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Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania

Municipal Certification Project

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  • Participating Municipalities
  • Action Resources
    • Economic Development and Revitalization
    • Strategic Engagement and Resilience
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Home › Participating Municipalities

Upper St. Clair Township

Allegheny County

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Municipal Website
Population:19,229
Key Action:
Current Assessment:
12/31/2014
Assessment History:

Education

Cooperation
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 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:
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:
A community produce garden(s) is available.
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 use of pesticides and herbicides is being monitored and reduced by all municipal departments which use them
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building

Municipal Energy Use
Question:
Newly elected officials participate in Local Government Academy or other orientation training for public officials.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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:
Question:
The municipality has established goals from the energy audit findings and is methodically implementing the energy audit findings.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Community Energy Use
Question:
The municipal comprehensive plan contains an energy conservation element.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Green Buildings
Question:
A program to promote safe walking to school is in place.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Governance and Community Engagement

Public Safety
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:
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:
Municipal Operations
Question:
Green vehicle fleet assessment has been initiated toward: using greener fuels and/or vehicles, vehicle right?sizing for the job/trip, retrofit or replace older diesel trucks or equipment with cleaner technology, or driver education about driving techniques for fuel economy
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:
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:
Community Engagement
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:
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:
Sustainability
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:
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:

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:
Question:
The municipality and its municipal waste hauler service are exploring ways to reduce emissions from vehicles and trucks beyond anti-idling.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Green Infrastructure
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:
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.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The Comprehensive Plan identifies environmentally sensitive, ecologically significant, and civic/historic places.
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:
Policies, plans and ordinances protect wetlands and waterways and their buffers.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Water Use, Conservation and Quality
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:
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:

Land Use and Transportation

Mobility
Question:
Police are trained on the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and state law on passing bicycles.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Traffic calming techniques, "complete streets" projects, access management and congestion management programs have been evaluated and are being implemented.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality contracts for solid waste collection as opposed to individual home owners contracting for the same.
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:
Question:
Provide an on-line link to description of a sustainability innovation that the Municipal Manager/Secretary feels strongly is deserving of additional recognition and is not covered by any of the above criteria options.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Provide an on-line link to description of a second sustainability innovation that the Municipal Manager/Secretary feels strongly is deserving of additional recognition and is not covered by any of the above criteria options.
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:

Local Economy

Material Use, Waste, and Recycling
Question:
There is a curbside and/or drop-off recycling program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
There is an active public informational program to encourage citizens to reduce waste and recycle.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
All municipal buildings have an active recycling program.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Thriving Local Green Business
Question:
The municipality has assessed Main Street program options and opportunities for possible applicability and implementation.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Housing

Affordability
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:
Question:
The zoning ordinance provides for or accommodates a full range of housing opportunities throughout the community.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Sustainable Neighborhoods
Question:
Waste and recycling ordinances and regulations are in compliance and enforced per Act 101, or if not a mandatory-Act 101 municipality, a municipal recycling program is conducted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipal action plans for promoting minority and women-owned business are being advanced, including seeking proposals from the same for purchasing, services, etc.
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:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Economy
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:
Drinking water and sanitary sewer rates are based on the real cost of providing service.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
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 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
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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