Morgan County Communications Department wins two national awards

DECATUR -- Morgan County took home two first-place awards in the National Association of County Information Officers annual contest at the National Association of Counties Conference in New Orleans, which concluded Monday, July 20.

The contest honored counties’ communications work during the 2025 calendar year. NACIO officials said this year’s competition attracted 253 entrants in several divisions.
Morgan County Communications Director Michael Wetzel won for his photography in the annual Morgan Choice Awards campaign. The photographs drew more than 520,000 views to the County Commission’s Facebook page during a three-week period in December.

Wetzel also teamed with Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce’s Rachel Keith, director of communications, and Margaret Jones, director of investor & business development, in producing a 16-page color brochure aimed at attracting Space Command workers relocating from Colorado to North Alabama to live in Morgan County. The “Love Where You Live” brochure won first place in the quality-of-life publication division. The Morgan County entries won in the mid-size county category, which ranged in population from 50,000 to 500,000.

“Any time we get the spotlight on Morgan County at the national level, it is a big deal. These winning projects help show the nation some of the great things we have to offer in Morgan County. It is a great place to live,” said Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long, a NACO board member. “We’re certainly proud of Mike’s work and what he has done since joining our family more than three years ago. Collaborating with the Chamber on the colorful and informative brochure says plenty about the hard work the team put into the project. We are very proud of them.”

For a link to the winning brochure: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/6283e9d096.html