Henrico County’s general government departments and Henrico County Public Schools earned a combined 21 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovative programs and initiatives in 2022.
Henrico’s total is the most of any county in Virginia for the 17th consecutive year.
NACo’s Achievement Awards program recognizes groundbreaking programs and initiatives in 18 service categories, including children and youth, county administration and management, libraries, risk and emergency management, and human services.
With 21 awards from 26 entries, Henrico tied Charlotte County, Fla., for ninth most in the country, following San Bernardino County, Cal.; Miami-Dade County, Fla.; Los Angeles County, Cal.; San Diego County, Cal.; Maricopa County, Ariz.; Howard County, Md.; Palm Beach County, Fla.; and Montgomery County, Md. Henrico had an estimated 333,554 residents in 2021 – significantly less than San Bernardino’s 2.2 million, comparable to Howard’s 334,529 and more than Charlotte’s 194,843, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
“The NACo awards reflect the outstanding public service that our employees provide to our community every day,” County Manager John A. Vithoulkas said. “With winning entries in eight different categories – covering everything from children and youth to libraries, health, economic development, public safety, human services, personnel and volunteers – the awards show Henrico County’s absolute commitment to a high quality of life for everyone and excellence in everything we do.”
Henrico has earned 739 NACo awards since 1985. The 2022 awards recognize the work of seven general government departments and Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS). HCPS collected five awards; the Division of Fire, four; Henrico County Public Library and the Police Division, three apiece; the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Public Utilities, two apiece; and Henrico County Economic Development Authority and Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services, one apiece. The award-winning programs and their respective agencies are below.
- EDA SWaM Initiative, Economic Development Authority
- Fire Day Sheet, Fire
- Fire Fleet Status Dashboard, Fire
- Fire Station Inspection Program, Fire
- Fire Apparatus Maintenance Videos, Fire
- Meeting the Community’s Needs: The Evolution of County Hiring Events, Human Resources
- Embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Employee Conversations and Experiences, Human Resources
- Community Collections, Public Library
- Storyline, Public Library
- Parent-Child Computer Work and Play Stations, Public Library
- Rapid Access to Medication Assisted Treatment, Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services
- The First Responders Club and Open Doors and Open Hearts, Police
- Intercultural Liaison Partnership, Police
- Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Program, Police
- PFAS Well Sampling Initiative, Public Utilities
- Stream Cleanups, Public Utilities
- Staff Retention, HCPS
- Culturally Responsive Education Model, HCPS
- Kids of Promise, HCPS
- Communication for All Students and Families, HCPS
- Safety around the Water: Learn2Swim Program, HCPS
