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Sustainable Pennsylvania

Sustainable Pennsylvania

Municipal Certification Project

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Home › Participating Municipalities

West Bethlehem Township

Washington County

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Municipal Website
Population:1,460
Key Action:
Current Assessment:
12/31/2015
Assessment History:

Healthy Communities

Local Food
Question:
The municipal comprehensive plan contains an energy conservation element.
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:
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:
Healthy People
Question:
The use of pesticides and herbicides is being monitored and reduced by all municipal departments which use them
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Outdoor recreation opportunities, amenities, and lifestyles are promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building

Municipal Energy Use
Question:
Municipality has or is in the process of retrofitting street lights and traffic signals to LED bulbs.
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:
Professional staff are employed or retained, in the areas of budgeting and finance.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
5-10 percent of operating funds are carried over year to year.
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:
Community Engagement
Question:
All municipal-sponsored events have a sustainability-awareness component
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Civic engagement, public participation and transparency are regularly assessed and facilitated.
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:
Sustainability policies, goals, and principles have been adopted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Environmental Stewardship

Air Quality
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:
Question:
PA State anti-idling law is enforced and compliance is promoted.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
A clean construction emissions policy for all publically subsidized projects has been adopted and is enforced.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Municipality supports public education regarding reducing air pollution and emissions.
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:
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:
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 has provided diversity training for municipal employees.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality annually assesses, and reports to the public, diversity of all boards, employees, volunteers, committees, etc.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality reports annually to the public on progress in creating a more diverse workforce.
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:
Drinking water and sanitary sewer rates are based on the real cost of providing service.
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:
Question:
The Comprehensive Plan and ordinances protect farmland and/or promotes community gardens and infill green space.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The comprehensive plan addresses the community benefits of and need for expanding housing choice.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has a PA Dept of Agriculture Agricultural Security Area (ASA).
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:
A multi-municipal comprehensive plan has been adopted as has an official map.
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:
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:
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:
There is a written waste reduction and recycling ordinance for residential, commercial and institutional facilities.
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:
Question:
Municipality has an active litter prevention/clean-up program.
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:
Thriving Local Green Business
Question:
The municipality has assessed Main Street program options and opportunities for possible applicability and implementation.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
Owners and tenants in the retail area are engaged with the municipality to provide attractive sidewalks, trees, and street furniture and make the area safe for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality maintains and supports an initiative to encourage residents to buy local.
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:
Question:
The municipality has elected to administer and enforce PA's statewide Uniform Construction Code (UCC).
Answer:
A. Yes
Notes:

Housing

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

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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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