This year has seen a reemergence of development pressure and, with it, the return of validity challenges of old from those wanting to shake free of land use restrictions. However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a recent decision involving the regulation of short-term rentals, signaled a shift in thinking about how zoning ordinances are to be interpreted (in the context of a validity challenge). Join Michael Crotty of Siana Bellwoar as he uses these events to highlight the importance of familiarizing municipal planners and officials with the legal framework and processes behind validity challenges.

This presentation focuses on case studies of newly designed and renovated public works facilities that incorporate "green" technologies that conserve energy and costs, even as they help the buildings harmonize with their surrounding communities. Gone are the days of "unsightly" garages!

In this webinar, Gery Nietupski, an attorney who has navigated through numerous disputes between supervisors and elected auditors, will review all relevant provisions of the Second Class Township Code pertaining to elected auditors, discuss court decisions setting forth the legal authority (or lack thereof) that elected auditors have regarding numerous important issues, including setting wages and benefits of working supervisors and imposing surcharges against supervisors, and offer best practices for how to address other common interactions between supervisors and auditors, including requests for information and copies of township financial records.

Come join peers from throughout your region to learn about and discuss a variety of township-related topics in numerous workshops and general sessions. This educational event will be the perfect opportunity to hear from experts on the local issues that matter to you and your municipality.

Come join peers from throughout your region to learn about and discuss a variety of township-related topics in numerous workshops and general sessions. This educational event will be the perfect opportunity to hear from experts on the local issues that matter to you and your municipality

This three-day event was created just for you — newly elected (or veteran) supervisors, other newly elected officials, and new secretaries/managers. Learn the everyday tasks to running a municipality, explore the tools and resources available to help you do your job successfully, and experience real-life scenarios through discussion with experienced PSATS members.

Economic Ecology™ is a comprehensive approach to meeting regulatory compliance by effectively utilizing resources. Case studies will reveal how a strategic floodplain restoration project can maximize pollutant reductions, create numerous environmental benefits and provide financial incentives for communities. Included is an overview of a proven approach to achieving PRP compliance, actual measurable results and a how-to on leveraging partnerships to create opportunities and fund projects.

If your township is looking for ways to pay for much-needed infrastructure repairs, replacements or upgrades, then don’t miss this webinar. You will learn about all of the opportunities that PENNVEST offers in terms of project financing, including for wastewater and drinking water treatment plants, line replacements, stormwater and MS4, non-point source pollution, onlot system repairs, agriculture best management practices, and brownfields, as well as the ways that your township can best position itself to get project financing approval.

This presentation details the planning and financing process for turning your township's unused or underused assets into recreational lands and facilities that boost the quality of life for your residents. Speakers include architecture professionals who have completed numerous parks, trails, greenways, active & passive recreation areas, and recreation centers. Many of these projects received grant money that helped to finance these recreational developments.

This webinar will show examples of web-based maps and applications that align with local government planning needs, data resources freely available to local governments and introduce tools for mobile field data collection.

The next step for many MS4 communities is to implement Pollutant Control Measures for their discharges to surface waters impaired by acid mine drainage, pathogens, and priority organic compounds (i.e. PCBs). This first phase of these requirements is to map storm sewer sheds associated with these discharges, due with Annual MS4 Status Reports on September 30, 2019. This webinar will help prepare you for this new requirement and plan for what is to come.

Private water wells and springs are vital to Pennsylvania’s rural water infrastructure, which provides drinking water to approximately 3 million residents and farms. Because Pennsylvania lacks state regulations covering private water supplies, their proper management becomes the voluntary responsibility of homeowners who often lack a proper understanding of how they should be managed. In this webinar, Peter Wulfhorst with Penn State Extension will review results obtained from over 30 years of research and outreach, help municipal officials understand how they can help ensure the viability of private drinking water supplies, and provide available resources for municipalities and homeowners.

The Pennsylvania State Archives announced earlier this year that municipalities are now able to keep permanent records exclusively in electronic form (no paper or microfilm copy required!). But this policy change does have several requirements, most notably that permanent electronic records must be kept in PDF/A format. What does this mean for your municipality and its record keeping responsibilities? Join archivist Tyler Stump and learn about the new policy and how electronic recordkeeping requirements are changing. Stump will also be discussing electronic records best practices that can help your township effectively and efficiently store its electronic records.

There are numerous reasons that a property owner does not pay municipal charges. Sometimes, the reason is because a property owner has made a conscious and unilateral decision to delay payment. This payment behavior is unlikely to change without the creation of incentives for payment. Through the use of both positive and negative incentives, Townships can encourage property owners to not only pay their delinquent real estate tax and municipal fee bills, but to pay their future obligations on time. This webinar will discuss billing and collection strategies that Townships can employ to enhance the collection of delinquent accounts and create incentives to increase their current collection rates going forward.

This webinar will illustrate for township officials/employees and consulting engineers the importance of considering traditional and non-traditional best management practices (BMPs) that can be used to meet MS4 requirements when working with agricultural operations. Peter Vanderstappen, the State Conservation Engineer with the United States Department of Agriculture, will review examples of effective methods that can achieve your goals while avoiding expensive engineering. These simple methods will result in best management practices that are not cost-prohibitive to landowners and result in MS4 credits for your township. BMPs to be covered include concrete lots, waste management facilities, bunk silos and trails and walkways.

Municipalities across Pennsylvania have been inundated with record-setting rainfall and flooding. To help townships prepare and respond, the presenters in this webinar will discuss affordable options, such as localized warning systems, and the challenges that can arise when stream work is not properly designed and permitted. Participants will also learn more about the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s booklet, Guidelines for Maintaining Streams in Your Community.

Does your township have shopping areas and office parks with underutilized parking areas? In Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, drone flights over parking lots show many shopping areas and office parks are underparked, even during peak hours. While parking minimums have been standard practice in the planning world for decades, little research has been used to calculate the number of spaces actually needed per land use. This webinar will provide a review of parking requirements in general, the drone imagery collection process used by Susquehanna Township, examples of trends and changes in parking requirements, and suggestions for potential updates to your parking ordinances.

Not sure whether your municipality is complying with its’ purchasing obligations or just looking for ways to be more efficient when purchasing? In this webinar, Jason Snyder will discuss the requirements that municipalities must satisfy when bidding public contracts to procure materials, equipment, and services. Mr. Snyder will also review limitations on purchases, quotes, and bids, as well as current exemptions from municipal bidding, (including DGS/COSTARS piggyback contracts). He will also discuss prevailing wage advertising and bonding requirements. The webinar will include an electronic download of the Pennsylvania Purchasing Handbook.

This webinar will address the growth of short-term rentals in communities nationwide. Claudia Shank of McNees Wallace & Nurick will explain how municipalities can regulate short-term rentals and lessons learned from recent Pennsylvania court cases.

Conservatorship (Act 135) is a powerful blight remediation tool that gives municipalities and other interested parties the right to seek temporary possession of blighted, abandoned properties for the purpose of making repairs, and bringing them up to code or demolishing them. Using case studies from rural and urban areas, in this webinar, Winnie Branton will provide step-by-step guidance on how to build you case from property identification and due diligence to final plan cost recovery.

Riparian Forest Buffers (RFPs) can provide many benefits to municipalities across PA. RFB benefits include streambank stabilization, reduced erosion, MS4 credit opportunities, improved water quality, enhanced recreational opportunities, and much more. This webinar will cover a range of topics to help municipalities understand and consider RFP installation, including: opportunities to plan RFBs to meet specific municipality needs, funding avenues, and proper planning and maintenance RFBs.

Today's communications require agility and attentiveness to the needs of the public and your community partners and employees. For municipalities, understanding how to leverage effective communications across their websites and other owned content, social networks and through effective media relations requires planning and foresight. Mandy Arnold, CEO of Gavin, a public relations and crisis communications firm, will review best practices and top tips for planning for an issue or crisis situation. Gain key insights into effective communications to avoid a potential crisis, essential steps to starting a communications plan, and messaging with partners under various scenarios. You will have an opportunity to ask questions that will be answered by a communications professional who has managed national and local crisis situations for small and large clients alike.

In this webinar, experienced architects from Kimmel Bogrette Architecture + Site will discuss strategies for ways in which municipal officials and administrators can identify uses for municipal assets (land and buildings) and strategies for attracting the right kind of development within their communities.

On April 6, 2016, legislation was passed legalizing the growing and cultivation of medicinal marijuana. This new industry is something that fire departments across the commonwealth are dealing with for the first time. This webinar will provide an overview of the industry, what fire departments can do to prepare, and what they may encounter on an active incident involving one of these facilities. It will also cover some internal controls and policies that should be considered within your departments, given that a member or employee could be prescribed medicinal marijuana.

Many townships are recognizing the benefits of using GIS to manage their assets, from signs and roads to stormwater and sanitary sewer systems…but how do you start the process? During this webinar, Beth Uhler will describe how townships can build a simple, cost-effective, online asset management system to meet their needs.

In this webinar, join representatives of PA One Call as they discuss changes made to the PA One Call Law through Act 50 of 2017 and how those changes will affect your townships and residents.