Northern Arizona Council of Governments named Cottonwood 2010 Employer of the Year for several reasons, not the least of which was its decision to hire 15 employees in the past year, including 12 new firefighters.

Humans Resources Director Iris Dobler said there were many reasons NACOG and the Yavapai County Workforce Investment Board chose the city for the award.

“It is a great place to work and we treat our employees very well,” Dobler said.

The award was presented to the City Council during its regular meeting Aug. 23. NACOG Economic Workforce Development program spokeswoman Sharon Jackson said the city’s decision to hire new employees during a time of high unemployment was unusual compared to other Northern Arizona employers.

Not only did the city hire so many new workers, it has managed to keep them employed and provided many with on-the-job training, thanks to two different federal stimulus grants, Dobler said.

The first grant was used to hire a dozen new firefighters. The second grant, valued at $74,000, was used to provide the firefighters with on-the-job training.

The city is able to retain employees in part because of the excellent wages and benefits it pays, Dobler said.

“The new employees hired through these programs enjoy their work and are really glad they got the jobs,” she said.

NACOG is a public organization that serves local governments and residents of Northern Arizona by “dealing with issues and needs that cross city, town, county and state boundaries,” according to the group’s official website.

NACOG provides communication, planning, policy making, coordination, advocacy and technical assistance, the website states.

The grants obtained to hire and train new employees were obtained through NACOG’s assistance and support, Dobler said.