Nevada County has been recognized with two Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo). Nevada County Board of Supervisors Chair Dan Miller, District I Supervisor Heidi Hall and Board Analyst Jeff Thorsby recently attended the NACo Conference and accepted the two Achievement Awards on behalf of Nevada County.The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.
NACo recognized the “Nevada County Last-Mile Broadband Grant Program” in the category of Community and Economic Development. The Nevada County Last-Mile Broadband Grant program aims to provide resources to new and existing Internet Service Providers (ISP) to invest in building local last-mile broadband infrastructure that supports economic development, public safety, remote learning, telehealth services, and overall community prosperity in Nevada County California.
NACo also recognized the “Ready Nevada County Dashboard” in the category of Risk and Emergency Management. In the face of numerous hazards from wildfire to COVID-19, the County of Nevada created a one-stop public-facing website that provides up-to-the-minute information on current local hazards. This site fuses data from numerous Federal, State, and Local sources to provide the highest level of situational awareness available. This same site takes an all-hazards approach to community preparedness and planning. It has planning level information for everything from weather to evacuation. There are also tabs with resources to help residents mitigate the wildfire threat in the community. Information centers on reducing the hazardous vegetation fuel load in our neighborhoods and preparedness tools for personal emergency response. The mission of the Office of Emergency Services is to prepare the community for all hazards with a focus on wildfire. The State of California and the County use the Ready, Set, Go! model to prepare our community. The Ready Nevada County Dashboard aligns with this community preparedness model and uses technology to inform our community before, during, and after an emergency.
“Wildfire preparedness and broadband are important community issues and Board Objectives for the County,” said Alison Lehman, Nevada County Executive Officer. “It’s an honor to be recognized nationally for innovative programs that our staff and leadership have dedicated time, energy and focus towards.”
NACo President Gary Moore said, “Over the past year, county officials and frontline employees have demonstrated bold, inspirational leadership. This year’s Achievement Award winning programs illustrate the innovative ways counties build healthy, safe and vibrant communities across America.”
Nationally, awards are given in 18 different categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties provide. The categories include children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, county administration, information technology, health, civic engagement and many more.
Started in 1970, NACo’s annual Achievement Awards program is designed to recognize county government innovations. Each nominee is judged on its own merits and not against other applications received.
