Rancho Cordova Is Finalist for All-America City Honors

The City of Rancho Cordova is a finalist for the 2009 All-America City Award. The award which is often dubbed the Nobel Prize of Communities is given by the National Civic League to the top 10 cities for outstanding civic accomplishments. Rancho Cordova is among 32 finalists. The 10 All-America City winners will be announced at the 60th annual All-America City Awards competition in Tampa, FL in June.

“We feel honored and privileged to be finalists in this very prestigious competition,” said Rancho Cordova City Manager Ted Gaebler. “Even though we are a young city, we have responded to and developed strong relationships with the various segments of our community that demonstrate the inclusiveness, collaboration, civic engagement, and innovation of the All-America City Award.”

The City of Rancho Cordova, with a population of 61,000, celebrated its 5th anniversary of incorporation last July. A flourishing community, Rancho Cordova recently received a two-step upgrade in its bond rating to an A+ rating by financial leader Standard & Poor’s.

“We wanted to highlight some great accomplishments in Rancho Cordova,” said Police Chief Reuben Meeks, who submitted the City’s nomination. “We achieved those accomplishments because of the collaborative effort among Rancho Cordova citizens, the youth in Police Athletic League (PAL), City staff, and our police officers.”

Crime data for 2008 when compared to the previous year’s statistics indicates a reduction of violent crimes in Rancho Cordova by almost 14% and a 25% decrease in property crimes. During the past two years, the population has seen an 8% increase.

“Not only have we made great strides overall in the type of services provided in the City in a very short period of time, but we are seeing the positive effects of having a local police force in deterring crime,” City Manager Gaebler said after results from a 2008 survey showed that residents’ perception of public safety concerns had shifted since a 2006 survey.

Concerns about drug use, gang violence and robbery have decreased significantly and Rancho Cordovans are now more concerned with speeding and unsafe driving. The 2008 survey also showed that 82 % of residents are satisfied with the provision of City services, a significant increase from the 76% satisfaction rate expressed in the 2006 survey. The highly coveted All-America City Award was established by the National Civic League of America in 1949 to honor the best role model cities in the country. Winning the All-America City designation is a distinction for a lifetime. Since the program’s inception, more than 4,000 communities have competed and more than 500 have been named All-America Cities. The winning cities are selected based on their performance in identifying, discussing, and forming solutions to society’s challenges and the cities’ achievements in resolving them. The next step in the Award process will be a presentation by members of the community, City officials, and City staff at the finals competition in June. For more information, please contact Marta Boerger in Rancho Cordova’s Economic Development Department at (916) 851-8879.