic development, Kingsport, Tenn., created the Higher Education Initiative.  Through the initiative, the city created a scholarship program to provide up to four semesters at Northeastern State Community College (NeSCC) at no cost to city high school graduates who met the entrance criteria.  The city has also built the Regional Center for Applied Technology, a building for the College's medical programs, a facility for in-house apprenticeship programs and NeSCC's existing electrical/mechanical and technical programs.
• South Bend, Ind., and the University of Notre Dame created the Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization program to redevelop the area near the Notre Dame campus.  The program has led to numerous new developments across the city, including the Eddy Street Commons, a mixed-use development area; a new facility for the Indiana University School of Medicine at South Bend; and Innovation Park at Notre Dame, a state-certified technology park.
• To improve the city's relationship with the Hispanic community, Newport News, Va., created No Longer Lost in Translation: Strengthening Ties with the Hispanic Community.  The program created the Hispanic Advisory Committee to the City Manager which outlined goals and developed a strategic plan to create a better environment for the Hispanic population.  The city held a public listening forum, developed informational tools and partnered with community groups and public agencies to identify and address gaps in the delivery of services within the city's Hispanic community.  
• Launched by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City's Financial Empowerment Center Initiative offers free, confidential, one-on-one financial counseling to citizens struggling with their finances.  The Center's counselors work with clients on money management, budgeting, credit and debt assistance and access to safe and affordable financial products in order to help citizens not only get by, but get ahead.  Since its 2008 launch, the Financial Empowerment Center has served more than 4,500 clients.
• Clemson, SC, partnered with PinPointGeoTech to create PinPoint – Public Works, a new technology to help the public works department coordinate and map areas where debris needed to be picked up.  Public works crews use this technology to record the location of debris around the city. This information is then wirelessly transmitted to the public works office, which maps out and creates work orders for debris pick-up, eliminating the need for public works crews to run routes on every street.  In creating this innovative technology, the city saves on fuel and vehicle maintenance costs and utilizes employee time more efficiently.
• The Sustainable Urban Revitalization project in North Charleston, SC, brought together public, private and non-governmental organizations to help revitalize the city impacted by the closure of the Charleston Naval Base. The project has rejuvenated the East Montague Business District, which includes the first LEED Platinum building in South Carolina; created the Oak Terrace Preserve, a green housing development; and several new public schools including the LEED-certified North Charleston Elementary School and Charleston County's School for the Arts.  North Charleston's project has benefitted the community through increased economic development projects, new sustainable neighborhoods and the restoration of historic buildings and streetscapes.
• Minneapolis contracted with US Internet Wireless to create Wireless Minneapolis to effectively integrate technology into the city's infrastructure.  Working as a public-private partnership, the project brought together representatives from business, education, non-profits and the community to improve public safety communications, city services delivery and economic development, while providing quality, affordable internet access to all citizens.  By working with other companies and organizations, the city was able to ensure the project's cost-effectiveness while equipping all 59 square miles of the city with wireless internet.

Partnering with GeoEnvironment Technologies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Los Angeles created the Terminal Island Renewable Energy project (TIRE). TIRE is the nation's first project aimed at producing green energy from a renewable biosolids –organic materials remaining after treatment of domestic sewage at a wastewater treatment facility.  Not only is the project innovative in the way it utilizes wastewater treatment byproducts as a renewable resource, but it also improves air quality, protects water quality and reduces greenhouse gases.

The awards winners were selected by a panel of judges: Jennifer Bradley, Senior Research Associate, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution; Steve Burkholder, former mayor, Lakewood, Colo.; Robin Cooper, Director of Member Services, Kentucky League of Cities; Dean Chu, commissioner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and former mayor, Sunnyvale, Calif.; Jim Dailey, Consulting Analyst, Flake and Kelley, former mayor, Little Rock, Ark.; Cynthia McCollum, former president, National League of Cities, former councilmember, Madison, Ala.; Kathleen M. Novak, former president, National League of Cities, former mayor, Northglenn, Colo.; Jeffrey Soule, FAICP, Director of Outreach and International Programs, American Planning Association; and Dee Vanderhoef, former councilmember, Iowa City, Iowa.

Additional information regarding the awards program can be found at http://www.nlc.org/ame.aspx.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.  

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SOURCE National League of Cities