(June 23, 2023 – St. Paul, MN)

The city of Centerville received the League of Minnesota Cities’ 2023 City of Excellence Award for the under 5,000 population category yesterday at the League’s Annual Conference in Duluth. Centerville was honored for its “Junior Council Member Program.” 

The Junior Council Member Program allows a high school student to be an active, participating member of the Centerville City Council for one year. Junior council members must attend monthly meetings, work sessions, budget sessions, and other meetings, where they are seated with the council at the dais and provide input on matters brought before the council. 

Danny Peterson, the city’s first junior council member, lobbied for a more effective way for the council to reach out to residents rather than using the city’s website. The council has since approved the implementation of a mobile app, which features a news section used to announce important information about city services. The app also has user-friendly modules for paying bills, viewing upcoming city events, reading city codes and ordinances, and completing online permits. 

With direct input from the junior council member, the council can better connect with Centerville youth while gaining insight into what matters to the city’s future leaders. 

The City of Excellence Awards are given each year by the League of Minnesota Cities in three population categories and one topical category. The awards recognize cities for outstanding programs or projects. Each winning city will receive a plaque, a check for $1,000, and recognition in League publications and promotional activities throughout the coming year. 

The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization dedicated to helping cities throughout Minnesota build quality communities through effective advocacy, expert analysis, trusted guidance, and collective action. The League serves its 838 member cities through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services.