On Thursday, October 14, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities formally presented the Village of Pleasant Prairie with the Wisconsin Award for Municipal Excellence with Golden Cluster during the League's 112th Annual Conference. Members of a certification team, which included Village Presidents from Saukville and Fox Point and a City of Milwaukee Alderman, recommended the honor after evaluating the Village on multiple criteria within four categories. Categories include municipal organization and administration, municipal services, municipal facilities and community development. League President George Scherck made the determination that the Village met all of the necessary standards for earning the honor and approved the recommendation in September.

The League of Wisconsin Municipalities established the award to encourage and recognize excellence in municipal government. Pleasant Prairie first earned a Wisconsin Award for Municipal Excellence in 2005. That honor was valid for a period of four years. Upon expiration of the original award, the Village submitted an application for recertification. Because the Village met standards in an additional category throughout each of the sections, it qualified for the Golden Cluster designation. Pleasant Prairie is the second municipality in the State to earn the Wisconsin Award for Municipal Excellence with the Golden Cluster designation.

As part of the report related to their evaluation, the certification team particularly noted Pleasant Prairie's intergovernmental cooperation with neighboring communities, their "strong commitment to comprehensive planning and balanced economic development," and the creation of LakeView RecPlex, which they called the "most remarkable achievement." Village President John Steinbrink Sr. commented, "I'd like to thank the League for their recognition of our work in Pleasant Prairie. The Village Board and staff make tremendous efforts to make Pleasant Prairie a great place to live, work and play, and it's wonderful that there is a way to measure this investment in the community."