The Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs received an award for "outstanding consumer protection" on Aug. 1 from the North American Consumer Protection Investigators' association, an honor bestowed in recognition of its 2008 lawsuit on behalf of local residents against the builder and developer of the Villas of Cattail Creek, in Glenwood.
The lawsuit claimed that the builder, NVR, Inc., and the developer, The Villas of Cattail Creek, LLC, had failed to provide a working septic tank or a promised nine-hole golf course at the 50-and-older condominium development. It also claimed they had misrepresented what other amenities the community would have.
The county settled the lawsuit in 2010, with remediation costs and benefits to local residents estimated at more than $1 million, according to the county.
Leaders at NACPI, which helps governments investigate and litigate consumer protection cases, got wind of the successful role that the county's tiny, four-person consumer affairs office played in that legal process after the story appeared in a recent report by the Consumer Federation of America, said Anna Huddleston, the organization's president.
From the organization's view, it was an award-winning stand on behalf of residents' rights, she said.
"We're all too familiar with what it takes to build a case, so the settlement was impressive for us, especially from a county level," she said, noting many of the association's members are larger state agencies.
Huddleston surprised Lynn Greg, one of the county office's two investigators, with the award at NACPI's annual conference in Kansas City, Aug. 1.
Rebecca Bowman, the county office's administrator, said she and the rest of the office staff — Greg, investigator Lila Boor and secretary Joan Wise — are all "very pleased and proud" of winning the award.
"It's all happened relatively recently, so we haven't had an official celebration, but it really is terrific," Bowman said. "My staff is top-notch."
Award aside, the small group is also proud of the work it did to help the residents of Villas of Cattail Creek, she added.
"It really was important for the county to step up for these residents," Bowman said. "It was very much in the wheelhouse of what everyone in my office wants to do."
Huddleston said that she has long been aware of the county's small office, as it has been a member of NACPI since the 1980s and has always been "a good representation" of what the organization looks for in members – involved, informed and collaborative.
"When I saw that Howard County was one of the agencies that was nominated for this award, I was very happy," she said. "They're known within the organization for consistently trying to exceed consumer needs."