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Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania

Municipal Certification Project

  • Community Vision
    • Overview
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  • Certification Program
    • Certification Program Overview
    • Assessment Criteria
    • Certification Levels
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Participating Municipalities
  • Action Resources
    • Economic Development and Revitalization
    • Strategic Engagement and Resilience
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    • Land Use and Housing
    • Water
    • Parks and Land Conservation
    • Waste and Materials Management
    • Municipal Operations
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Home › Participating Municipalities

Middletown Township

Bucks County

—

Municipal Website
Population:45,436
Key Action:
Current Assessment:
6/28/2022
Assessment History:
04/25/2015 - Gold

Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building

Municipal Energy Use
Question:
There is on-going training for municipal employees and officials and the HR function is closely engaged in advancing objectives of the municipal sustainability program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has established goals from the energy audit findings and is methodically implementing the energy audit findings.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Newly elected officials participate in Local Government Academy or other orientation training for public officials.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Governance and Community Engagement

Public Safety
Question:
Municipality maintains updated public safety mutual aid agreements with neighboring municipalities and shares resources.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality maintains an updated Public Safety comprehensive plan to be sure staffing and financial resources keep pace with municipal needs for Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality participates in a regional service program or contracts services to or through other municipalities for fire, police, or EMS.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Municipal Operations
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained, in the areas of budgeting and finance.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A revenue-expenditure trend analysis is conducted annually.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Funds for capital-related borrowing are not used for day to day expenses.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality routinely evaluates ability to ensure that revenue is sufficient to maintain public infrastructure, i.e., road, water, sewer, stormwater (community has an asset management based budget system).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Obligations for pensions/other post-employment benefits are funded for the long-term to at least 80%.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
5-10 percent of operating funds are carried over year to year.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Taxation takes a balanced approach applicable to all sectors of municipal services provided and fees satisfy cost recovery.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community Engagement
Question:
All municipal-sponsored events have a sustainability-awareness component
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A program exists to actively pursue and match residents and local businesses to volunteer opportunities to better the community and assist the local government.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Civic engagement, public participation and transparency are regularly assessed and facilitated.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
An Environmental Advisory Council is active.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality communicates with the public via a regularly scheduled newsletter or regularly updated web based communications.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Local and Regional Cooperation
Question:
Municipality is an active participant in a Council of Governments.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreements include conflict resolution provisions.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Sustainability
Question:
The municipality is committed to passing a resolution (within six months of enrolling) to affirm participation in the Sustainable Community Essentials Certification Program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional development for municipal personnel and officials includes participating (at a minimum, per year) in quarterly Local Government Academy, PA DCED or other professional training association programs.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Environmental Stewardship

Air Quality
Question:
PA State anti-idling law is enforced and compliance is promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A burn ban has been formally adopted and made part of municipal ordinance, and State or County outdoor wood fired boiler construction and operation is in accordance with state law
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Green Infrastructure
Question:
Policies, plans and ordinances protect wetlands and waterways and their buffers.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Written policies exist and ordinances and incentives have been enacted to conserve environmentally and ecologically sensitive places (for example, slopes over 25%, slide prone soils and geology, springs and vernal pools, mature woodlands, Natural Heritage Areas, etc.) in order to protect public safety and natural resources while using green infrastructure for stormwater management.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Low impact and green development projects, as well as techniques (pervious pavement, bioswales, cisterns, woodland and steep slope protection) are fostered through incentives, ordinances and design guidelines.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Tree and woodlands protection and management policies are in place (for example, community forestry plan and canopy goal; tree planting programs; tree maintenance programs; tree hazard and health assessment projects; computerized assessment of municipal trees, Tree/woodland replacement criteria in ordinances, etc.).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Sustainable landscape maintenance practices are in place for parks and municipal grounds.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Water Use, Conservation and Quality
Question:
The municipality actively encourages water conservation and efficiency measures in the community and among businesses.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Low impact development and onsite stormwater infiltration is encouraged.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Water provider(s) prioritize improving service to existing developed areas as opposed to opening up new areas to development.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Drinking water and sanitary sewer rates are based on the real cost of providing service.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Sufficient investments are being made to the water, sewer, and stormwater systems per real costs and keeping pace with maintenance and operations.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Cooperation is occurring with neighboring municipalities to manage water and sewer supply, treatment and distribution, sewage and stormwater, in the most cost-efficient way.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Land Use and Transportation

Green Space
Question:
The zoning ordinance provides for or accommodates a full range of housing opportunities throughout the community.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The Comprehensive Plan includes a parks/recreation and open space component with proposed passive or active greenways, parks and trails and the zoning and subdivision ordinances support the vision.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The zoning ordinance has inclusionary housing provisions/incentives
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Mobility
Question:
Traffic calming techniques, "complete streets" projects, access management and congestion management programs have been evaluated and are being implemented.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community
Question:
A natural resource inventory has been developed for the community within the last 7 years as part of the comprehensive plan.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A Transfer Development Rights (TDR) program is in place to incentivize development where infrastructure currently exists and to protect important green space.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Local Economy

Material Use, Waste, and Recycling
Question:
Staffing is in place sufficient to enforce building and maintenance codes.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality utilizes a system for collection of delinquent taxes and fees in order to mitigate blight and abandonment.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Trails for walking and bicycling are being developed or maintained
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Alternate transportation (e.g. transit, inter-modal, multi-modal, bicycle/pedestrian) are accommodated and promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Public transportation and ride sharing are promoted and facilitated, as is transit-oriented development (where applicable).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
All municipal buildings have an active recycling program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Police are trained on the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and state law on passing bicycles.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained to manage the land use program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Comprehensive land use/development plan is current, addresses impacts to neighboring communities, and incorporates sustainability principles.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A multi-municipal comprehensive plan has been adopted as has an official map.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Thriving Local Green Business
Question:
The municipality maintains and supports an initiative to encourage residents to buy local.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Housing

Affordability
Question:
A program exists (perhaps in partnership with an outside agency) to facilitate home ownership: homebuyer incentives, employer-assisted housing, community land trust, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Sustainable Neighborhoods
Question:
The municipality has elected to administer and enforce PA's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code within the last 6 years per good, safe rental housing.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Other Sustainability Innovation

Additional Initiative
Question:
The comprehensive plan and ordinances promote pedestrian-oriented, dense, walkable, mixed-use development (in existing and proposed development), and redevelopment in the core or town center.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Up-to-date ordinances for zoning and subdivision/land development are in place to implement the comprehensive plan.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Human Resources
Question:
Measures are taken to ensure a wide range of candidates are interviewed for all municipal job openings i.e., the Rooney Rule.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has a written municipal policy prohibiting discrimination and valuing diversity and inclusion.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has provided diversity training for municipal employees.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Education

Cooperation
Question:
A municipal sustainability program (in name) has been developed and departmental goal setting and budget processes are used to advance it.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality and local public schools cooperate to share facilities and other resources. (For example, the municipality assists with the cost of evening lifeguards for community use of a school swimming pool or for provision of crossing guards.)
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Engagement
Question:
A sustainability assessment has been conducted to evaluate municipal facilities, operations, plans and regulations relative to conserving resources, saving money, and implementing policies and procedures that simultaneously advance the environment, economy, and social equity.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Healthy Communities

Local Food
Question:
Education programs are made available for residents on the benefits of organic, locally-purchased food; farmers? markets and farm stands are facilitated.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A community produce garden(s) is available.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Incentives exist for establishment of farms and gardens within the municipality.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality supports a program (or cooperates with neighboring communities) to engage residents in strengthening sustainable food systems to link local foods, farms and people (ex. Buy Fresh Buy Local initiative, Good Food Neighborhood, etc.).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Healthy People
Question:
Programs by local government, or in cooperation with the non-profit and private sector, exist to address community health concerns, i.e. exercise programs, feeding programs for children and the elderly, crime watches, accessible health care, exercise away from areas of air pollution, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Outdoor recreation opportunities, amenities, and lifestyles are promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has reviewed ordinances, resolutions, and other policies to remove impediments to the use of alternative energy (wind, solar, geothermal) installations or green buildings.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The use of pesticides and herbicides is being monitored and reduced by all municipal departments which use them
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

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About Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania, a joint project of the Pennsylvania Municipal League and Sustainable Pittsburgh, is a voluntary performance recognition program designed to help municipalities set and achieve sustainability goals, save money, conserve resources, and foster a vibrant community.

Pennsylvania Municipal League

The Pennsylvania Municipal League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1900 as an advocate for Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. Today, The League represents participating Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, townships, home rule communities and towns that all share The League’s municipal policy interests.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Municipal League is to strengthen, empower and advocate for effective local government.

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Sustainable PGH is a nonprofit committed to building the knowledge, perspective, and ability needed to create a better tomorrow for our region.

Contact us

Email info@sustainablepa.org or call Leslie Rhoads from PML at 717-236-9469 *237 or Jim Price from Sustainable Pittsburgh at 412-259-5331

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