Eleven Oakland County government programs have been named 2009 Achievement Award winners by the National Association of Counties (NACo).
Winners were notified in a letter sent this month from NACo Executive Director Larry Naake. They will be recognized on July 26th during the NACo's 74th Annual Conference and Exposition in Nashville. In the 20 years Oakland County has submitted programs for consideration, it has received 156 awards. This year's winners represent 30 states and 123 counties.
"We're honored to be recognized nationally for our programming," Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. "Oakland County is committed to developing innovative programs that serve our residents, visitors and the business community. I'm exceedingly proud of our employees who work very hard to ensure that Oakland County remains one of the best places in the country to live, work and play."
The Department of Information Technology won awards for three programs: Video Center, an informational video program for users of the county web; Blog-in Café, which was used during Arts, Beats & Eats to introduce citizens to blogging while collecting ideas and suggestions from the public; and the Animal Control Census System, which promotes the enforcement of Michigan pet licensing laws through technology.
The Department of Human Resources was recognized for two programs: Separation Incentive Program, which reduced the number of county employees without laying off any employees; and the Collaborative Cultural Training for Public Health Inspectors, which helps inspectors communicate more effectively with five culturally diverse populations – Jewish Orthodox, Arabic, Latin American, Greek and Chinese/Thai.
The Health Division of the Department of Health & Human Services, in collaboration with Information Technology, was recognized for its E-Health Food and Inspection Licensing Program, which automated the process of inspecting and licensing restaurants and the investigation and enforcement of public health nuisance complaints.
The Clerk/Register of Deeds office won five NACo awards: eFiling: Paperless Courtrooms, which requires attorneys to file and serve documents electronically; Voter Outreach Video, an instructional DVD on voting in Oakland County; its Poll Worker Recruiting Program; Online Marriage Application; and Absentee Ballot Tracker, which allows voters to track their ballots through the process to confirm their ballots were received by their city or township clerks.
The Achievement Award Program recognizes counties for improving the management of and services provided by county government. Since the program's inception in 1970, it has honored hundreds of county government initiatives that have improved service delivery, achieved greater cost efficiency, improved customer service and helped to develop a better-trained work force.
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