Best Practices
2007 Irwin A. Bock Award Winners
2008 Irwin A. Bock Award Winners
2009 Irwin A. Bock Award Winners
Irwin A. Bock Award Past Winners
Innovation is the key to solving problems and improving services. For local governments, innovative practices are developed on a regular basis to address the diverse and changing needs of each community. This innovative thinking can also be applied to larger issues and problems, which is why the Northwest Municipal Conference takes great pride in recognizing the best practices of our members and building upon their creativity to develop solutions that can be shared throughout our region.
The Best Practices Committee provides the forum for joint problem solving on very specific and timely issues and problems facing our communities. By breaking into smaller sub-committees that focus local expertise on single issues and problems, our members are able to combine their resources to research, discuss, and develop innovative solutions. The work of these sub-committees is summarized via recommendations and informational workbooks designed to educate our membership on the problem and potential solutions.
Some of the issues previously addressed by the Best Practices Committee include controlling exotic pests such as the Asian Long-Horned Beetle and Gypsy Moth; Health Insurance Issues/Cost Control; Municipal Emergency Operations Program; Traffic Calming; Residential Teardowns and Use of Electronic Media.
The Northwest Municipal Conference also recognizes the innovations of our member communities. In 2002, we began formally presenting the most deserving of these local best practices with the Northwest Municipal Conference Best Practices Innovation Awards. The competition for these awards both gives much deserved recognition to these local practices and encourages other communities to incorporate them into their own operations.