COLUMBIA SPY

Columbia Borough officials want to replace coin-operated parking meters and aging citation system.  JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Borough officials said at a budget workshop Wednesday that they want to move ahead with long-delayed plans to replace the borough's coin-operated parking meters and its aging citation system. The changes have been discussed for roughly two years. Zink: "When are we going to rip the band-aid off?" The topic came up during review of the police budget at the October 21 workshop, when Heather Zink, council vice president, asked about a line item and said, "When are we going to rip the band-aid off?" The borough has been paying monthly to maintain the current system while a plan to phase it out has stalled. The new system would eliminate the meters entirely, replacing them with electronic payment. Several problems with the current setup were cited: Coin handling : The borough has about 21 bags of quarters on hand, and officials said they nee...

John Weidman of Browns Plus presented the draft budget at Wednesdays workshop. JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Columbia Borough Council on Wednesday got a first look at a 2027 general fund budget that projects spending about $474,000 more than the borough takes in. Budget: deficit, covered by cash on hand John Weidman, of the accounting firm Browns Plus, has been helping the borough with finance one day a week while it lacks a finance manager. Weidman presented the draft budget in which revenue is projected at $8.255 million against expenditures of $8.729 million. "The budget is in a deficit position, but luckily those reserves are on hand," he said. The general fund is expected to end 2026 with a little over $2 million in cash. Weidman cautioned that the projected 2027 year-end balance depends partly on a roughly $1.3 million grant the borough has pursued for a year or more. If the grant doesn't arrive, he said, the balance would be about $1.476 million. "I don't wa...

Ron Youtz  [File photo] JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY   Veteran administrator to serve through end of year at $50 an hour Columbia Borough Council voted 7-0 to appoint Ron Youtz as acting borough manager, effective October 30, 2026, during Wednesday's budget workshop. Youtz was not present at the meeting.  Youtz will serve through the end of the year at a rate of $50 an hour. A former West Hempfield Township manager, Youtz previously worked in Columbia Borough's public works department. He returned to the borough last fall under a six-month term as assistant borough manager, a role created to mentor Borough Manager Jack Brommer as he transitioned from police chief to the manager's post. Brommer, who is leaving the position November 13, was absent from the workshop. It was the third consecutive meeting he has missed. Lutz was also absent.

The meeting packet is  HERE .

When Drum Majorettes of America held its Nationals competition in Aiken, S.C., this summer, two Columbia girls took top honors for the second year in a row. Myrah Baker won Little Majorette Princess of America, and Gracelynn "Gracie" O'Dell won Wee Majorette Princess of America. Both girls are students at Paula's School of Baton in Mount Joy, and both have been twirling batons almost since they could walk. Now 9 years old and a fourth-grader at Our Lady of the Angels School, Myrah began twirling at age 2. That's the same age Gracie, now 8 years old and a second-grader at Park Elementary School, also took up the baton. https://townlively.com/twirling-toward-another-national-win/

The Columbia Economic Development Corporation recently awarded two Small Business Grants to local businesses. Each grant was for $1,000, and the recipients were Angry, Young, and Poor and Shupp's Barber Shop. MORE: https://townlively.com/businesses-receive-grants/