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1. Do I need to wear a mask / face covering?
2. Where do I have to wear a mask?
3. Why am I being asked to wear a face covering?
4. Where can I get a mask?
5. I have trouble breathing. Do I have to wear a mask?
6. My child is between the ages of 2 to 5 years. Does he / she have to wear a mask?

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1. Are the cemeteries owned by the Town of Reading, or are they privately owned?
2. What hours are the cemeteries open?
3. Who can purchase a cemetery lot in Reading?
4. Can I plant flowers in the ground?
5. Are there other restrictions for lot decorations?
6. How do I find information about family internments?
7. How can I report stolen flowers off a grave site?
8. When do they remove Winter/Christmas decorations?
9. Is grave rubbing allowed in any of Reading's cemeteries?

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1. What are the “Greenhouse Effect” and “Greenhouse Gases”?
2. What is the concern about greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect?
3. How do people contribute to the greenhouse gases emitted to our atmosphere?
4. How can I measure carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere through my activities (carbon footprint, carbon calculators)?
5. What are carbon offsets?

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1. What are wetlands?
2. Why are wetlands important?
3. What laws apply to wetlands in Reading?
4. How can I tell if there are wetlands on or near my property?
5. When do I need to get a wetlands permit?
6. What kinds of permits are there, and which one should I apply for?
7. What happens after I receive the permit?
8. Where can I obtain further information?
9. How do I apply for a Minor Project Permit?
10. How do I apply for a Determination of Applicability?
11. How do I apply for an Order of Resource Area Delineation?
12. How do I apply for an Order of Conditions?

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1. When is my street going to be paved?
2. How do I obtain a plot plan for my property?
3. Where on my property are the water and sewer pipes located going into my house?
4. What year was my house built?
5. Can I connect a drain line on my property into the Town’s drainage system?
6. How do I request to have the underground utilities on my property marked by Dig Safe prior to any excavation?
7. How do I obtain a new house number, or how do I change my current house number?
8. Does the Engineering Division recommend any surveyors?
9. What is the procedure to either widen my existing driveway, or to add an additional driveway on my property?
10. What is storm water?
11. Why did Town Meeting and the Board of Selectmen vote to establish a storm water enterprise fund (SWEF)?
12. Why is storm water management necessary?
13. How is the SWEF fee calculated?
14. How is total impervious surface area determined?
15. For what purposes will SWEF fee revenue be used?
16. Will residents be assessed a SWEF fee if their property is located on a private way or on a town accepted street that does not have catch basins or storm drains?
17. Are there certain types of properties that are exempt from the storm water fee?
18. Has the Town made any provisions for storm water abatements?
19. What are some typical storm water devices that qualify for storm water abatements?
20. What are some typical devices that do not qualify for storm water abatements?
21. Where can I obtain more information or file for an abatement?
22. Is the storm water abatement permanent?

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1. Where do I apply for Permits?
2. How many stations does the Reading Fire Department have?

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1. What is Motor Vehicle Excise Tax?
2. How is the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax determined?
3. Where should I mail the motor vehicle excise tax payment?
4. When are the payments due for motor excise tax?
5. What if I do not receive an Excise Tax bill?
6. What if I mail in my Motor Vehicle Excise Tax payment late?
7. My vehicles registration and drivers license has been marked for non-renewal at the Registry of Motor vehicles, how do I clear this at the registry?
8. Can I make partial payments on Motor Vehicle Excise Tax?
9. What do I do if I sell or trade my car?
10. What do I do if I move out of Reading?

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1. What's changing regarding parking in Downtown Reading?
2. How do I pay for parking?
3. How will the new parking format be enforced?
4. Where should employees and business owners park?
5. How will these changes help?
6. What happens if I get a ticket?
7. Who decided to make these changes?
8. Is it still free to park in handicap spots?
9. I have more questions or concerns; who can I talk to?

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1. What can be done about dog owners who don't follow the rules about leashes and sanitation?
2. Whom do I call to reserve a field for sports and games?
3. Do I need a permit to have a picnic?
4. Can I use grills for cooking in parks?

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1. What is MBTA Communities?
2. What does this mean for Reading specifically?
3. How did the state calculate our requirements?
4. Do we currently comply with the law?
5. Why should we comply?
6. What is the timeline for compliance?
7. Where are we in the process?
8. What do we know right now about our path forward?
9. What happens after the new zoning is adopted by Town Meeting?
10. General Zoning Considerations & Definitions
11. Helpful Studies and Links
12. Local Data, Resources, and Documents

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1. Why should I recycle?
2. When is my collection day?
3. What about holiday week collections?
4. When should I put out my recycling?
5. Why didn’t the trash truck pick up my recycling?
6. What can I recycle?
7. How do I put items out for recycling?
8. Do I need to rinse and separate cans, bottles and plastic containers from each other?
9. What about Styrofoam, dirty pizza boxes, and microwave food boxes?
10. Can I put out more than one recycling bin/barrel?
11. Where can I get a recycling bin or recycling sticker?
12. Does the Town collect yard waste (leaves, grass clippings and other easily raked material)?
13. Is there a drop off location for yard waste?
14. How do I get rid of a mattress?
15. What about Christmas trees?
16. Does the Town collect construction and demolition material?
17. What can I do with old paint, used motor oil, and other chemicals?
18. What can I do with mercury containing items?
19. What do I do with unwanted appliances?
20. How about CRTs: television sets and computer monitors?
21. How about microwaves and other electronics?
22. Do I have to use the official recycling bin?
23. Can I recycle my old telephone books?

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1. Appliances/White Goods
2. Asbestos
3. Automobiles
4. Batteries
5. Bicycles
6. Books
7. Broken
8. Building Materials
9. Mattresses

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1. Why is there is a strong sewer odor in my area?
2. Who should I call if I have sewage backup into my home?
3. How much of the sewer service is the homeowner's responsibility?
4. Who do I call to repair the sewer pipe? How do I know if a sewer pipe needs to be repaired?

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1. How do I get a pothole fixed?
2. Will the Town reimburse me for damage done to my vehicle from running over a pothole?
3. What happens when I have an after hours emergency?
4. How do you decide to pave or re-pave a road?
5. How do I get my street swept?
6. How do I report a missing street sign / stop sign?
7. Can I push snow from my property onto the sidewalk or street?
8. Why is my street not plowed first?
9. How do I report property damage from a plow truck?
10. How can I get a street or sidewalk repaired?
11. Where can I get information on street construction?
12. How do I get a street light that is not working repaired?
13. How can I get a catch basin cleaned that appears blocked?
14. Who should I call if I see someone dumping into a catch basin?
15. Who should I call if I notice an oily or dirty discharge from a stormwater outfall?
16. How can I help maintain the catch basin cover near my house?
17. What is storm water?
18. What is a storm drainage system?
19. Why should we not pollute our storm drains?
20. How to identify any possible pollutants into storm drainage system?
21. What can a home owner do?

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1. What are the due dates for Real Estate Taxes?
2. What if I don't receive a Real Estate Tax Bill?
3. How will the payments be calculated?
4. Are you a new owner?
5. What happens if I pay my Real Estate Tax late?
6. Where do I mail my Real Estate Tax payment?
7. How do I change the old owners name that appears on the Tax Bill, after purchasing the property?
8. How do I change the mailing address on my Real Estate Bill?
9. What happens if there is an overpayment on my Real Estate Tax?
10. What happens if I don't pay my Real Estate Tax?
11. What should I do if I recently sold my property, but I am still receiving a tax bill?
12. How do I get a Municipal Lien Certificate?
13. How much will it cost and how long does it take?
14. How much did I pay in Real Estate Taxes last year?
15. Have you received my Real Estate Tax payment from my bank?
16. What if I am buying a condominium that is in the middle of a conversion?

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1. Is membership mandatory for employees of the member units?
2. How much do members contribute to the Retirement System?
3. Does a member's contribution to the Retirement System earn interest? If so, how is the interest calculated?
4. Are employee contributions used to fund the administrative expenses of the Retirement System?
5. What does it mean to be vested?
6. When does vesting occur?
7. When is retirement an option?
8. What is the retirement allowance based on? How is it calculated?
9. Can I purchase creditable service earned in another Massachusetts public retirement system?
10. Will prior creditable service affect my membership date or contribution rate in Reading's Retirement System?
11. If I was a temporary employee, may I apply that time towards my retirement creditable service?
12. How is creditable service achieved?
13. Is regular compensation the same as total compensation?
14. What are the group classifications within the Retirement System?
15. Does my participation in the 457 deferred compensation plan affect my Reading retirement benefit in any way?
16. If I leave my job, what happens to my contribution?
17. If I leave my job and decide to withdraw my contributions will I receive all my interest?
18. Is there any time limit after your termination for requesting a refund of your contributions?
19. Can a member who is vested and who terminates employment still be eligible for a refund?
20. If I terminate my employment and leave my money in the retirement system, can I retire at a later date?
21. Can a member withdraw or borrow money from his or her account in the retirement system with resigning or retiring?
22. What are the tax consequences if I take a refund of my retirement contributions?
23. If I die before retirement, what happens to my money?

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1. What is storm water?
2. Why did Town Meeting and the Board of Selectmen vote to establish a Storm Water Enterprise Fund (SWEF)?
3. Why is storm water management necessary?
4. How is the Storm Water Enterprise Fund (SWEF) fee calculated?
5. How is total impervious surface area determined?
6. For what purposes will (SWEF) fee revenue be used?
7. Will residents be assessed a (SWEF) fee if their property is located on a private way or on a town accepted street that does not have catch basins or storm drains?
8. Are there certain types of properties that are exempt from the storm water fee?
9. Has the Town made any provisions for storm water abatements?
10. What are some typical storm water devices that qualify for abatements?
11. What are some typical devices that do not qualify for abatements?
12. Where can I obtain more information or file for an abatement?
13. Is the storm water abatement permanent?

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1. Does the Town test the water?
2. Does the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water contain lead?
3. Is drinking water the main source of lead exposure?
4. How is my water tested for lead?
5. What are the results? What levels have been found?
6. What can I do to reduce exposure to lead?
7. Should I buy a water filtration system or bottled water?
8. How do I get information about lead in my drinking water?
9. Who can I contact if I have questions about the specific water treatment techniques used in my community or if I have questions about the test results presented on this report?
10. Who can I contact if I have questions about government regulations of drinking water supplies or water quality in general?
11. I have a home water treatment system (or am interested in purchasing one). Where can I go for independent information on these products?
12. I use a filter in my home and I have to change it more frequently than the manufacturer specifications. Why is this?
13. Where can I learn more about the Water System?
14. Where can I read more Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Drinking Water?
15. Where can I see water quality test results?