NCTCOG Awards Highlight Regional Collaboration and Excellence
6/21/2024
Awards presented at Annual General Assembly meeting on June 14
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Brian Wilson
Arlington, TEXAS – The North Central Texas Council of Governments highlighted the contributions of public servants and the importance of regionalism and innovation with the presentation of awards at the 58th Annual General Assembly meeting on Friday, June 14 at the Hurst Conference Center.
Craig W. Spencer, Everman City Manager and Chief of Police, won the William J. Pitstick Regional Excellence Award; Loretta Getchell, City Manager for the City of Euless, was honored with the Linda Keithley Award for Women in Public Management; and the cities of Willow Park, Hudson Oaks, and Fort Worth took home the Regional Cooperation Award.
William J. Pitstick Award
The William J. Pitstick Award was established in 1993 and named to honor the late Bill Pitstick, who served as Executive Director of NCTCOG for 26 years. The award recognizes an individual’s strong commitment to the concept and promotion of regionalism.
Spencer has not only made contributions to good, strong, representative local government, while demonstrating a strong commitment to regionalism through his activities. As a City Manager and Chief of Police, he has led the charge of various efforts that have improved the City of Everman as well as the region. Among his contributions were:
The City of Everman’s regional dispatch center went live in 2023, providing 9-1-1 services for three police departments and nine fire departments. The center provided county and mutual aid to additional fire departments. This center provides dispatch services for more agencies than any other dispatch center in Tarrant County.
Additionally, Everman worked with the City of Forest Hill to develop partnerships to deliver several services more effectively, including regional animal services, a library partnership, and agreements to improve police and fire response.
Linda Keithley Award
The Linda Keithley Award was established in 1986. It is presented each year to an outstanding woman in public management who exemplifies the standards set by Linda Keithley during her 17-year career with NCTCOG. The award is designed to recognize the recipient’s service as a public management professional and active participation in the community through civic, religious and charity activities.
Getchell joined the city in 1997 as Director of Finance and rose through the ranks until being named Euless City Manager in 2015.
Under her leadership, the city has seen transformative fiscal policies and innovations that have strengthened its financial stability and enhanced the delivery of services.
Getchell’s commitment also extends to community service. She has served as the Past President of the Rotary Club of HEB and has been pivotal in initiatives through 6 Stones. These efforts have improved living conditions for countless underprivileged families, dramatically enhancing quality of life.
Regional Cooperation Award
The Regional Cooperation Award was established in 1996. It recognizes two or more local governments that promote regional coordination and cooperation to solve problems, not allowing jurisdictional boundaries to be barriers to solutions. Winners demonstrate that joint projects often can provide better use of resources as well as high-quality service.
The cities of Fort Worth, Hudson Oaks, and Willow Park completed a regional water project that may be among the most important projects for the future of eastern Parker County. The three cities worked to bring water to a joint facility operated by both Hudson Oaks and Willow Park, providing water security for the future. Hudson Oaks and Willow Park are now able to rely less on pumping and treating well water and instead buy wholesale from Fort Worth.
With this agreement, Hudson Oaks, and Willow Park both saved millions of dollars by not having to build their owner water plants.
About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions.
 
NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. For more information on NCTCOG, visit www.nctcog.org.
Contact: Brian Wilson
Arlington, TEXAS – The North Central Texas Council of Governments highlighted the contributions of public servants and the importance of regionalism and innovation with the presentation of awards at the 58th Annual General Assembly meeting on Friday, June 14 at the Hurst Conference Center.
Craig W. Spencer, Everman City Manager and Chief of Police, won the William J. Pitstick Regional Excellence Award; Loretta Getchell, City Manager for the City of Euless, was honored with the Linda Keithley Award for Women in Public Management; and the cities of Willow Park, Hudson Oaks, and Fort Worth took home the Regional Cooperation Award.
William J. Pitstick Award
The William J. Pitstick Award was established in 1993 and named to honor the late Bill Pitstick, who served as Executive Director of NCTCOG for 26 years. The award recognizes an individual’s strong commitment to the concept and promotion of regionalism.
Spencer has not only made contributions to good, strong, representative local government, while demonstrating a strong commitment to regionalism through his activities. As a City Manager and Chief of Police, he has led the charge of various efforts that have improved the City of Everman as well as the region. Among his contributions were:
The City of Everman’s regional dispatch center went live in 2023, providing 9-1-1 services for three police departments and nine fire departments. The center provided county and mutual aid to additional fire departments. This center provides dispatch services for more agencies than any other dispatch center in Tarrant County.
Additionally, Everman worked with the City of Forest Hill to develop partnerships to deliver several services more effectively, including regional animal services, a library partnership, and agreements to improve police and fire response.
Linda Keithley Award
The Linda Keithley Award was established in 1986. It is presented each year to an outstanding woman in public management who exemplifies the standards set by Linda Keithley during her 17-year career with NCTCOG. The award is designed to recognize the recipient’s service as a public management professional and active participation in the community through civic, religious and charity activities.
Getchell joined the city in 1997 as Director of Finance and rose through the ranks until being named Euless City Manager in 2015.
Under her leadership, the city has seen transformative fiscal policies and innovations that have strengthened its financial stability and enhanced the delivery of services.
Getchell’s commitment also extends to community service. She has served as the Past President of the Rotary Club of HEB and has been pivotal in initiatives through 6 Stones. These efforts have improved living conditions for countless underprivileged families, dramatically enhancing quality of life.
Regional Cooperation Award
The Regional Cooperation Award was established in 1996. It recognizes two or more local governments that promote regional coordination and cooperation to solve problems, not allowing jurisdictional boundaries to be barriers to solutions. Winners demonstrate that joint projects often can provide better use of resources as well as high
The cities of Fort Worth, Hudson Oaks, and Willow Park completed a regional water project that may be among the most important projects for the future of eastern Parker County. The three cities worked to bring water to a joint facility operated by both Hudson Oaks and Willow Park, providing water security for the future. Hudson Oaks and Willow Park are now able to rely less on pumping and treating well water and instead buy wholesale from Fort Worth.
With this agreement, Hudson Oaks, and Willow Park both saved millions of dollars by not having to build their owner water plants.
About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions.
 
NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. For more information on NCTCOG, visit www.nctcog.org.
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