Thurston County Treasurer's Office received the 2026 Certificate of Excellence Award for Investment Policy from the Washington Public Treasurer’s Association (WPTA) for excellence in its approach to investing the more than $1 Billion in public funds under its care. The County's investment approach is spelled out in the County’s Investment policy which was thoroughly reviewed by a WPTA panel. The Treasurer's Office is part of the professional team that functions as the financial engine of the County.  

The County's offices and departments won awards from government professional associations and oversight organizations, including the National Association of Counties (NACo) Awards

In 2025, Thurston County won 19 NACo awards - more than any other Washington county and the only one to win a Best of Category Award (for the Fix-It Fair). 

Thurston County Auditor

NACo awards

• Elections Security Enhancement Program - Thurston County Elections launched a major security upgrade for its new Voting and Ballot Processing Center, using federal grant funds. The project installed ballistic-resistant materials—like bulletproof glass, doors, and sheetrock—to create a secure safe room for election staff. The office also added on-site law enforcement during elections and worked closely with local and federal agencies to assess threats and improve emergency plans. This forward-thinking effort protects staff and voters, builds public trust, and serves as a model for other counties.
• Saturday Passport Fairs -To meet high demand for passport services, the Auditor’s Office held two Saturday Passport Fairs in 2024. These events helped over 70 people apply for passports and took more than 50 passport photos. They were designed for people who couldn’t make it during the week, and helped reduce weekday wait times. The first fair included staff support from Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland’s office and the Seattle Passport Agency. The fairs cost almost nothing to run, received strong community feedback, and showed how the Auditor’s Office quickly increased services to meet public need.
• Voting Access at Your Library (VA@YL) - Thurston County Elections partnered with Timberland Regional Library to offer voter assistance at four library branches during the 2024 General Election. Trained library staff helped voters register, access VoteWA.gov, and print replacement ballots. Election officials handled ballot collection. This partnership created a trusted, accessible option for voters facing last-minute or transportation challenges, and showed how libraries can expand voting access at low cost.
• Public Transit Partnership for Voter Access - Working with Intercity Transit, Thurston County Elections made it easier to get to the polls. The transit agency extended bus service to the Voting Center past 8 p.m. on Election Day, improved ADA access, and updated route maps to highlight voting locations. Elections staff also used Intercity Transit’s Community Vans to move between facilities, saving money and reducing parking issues. This effort removed key barriers for voters who rely on public transit and provided a practical model for improving access in other communities.
• Your Neighbors, Your Elections - To build trust in elections, Thurston County created a video campaign featuring real election workers sharing why they care about their jobs. Filmed inside the Ballot Processing and Voting Centers, the short videos show staff pride and commitment to integrity. Shared online and in low-cost ads, the campaign helped shift conversations away from misinformation and toward positive engagement. It showed the human side of elections, boosting confidence with minimal spending and big local impact.
• The U.S. Election Assistance Commission also awarded Your Neighbors, Your Elections a national Clearinghouse Award and named the transit program an honorable mention.

Other Awards

• Annual Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The Auditor's Financial Services team earned this for the 18th consecutive year, highlighting the county's exceptional financial reporting practices.
• National Clearinghouse Award for Excellence in Voter Education and Communications from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for the County's video series Your Neighbors, Your Elections.  
• National Clearinghouse Honorable Mention for Accessibility from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for “Expanding Access: Public Transit Partnerships for Accessible Elections” for extended bus service hours on Election Day, improved ADA access at the Voting Center, and using community vanpools to reduce costs and congestion.
   

Community Planning & Economic Development

• The Habitat Conservation Program When the federal government declared four local species to be endangered, the county applied for and received a federal permit that allows the county to issue development permits to local applicants helping residents avoid the time and expense of getting their own federal permits.
   

Public Health and Social Services

• The Healthy Habits Food Program’s goal is to connect state emergency food response networks to increase food security.
• The QPR Suicide Prevention Program teaches the Question, Persuade, Refer method to help the community recognize and respond to a mental health crisis.
• The Fetal Infant Mortality Review program - the first of its kind in Washington State - is aimed at reducing preventable loss of life.
• The Resource Hub is a drop-in center for people with behavioral health needs who are also in the justice system. Staff help them quickly find and connect with free legal aid, healthcare, housing, employment help, and peer support. Services are free and voluntary.
• A new language translation tool was put in place so staff can serve customers in many languages. Calls from Dec. 2024-July 2025: 75 Spanish, 9 American Sign Language video calls, 7 Vietnamese, 4 Mandarin Chinese, 3 Korean, 2 Arabic and 1 each in Tagalog and Ukrainian.
• A dedicated hiring team helps PHSS applicants smoothly navigate the hiring process to improve retention of the talented employees who serve our clients and the community.
• A community-based volunteer program, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) trains volunteers to help during disasters, increasing the county’s capacity to respond.
   

Public Works

• Fix-It Fair – The county won a best in category award for this free community event that brings together people with broken items and volunteer “fixers” to help repair them.
• Recreational Trail Partnerships – The county maintains 36.5 miles of trails with state and federal funds, and is entering innovative partnerships with cities like Yelm, to make funds go further.
• Water and Sewer Utility Consolidation - Three water systems were consolidated into a single Thurston County Water Utility and four sewer systems were consolidated into a single Thurston County Sewer Utility to benefit ratepayers by more efficiently and effectively sharing utility resources and providing a consistent level of service to address utility system needs or deficiencies.
• Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program offers educational, behavioral and environmental solutions to assist in addressing traffic safety concerns in local neighborhoods. Staff work with neighborhoods to help prioritize and address concerns. By the end of 2025 this program will have resulted in the installation of three traffic circles, 34 speed humps and one raised crosswalk in six different neighborhoods.
• Noxious weeds – Knotweed, a local menace, was spreading despite the community’s best efforts to tackle it as required by county codes. The county set up an assistance program to help people with specialized herbicide treatments that often need licenses.
   

Thurston County Treasurer

• The Tax-Title Properties – The county is looking for innovative ways to get defunct properties back into action. 

Voter Education Video Series Wins Again!

The Auditor's Office won two additional awards for their voter education videos titled Your Neighbors, Your Elections. Awards included a Project of Impact Award from the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) and a Clearinghouse Award from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).