Award Categories

Following are the six categories for the SACOG Salutes! 2007 awards:

The Bill Hughes Elected Official Award

Description: Bill Hughes was the driving force in the expansion of the SACOG Board, bringing voices from all of the region's cities and counties to the table. He was a tremendous supporter of the Blueprint project and was chair of the SACOG Board at the time of his sudden passing in 2003. This category recognizes leadership excellence by an elected official who has made a significant contribution to transportation, air quality, or land-use planning in the Sacramento region at the local, state, regional, or federal level.

Selection Criteria:

• Comprehensive description of activities that promoted regional cooperation in the Sacramento region
• Description of significant accomplishments and results throughout tenure
• Demonstration of consensus building and public service

Blueprint Excellence Award

Description: The Blueprint project is a multi-year study to optimize our transportation system through "smarter" land-use planning. This category recognizes a project, organization, or business for unique approaches to smart growth. The nomination can be for a plan, complete project, or program that addresses at least two of the following selection criteria and promotes the increased integration of transportation and land-use planning.

Selection Criteria:

• Provides a variety of transportation choices
• Offers housing choices and opportunities
• Takes advantage of compact development
• Uses existing assets
• Mixes land uses
• Preserves open space, farmland, and natural beauty through natural resources conservation
• Encourages distinctive, attractive communities with quality design

Regional Organization of the Year

Description: This category is for not-for-profit organizations or government agencies that have achieved overall excellence and made a significant effort to address, inform, and/or educate the public about transportation, air quality, or smart-growth issues.

Selection Criteria:
Examples of criteria used to evaluate this category are:

• Stellar public involvement campaigns
• Innovative transportation, air quality, and/or smart-growth plans or programs
• Integration of new technology applications

Regional Project of the Year

Description: This category recognizes a project completed or implemented in calendar year 2006 or 2007 that has made a significant contribution to the region in transportation, air quality, and/or smart growth.

Selection Criteria:

• Positive regional impacts
• Significant public input
• Environmental compatibility
• Quality design

Regional Business of the Year

Description: This category recognizes private businesses that have made significant contributions to the region in transportation, air quality, and/or smart growth.

Selection Criteria:

• This award will be selected based on innovative projects, programs, or events held by the nominee to educate, promote, or acknowledge programs in transportation, air quality, and/or smart growth externally or internally within the business.

Employee of the Year

Description: This category recognizes an individual employee of an organization or business who has made a significant contribution in the region in transportation, air quality, and/or smart growth.

Selection Criteria:

• This award will be selected based on contributions to the region through professional involvement.

Citizen of the Year

Description: This category recognizes a private citizen who participates and demonstrates leadership in public involvement activities of transportation, air quality, and/or land-use planning activities.

Selection Criteria:

• This award will be selected based on contributions to the region through civic involvement and outreach to others in the community.

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