The City of Kenmore was recently awarded with a Municipal Excellence Award for its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) response, which was announced by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). Kenmore is one out of five cities that were honored this year for coming up with creative ideas to improve the quality of life for the 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.

Annually, AWC’s Municipal Excellence Awards showcase the success of cities that can be emulated in others. The City of Kenmore’s ARPA response consisted of direct cash assistance to residents, funds for affordable housing development, business assistance, as well as an innovative public engagement process that sought input as the city planned and prioritized future ARPA programming.

AWC specifically called out the City of Kenmore’s direct cash assistance program—Kenmore Cares—and its community engagement efforts while announcing the award.

“This AWC award is a positive reflection on our entire community,” said Mayor Nigel Herbig. “I’d like to thank my colleagues on the City Council for their vision and leadership as well as Kenmore City staff and our partners for being creative and innovative in administering the ARPA funding for our community.”

On June 23, the City of Kenmore, as well as the other four 2022 Municipal Excellence Award recipients, will be recognized at AWC’s Annual Conference. The 2022 award marks Kenmore’s seventh AWC Municipal Excellence Award, which is open yearly to any Washington town or city.

Previous Kenmore AWC Municipal Excellence Awards include the 2021 Financial Sustainability Plan; 2020 The Hangar at Town Square; 2018 Economic Development; 2015 Coolest City Hall; 2014 Process Streamlining; 2013 Innovative Cost Savings.

The other four cities honored with 2022 AWC awards this year are Pasco for Increasing Housing Access and Opportunities, Port Townsend and Jefferson County Intergovernmental Collaborative Group and Walla Walla Valley Blue Zones Project.

For more information visit https://wacities.org/data-resources/city-awards/municipal-excellence-award