News

Johnson County Wastewater (JCW) was recently awarded a NACo Achievement Award by the National Association of Counties (NACo) for its Succession Planning Program. The department's Succession Planning Program was developed to attract and retain future managers, and to ensure they receive the training necessary to assume greater responsibility over time.
The program's goal is to equip interested and eligible staff with the tools necessary to shorten the learning curve should they step into those roles. The expectation is that staff will be better prepared to perform successfully on a shorter timeline. This national recognition program cites innovative programs that modernize county government and increases its service to residents. Johnson County won a total of five Achievement Awards this year and was the only county in Kansas to receive Achievement Awards.
Begun in 1970, the annual Achievement Award Program is a non-competitive awards program that recognizes innovative county government programs. Each application is judged on its own merits and not against other applications received. Awards are given in 21 different categories. The department was also recognized with two Awards of Excellence in 2012 from the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO). The 2010 annual report, The Business of Johnson County Wastewater, won an Excellent Award, and the department's 2011 plan to gather public input on the combined charges initiative won a Meritorious Award.
NACIO's annual competition recognizes outstanding public relations and public information work being done in counties across the nation. Johnson County departments won a total of nine Awards of Excellence. This year, nearly 350 entries were received in nine categories from large and small counties and state associations of counties.