Heidelberg Borough - General Government
The Borough of Heidelberg is governed by a five member Council, who are elected at large and are vested with executive and legislative powers to establish and enforce regulations in order to maintain the health, safety and welfare of the Borough residents. The administrative office consists of one full time Manager/Secretary/Treasurer. Borough Manager Joe Kauer is responsible for the day-to-day operation of all Borough business. The Borough Solicitor is appointed by the Council, and handles all legal problems and services. The Engineer is also appointed by the Borough Council, and reviews design, infrastructure improvements, roads, storm and sanitary sewers.

General Government of the Borough of Heidelberg is based out of the Borough Office, which is located on the second floor of the Borough Building – 1631 East Railroad Street. Office hours are 8AM – 4PM – Monday – Friday.

Heidelberg Police Department

The "HPD" is a thirteen member police force, consisting of a Chief of Police, three full-time police officers, one K-9 officer and nine part-time police officers. Under the command of Chief of Police, Vernon Barkley the HPD is one of the area’s most proactive, community minded and efficient police departments. All officers are state-certified and perform various special roles within the Department. The HPD answers approximately 1500 calls for service and take over 800 police reports per year within our municipality.

The Police Department is overseen by the Mayor of the Borough of Heidelberg, Dr. Ken LaSota, Ph.D., who is elected and serves a four (4) year term. Mayor LaSota is now serving in his third elected term as Mayor.

Current Roster:  Chief of Police Vernon Barkley, Ofc. Tim Gray, Ofc. Dennis Dixon, Ofc. David Kirchner, Ofc. Max Bellard, Ofc. Tom Fortunato, Ofc. Connie Fournier, Ofc. James McIntyre (ret.), Ofc. Kevin Nemec, Ofc. Tina Bradley, Ofc. Phillip Ciminel, Ofc. Nicholas Mollo, Ofc. Heather Price, and K-9 Rocky.

Heidelberg Department of Public Works

The Heidelberg Public Works Department is responsible for snow and ice removal, storm and sewer maintenance, sign rehabilitation, traffic markings and street maintenance for the 8.2 miles of road within the Borough. Our Public Works activities are handled by DPW Supervisor Mark Turnbull. The DPW works hard year-round to make certain that the physical comforts of the Borough’s residents are met.

As a contracted subdivision of the public works department, trash collection is a provided Borough service. Trash pick-up is every Friday with the following exceptions: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. During these weeks, pick-up will be on Saturday instead of Friday.   Recycling is voluntary, however residents are strongly urged to participate. Recycling is via drop off at the Borough’s recycling center along Industry Way between Jackson Street and the Petroleum Pipe Co. The program is single stream – meaning all recyclable (paper, cans, and plastics) can be placed in one bag in the same bin.

• Paper - IE: Newspaper, Phonebooks, Magazines, Office Paper, Card Stock, Folders, etc
• Cardboard
• Plastic - IE: Drink Bottles, Milk Jugs, Juice Containers, Household Product Jugs
• Metal - IE: Aluminum or Tin Containers commonly used for beverages and food. NOTE: All items must be emptied and rinsed clean of food debris.

Heidelberg Volunteer Fire Department

The Heidelberg Volunteer Fire Department is dedicated to providing community spirited, professional, and vigilant - fire, rescue, and EMS services to the residents of the Borough of Heidelberg. The all volunteer department's roster is composed of 35 members, three pumpers, a squad, an antique-reserve pumper and a basic life support ambulance. The fire station is located at 456 First Street, and the department is always looking for new members.  Bingo is every Wednesday night starting at 7:00 PM.                                                                         

Heidelberg Borough – Parks and Recreation

The Borough of Heidelberg is currently serviced by two parks. The Ellsworth Avenue playground and the Zero Street tot-lot.

Ellsworth Avenue playground has basketball courts, two four-square courts, a hockey court, a small "stickball court" and various other playground equipment. The Zero Street tot-lot is geared for children under 12 years old and has various playground equipment to meet their needs. The Borough is currently working on a project to develop a formal park at the far end of Industry Way.

The Borough also provides a series of community events. There is an annual Easter party and Halloween Parade and Party for the children. Also throughout the summer months, every other Friday night, the Borough runs it’s famous "Movies in the Park" program at the Ellsworth Avenue Park. Dates for community events are posted under the Borough Calendar page.

Sewage and Sanitation

The Borough of Heidelberg presently has a treatment agreement with Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN), which treats all of the sanitary sewage generated from within Heidelberg. This agreement eliminates the need for a treatment plant in the Borough. The Borough operates and maintains over 15 miles of sanitary and storm sewer lines within Heidelberg. The system is primarily financed from sanitary sewer customer’s fees. Few tax dollars are used for the operation of the Borough’s sanitary sewers.

Sewer Rates and Rate Structure - As of January 1, 2008:  $8.17 per Thousand Gallons of Wastewater Used - $5.00 Monthly Service Charge

Heidelberg Borough’s sewer system is required by law through an Allegheny County Health Department Consent Order to conduct various preventive maintenance measures and repairs. The consent orders, which will terminate on June 30, 2012, requires Heidelberg to clean, televise and map our sewer system and repair significant defects; conduct a hydraulic capacity design evaluation; develop an operation and maintenance plan; develop a sanitary sewer overflow response plan; conduct flow monitoring; and develop a feasibility study to evaluate ways to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows. 61 municipalities and 14 authorities within Allegheny County are within this consent order; the goal of this order is to solve the problem of raw sewage backups and to limit overflowing into rivers, creeks and streams.