9 North Hills municipalities named Banner Communities for 2021
Share this post:
Nine municipalities and two authorities in the North Hills have been designated 2021 Banner Communities by the Allegheny County League of Municipalities.
The program, which is in its ninth year, recognizes communities that show “a commitment to professional development, prudent fiscal management, transparency, accountability, and proactive communications to engage community stakeholders,” officials said in a joint announcement by the League of Municipalities and Allegheny County.
This year’s Banner Communities program recognized 68 municipalities and five municipal authorities.
“All of our communities have been stressed during this pandemic, and perhaps none more than local governments which have had their finances, as well as their operations, impacted,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “Yet throughout these challenges, these municipalities continue to serve the residents of their community in ways that set them apart.”
The North Hills municipalities that received the Banner Communities designation for 2021 is year are Ross, Hampton, McCandless, Richland, Pine, Marshall, Shaler, Bellevue and West View.
Also included among the communities were Cranberry and Butler townships in Butler County.
Ross, Hampton, McCandless, Richland and Cranberry have received the designation since the program’s inception in 2013.
The Ross/West View EMS and the Hampton-Shaler Water Authority were among the five authorities to receive the honor.
“Ross Township is proud to have been named a Banner Community for the ninth time,” said Ron Borczyk, township manager. “Even in the midst of a pandemic, our elected officials and staff have continued to provide services to our residents and businesses.
“Our designation as a 2021 Banner Community underscores our continued commitment to our municipality. As part of the original ‘class’ of Banner Communities, we can proudly say that providing municipal services and doing so in such a positive way is part of how we do business here,” Borczyk said.
John Bojarski, who serves as McCandless’ public information officer, said the town takes pride in participating in the program.
“We’re proud to have been among the original municipalities to have been named a Banner Community back in 2013,” he said. “And we are even prouder to have been able to continue and improve upon the tenets of the program every year since then.”
West View council president M. Kimberly Steele thanked the League of Municipalities and the county for recognizing the dedication of the borough’s officials and employees.
“Our staff and elected officials work hard every day to assist our residents and businesses by providing the services they rely on each day,” she said. “We are very proud of our municipality’s commitment and excited to receive this designation again for 2021.”
Richland Township manager Dean Bastianini said the designation is the result of a community effort between local elected officials, the township staff, the police department, the fire and EMS service and the volunteers who serve on various boards, commissions and advisory groups.
“This achievement is only possible through their cooperative efforts,” Bastianini said. “These individuals and groups strive every day to make Richland Township a good place to live and work.
“The Allegheny League of Municipalities designation of Richland Township as a Banner Community is a welcome acknowledgment of these efforts,” he said.
Pine manager Scott Anderson also credited the township’s staff and leadership for their commitment to serving the public.
“Our staff and elected officials work hard every day to assist our residents and businesses by providing the services they rely on each day,” he said. ‘We are very proud of our municipality’s commitment and excited to receive this designation again for 2021.”