Best Southwest Cities Recognized By NTCOG For COVID-19 Responses
Four cities in North Texas have been honored by the North Central Texas Council of Governments, receiving the Regional Cooperation Award in August for their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honored were the cities of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and Lancaster.
The award recognizes the cooperative regional efforts of local governments, honoring those that promote coordination and cooperation to solve regional problems; do not allow jurisdictional boundaries to be barriers to solutions; and demonstrate that joint projects can provide better use of resources as well as quality service.
The award was presented to the fire chiefs of the four cities as reaffirmation of the critical roles that they play in keeping residents as safe as possible. They are Rodney Smith, Cedar Hill; Jerry Duffield, DeSoto; Sam Rohde, Duncanville; and Kenneth Johnson, Lancaster.
Together We Are Better
“Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster have a long history of regional partnerships and collaboration to better serve the residents of the Best Southwest,” said Cedar Hill Mayor Stephen Mason. “It’s natural that those long-term relationships have helped us in our response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an honor to be recognized by regional organizations for the work that we have been doing together for decades.”
DeSoto Mayor Curtistene McCowan added, “DeSoto is proud of our fire rescue department and the critical role that they play in saving lives and protecting property, not only in DeSoto but in the broader region. By teaming with the fire departments of our best Southwest Partnership neighbors of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, and the City of Lancaster, they are able to extend a blanket of safety and protection around this region which makes a serious difference for all of us, especially during times like these. “The fire departments of DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, and Lancaster weren’t seeking any awards for working together to fight COVID-19 and other threats, that’s just how they do business, but they absolutely do deserve recognition for going the extra mile for the safety of our residents.
The departments and their respective chiefs were nominated by Cedar Hill City Manager Greg Porter.
Firefighters Deserve All The Recognition They Can Get
“Our firefighters are indeed our heroes. They train together, work together, and they think and work regionally and cooperatively in fire-fighting, hazmat issues, and emergency management and response, to head off any threats to our well-being,” DeSoto Communications Manager Matt Smith said. “They deserve all the recognition that they can possibly get.”
In 1996, the North Central Texas Council of Governments established the Regional Cooperation Award to be presented each year at NCTCOG’s Annual General Assembly Meeting. The award recognizes local governments that have demonstrated a commitment to the concept of regionalism through their cooperative programs and projects. Any local governments in the 16-county North Central Texas region are eligible for the award.
Local government staff members, local elected officials, chamber of commerce officials, or interested citizens may nominate a local government to receive this award.
