The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) recently announced that the City of Pasco was awarded a Municipal Excellence Award.
Pasco is one of five cities honored for putting creative ideas to use for their community. "This year's winning projects highlight just a few of the ways that Washington cities are leading with innovation and resilience to solve a diverse range of challenges, including affordable housing, public health, and economic recovery," said Alicia Seegers Martinelli, AWC Interim CEO.
"The work described in the award represents a major effort by the City Council, Planning Commission, and planning staff, particularly Community and Economic Development Director Rick White and Planning Manager Jacob Gonzalez. We are fortunate to have two such professionals dedicated to our City," said City Manager Dave Zabell.
Each year, AWC's Municipal Excellence Awards provide ideas and inspiration to communities around the state, showcasing successes that can be emulated in other cities. The competition is open each year to all 281 cities and towns in Washington. The winning cities are recognized at AWC's Annual Conference on June 23.
Chosen from 22 applications, the 2022 AWC Municipal Excellence Award winners include the City of Pasco for its "Increasing Housing Access and Opportunities." This project is the City's effort to address the growing housing crisis by utilizing a variety of local, regional, and state resources and guidance to identify practical housing policy solutions.
This year's award marks the third Municipal Excellence Award for the City in four years, including the Pasco Police and Fire Department's "Hotspotters" program in 2019 and the City's effort to recognize historic African American properties and history in east Pasco in 2020.
About the Association of Washington Cities: AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation representing Washington's cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and regulatory agencies. Membership is voluntary. However, AWC consistently maintains 100 percent participation from Washington's 281 cities and towns. AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs like the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Retro Program, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.