“This award is a reflection of the support and efforts of the Board of County Commissioners, other elected County officials, and professional staff throughout the County organization,” stated Hamilton County Administrator David Krings.  “We are proud of this recognition, but even more pleased at the ever-increasing variety of services and information that the County is able to provide citizens through the Internet.”

Twenty-nine counties applied for the Award and the counties were grouped into seven groups designated by NACo based on population size, and were judged against similarly sized counties.  The applicants were scored based on seven criteria addressing customer-centric interactions; seamless service-delivery; leveraged partnerships; participation of multiple government sectors; innovative use of technology for service delivery; ease of replication; and privacy and security. Thirteen counties received the eGovernance Award of Distinction, designated by a Silver Seal.  Seven counties were awarded the eGovernance Award of Merit, designated by a Bronze Seal. 

An expert panel of five judges evaluated the Award applicants.  The panel was composed of representatives from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, IBM, Public Technology, Inc., the National Association of Counties, and the International City/County Management Association.

The Seal of Good eGovernance Awards will be presented at NACo’s Annual Conference to be held July 12-16, 2002 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Awardee information is included on the Academy’s homepage at: http://www.napawash.org/pc_egovernance/seal.html and on NACo’s homepage at: www.naco.org. 

The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to improve the performance of government institutions at every level. The National Association of Counties represents more than 2000 county governments, providing a wide range of services including legislative, research, public affairs, and technical assistance to its members.

Congrats to everyone who contributed to this award!  Keep up the good work!

The retreat concluded with a tour of Paul Brown Stadium.  Thanks to the elected officials, appointed authorities, and department heads for allowing support staff to participate. 

All citizens of Hamilton County are invited to submit a flag design.  The goal is to generate designs for a flag that will represent Hamilton County.  The County is working in partnership with ArtWorks, a local non-profit that provides arts training in the arts for local youth. ArtWorks will seek entries from local schools, its network of local artists, and the general public.  A panel consisting of County officials, civic leaders and ArtWorks staff will select three finalists.  Each of these three finalists will receive recognition and an honorarium.  The winning design will be selected from these three finalists and submitted to a flag manufacturer for production.  The winning design will be unveiled in a public ceremony on Flag Day (June 14, 2002).

Hamilton County encourages county residents’ participation in this contest. Interested persons should contact Betsy Reeves of ArtWorks at 333-0388 or email at Artworks_betsy@hotmail.com.  Submissions should be sent to the following address:

Artworks

Flag Design Contest

1310 Pendleton Box 14

Cincinnati, Ohio 45210

The deadline for submissions is April 26, 2002.

The Planning Partnership of the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission brings together the public, private and civic sectors engaged in community planning so that mutual goals can be planned for comprehensively and achieved collaboratively. The Planning Partnership’s "Making Great Communities" Certified Planning Commissioner’s Program has been designed for Planning Commissioners (citizen planner) interested in acquiring basic knowledge to perform their duties. The program is also open to any seasoned Planning Commissioner looking for up to date information on planning.

"I now understand why the work of the Planning Commissions needs to be more focused on what’s going on outside their Commission and outside our community and how we are interconnected," said Patricia Stearns of Lincoln Heights.

The Certified Planning Commissioner’s Program improved the ability of the participating Commissioners to interpret and analyze technical and legal information, understand the laws that affect Planning Commissions, understand the unique role of the Commissions within their communities and counties, and how to conduct effective public meetings. University of Cincinnati School of Planning professors, professional planners from the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, professional facilitators, and other professionals, such as attorneys and planning consultants, led the presentations and small group discussions.

"This program has given me more confidence in my ability to do a good job as a Planning Commissioner," said Joanne Gerson from Montgomery.

Participating commissioners came from townships, villages and cities: Amberley Village, Anderson Township, City of Montgomery, City of Sharonville, Colerain Township, Green Township, Lincoln Heights, Springdale Township, and Springfield Township, in Hamilton County and Jackson Township in Clermont County. Other participants included commissioners from the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission, the Hamilton County Regional Zoning Commission.

The "Making Great Communities" certified program will be offered biannually in the winter and fall. With continued interest and support from jurisdictions and organizations, this workshop is expected to develop into a continual program available to all Planning Commissioners in the eight-county region.

"We've made this a high priority, " Jollis says.  We added tools such as desk aids and helped staff become more accountable for outcomes."  

For more information  about Hamilton County's scorecard, visit www.hamilton-co.org/dhs/news/news.html

Green Products EXPO 2002

This event will bring together public sector purchasers from throughout the region for the purpose of encouraging the purchase of recycled and environmentally preferable products. A full day of educational workshops and vendor displays offer the latest information on performance, price, and the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing these goods.

Environmentally preferable products refer to products having lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose. This event will showcase case studies on local and regional governments that have purchased such products.

The Expo will take place on May 16, 2002 at the Clarion Hotel & Suites in Blue Ash, Ohio and will run from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Registration is free but limited. To register, visit http://192.168.14.126/oemems/greenexpo.cfm

If you have a display phone, and know the person's name, you may use the phone's directory feature.  If unsuccessful you may contact county operators at 946-6464 and obtain any new number for the 800 Broadway Building.