Southlake's model for partnering with nonprofits to deliver transportation, meals, arts programming, and volunteer opportunities has earned international recognition from the organization that sets the standard for local government management.
The city's Community Services Agreement program won the 2026 Local Government Excellence Award in the Community Partnership category from the International City/County Management Association, the city announced July 27.
ICMA selected Southlake's CSA Partnership Network as the Community Partnership winner in its population bracket (10,000 to 49,999).
The award will be formally presented at the ICMA 112th Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, Oct. 17-21.
What the CSA program does
Under the CSA model, Southlake contracts with nonprofit organizations to provide services the city doesn't deliver directly.
Those services include transportation for residents in need, meal programs, arts programming, and volunteer coordination, according to the city's description of the program.
Mayor Shawn McCaskill and Community Services Director David Miller lead the program's oversight.
The ICMA winners page credits the award to City Manager Alison Ortowski, consistent with the association's practice of listing the chief administrator.
National context
ICMA's Local Government Excellence Awards recognize local governments for inventive and successful programs across five categories: Community Equity and Inclusion, Community Health and Safety, Community Partnership, Community Sustainability, and Strategic Leadership and Governance.
The other two Community Partnership winners were the City of Pittston, Pennsylvania, for its Mod-Home Initiative (population under 10,000) and the City of Vista, California, for its Buena Creek Navigation Center (population over 50,000).
How residents can learn more
McCaskill and Miller discussed the CSA program and its nonprofit partners in an episode of the city's SLK City Spotlight video series published July 27.
Residents can watch the full episode at mysouthlakenews.com. Additional community services information is available at cityofsouthlake.com.
