Ozark is Recognized as an Alabama Community of Excellence

13 Jan 2025
News
Ozark is proud to be recognized as an Alabama Community of Excellence (ACE), which is part of a program coordinated by the Alabama League of Municipalities. Completing the ACE designation is a multi-year process that involves countless community members, business leaders, and Ozark residents.
The ACE recognition is focused on communities with populations of 2,000 to 18,000 and includes technical assistance to support the municipality’s future plans.
“This is something that we worked very hard for,” says Holle Smith, President of the Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corporation. “Considering the number of towns and counties in our state, there is only a small number that have this designation. It proves that we are a forward-thinking and progressive community.”
Learn more about the process of receiving the ACE designation and the benefits of completing it.
Certification Comes With an In-Depth Evaluation Process
Ozark started its ACE application in 2021. The process started by collecting letters of support from local business leaders, highlighting their involvement in community affairs. ACE then took steps to learn about Ozark to identify its strengths and weaknesses. It sent out surveys to various community members and even sent representatives on a two-day tour. During the tour, the representatives from ACE evaluated Ozark on a variety of criteria, including education, recreation, and healthcare accessibility.
After this initial research, ACE made recommendations on how Ozark can improve. It provided funding for strategic planning so the community could create a vision for growth moving forward.
The ACE recognition comes with an annual review to ensure Ozark (and any other participating town) meets its goals. The next step for Ozark is to develop a comprehensive plan for implementing the recommendations and tasks discussed during the strategic planning initiatives.
“We have to maintain this designation so it gives us something to stay committed to,” says Smith.
Smith Created a Strategic Planning Committee to Focus on Ozark’s Goals
Not only was Ozark recognized as a Community of Excellence, but Smith was also lauded as the 2023 Outstanding ACE Local Coordinator. According to ACE, “Holle skillfully assisted… in navigating the city through the ACE process and guided their strategic planning initiative.”
The strategic planning committee is a big part of what makes Ozark unique. Instead of developing a single plan that one person has to manage, the committee breaks the plan into separate parts, each managed by its own task force. This also maximizes community participation and buy-in. Instead of a few people working to make the town better, dozens of residents are involved.
“The goal of ACE is to show that we are actively working toward our goals and are using a lot of community participation,” says Smith. “We are trying to get people from all walks of life and age groups working together.”
Ozark Residents and Business Leaders Can Still Get Involved
While receiving the ACE designation is an important milestone for Ozark, the work isn’t done. Ozark is currently developing a comprehensive plan to move forward with the goals it set during strategic planning. The city still needs people to join the smaller task forces.
If you are interested in getting involved, contact ODEDC. You can join the mailing list to receive news updates and learn about upcoming meetings. Everyone, regardless of their backgrounds or skills, can make Ozark a better place.
Learn More About the Ozark-Dale EDC
Even if you aren’t currently able to join a task force, you can still have a voice in the future of Ozark-Dale County. Keep up with the latest news of ODEDC and see what new projects and initiatives they are working on. The more people participate in local government and economic development, the stronger Dale County, Alabama will be.