During the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) 2022 Cities United Summit, GMA and Georgia Trend magazine presented the city of Canton with one of nine Visionary City Awards recently.
Awarded to nine cities each year—three from each population size group: under 4,999; 5,000 to 24,999 and more than 25,000, the Visionary City Award honors cities that have established positive community change through effective civic engagement and collaboration, according to a recent GMA statement.
“The city of Canton is extremely honored to receive the Visionary City Award from the Georgia Municipal Association and Georgia Trend magazine,” Canton Mayor Bill Grant said in a statement.
“This prestigious recognition for our city’s forward thinking, collaboration and civic engagement is a true testament to the exemplary leadership our Council and management team have demonstrated with the creation and implementation of our Roadmap for Success.”
This year’s nine award-winning Georgia cities - Acworth, Canton, Cornelia, Covington, Lawrenceville, Macon, Moultrie, Ringgold and Tybee Island - will be featured in the February 2022 issue of Georgia Trend, concerning their innovative programs and creative solutions.
Preference for the Visionary City Award is given to initiatives and projects that are measurable and judged on how well they demonstrate civic engagement, inclusiveness, equity, collaboration, innovation and long-term value to the community.
Canton’s Roadmap for Success, for which the city received the award, was designed with eight overall guiding principles that are incorporated into all city projects, initiatives and efforts:
- Creating Great Neighborhoods
- Celebrating the Diversity of Our Community
- Advancing Regional Economic Success
- Enhancing Historic Downtown Canton
- Sustaining Our Natural Environment
- Connecting Citizens through Parks and Recreation
- Improving Infrastructure for Future Demands
- Leading with Excellence
Each includes action steps, a list of projects already underway, supporting documents, major partners, stakeholders and measurable goals.
Early last year, the Canton City Council prioritized and established a timeline for the initiatives in each principle.
Several of the projects identified within the tenets began to take shape last year, and new projects brought to the city by developers will be held to the principles set forth by the Roadmap.
Information: cantonga.gov
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