WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Counties (NACo) today announced that Woodbury County, Iowa is one of 10 recipients of its prestigious 2006-2007 Center for Sustainable Communities Awards.
The awards, presented every two years by NACo’s Center for Sustainable Communities, recognize the most effective and innovative county-led partnerships with private sector, other governments or community groups in developing economically prosperous, environmentally safe, and socially
equitable communities.
The county was honored for its Comprehensive Local Foods System project. (See project description below.) Honorees will receive their awards during a reception this winter in Washington, D.C. Winners were selected by a panel of independent judges.
“I commend everyone who was involved in developing these outstanding community partnerships,” said NACo President Eric Coleman, commissioner, Oakland County, Mich. “It is our hope that the national awards will spotlight your communities’ great achievements and inspire others across the country to explore similar strategies to develop vibrant and sustainable communities.”
NACo’s Center for Sustainable Communities primary mission is to provide a forum for county leaders to work with other governments, the private sector, and communities to develop policies and programs that will lead to economic enhancement, environmental stewardship and social well-being – the three pillars of sustainable communities. The center helps local elected officials build sustainable communities by promoting community leadership initiatives, facilitating multijurisdictional and public-private partnerships, providing technical assistance and training, and conducting community policy and educational forums.
The sponsors for the 2007 Center for Sustainable Communities Awards Program include: Bank of America, Freddie Mac, the International Center of Shopping Centers, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of
Realtors, and the Nehemiah Corporation of America.
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The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org. For more information about the NACo Center for Sustainable Communities, contact Abby Friedman at afriedman@naco.org or 202-942-4225.
National Association of Counties Center for Sustainable Communities 2007 Awards
2007 Award Winners
Boulder County, Colo., Boulder County Super IGA; Charleston County, S.C., Project Impact Partnership; Franklin, Granville, Vance, and Warren Counties, N.C., Kerr-Tarr Regional Economic Development Corporation; Gwinnett County, Ga., The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center; Harford, Cecil, and Baltimore Counties, Md., Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor: An Unprecedented Partnership; Lake County, Ill., Rt. 173/I-94 Intergovernmental Agreement, Louisville-Jefferson County, Ky., The Partnership for a Green City; Morrow County, Ohio, Wheels to Work; Prince George’s County, Md., Low Impact Development/Green Highway Programs; and Woodbury County, Iowa Comprehensive Local Foods System Project.
Woodbury County, Iowa: Comprehensive Local Food Systems Project
On June 28, 2005 Woodbury County enacted the Organics Conversion Policy that provides a 5-year 100% real property tax rebate to any farmer who converts from conventional to organic farming. The county became the first in the nation to enact a mandatory local foods purchase
policy requiring the county to purchase locally grown organic food for its food services. This fall, Woodbury is set to enact a Homestead Ordinance” to repopulate rural communities by providing no-interest loans to buy farmland, free lots in rural communities to the new farmers for
housing, and tax rebates on the acres farmed. Its comprehensive initiative to revitalize the community through innovative agricultural practices has received international attention and led to presentations before the U.S. House of Representatives on April, 2007, and before the
Ministry of Agriculture in Toronto, Canada in November, 2006. In addition, program has been replicated by its neighboring communities and has been exported across the nation leading to the enactment of a new state law in Illinois.
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