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Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania

Municipal Certification Project

  • Community Vision
    • Overview
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    • 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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Home › Participating Municipalities

Reading City

Berks County

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Municipal Website
Population:88,082
Key Action:
Current Assessment:
09/26/2014
Assessment History:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Human Resources
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:
Question:
The municipality reports annually to the public on progress in creating a more diverse workforce.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Education

Engagement
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.
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:

Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building

Municipal Energy Use
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
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Governance and Community Engagement

Municipal Operations
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:
Taxation takes a balanced approach applicable to all sectors of municipal services provided and fees satisfy cost recovery.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Professional staff are employed or retained, in the areas of budgeting and finance.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community Engagement
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:
A Historic Review Commission is active.
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:
Question:
All municipal-sponsored events have a sustainability-awareness component
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Local and Regional Cooperation
Question:
Municipality is an active participant in a Council of Governments.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality utilizes Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreements (ICA) to engage in multi-municipal endeavors.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreements include conflict resolution provisions.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Sustainability
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:
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).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
An executive/management level municipal staff person has responsibility for management of the municipal sustainability program expressly included in their job description.
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:
Question:
Municipality has or is in the process of retrofitting street lights and traffic signals to LED bulbs.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipal planning is coordinated with the school district and the two meet together at least once per year.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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:
Public Safety
Question:
Municipality maintains updated public safety mutual aid agreements with neighboring municipalities and shares resources.
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:

Environmental Stewardship

Air Quality
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:
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:
Water Use, Conservation and Quality
Question:
The municipality annually assesses, and reports to the public, diversity of all boards, employees, volunteers, committees, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
There is a municipal policy ensuring Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise are considered in municipal purchasing, bids and contracts
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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.)
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 Comprehensive Plan identifies environmentally sensitive, ecologically significant, and civic/historic places.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Mobility
Question:
Police are trained on the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and state law on passing bicycles.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Bicycle lanes or shared roadways are being developed and a ?Share the Road? education campaign is being advanced
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community
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.
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:
Professional staff are employed or retained to manage the land use program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
An expanded material recycling program is being advanced, i.e., e-waste, composting, pharmaceuticals, and household hazardous waste for community-wide collection.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A community-wide recycling program is maintained at 5% above the state stipulated goal of 35 percent.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Thriving Local Green Business
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:
Question:
The community is tracking and reporting annually to the public on results toward affordable housing for residents.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A current inventory of vacant and blighted/blighting properties is maintained and mapped.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Housing

Affordability
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 greenspace/open space plan has benchmarks and results are reported annually to the public.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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:

Other Sustainability Innovation

Additional Initiative
Question:
Up-to-date ordinances for zoning and subdivision/land development are in place to implement the comprehensive plan.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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:

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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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