Reading City

Question:
The municipality has a written municipal policy prohibiting discrimination and valuing diversity and inclusion.

Question:
The municipality has provided diversity training for municipal employees.

Question:
The municipality reports annually to the public on progress in creating a more diverse workforce.

Question:
Municipality works with schools and local nonprofits/community organizations to engage students about community issues such as waste reduction and recycling, public safety, wellness, conservation, nature, etc.

Question:
Education programs are made available for residents on the benefits of organic, locally-purchased food; farmers? markets and farm stands are facilitated.

Question:
A community produce garden(s) is available.

Question:
Incentives exist for establishment of farms and gardens within the municipality.

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.).

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.

Question:
Outdoor recreation opportunities, amenities, and lifestyles are promoted.

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.

Question:
The municipality has recently completed an energy audit of all municipal buildings and operations. The audit includes findings and recommendations and establishes a baseline of energy usage

Question:
A revenue-expenditure trend analysis is conducted annually.

Question:
Funds for capital-related borrowing are not used for day to day expenses.

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).

Question:
Taxation takes a balanced approach applicable to all sectors of municipal services provided and fees satisfy cost recovery.

Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained, in the areas of budgeting and finance.

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.

Question:
Civic engagement, public participation and transparency are regularly assessed and facilitated.

Question:
A Historic Review Commission is active.

Question:
An Environmental Advisory Council is active.

Question:
Municipality communicates with the public via a regularly scheduled newsletter or regularly updated web based communications.

Question:
All municipal-sponsored events have a sustainability-awareness component

Question:
Municipality is an active participant in a Council of Governments.

Question:
The municipality utilizes Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreements (ICA) to engage in multi-municipal endeavors.

Question:
Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreements include conflict resolution provisions.

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.)

Question:
Procedures are in place to measure and track the impacts of the sustainability program (and yearly reporting to the public on results is conducted).

Question:
An executive/management level municipal staff person has responsibility for management of the municipal sustainability program expressly included in their job description.

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.

Question:
Municipality has or is in the process of retrofitting street lights and traffic signals to LED bulbs.

Question:
Municipal planning is coordinated with the school district and the two meet together at least once per year.

Question:
The municipality is committed to passing a resolution (within six months of enrolling) to affirm participation in the Sustainable Community Essentials Certification Program.

Question:
Municipality maintains updated public safety mutual aid agreements with neighboring municipalities and shares resources.

Question:
Municipality participates in a regional service program or contracts services to or through other municipalities for fire, police, or EMS.

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

Question:
Policies, plans and ordinances protect wetlands and waterways and their buffers.

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.).

Question:
The municipality annually assesses, and reports to the public, diversity of all boards, employees, volunteers, committees, etc.

Question:
There is a municipal policy ensuring Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise are considered in municipal purchasing, bids and contracts

Question:
The municipality is engaged in programs to communicate that the community is welcoming to persons who represent diversity (sister city relations, diversity sensitivity training, multilingual signage, etc.)

Question:
Sufficient investments are being made to the water, sewer, and stormwater systems per real costs and keeping pace with maintenance and operations.

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.

Question:
The Comprehensive Plan identifies environmentally sensitive, ecologically significant, and civic/historic places.

Question:
Police are trained on the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and state law on passing bicycles.

Question:
Bicycle lanes or shared roadways are being developed and a ?Share the Road? education campaign is being advanced

Question:
Land use and development decisions are assessed to ensure they do not have negative fiscal, stormwater, traffic, infrastructure, or service demands, or quality of life impacts on neighboring municipalities.

Question:
Staffing is in place sufficient to enforce building and maintenance codes.

Question:
The municipality utilizes a system for collection of delinquent taxes and fees in order to mitigate blight and abandonment.

Question:
Trails for walking and bicycling are being developed or maintained

Question:
Alternate transportation (e.g. transit, inter-modal, multi-modal, bicycle/pedestrian) are accommodated and promoted.

Question:
Public transportation and ride sharing are promoted and facilitated, as is transit-oriented development (where applicable).

Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained to manage the land use program.

Question:
An expanded material recycling program is being advanced, i.e., e-waste, composting, pharmaceuticals, and household hazardous waste for community-wide collection.

Question:
A community-wide recycling program is maintained at 5% above the state stipulated goal of 35 percent.

Question:
The municipality has elected to administer and enforce PA's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC).

Question:
The municipality has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code within the last 6 years per good, safe rental housing.

Question:
The community is tracking and reporting annually to the public on results toward affordable housing for residents.

Question:
A current inventory of vacant and blighted/blighting properties is maintained and mapped.

Question:
A program is being implemented to put blighted, abandoned properties back into productive use: smart rehab code, conservatorship, demolition, acquisition, green lot strategies, etc.

Question:
The zoning ordinance provides for or accommodates a full range of housing opportunities throughout the community.

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.

Question:
The greenspace/open space plan has benchmarks and results are reported annually to the public.

Question:
A program exists (perhaps in partnership with an outside agency) to facilitate home ownership: homebuyer incentives, employer-assisted housing, community land trust, etc.

Question:
Up-to-date ordinances for zoning and subdivision/land development are in place to implement the comprehensive plan.

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.