COLUMBIA SPY

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY   Contract pays $120 an hour for up to 30 hours a week; council says outside help will stabilize operations as it searches for a permanent manager Columbia Borough Council voted Tuesday night to hire Keystone Municipal Solutions LLC to serve as interim borough manager, handing day-to-day management of the borough to the firm at $120 an hour for up to 30 hours a week. Keystone will provide Chad Saylor, its executive director, as interim manager. Council chose Keystone over a competing proposal from Stonehill Ratliff LLC of Chambersburg after interviewing both in executive session. What the agreement says Under the agreement, Keystone's interim manager will perform the duties of borough manager under borough policies and report directly to council. Those duties include supervising departments, overseeing purchasing and contracts, handling complaints, administering the adopted budget and grants, and attending meetings as directed. The manager must also give ...

The CBSD school board has approved a policy banning students under age 16 from bringing or using motorized and electric transportation devices on school property, district officials announced to families. Registration is required for older students. The update to Board Policy 223, which governs bicycles and motorized or electric transportation devices, took effect Monday, November 9. In a notice titled "Important Student & Community Safety Update," the district asked families to make sure prohibited devices stay at home. "Keeping our students and community safe is a shared responsibility," the notice said. Under-16 ban Under the policy, students younger than 16 may not bring, ride, park, store or charge e-bikes, electric scooters, e-motos, minibikes, hoverboards or other motorized or electric transportation devices on school property. Older students Students 16 and older must follow state laws and district rules governing motorized bikes and other electric devic...

Anyone interested in serving the vacated council seat should submit their intent to council president Eric Kauffman at ekauffman@columbiapa.net or by dropping it off at the borough office. Letters of intent will be received until the start of the November 24,, 2026 regular council meeting at 7:00 p.m. During the regular council meeting we will have a Q&A session and possible vote for an individual. If votes are at a deadlock, a vote will again be held at the December 1, 2026 workshop meeting. - Must be a registered elector of the borough. 18 years or older. - Must reside in the borough. - Must have resided continuously in the borough for at least one year immediately prior to the election (affidavit required before being sworn in). - Must maintain residency in the borough while serving. - Incompatible offices: A school director or charter school trustee cannot serve; no person may hold more than one elective borough office at the same time. If a vote can not be reached by...

The meeting packet is  HERE .

The Columbia School District ended the 2025-26 school year with an overall surplus of about $1.1 million, according to preliminary figures presented to the school board last week. Business Manager Keith Ramsey shared the pre-audit financial balances at the board's November 5 meeting. The numbers are subject to change once the district's audit is complete. Ramsey recommended that the board transfer the surplus cash to the district's capital improvement fund, which would set the money aside for future projects. Board members are expected to vote on the proposed transfer at their next meeting.

The Columbia Borough School Board appointed April Conroy on November 5, filling the opening left by Thomas G. Ziegler, who resigned last month. Conroy, owner of the Prospect Diner, was interviewed by the board and was sworn in immediately after her appointment. She will serve for the remainder of the vacated term. Conroy was the only candidate to submit a letter of interest to the board,