Awards
The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) selected Sugar Land to receive its 2008 Community Economic Development Award (CEDA) for cities with a population of 40,001 to 100,000. The award recognizes Sugar Land’s overall economic development program in business retention and recruitment and community improvement.
The Texas City Manager’s Association (TCMA) -- an organization comprised of the state’s top City leaders -- awarded Sugar Land its City Council of the Year award. The award recognizes Sugar Land City Council for its support of the council-manager form of government through professional management, ethical practices and effective decision-making to ensure the highest standards for the community.
Forbes.com’s compilation of the best standard of living suburbs for the country’s 15 largest cities included Sugar Land as a "Top Suburb to Live Well."
A City partnership with Southern Land Company, Cherokee Investment Partners and Newland Communities resulted in two Houston Business Journal (HBJ) Landmark awards. The Imperial Sugar Refinery Site project won an award in the category of “2008 Land Deal” and the Telfair – Phase I project won a Landmark Award in the category of “2008 Residential Development.”
Sugar Land received a Texas Recreation and Parks Society Award for the development of three recreational lakes at the Brazos River Park. The award recognized an innovative government partnership that saved Sugar Land taxpayers $9 million.
2008
The Texas chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Texas Trails Network gave its state award to the City of Sugar Land and Halff Associates Inc. for a comprehensive citywide Hike and Bike Trail Plan. Judges with the Texas chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Texas Trails Network noted the plan’s extensive community support and a planning process that focused on existing resources and areas with the highest amount of potential usage.
For the third consecutive year, America's Promise -The Alliance for Youth selected Sugar Land as a winner of a national competition to identify 100 Best Communities for Young People. The winning communities -ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods across America are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.
Sugar Land was named America's Fifth Safest City, a distinction based on an analysis of FBI crime statistics. The national ranking is included in the 14th edition of City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, published today by Washington-based CQ Press, the reference and textbook-publishing division of Congressional Quarterly. The publication's authors have compiled state and city rankings books for almost two decades.
Two Sugar Land programs focusing on citizen involvement and safety were named the state's best. The Texas Municipal League (TML) awarded Municipal Excellence Awards to Sugar Land in the categories of "Communications Program" and "Public Safety." Sugar Land won the "Communications Program" category for the City's many citizen academies. Another citizen opportunity - Sugar Land Police Department's Community Assistance Support Team (CAST) - was the winner of a TML Municipal Excellence Awards in the category of "Public Safety."
Director of Public Works Mike Hobbs was named Top Public Works Leader of the Year by the Texas Chapter of the Public Works Association of America.
The City of Sugar Land's annual H20 Expo received top honors in the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) Drinking Water Week Celebration Contest.
Sugar Land officially became the first city in the nation to be named a Community of Respect® by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).The ADLs Community of Respect® program is an initiative to help governments, non-profit organizations, faith institutions, businesses, and institutes of higher learning create an atmosphere that rejects prejudice and fosters respect and an appreciation for diversity.
The City of Sugar Land’s Utilities Department recently received two recognition certificates, one for Outstanding Public Drinking Water System Award 2006 and one for Total Coliform Rule Program Award 2006.
The purpose of the awards is to recognize the commitment to protecting public health, to focus public attention on the importance of water facilities, and to provide opportunities for water systems management to interact with each other, national organizations and the regulatory agency.
Sugar Land Mayor David G. Wallace was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2007 City Livability Awards Program, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Waste Management. The national award recognized an Internet Safety Program that's been recognized as a "Best Practice" and replicated across the nation.
Sugar Land's Internet safety program is an innovative cross-sector collaboration involving all levels of government, non-profit organizations and the business community. The program utilizes education, enforcement and prevention to help parents, families and communities protect children from online predators.
Sugar Land received top honors in this year's 2007 Tami Award for Sugar Land Today and the City's Annual Report/Calendar.
For the fourth consecutive year, Sugar Land has been named the "Fittest City in Texas" for its population range in the Texas Round-Up Governor's Challenge. In addition to the "City Challenge" category, Sugar Land also won in the new Municipal Organization Category for 500-plus employees as well as nine additional category wins.
For cities between 20,000 - 99,000 citizens, Sugar Land finished first, ahead of Cedar Park and Round Rock, respectively. Sugar Land residents and organizations won distinction in additional categories, and these can be seen in a May 2007 press release-see Home Page.
The Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) presented an Award of Merit to the City of Sugar Land at its annual conference in April. The award for achievement in Planning and Analysis recognizes the City of Sugar Land Urban Beautification Policy that was adopted by the Sugar Land City Council in 1998.
The City has invested in various streetscape improvements, such as: ornamental light standards with banners, ornamental traffic signals, static level ponds rather than dry detention, ornamental sign standards and freestanding columns, sound walls, plantings and irrigation--all done in an effort to enhance the quality of life for residents and attract development.
The Texas Public Works Association, Southeast Branch, has presented the Department of Public Works with a Stewardship Award.
The Texas Association of Partners in Education has presented a 2007 Texas Government/Agency Partnership Gold Certificate Award to the City of Sugar Land and Fort Bend Independent School District
Sugar Land Regional Airport (SLRA) has been named one of the best FBO’s (Fixed Based Operations) in the U.S., Canada and South America.
SLRA placed 7th on a list of 40 FBOs chosen by pilots, dispatchers and users of FBO facilities. Aviation International News conducts the annual survey that asks respondents to judge the line service (fixed base operations): fuel and aircraft maintenance, passenger amenities, pilot amenities and facilities at the airports. There were 2,364 survey respondents in this year’s “The Americas’ 40 Top-rated FBOs.”
Sugar Land Regional Airport has also been named “2007 Reliever Airport of the Year” by the Texas Department of Transportation, Aviation Division. The Federal Aviation Administration categorizes reliever airports as general aviation airports located in large metropolitan areas that serve to add additional capacity to major commercial airports.
2006
For the second consecutive year, America's Promise -The Alliance for Youth selected Sugar Land as a winner of a national competition to identify 100 Best Communities for Young People. The winning communities -ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods across America are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.
Business Week identified Sugar Land as one of the best and most affordable suburbs in the nation, describing the City as a “winning combination of affordability, academics, safety and culture that most families dream about but can rarely find—within their budget.” Business Week named 25 suburbs to the list after looking at home prices, cost of living, crime rate, local schools and the overall economic outlook of the area.
Sugar Land received yet another award for its financial and budget reporting. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded Sugar Land a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the City’s annual financial report, ending Sept. 30, 2006.
It is the 22nd consecutive year the City has received this recognition.
The City also received its 10th consecutive Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from GFOA for the annual budget beginning Oct. 1, 2006. The GFOA awards were established in 1945 to encourage excellence in financial reporting.
Sugar Land Regional Airport received an Excellence in Construction Award for its new terminal project from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston. E.E. Reed Construction, L.P., is the project’s contractor. The terminal was selected for first place in the category of “Institutional Government Under $25 Million.”
The airport served more than 100 of the Fortune 500 companies during the year.
Sugar Land’s Web site won two national awards. The National Association of Government Webmasters honored the site with a 2006 Sponsors Award, citing the “branding of the City, marketing City events and improving usability through redesign of the site.” Sugarlandtx.gov also received a Savvy Award from the City, County Communications and Marketing Association for cities 70,000-200,000. The awarded cited the “visual appeal and clear navigation” of the site.
MONEY Magazine and CNN/Money have ranked Sugar Land the third best place to live in America. Americans are flocking to places like Sugar Land that offer big-city opportunities and amenities -- with a lot more green space and a lot less stress, according to MONEY magazine.
The consensus was that Sugar Land is one of the country's more diverse communities with excellent job opportunities and affordable housing. Among the top 10 cities, Sugar Land's economy ranked at the top with about a 31 percent job growth rate during the last five years. Sugar Land was also identified as the third most affordable place to live.
Sugar Land's low crime rate, and strong health and education indexes all contributed to high marks for "Quality of Life."
The first edition of Best Places to Raise Your Family: The Top 100 Affordable Communities (Wiley, May 2006) in the United States ranked Sugar Land eighth in the Best of the Best top ten category. The “Best of the Best” towns were determined by demographics, standard of living, education, lifestyle, health and safety. Sugar Land was judged “Best of the Best” in “Standard of Living,” “Education,” “Health and Safety” and “Lifestyle.”
The City placed in the top 10 for both “Standard of Living” and “Education.”
Sugar Land Town Square received the "Best Mixed Use Development" award from the Houston Business Journal's Landmark Awards program. The Landmark Awards recognize Houston's outstanding commercial and residential real estate deals and developments that have become focal points in the region's landscape. Sugar Land also received attention for the Landmark Award for Best Headquarters Move. The award went to Thermo Electron and the Simpkins Group for relocating and consolidating Thermo Electron Headquarters to the Sugar Land Business Park.
2005
America's Promise -The Alliance for Youth selected Sugar Land as a winner of a first-ever national competition to identify 100 Best Communities for Young People. The winning communities -ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods across America are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.
MONEY magazine and CNN/Money chose Sugar Land as one of the 100 Best Place to Live in the nation. The publications spent months looking for Great American Towns, where people want to raise children and celebrate life's milestones. Starting with more than 1,300 cities, including 77 Texas cities, the list was shortened to the 100 best - including Sugar Land at 46. Consideration was given to median household income, population growth, economics, education, safety factors, arts, leisure, park space and more.
Sugar Land received top honors in this year's 2005 Tami Award for Best Electronic Newsletter. The email based newsletter called "E-News Report" is sent out to subscribers containing all the news, events and information from the past few weeks. Along with a newly redesigned layout that includes relevant graphics and a strong emphasis on legibility, other features of E-News include links to useful City Web pages that residents may not have otherwise visited. E-News is recognized as an important vehicle for keeping residents active and informed. Subscribing to the award winning E-News Report can be done in a few easy steps.
The Texas City Management Association honored Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard as 2005 Administrator of the Year, an award that recognizes significant contributions to local government in Texas. In selecting Bogard as the state's top municipal leader, TCMA noted his long list of achievements during 2004. His leadership brought about the availability of federal and state funding for public safety, mobility and economic development projects, and he played a leadership role as the city management representative in the creation of a new downtown for Sugar Land.
Sugar Land's new City Hall and public plaza, a cornerstone of Sugar Land Town Square, received the "Best Community Impact" award from the Houston Business Journal at the fifth annual Landmark Awards ceremony on April 14. The Landmark Awards recognize Houston's outstanding commercial and residential real estate deals and developments that have become focal points in the region's landscape. Sugar Land's City Hall and 1.2-acre plaza were recognized for their critical roles in the Town Square project, which has created a "heart" of the community.
Sugar Land Today earned a silver (first place) Best of Texas award in the external newsletter category from the Texas Public Relations Association.
For the ninth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Sugar Land. The award reflects the commitment of the City's elected officials and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.
2004
For the eighth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Sugar Land. The award - presented to Budget Manager Jennifer Brown for the fiscal year 2004 budget - reflects a commitment to the highest principles of governmental budgeting and recognizes contributions to the practice of government finance that exemplify outstanding financial management.
The City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) awarded Sugar Land a Savvy Award in the category of best publications/calendars. Held in cooperation with the National League of Cities, the Savvy Awards program recognizes outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing and citizen-government relationships.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) awarded Sugar Land a Bronze Quill Award of Merit in the category of publications/annual report-not for profit.
Bronze Excalibur Award for feature article from the Public Relations Society of America - Houston Chapter.
Standard & Poor's Rating Services has included Sugar Land in a list of six U.S. cities that have managed their finances well through the most recent economic downturn and highlighted the credit characteristics leading to this success.
The City of Sugar Land won two awards from the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers Association. The City received first place in the annual report category for cities with a population under 100,000 and first place in the press release category among all Texas cities.
Top 100 Places to Live. HomeRoute, a national real estate marketing company, identifies top American cities each year through its Relocate-America program. Cities are selected based on educational opportunities, crime rates, employment and housing data.
The City placed in the top 10 for both “Standard of Living” and “Education.”
Fittest City in Texas, population 50,000-100,000. The "Fittest City in Texas" awards program is a part of the Texas Roundup program, a statewide fitness initiative.
2003
Best E-gov Services, by MuniNetGuide.com, an online guide and directory to Web sites for state, county and local government.
Best Place to Live: Money Magazine ranked Sugar Land 17th among its hottest places to live in America. The magazine started with statistics on 271 U.S. cities provided by OnBoard LLC, a real estate information company. These cities had the highest median household incomes in the nation and above average population growth. For more information, click here.
The Texas Court Clerks Association (TCCA) has selected Janell Kucera, Sugar Land Municipal Court administrator, for the Award of Excellence. The award, given annually to one clerk in Texas, recognized Kucera for her dedication and excellence to the administration of justice. She was nominated by her peers and received the award during the TCCA's annual conference in San Antonio.
The National Association of Town Watch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of organized, law enforcement-affiliated crime and drug prevention programs, awarded the City of Sugar Land fifth place in it's 2003 National Night Out contest between cities with a 50,000-99,999 population.
Certificate for Outstanding Performance from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the North and South Water Treatment Systems for operating five years with no water quality violations.
National Beacon Award winner from the Beacon Award Foundation for the City's Web site.
Silver Excalibur from the Public Relations Society of America - Houston for the 2003 annual report/calendar.
2002
Excellence in Park Development for Oyster Creek Park and Trail from the Texas Recreation & Park Society
Excellence in Procurement Award from The National Purchasing Institute recognizing organizational excellence in procurement, as measured by innovation, professionalism, productivity and leadership.
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
Sugar Land calendar achieved the Savvy Award (population 40,000-86,000) from the City-County Communications and Marketing Association; an Award of Printing Excellence from Domtar Printing recognizing the publication's outstanding creativity and was a finalist -- population under 90,000 -- for the TAMI Awards sponsored by the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers
Project Award for the City of Sugar Land and ECO Resources for South Zone Water Utility System from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, recognizing best practices and innovative applications in public-private partnerships.
City Livability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for its juvenile community garden program
First Place, Governor's Community Achievement Award from Keep Texas Beautiful for a community involving citizens, businesses, schools, local government and youth in keeping their community beautiful.
First Place, Government Environmental Award from Keep Texas Beautiful for a governmental entity that supports KTB's mission through litter prevention, beautification/community improvement and solid waste management on a continuous basis.
Environmental Excellence Award from the Recycling Coalition of Texas for the Sugar Land Litter Less Little League project was awarded to the partnership of the City's Solid Waste Division and the Parks and Recreation Department with Keep Sugar Land Beautiful.
Achievement Award for the information (marketing) brochure from the International Association of Business Communicators - Houston Chapter.
Bronze Excalibur Award for speech writing from the Public Relations Society of America - Houston Chapter.
2001 and Earlier
- 2001 – Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2001, from the Government Finance Officers Association.
- 2001 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement, presented at the 6th annual conference of the National Purchasing Institute.
- Sugar Land's 2001 annual report/calendar achieved national recognition with a Silver Circle Award from 3CMA, a 900-member organization of city and county marketing and communications professionals.
- The Sugar Land Police Department is the only municipal police agency in the Houston metropolitan area that is nationally accredited. The Department joins the ranks of only 21 other Texas law enforcement agencies and more than 500 law enforcement agencies in the United States who have gained this recognition.
- TRAPS 2000 Gold Medal Award Winner, Sugar Land Parks and Recreation.
- Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), 2000. Sugar Land has received this award 16 consecutive years.
- Watermark Award for Communications Excellence from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) for the 1999 Water Quality Report
- Texas Municipal League Excellence Award for Management Innovations, 1999
- Texas Municipal League Excellence Award for Management Innovations, 1998
- Star 25 Cities for Business - Outlook Texas, June 1997 and 1998
- The Sugar Land Public Works Department was awarded the Regional Administrator's Award for Environmental Excellence for Wellhead Protection from the Environmental Protection Agency, 1996.
- Texas Municipal League Excellence Award for Public Safety, 1997
- One of the Best-Run Cities in the state - Texas Business, 1995
- 2nd Best in Texas for Business Relocation & Expansion - Texas Business, 1995