The National Association of Counties (NACo) has recognized Howard County with twenty-seven Achievement Awards for programs across numerous county departments and offices.

This is the highest number of NACo awards Howard County has received in one year. The NACo Achievement Awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.

Since 1970, NACo’s annual Achievement Awards have recognized county government innovations, and are given in 18 different categories that reflect the comprehensive services counties provide, including financial management, county administration, information technology, health, and civic engagement.

“Howard County is at the forefront of innovative and effective government solutions, and these awards are a testament to the incredibly hard working employees dedicated to our community. NACo represents 3,069 county governments across the nation, and Howard County continues to stand out on good governance and creative problem solving, said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Especially amid a pandemic, the challenges we’ve faced over the past year encouraged our workforce to think creatively and look forward to modernizing our services and continue to make Howard County the best place to live, work, grow, and play. I’m beyond grateful to our County employees who work so hard to make Howard County the best place for all.”

According to a county press release:

Howard County received awards in 13 out of 18 different categories. The categories include children and youth, county resiliency, community and economic development, county administration, information technology, health, civic engagement and many more.

NACo recognized 844 entries from counties and state associations in 28 states. All winners are available in NACo’s searchable awards database, where winning programs are searchable by year, category, and state dating back to 2007.

Visit the Howard County website for the complete list of awards earned and more information.