At the 2014 ICMA Annual Conference, 18 communities received “Voice of the People Awards” for their use of citizen surveys to influence service quality. Bainbridge Island, WA; Broken Arrow, OK; Brookline, MA; Brownsburg, IN; Chanhassen, MN; Elk Grove, CA;  Gilbert, AZ;  Gunnison County, CO; Hopkinton, MA; La Vista, NE; Palm Coast, FL; Park City, UT; Peoria, AZ;  Scottsdale, AZ; Urbandale, IA;  Weston, MA; White House, TN; and Winter Garden, FL received awards for excellence, transformation, or both.

All of the communities participate in The National Citizen Survey, which enables local governments to gather high value citizen data for budgeting, goal setting, performance measurement, and program planning at a low cost. The winners showed excellence and/or significant improvement in a wide range of service categories including transportation, public safety, health and wellness, and livability.

Making data-driven decisions is one of the leading practices identified by ICMA’s Center for Management Strategies and Tom Miller, president and CEO of National Research Center, has been sharing case studies from winning communities on the Center for Management Strategies blog. Here are a couple of communities recently spotlighted:

Park City, Utah, won five awards this year; two of them focused on economic development. Here are a few highlights:

• Park City supports local resorts and businesses by providing physical and capital infrastructure, such as mobility and pathway improvements or by enacting more patron-friendly liquor laws.
• Citizens voted to invest more than $50 million in open space acquisition, bike and pedestrian trails, and preserving the vibrancy and character of the community.
• The city government collaborates with the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau to host and fund special events, including world-class skiing competitions and the Sundance Film Festival.
• Voters approved a $25 million reinvestment plan to maintain and improve the downtown historic core and the neighborhood between the Old Town and ski resort.
• Park City plans on creating a business retention and recruitment program to diversify the local tax base outside of the ski resorts.

Chanhassen, Minnesota,  won four awards this year, including one in the area of safe communities. Here are a few of the city’s programs:

• Project Leadfoot is a neighborhood traffic calming initiative.
• CarFit is a program in which auto technicians help older drivers make adjustments to maximize their vehicles’ safety features (e.g., mirrors, seat position).
• Technicians also help citizens with properly installing car seats.
• The Chanhassen Sheriff’s Office manages a prescription drug take-back program, holds regular meetings with seniors, partners with local schools, maintains dedicated domestic violence response teams, and established the Citizens Academy, a community partnership program.
• The city has used an e-mail notification system since 2001 to send the citizens and businesses crime alerts.
• Every July, the city sponsors Safety Camp to teach lifetime safety skills to children. To improve bike safety, the city has provided citizens with low-cost bike helmets.

To see the complete criteria and list of categories, visit Voice of the People awards.