AUBURN, Ala. - The City of Auburn has been named one of the winners of the ETC Institute's Leading the Way Award, which recognizes local governments for delivering outstanding services to their communities.

Since 2004, the ETC Institute has conducted the City's Citizen Survey that provides an assessment of resident satisfaction with City services. The City of Auburn has used these results as a tool for strategic planning and benchmarking over the years. As a recipient of the Leading the Way Award, the City of Auburn has ranked in the top 10% of all cities and counties surveyed in the United States in three core areas:

1. Satisfaction with the overall quality of services.
2. Satisfaction with customer service provided by employees.
3. Satisfaction with the value residents think they receive for local taxes and fees.

In addition to ranking in the top 10% overall, Auburn also exceeded the national average by more than 20% in 45 areas, some of which include:

• As a place to live (+44%)
• Quality of the city's school system (+42%)
• Overall value received for city tax dollars/fees (+40%)
• Overall quality of city services (+38%)
• Overall quality of parks and recreation services (+38)
• Effectiveness of the city's communication with public (+32%)
• As a place to raise children (+31%)

Find more information about the ETC Institute and the Leading the Way Award at etcinstitute.com/ltwa.