Over the past year, Maricopa County employees worked tirelessly to connect residents to the information and services that save lives, support families, and strengthen democracy. Now, the nation’s fastest-growing county is being recognized with dozens of national awards for designing and implementing programs that made a difference.
Maricopa County received 56 National Achievement Awards this year from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for programs that have a measurable positive impact on the community. NACo says these are programs worth sharing and emulating nationwide. Maricopa County’s award-winning programs account for 7% of the state and county programs nationwide that received NACo Achievement Awards in 2021.
“Our employees worked harder than ever over the past year to make a positive impact on our community, especially in the lives of those most affected by the pandemic,” said Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, District 1. “This recognition from NACo underscores what I have known for years: Maricopa County has some of the finest public servants in the nation, and the leadership and vision to make effective use of those diverse talents.”
Nearly a dozen of the county’s 56 awards were related to the county’s COVID-19 response. These include data dashboards, vaccination efforts for high-risk populations, and distribution of personal protection equipment and other supplies.
Four awards stemmed from election efforts in 2020 and included a GIS map that helped Board members determine where to put voting locations; one-stop-shop websites in both English and Spanish where voters could check their voter registration status, update their information, find polling locations, view their sample ballot, and check to see if their ballot was sent, received and counted; and a Cybersecurity War Room.
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County won a coveted “Best in category” award for its “Water Resources Program” which promotes regional solutions and partnerships to better manage stormwater and mitigation flood risk.
For a complete list of Maricopa County’s 2021 NACo award-winning programs, visit the NACo website and search the database for Arizona.