13 May 2008

The Alliance for Innovation is proud to announce the winners of the 4th Annual J. Robert Havlick Award for Innovation in Government Award and the Thomas H. Muehlenbeck Award for Excellence in Local Government. The awards will be announced and presented at the 2008 Transforming Local Government Conference being held in Greenville, SC, June 4-6, 2008. The presentation will be made during the awards lunch on Thursday, June 5th at 12:15 PM. There were 82 entries for this year's award program, so congratulations to this year’s winners!

The J. ROBERT HAVLICK AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT goes to:

The City of Newport News, VA for Open eGov

The City of Newport News developed Open eGov, a web software application which is available to any other local government and it is offered free of charge. We are creating a collaborative software ecosystem, where government organizations, non-profits and the private sector work together to share the cost of enhanced capabilities. The objective is to deliver on-line web services to citizens most effectively and efficiently by reducing or eliminating the duplication of effort between localities through sharing and collaboration.

THOMAS H. MUEHLENBECK AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Fairfax County, VA for Magnet Housing Pilot Program

Fairfax County is one of the key areas of job growth in not only the Washington D.C. area, but in the nation. The abundance of jobs and resulting need for a skilled and available workforce demands that the county have a range of affordable housing. The Magnet Housing Program is an innovative approach to address both issues. Magnet Housing provides affordable housing to individuals moving from a job to a career. Affordable, attractive housing is provided in partnership with employers to their employees who may be in training, participating in an apprenticeship program, at an entry level, or filling critical, hard-to-fill positions.

Additionally, the Alliance recognizes the following programs as the winners of

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION AWARDS

Arlington, TX for Neighborhood Strength Index

Arvada, CO for Ask Arvada

Chesapeake, VA for Neighborhood Quality of Life Study

Conroe, TX for Conroe Lean

Dublin, OH for Dublink

Fairfax County, VA for Changing Lives Through Literature

Odessa, TX for Use of Ultrasound in EMS

Palo Alto, CA for Climate Protection Plan

Petersburg, VA for Supported Alternatives for Our Valued Youth

Phoenix, AZ for Public Library Website

Richmond, VA for Law Enforcement Analytics

Sarasota County, FL for Flat Budget Spending PW

Congratulations to all of our winners!