Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Indiana, O'Hara and Sharpsburg named Banner Communities

Several Fox Chapel Area municipalities were named this week as Banner Communities for their prudent finances, transparency and proactive communications.

A total of 71 communities and five municipal authorities were lauded by the Allegheny League of Municipalities and Allegheny County, among them Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, O’Hara and Sharpsburg.

Indiana Township has earned the designation since the program’s inception nine years ago.

“Even in the midst of the pandemic, our elected officials and staff have continued to provide services to our residents and businesses,” township Manager Dan Anderson said.

“Our designation as a Banner Community underscores our commitment to our municipality. As part of the original class, we can proudly say that providing municipal services and doing so in such a positive way is part of how we do business here.”

The Allegheny League of Municipalities is a nonprofit created in the early 1960s to coordinate the needs of the area’s local elected officials.

The Banner Community program judges local governments on intermunicipal cooperation, professional development, employee benefits, planning and outreach.

County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said that despite the stress of the pandemic, the Banner Communities have continued to serve the residents in a way that set them apart.

“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,” Fitzgerald said.

“We are grateful to you for your continued efforts on behalf of your residents and businesses and are fortunate to have you as part of our county.”

Aspinwall Manager Melissa Lang-O’Malley said the borough staff and elected officials work hard every day to assist residents and businesses by providing the services they rely on.

“We are very proud of our municipality’s commitment and excited to receive this designation again for 2021,” she said.

Neighboring municipalities that received the designation for 2021 include Shaler, Etna and Millvale.