COMMISSIONERS’ MESSAGE

When it comes to Berks County Government, we and our team do a lot of work, much of which is 24/7. In recent years, we have concluded that most residents of Berks have very little knowledge of everything that county government does and are unaware of what is available to them.

That is all changing with the launch of Berks 1st. This magazine will be focused on communication about county government, to and for the people of Berks County. Berks 1st is not designed to take the place of any other publication or communication network. Rather, Berks 1st is all about the services, programs, projects, and events that the County is engaged in that can impact, help, and benefit the people of Berks County.

The design and production of the publication is funded by ad revenue and led by a local company, Hoffmann Publishing Group. The only cost to the County is the cost of postage and distribution. And that distribution is huge! Berks 1st will be published three times a year and each edition will be sent to nearly 90,000 homes, as well as hundreds of businesses in Berks.

Each article will also include a QR code that will take the reader to the online version where they can read and view additional content and access the entire magazine in Spanish.

We want our residents to know about our Parks & Recreation events, what is happening with the initiatives to restore passenger rail and expand broadband accessibility, and what services are available to our veterans, farmers, business owners, voters and more.

The Berks 1st Magazine is all about connecting you to valuable information about your County Government. Welcome to our inaugural edition.

Hoping To Lead by Example

With new

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Connecting Berks to Broadband

The Berks County Broadband Task Force is working to make affordable and reliable Internet access available throughout the county. Armed with a countywide feasibility report and $6.3 million in base funding, the initiative is primed for its next steps.

RAIL REVIVAL: Restoring Passenger Rail Service to Berks 12

The County of Berks has exercised great care to ensure that the content of this magazine is accurate as of the date of publication.

Editorial content and advertising appearing in this publication should in no way be considered an endorsement from the County Commissioners or the County of Berks. The County assumes no liability for the accuracy of claims made by the advertisers. This publication was created with the intent to deliver useful county government news to the residents of Berks County.

The County of Berks disclaims any and all liability and responsibility to any person or party, be they a reader, advertiser or consumer of this publication, for any consequences, actions, results taken or outcomes of anything done or omitted on the basis of reading information or reliance whether partly or solely on the contents of this publication and related website and products All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced electronically or in print without the expressed written consent of the publisher or editor.

Your Library Now Fine-Free 22

At the start of 2023, all libraries of the Berks County Public Library System welcomed the new year by eliminating late fines on their traditional library materials and clearing all patron accounts of past fines.

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First for Berks Spring Into Outdoor Fun

Johnson elected as first female President Judge

M. Theresa Johnson is the first woman to hold the leadership position since the Berks court system was formed in 1752.

With Berks County Parks With nine parks and a full slate of educational and entertaining programs, there’s fun for all ages within the Berks County Park System.

Berks’ Newest County Commissioner