MONTGOMERY COUNTY County awarded

The National Association of Counties (NACo) awarded the Montgomery County Board of County Commissioners with two Achievement Awards. The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.

The Eichelberger Prison Outreach Program received an Achievement Award in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety category, and the Montgomery County Styrofoam Recycling Program was recognized in the County Resiliency category.

The Eichelberger Prison Outreach Program was launched in 2019 as a specialized initiative personalizing reentry planning and service connection for incarcerated individuals returning to Montgomery County within six months of release from state and local facilities of confinement. The program builds a seamless bridge from prison to the community, with a pathway to the signature Reentry Career Alliance Academy (RCAA).

The EPOP was funded by a grant from the Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Foundation of the Dayton Foundation. The Montgomery Reentry Council is co-chaired by County Commissioner Debbie Lieberman and Judge Walter H. Rice.

The Montgomery County Styrofoam Recycling Program also received a NACo Achievement Award, in the County Resiliency category. In January 2021, Montgomery County Environmental Services (MCES) began a new Styrofoam recycling program for its residents and businesses. Styrofoam is not accepted in traditional curbside and dropoff recycling programs.

In 2021, MCES partnered with local communities and organizations to hold a series of three one-day community collections of Styrofoam for recycling, which resulted in the NACO Achievement Award. Residents brought more than 10,000 pounds of Styrofoam to recycling events, Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge said.