ETC Institute’s Leading the Way Award honors cities and counties that achieve outstanding results in the delivery of local government services. Recipients of this prestigious award rank in the top 10% of communities nationwide, based on their performance in three critical areas assessed by the DirectionFinder® Survey:
- Satisfaction with the overall quality of services
- Satisfaction with customer service provided by employees
- Satisfaction with the value residents feel they receive for local taxes and fees
This distinction celebrates communities that set the standard for excellence in public service, going beyond meeting resident needs to exceed expectations.
Discover award-winning communities, explore the history of the Leading the Way Award, and learn how to benchmark your own community’s performance.

Celebrating Service: The Award’s Legacy
Since its inception in 1999, ETC Institute’s DirectionFinder® Survey has empowered local government leaders to make data-driven decisions by incorporating resident feedback into strategic planning. Nearly two million residents in all 50 states have participated in the survey, providing invaluable insights into community satisfaction and priorities.
In 2023, ETC Institute introduced the “Leading the Way Award” to formally acknowledge top-performing communities for their dedication to exceptional service delivery. Past recipients are celebrated for consistently raising the bar in public service excellence.
Recent Award Winners
The recipients of ETC Institute’s Summer 2024 Leading the Way Awards are those communities that exceeded benchmarks among all participants of the DirectionFinder® survey from January to June 2024.
The initial winners are listed alphabetically below:
- Carrboro, North Carolina – www.townofcarrboro.org
- Concord, North Carolina – www.concordnc.gov
- Holly Springs, North Carolina – www.hollyspringsnc.gov
- Hillsborough, North Carolina – www.hillsboroughnc.gov
- Johnson County, Kansas – www.jocogov.org
- Johnston, Iowa – www.cityofjohnston.com
- League City, Texas – www.leaguecitytx.gov
- Leawood, Kansas – www.leawood.org
- Lincolnwood, Illinois – www.lincolnwoodil.org
- Merriam, Kansas – www.merriam.org
- Mount Prospect, Illinois – www.mountprospect.org
- Olathe, Kansas – www.olatheks.gov
- San Antonio, Texas – www.sanantonio.gov
- Schertz, Texas – www.schertz.com
- Wauwatosa, Wisconsin – www.wauwatosa.net
Past Award Winners
- Henderson, Nevada – www.cityofhenderson.com
- Lake Forest, Illinois – www.cityoflakeforest.com
- Lee’s Summit Water Utilities – cityofls.net/water-utilities
- Lenexa, Kansas – www.lenexa.com
- Pinehurst, North Carolina – www.vopnc.org
- Roeland Park, Kansas – www.roelandpark.net
- Tempe, Arizona – www.tempe.gov
- Brooklyn, Ohio – www.brooklynohio.gov
- Clayton, Missouri – www.claytonmo.gov
- Johnson County, Kansas – www.jocogov.org
- Johnston, Iowa – www.cityofjohnston.com
- Kennesaw, Georgia – www.kennesaw-ga.gov
- La Porte, Texas – www.ci.la-porte.tx.us
- Lebanon, Missouri – www.lebanonmissouri.org
- Longmont, Colorado – www.longmontcolorado.gov
- Meridian, Idaho – www.meridiancity.org
- Mountain Brook, Alabama – www.mtnbrook.org
- Olathe, Kansas – www.olatheks.gov
- Pelham, Alabama – www.pelhamalabama.gov
- Round Rock, Texas – www.roundrocktexas.gov
- San Antonio, Texas – www.sanantonio.gov
- Tempe, Arizona – www.tempe.gov
- Town of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina – www.fuquay-varina.org
- Vestavia Hills, Alabama – www.vhal.org
- Village of Glencoe, Illinois – www.villageofglencoe.org
- Virginia Beach, Virginia – www.virginiabeach.gov
- WaterOne, Kansas – www.waterone.org
- Wentzville, Missouri – www.wentzvillemo.gov
- West Des Moines, Iowa – www.wdm.iowa.gov
- Addison, TX (pop. 16,661) www.addisontexas.net
- Auburn, AL (pop. 76,143) www.auburnalabama.org
- Burleson, TX (pop. 47,641) www.burlesontx.com
- Carrboro, NC (pop. 21,295) townofcarrboro.org
- Creve Coeur, MO (pop. 18,834) www.crevecoeurmo.gov
- Gulf Shores, AL (pop. 15,014) www.gulfshoresal.gov
- Henderson, NV (pop. 317,610) www.cityofhenderson.com
- Hillsborough, NC (pop. 9,660) www.hillsboroughnc.gov
- Holly Springs, NC (pop. 41,239) www.hollyspringsnc.us
- Johnson County, KS (pop. 609,863) www.jocogov.org
- League City, TX (pop. 114,392) www.leaguecitytx.gov
- Maplewood, MO (pop. 8,269) www.cityofmaplewood.com
- Olathe, KS (pop. 141,290) www.olatheks.org
- Plano, TX (pop. 285,494) www.plano.gov
- Platte City, MO (pop. 4,784) www.plattecity.org
- Scarborough, ME (pop. 22,135) www.scarboroughmaine.org
- Schertz, TX (pop. 42,002) www.schertz.com
- Westlake, TX (pop. 1,623) www.westlake-tx.org
- Auburn, AL (pop. 66,259) www.auburnalabama.org
- Clayton, MO (pop. 16,747) www.claytonmo.gov
- Concord, NC (pop. 94,130) www.concordnc.gov
- Fruita, CO (pop. 13,395) www.fruita.org
- Glencoe, IL (pop. 8,869) www.villageofglencoe.org
- Johnston, IA (pop. 24,064) www.cityofjohnston.com
- Kirkwood, MO (pop. 29,461) www.kirkwoodmo.org
- Lenexa, KS (pop. 55,294) www.lenexa.com
- Maryland Heights, MO (pop. 27,016) www.marylandheights.com
- Mission, KS (pop. 9,954) www.missionks.org
- North Kansas City, MO (pop. 4,571) www.nkc.org
- Olathe, KS (pop. 139,605) www.olatheks.org
- Plano, TX (pop. 288,061) www.plano.gov
- Platte City, MO (pop. 4,968) www.plattecity.org
- Port Washington, WI (pop. 12,353) www.portwashingtonwi.gov
- Roland Park, KS (pop. 6,871) www.roelandpark.net
- Rolla, MO (pop. 20,431) www.rollacity.org
- Schertz, TX (pop. 41,057) www.schertz.com
- St. Charles, IL (pop. 32,887) www.stcharlesil.gov
- Tempe, AZ (pop. 192,364) www.tempe.gov
- Trussville, AL (pop. 22,314) www.trussville.org
- Wauwatosa, WI (pop. 48,376) www.wauwatosa.net
- Weldon Spring, MO (pop. 5,326) www.weldonspring.org
- West Des Moines, IA (pop. 66,641) www.wdm.iowa.gov
- Apex, NC (pop. 51,370) www.apexnc.org
- Coral Springs, FL (pop. 132,568) www.coralsprings.org
- Gladstone, MO (pop. 27,126) www.gladstone.mo.us
- Meridian, ID (pop. 101,905) www.meridiancity.org
- Merriam, KS (pop. 11,185) www.merriam.org
- Mount Prospect, IL (pop. 54,604) www.mountprospect.org
- Olathe, KS (pop. 139,605) www.olatheks.org
- Perryville, MO (pop. 8,234) www.cityofperryville.com
- Pinehurst, NC (pop. 16,050) www.vopnc.org
- Raleigh, NC (pop. 464,485) www.raleighnc.gov
- Raymore, MO (pop. 21,196) www.raymore.com
- Round Rock, TX (pop. 124,434) www.roundrocktexas.gov
- Sugar Land, TX (pop. 118,709) www.sugarlandtx.gov
- Vestavia Hills, AL (pop. 34,307) www.vhal.org