Elk Grove Village’s Public Works Department earns accreditation from American Public Works Association
The Elk Grove Village Public Works Department has earned full accreditation status from the American Public Works Association after a comprehensive three-year evaluation of its operations, policies, and management practices.
According to the American Public Works Association (APWA), full accreditation means that the village complies with the recommended management practices and is committed to ongoing improvement of how it delivers critical infrastructure maintenance services to the residents and businesses of Elk Grove Village.
No other community in Illinois and just two other communities nationwide have earned accreditation for its Public Works, Police, Fire, and Building departments, placing Elk Grove Village among the nation’s top-tier.
“We’re extremely honored that the men and women of our Department of Public Works have earned this recognition. It is a testament to their commitment and dedication to ensuring that our village’s infrastructure is operating safely and efficiently at all times,” said Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson. “And, to be just one of three communities nationwide and the first one in Illinois to reach this elite status demonstrates our continuing commitment to excellence in everything we do on behalf of residents and businesses we serve.”
The village’s Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance of village-owned property, infrastructure, and equipment. The department maintains water and sewer utilities, public streets and right of ways, urban forestry and land, and other critical infrastructure.
As part of the accreditation process, evaluators from the APWA pore over every detail of the departments operations and policies. The process evaluates the agency’s effectiveness in managing scores of different “practice areas” such as street maintenance, stormwater and flood management, traffic operations, finance and fleet management. It also identifies areas that need improvement in order for the agency to receive accreditation. Once the agency has met all the rigorous standards, it earns accreditation status.
The accreditation is valid for four years. After two years, the APWA will perform an evaluation to ensure that best practices are being followed. Village officials said they would be working to maintain accreditation status well into the future.
“We sought accreditation status because we knew that putting ourselves, our policies and our operations under the close scrutiny of industry experts would help us identify areas where we can further strengthen our operations and serve our residents,” said Public Works Director Colby Basham. “I salute the men and women of our Department of Public Works for all they do on behalf of the residents and businesses that call Elk Grove Village home.”
Elk Grove Village is one of just 10 Illinois communities to have been accredited by the APWA.
“We seek these accreditations not for the recognition or the plaques that can be hung on the wall. We seek them because the process identifies areas where we can improve our operations and make us better equipped to serve residents at a level they have come to expect and deserve,” said Mayor Johnson.