Awards and Recognitions
It is always an honor to receive an award or recognition, or to be asked to share our best practices with others. We don’t mean to brag, but we like to share this good news because it reinforces that you have picked a top county to live, work or raise a family.
Lighting the way by…
…earning recognition as a top county in our Annual Community Survey
Each year we appreciate our community taking part in our annual survey and giving us such high marks. We consistently earn extremely high satisfaction with Johnson County as a place to live and a place to feel safe. Residents are highly satisfied with our parks, libraries and EMS system. We receive important information about the community’s top priorities for our programs and services our most critical roles. Read our community survey results.
In 2023, we were honored to receive the “Leading the Way Award” from survey company ETC Institute for our second year in a row. Johnson County ranked in the top 10% of communities of more than 100,000 people regarding a composite score in three core areas:
- Satisfaction with overall quality of services.
- Satisfaction with customer service provided by employees.
- Satisfaction with the value residents think they receive for taxes and fees.
…sharing our expertise with others
Whether it is a regional, statewide or national beam, the spotlight often shines on Johnson County. Other organizations and jurisdictions notice our innovation and want to learn more. Our leadership and staff, on a continual basis, share our knowledge and best practices, by hosting events, speaking at conferences and writing articles. Here are a few examples from 2023:
Standing at the forefront of criminal justice innovation, Johnson County hosted 13 counties from across the country as a Peer-Learning Site for the Familiar Faces Initiative.
The national Transforming Local Government conference is an annual event that brings together local government professionals from across the U.S. to share ideas, best practices and innovation in the field of public administration. The 2023 conference was hosted in K.C. and several county employees were main conference speakers and also hosted innovation tours.
The Department of Health and Environment hosted the Kansas Infectious Disease Symposium for healthcare providers and leaders, school nurses, emergency management personnel, first responders and healthcare coalition members.
At the end of 2023, we were thrilled when our to have been selected as the cover story for the November/December issue of PM (Public Management) Magazine, the official and award-winning magazine of the International City/County Management Association. The article highlighted our VIBE (Voices of Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity) efforts.
…earning awards for our programs, services and facilities
As a high performing organization, it should serve as no surprise that we continually receive honors, awards and recognitions from professional organizations, industry experts and the media. We are always very grateful for these recognitions for the hard work performed every day by our leadership and staff…all for the benefit of our community.
We are so pleased that in 2023 Johnson County Wastewater’s Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility won two awards! In March, the Kansas City Business Journal selected it as a 2023 Capstone Award winner. In September, Engineering News Record Midwest awarded the project with a 2023 Best Projects Award.
Johnson County Museum’s REDLINED: Cities, Suburbs, and Segregation exhibit received multiple awards as well in 2023. Two of these were national awards:
- Advancement of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion winner, American Alliance of Museums
- Social Justice winner, National Association of County Park & Recreation Officials
In addition, the exhibit received an Award of Excellence from the Kansas Museums Association and the UCS Excellence in Community Service Award from United Community Services of Johnson County.
Other 2023 awards included:
- A National Association of Counties Achievement Award for the work of the Johnson County Suicide Prevention Coalition
- The Health Partnership Clinic’s Founders Award for the Department of Health and Environment
- National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators Leadership Recognition Award for outstanding achievements in the area of Holistic Financial Wellness
- The Johnson County Post named JCPRD Best Large Employer of Johnson County
- Johnson County was named the healthiest county in Kansas according to the annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institut
- Johnson County EMS system nationally recognized for its commitment to quality care for heart attacks and strokes
- The Appraiser’s Office received the International Association of Assessing Officers Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration. Johnson County is only one of two counties in the world to have received this re-certification three times.
- Johnson County Wastewater was recognized for winning six Peak Performance Awards
Designations and certifications
Receiving designations and accreditations by the experts in their fields is another reason for the Johnson County community to be assured that our departments, agencies and offices are equipped, trained and certified at the highest level to perform the services on which you rely.
New Century Commerce Center landed a Kansas Certified designation. This certification, along with the site’s existing AEROReady™ Aviation and BNSF Railway certifications directly addresses factors critical to the success of attracting new industries to the New Century Commerce Center.
Emergency Communications Center received reaccreditation from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch as an Accredited Center of Excellence for emergency medical dispatching. Accreditation from the IAED is the highest distinction given to emergency communication centers, certifying they perform at or above the established standards for the industry.
The Medical Examiner’s Office received full accreditation status through the National Association of Medical Examiners. NAME accreditation signifies that the highest quality death investigation system has been attained.