STRONGER FISCAL MANAGEMENT PAYS OFF: CITY OF READING’S CREDIT RATING UPGRADED

The Spencer Administration recently received some great fiscal news as Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the City of Reading’s long-term  credit rating from Baa2 to Baa1.  The upgrade reflects improvements that the City has made to its financial reporting and record keeping, as well as recent gains in the City’s financial position.

“This upgrade illustrates Wall Street investor’s confidence in our ability to stabilize the City’s financial health,” said Mayor Spencer.  “From day one my administration has made fiscal responsibility a priority, and this is the result.  We’re making the right investments here in Reading and we’re on the right path to economic prosperity.”

This credit upgrade clearly demonstrates the confidence of the investment community that the City of Reading is moving in the right direction. The credit upgrade will both reduce the City’s borrowing costs as well as ensure greater access to capital for growth and development in the City of Reading.

Moody’s has noted, “Since entering into the Act 47 distressed cities program, the City’s finances have stabilized, resulting in a return to structural balance and growing reserve levels, with an operating surplus expected in fiscal 2014. While the City is still faced with challenges…the City’s improved flexibility helps to mitigate these risks.”

While there are no new projects underway, the City is focused on the revitalization and redevelopment of blighted properties, as well as zoning and land development restrictions to help encourage new development.

BIG WIN FOR PA DEMOCRATS: GOVERNOR-ELECT WOLF

Election Day yielded good results for Democrats in the Commonwealth; Tom Corbett became the only incumbent Governor to lose re-election in decades.  Voters overwhelmingly voted for a change in leadership by electing the York County businessman to the top spot in Harrisburg.

“If we’re going to fund a world-class public education system, create family sustaining jobs, bring about fairness and equality under the law, provide access to affordable health care, build safe communities, and keep Pennsylvania beautiful, it’s going to take all of us doing our part,” Wolf said in his victory speech.  “Democracy requires healthy debates, but our duty to Pennsylvania requires that we listen, that we roll up our sleeves, and that we come together to do what is right.”

Locally, Mark Rozzi and Tom Caltagirone won re-election as our State Representatives, and voters in the City of Reading approved several important ballot questions that will improve the efficiency of City Government.

“It was a big day for Democrats, especially Tom Wolf,” said Mayor Spencer.  “We had great voter turnout in Berks County and across the state.  As Governor-Elect Wolf said, now the real work begins, to put Pennsylvania back on the right track.”

 

 

MAYOR SPENCER VINDICATED IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE

On Election Day, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced an end to the investigation of charges brought by the Berks County Election Board, and was cleared of any wrongdoing for a political contribution he made during his campaign in 2011.

“We obviously made some mistakes on our finance report, and we were certainly willing to correct them at any time,” said Campaign Manager Mike Fleck.  “We made this very clear in our testimony, and instead of working with us to correct this, Larry Tabas and the Republican Party, including Berks County Commissioner Mark Scott, decided to turn this into a political witch hunt.  They should all be ashamed of themselves, for wasting taxpayers’ money with these outrageous and unfounded claims.”

Spencer stated that he’s glad he can put this case behind him, and focus on his vision of improving the lives of the residents of the City of Reading.  He also believes that Berks County officials should be focusing on more important, bi-partisan issues rather than trying to damage the Democratic Party.

“From the legal standpoint, I feel fully vindicated,” said Spencer.  “However, on the professional side, I’m angry that this distracted us from working on more important issues that we face in the City of Reading.  The residents were the real losers of these political games.  Since taking office, I have defended myself from repeated attacks from members of City Council, and prominent Republicans, and have successfully defended every one.  It is time for City Council and the Berks County Commissioners to work together to make this a better City and better County.  Now that this behind us, we can focus on more important issues like creating jobs and keeping our streets safe.  My door is always open for our elected officials to join in our efforts rather than throwing allegations against the wall hoping that something sticks.”

 

WORKING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY: READING HOSTS SUSTAINABILITY WORKING SUMMIT

After previously announcing that they have adopted the STAR Communities effort, a national sustainability certification program, the City of Reading hosted a Sustainability Working Summit at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Over 50 prominent members of the community and City of Reading employees attended the event which celebrated the sustainability achievements for the City and to evaluate the progress towards the STAR Communities Sustainability verification.

These Community members have been providing documentation for the 526 different indicators that measure the City’s commitment to achieving a healthy environment, a strong economy, and well-being for present and future residents, the criteria for becoming a certified STAR Community.  When criteria is met, the Communities receive “star” status, and can rise in star status as additional goals are met.

“We’re making great progress towards being certified as a Three-Star Community,” said Mayor Spencer.  “One of our first initiatives when I took office was establishing the Mayor’s Sustainability Committee, with many of you here in this room.   We are committed to becoming a sustainable City, and we will work together to towards our ultimate goal of becoming a Five-Star Community in five years, and to become the first nationally certified municipality in Pennsylvania.”

The STAR assessment provides critical baseline data that will inform the City of Reading’s Comprehensive Plan and other strategic initiatives.

The STAR Community Rating System is the nation’s first comprehensive framework and certification program for evaluating local sustainability, providing a roadmap to help evaluate, assess and improve communities’ economic, environmental and social performance measures and become healthier and stronger.

Since sustainability means different things to different people, STAR provides a clear, data-driven approach to assessing communities’ sustainability efforts. The STAR framework helps communities assess their efforts in seven key areas and define sustainability for themselves. This robust framework is necessary for communities to credibly track their progress toward overall sustainability objectives and to allow communities to compare progress with each other.

STAR allows cities and counties to set a clear path for sustainability with helpful tools that measure and track progress towards meaningful results that save money and improve communities.

 

CADETS BRAVE THE RAIN TO HELP KEEP READING CLEAN

Over 150 cadets from the Reading High and Citadel ROTC and JROTC Programs ignored the rain on a Saturday morning in October to clean trash and debris from the streets and alleys of Northeast Reading.

Armed with bags, gloves, rakes, brooms and trash pickers they fanned out from Reading High School and the Reading Intermediate High School at 9AM and cleaned up hundreds of bags of trash and litter as part of Mayor Spencer’s Clean City Initiative.

They were joined by community service workers from the Berks County JPO and St. Peters Church as part of a larger city-wide fall cleanup effort.  Volunteers from St. Peters Church cleaned up Riverfront Park while volunteers from the Office of Juvenile Probation cleaned up City Park, while members for the Clean City Challenged focused their efforts downtown.

The fall cleanup is one of the largest Clean City Initiative events. Reading Beautification, Inc. (RBI) and the City of Reading Public Works Department also helped with the event.  “By working together, we can make a huge difference in Reading in only a few hours,” commented Mayor Spencer.  Several smaller Clean-ups were held throughout the month of October.  “We can accomplish great things in Reading if we all chip in, and our City is so much cleaner after the efforts of these volunteers,” added Spencer.

Families, church groups, civic groups, businesses, garden clubs, master gardeners and school groups are all encouraged to roll up their sleeves for a few hours to help beautify and clean up Reading. All volunteers are asked to contact the Mayor’s Clean City Initiative Coordinator at 610- 587-3090.

CREATING A GREENER PATH: SPENCER JOINS THE WALK FOR AN ORGANIC PLANET

On a mild Friday in early October, Mayor Spencer joined “Coach” Mark Smallwood, Executive Director of the Rodale Institute, for the Reading portion of his Walk for an Organic Planet.  Coach Smallwood walked 162 miles from Kutztown to Washington, D.C. in an effort to bring attention to the positive impact that organic agriculture can have on climate change through carbon sequestration.

When he arrived in Washington, he presented a research paper to U.S. Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, on how regenerative organic agriculture could rebuild healthy soil.  A byproduct of this process is that the soil will absorb more greenhouse gases from air pollution.  He also spent time with members of Congress to lobby for a national push for organic agriculture.

Mayor Spencer joined him at Albright College where Smallwood met with faculty, students and staff at Albright’s community garden and sustainability house.  Albright community members have their own plots and take part in their weekly garden stands. Within their plots they are allowed to grow whatever they wish right next to their large garden, which also makes weekly contributions to Albright’s own dining hall.

The Mayor and Coach Smallwood then walked together to the Penn Street Farmer’s Market, during which time they talked about the ways that Reading can help to reverse climate change and save the planet.  When they arrived at the market, Spencer presented Smallwood with a commendation and the Rodale Institute with a proclamation to recognize the significance of the walk.

The Penn Street Farmers Market is a project supported by the Berks Agricultural Resource Network and the Office of Agriculture that brings fresh, local food to seniors and low-income Reading residents, and people who work in the City.

“Coach Smallwood’s Walk for An Organic Planet is bringing attention to the climate change crisis and highlight how our local sustainability efforts, such as growing organic urban gardens can reverse the causes,” said Mayor Spencer.  “We have the ability here in our city to be growing food in an organic way, which includes backyard gardens, composting and recycling.”

The predetermined route, which also included a stop at the Berks Conservancy’s Berks Urban Greening (BUG) Community Program’s newest Garden at 8th and Cherry Street,

was carefully selected to emphasize the need to create a local food system where the food grown on farms outside the City becomes the food that the people in the City are eating.

The BUG Community Garden Program transforms vacant lots into healthy green community spaces and community gardens. This provides opportunities for local residents to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and flowers, which will engender economic self-sufficiency, health and nutritional benefits, resident cooperation, and is an attractive green space in urban areas.

“I’m excited about it from the environmental perspective,” Mayor Spencer added, “We believe that the City of Reading has all of the assets—economic, community, and environmental—to be a national leader in advancing a sustainable economy. Touring our City with Coach Smallwood will bring attention to our city-wide endeavor to be part of a local food system.”

According to the Rodale Institute, “regenerative organic agriculture can actually capture even more carbon than we currently emit into the atmosphere.   By working with nature to use photosynthesis and healthy soil biology, we can draw down greenhouse gases and tip the needle past 100% to reverse climate change.  Simply stated, organic agriculture is the answer to reversing climate change.”

Their research paper that was submitted to the USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack can be found on the Rodale Institute website at rodaleinstitute.org.

KEEPING OUR CURBS CLEAN: LEAF PICKUP BEGINS

Falling temperatures also mean falling leaves, and Reading Public Works crews have begun curbside leaf collection throughout the City of Reading.  The Public Works Department wants to remind you of the guidelines for curbside leaf collection:

• Please do not put grass clippings, branches, brush or any other debris under or in the loose leaf piles. This will cause damage to the equipment.
• The curbside collection crew may be delayed at times due to various reasons:  weather conditions, equipment and personnel availability, emergencies.
• If leaves are not raked into the curb when the equipment moves through a block, the truck will not back track, however, crews will make periodic return trips through your neighborhood.
• There is NOT a set schedule or pattern for the curbside loose leaf collection crew that will be in your area daily.

The areas are slated for curbside leaf collection: 18th Ward -South of Penn-Center City areas, Northeast-Hampden Heights areas, Hessian Camp-East Reading areas, Northwest area, Northmont-Riverdale-Glenside areas.

 

In addition, bagged leaves are also being collected.  All leaves must be in bio-degradable paper bags.  No Plastic Bags are accepted.  Bagged leaves will be collected on normal yard waste collection days.  The collection schedule for bagged leaves is:

• Northeast areas – Mondays
• Center City, East Reading, 18th ward, South of Penn areas – Tuesdays
• Northwest, Northmont, Riverdale, Glenside areas – Wednesdays

The last scheduled day for leaf collection will be Friday, December 5, 2014. This ending date is subject to change if the leaves should fall later than expected. After this date, the equipment will be converted over for winter weather operations.

For daily progress reports or bagged leaf pick up schedule information, please call the Streets Division at 610-655-6285.