In another affirmation that Johnson County sets the standard compared to other local governments in the United States, Johnson County won ETC Institute's "Leading the Way Award.” The award recognizes local governments for outstanding achievements in delivering services to residents.

Award recipients rank in the top 10% of all local governments in the United States regarding their composite performance in three core areas that are assessed on ETC Institute’s DirectionFinder® Survey:

• Satisfaction with overall quality of services.
• Satisfaction with customer service provided by employees.
• Satisfaction with the value residents think they receive for taxes and fees.

“On behalf of Johnson County we are truly appreciative of this award,” said County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson. “The entire team of Johnson County Government deserves credit, from the Board of County Commissioners who sets policy to the staff who provide services day-to-day. We must also thank our residents who continue to go above and beyond providing their feedback in our annual community survey.”

To rank in the "Top 10% of All Communities", a city or county must have scored an average of at least 64 of 100 points in all three areas. Johnson County's composite rating was 211, which was 35 points above the average composite score for all communities in the United States. Johnson County is the largest government to be recognized with this distinction. Johnson County is also the only county to have earned this distinction.

“ETC selected Johnson County because it is truly setting the standard in many areas,” said Chris Tatham, CEO of ETC Institute. “Johnson County not only ranked in the top 10% overall, but Johnson County also rated in the top 10% of all communities that participated in ETC’s DirectionFinder® Survey in the areas of traffic flow, feeling of safety in neighborhoods, overall image and a place to live, work, and raise children.”

Johnson County will receive an 11-pound crystal award to represent the 11 cities that participated in ETC Institute’s DirectionFinder Survey the first year the survey was conducted in 2000. Johnson County will also be featured as an award winner on ETC Institute’s website and social media pages over the next few weeks. An award presentation is planned to take place during a future Board of County Commissioner’s meeting. More details about the Leading the Way Award, including the names of other award winners, are also available.

Background

ETC Institute was founded in 1982 by Dr. Elaine Tatham to help local governments gather data from residents to enhance community planning. The firm has grown from a small one-person company to a national corporation. Since its founding, ETC Institute has completed research projects for clients in 49 states. This includes thousands of surveys, focus groups, and stakeholder meetings. Since 1999, ETC Institute’s DirectionFinder® Survey has been administered to nearly two million residents in all 50 states.