RIVER FALLS, – The City of River Falls was named the national champion for organizational culture as part of Polco’s Best in Governance Awards.

River Falls was one of six finalists in the “Voice of Employees – Excellence in Organizational Culture” category of Polco’s awards. This category used data from The National Employee Survey (The NES) to determine the municipalities whose employees gave highest overall ratings. The Organizational Culture category was one of 12 awards announced by Polco.

City of River Falls employees began participating in The NES in 2024. Almost all results in the 2026 survey surpassed the national benchmark – only one category scored as “similar” to the benchmark, with the rest ranking higher.

The award recognizes organizations with the highest overall employee ratings in six core areas: Community Quality and Governance, Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Equity and Inclusion, Essentials, and Culture. The City of River Falls’ results from the 2026 survey were the highest in the nation, helping the city earn this award.

“We are so proud of the workplace culture we have built here at the City of River Falls,” said Human Resources Director Karen Bergstrom. “Our staff are the ones responsible for building the culture that they want to be a part of, and we are so pleased to be receiving this recognition of our organization’s values.”

Among the data found in the survey, a total of 98% of staff who took the survey said they are likely to recommend working for the City of River Falls to someone who asks. Other notable benchmarks included a 96% job satisfaction among employees and 93% of staff who say they gain satisfaction from their current job duties.

This award reflects the commitment city staff have made to apply the values of the organization to both their colleagues and interactions with members of the community. The City of River Falls values are to put people first, pursue excellence, act with integrity, embrace change, serve our community, and consider future generations.

“When I was elected as Mayor earlier this year, I thought the city had a strong organizational culture,” said Mayor Alison Page. “But now that I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside our staff, I’ve been able to see firsthand just how impressive the workplace culture is. Our employees should be proud of this accomplishment.”

Polco, headquartered in Madison, is a civic engagement and data analytics platform that is used by many local governments throughout the country. The City of River Falls also contracts with Polco to conduct the National Community Survey every two years.

Submitted by City of River Falls