Gwinnett County has once again set the standard as a national benchmark community, earning 31 National Association of Counties Achievement Awards for programs implemented in 2023.

This achievement surpasses the previous record of 22 awards from last year and is the highest for the County since the program began more than 50 years ago.

“Receiving these national recognitions highlights our commitment to delivering exceptional services to our residents,” said Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. “The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners is dedicated to guaranteeing our local government is innovative, adaptable and meets the needs of our community.”

The winning programs include Gwinnett’s Affordable Housing Development Fund, the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center, the Veteran and Family Services Center, 911 real time monitoring dashboard, the Microtransit launch and the Water on Wheels in-school field trip program that teaches elementary school students topics like water conservation and pollution prevention.

The County also received the Best in Category Achievement Award for the Harvest Gwinnett Community Garden Ambassador Program. Twenty-two volunteer ambassadors promote community engagement and wellness through gardening, creating spaces where residents can come together to grow food and combat food insecurity at 11 of the County’s community gardens.

There are strict criteria a county government or state association must follow to win a NACo Achievement Award. For example, a program has to offer new services to residents, fill in gaps or tap into new revenue sources; improve the administration of an existing county government program; and/or upgrade training levels for employees and enhance the level of resident participation.

A full list of Gwinnett’s 2024 NACo Achievement Award-winning projects can be found on NACo’s website.