Upper Dublin Township

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As part of the energy audit, a greenhouse gas inventory and mitigation plan has been established for municipal functions.

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

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Drinking water and sanitary sewer rates are based on the real cost of providing service.

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Low impact development and onsite stormwater infiltration is encouraged.

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The municipality utilizes an Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach (as described by EPA) to identify the municipality?s priorities for projects and includes a description of how the proposed priorities reflect the relative importance of adverse impacts on human health and water quality and the municipality?s financial capability. See: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/integratedplans.cfm

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

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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.

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Developers are required to submit a comprehensive and detailed fiscal impact analysis including long-term fiscal impacts such as road repair, school infrastructure needs and other public services with their development applications.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

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

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Comprehensive land use/development plan is current, addresses impacts to neighboring communities, and incorporates sustainability principles.

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Traffic calming techniques, "complete streets" projects, access management and congestion management programs have been evaluated and are being implemented.

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

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

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Trails for walking and bicycling are being developed or maintained

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There is a curbside and/or drop-off recycling program.

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

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A Transfer Development Rights (TDR) program is in place to incentivize development where infrastructure currently exists and to protect important green space.

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

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

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5-10 percent of operating funds are carried over year to year.

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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).

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

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A revenue-expenditure trend analysis is conducted annually.

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

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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.)

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

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

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Municipality is an active participant in a Council of Governments.

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A Historic Review Commission is active.

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A program exists to actively pursue and match residents and local businesses to volunteer opportunities to better the community and assist the local government.

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

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

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An Environmental Advisory Council is active.

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Outdoor recreation opportunities, amenities, and lifestyles are promoted.

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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.

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

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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.).