The National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) has recognized the Forsyth County Fire Department 2014 Annual Report, the county’s new website and the county’s recent branding initiative and new logo. All three projects garnered accolades through the 2016 NACIO Awards of Excellence.

The Forsyth County Fire Department 2014 Annual Report received the award of Meritorious in the competition’s annual reports category. The Forsyth County Fire Department Annual Report contains information about the fire department’s divisions, stations, apparatus, the year in review and more. The 2014 report can be viewed online at forsythco.com. Printed copies of the most recent annual report, covering 2015, are available at the Forsyth County Administration Building located at 110 E. Main Street, the Public Safety Complex located at 3520 Settingdown Road and all fire stations.

Forsyth County government’s website – forsythco.com – received the award of Meritorious in the competition’s electronic communications/website category. The new website was launched in December 2015. The new site features a search function, something not previously available on the county’s site, as well as improvements to the site’s layout, navigation and government meeting section. The site also features a ‘How Do I’ tab at the top of the home page, where visitors to the site can quickly find answers to some frequently asked questions. The enhancements to the website were completed in-house by the county’s Information Systems and Technology Department staff.

The new Forsyth County logo and branding, as seen on the website, signage and recent county publications, received the award of Excellence in the graphic design category. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners adopted the new county logo and a county tag line, highlighting the county’s outstanding natural resources and quality of life, in August 2015. The new county logo and tag line were the product of a branding initiative undertaken in an effort to refresh and update the county’s logo and materials. The process included community input via an online survey conducted in 2014, participation by a volunteer work group comprised of community members and county government employees, and the creative services of Forsyth County-based Thoroughbred Design Group. The new logo replaced one that had been adopted in 1986.

NACIO is an affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo). Established in 1996, NACIO promotes effective communication between counties and citizens.