Columbia's 1st female police chief is borough-raised; just county's 3rd female chief

On May 5, Holly Arndt was sworn-in as chief of the Columbia Borough Police Department. 

[Columbia Spy photo by Joe Lintner]

DAN NEPHIN | LNP Staff Writer

Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz said it became clear when evaluating staff to determine if the department could hire from within, or if it would have to look outside, that Holly Arndt was who they were looking for.

“She was head and hands above all the other officers in her willingness to move forward and to better herself and also the department,” Lutz said Friday.

Arndt admitted to a reluctance to take the lieutenant’s test at first. She said “the guys and girls that work here — is what motivated me to step into that, to take the test, because I'm like, man, if we don't, if I don't do this, what if they hire an outside chief, and that person, we don't know what that person is going to be like,” Arndt said.

On May 5, Arndt was sworn-in as chief, with family present, including her fiance, Alyse Gallagher, herself a K9 officer in Manheim Township. Her salary is $123,497.

Arndt is just the third female chief of a Lancaster County police force, something she downplayed.

Arndt wants to hire officers to fill vacancies. Columbia is authorized for 21 officers, which includes the chief and one detective. Right now, the department has 16 officers. Another candidate is expected to graduate from the police academy at the end of June.

The department is working to become accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, which would show the department meets best-practices law enforcement standards.  

Pennsylvania has more than 1,100 law enforcement agencies, but just 205 are accredited, according to the association. “And I really want to focus on community policing, too. I know everybody talks about that, but I've had a couple meetings with citizens,” Arndt said. “They want to get back to doing town hall meetings and interacting with the police, not just not on calls.”

Officer wellness is another priority. Two officers recently got Planet Fitness to donate gym equipment and a borough resident donated a heavy bag to the police department. Arndt just has to find a place where everything can be set up.

And in September, Arndt will take a course through the Fraternal Order of Police so she can train other officers to be on a peer support team, “so you always have resources. I'm really big into that.”

MORE HERE

PA Stands Up Expands: Field Organizer Role Available in Columbia Borough

Pennsylvania Stands Up is building power with and for working people across the state! Are you someone that is eager to knock doors and get to know your neighbors and the issues that matter most? We are actively searching for a field organizer in Columbia Borough!

If interested submit a resume to Kareena@pastandsup.org

Last of 3 men sentenced to prison in Columbia shooting over phone mistakenly thought taken

Isaiah Diaz


• LANCASTERONLINE | Staff

The last of three men who took part in a 2024 Columbia shooting sparked by a dispute over a missing cellphone has been sentenced to prison.

Lancaster County Judge Todd Brown sentenced Isaiah Jose Diaz, 22, of Columbia, to 2½ to six years in state prison on May 28 for two counts of aggravated assault, conspiracy and related offenses. 

Diaz pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 12.

According to Columbia police, on Nov. 1, 2024, Diaz, Caelan Natrell Brown, 20, of Columbia, and J'vian Mendez-Gonzalez, 20, of Lancaster, tracked two men to a house on the 400 block of Avenue K after a fight at a smoke shop. Mendez-Gonzalez shot at the house.

Brown dropped his cellphone during the fight and Brown, Mendez-Gonzalez and Diaz mistakenly believed one of the men they were fighting took the phone.

Several people were inside the residence when the shooting happened, but no one was injured.

Diaz told police he supplied the guns and hid them in his apartment’s ceiling after the shooting, according to charging documents.

Brown pleaded guilty last August and was sentenced to two to five years in state prison. 

Mendez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to his role in the shooting in January and he pleaded guilty in several other cases including kidnapping, for forcing a woman to get in his car after an argument in August 2024 in Lancaster city, and a May 2024 simple assault in Lancaster city. 

Mendez-Gonzalez was sentenced to a total of three to eight years in state prison for all the cases.

Columbia Borough delays property sale to address data center zoning concerns

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough Council has put the sale of  former McGinness property on hold while officials look at drafting new regulations governing data centers, following community backlash. About 30 people attended the meeting, some of whom commented on the issue.

Council voted 7-0 at Tuesday's meeting to table a second round of bids for the property, two weeks after unanimously rejecting the only offer received — a $6.35 million proposal from Saadia Holding LLC — during a contentious four-and-a-half hour meeting May 26. Council rejected the bid on procedural grounds, citing Saadia's failure to guarantee payment within the required 60-day window. Council Vice President Heather Zink confirmed this week that Saadia's proposal had included a data center. 

Tabling the issue will allow council to work on a zoning ordinance amendment that would establish clearer rules for data centers in the light business zone covering the property.  The amendment will be submitted to the Lancaster County Planning Commission following council's June 23 meeting. One of the proposals being considered is a conditional-use requirement that would compel any developer seeking to build a data center in the zone to first obtain approval through a public hearing.

The borough's total investment in the property now stands at $3.99 million, including $1.18 million from a state loan. The remaining roughly 17 acres of the original 58-acre parcel are designated to become a nature preserve.

Under state law, the borough may sell the property only through public auction, sealed bid, or transfer to a redevelopment authority. According to Evan Gabel, borough solicitor, if there are two rounds of no bids received, council would then be allowed to negotiate directly with prospective buyers.

Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz proclaims June 2026 as Pride Month in the Borough

Columbia Borough Mayor Leo S. Lutz

[Columbia Spy file photo]

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz officially proclaimed June 2026 as Pride Month in the Borough, after reading a formal proclamation at the June 9th Columbia Borough Council meeting. 

The proclamation recognizes Pride Month as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals at the local, national, and international level. It also notes that Columbia is strengthened by the diversity of its residents, and that LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors should feel "valued, safe, empowered and supported" by their peers, educators, and community leaders.

The proclamation stresses the importance of protecting LGBTQIA+ youth by stating that young people must be free to live "without fear, and live free from reprisal, discrimination or bullying."

The proclamation reads:

"Whereas; this nation was founded upon the principles that every person is created equal, that each has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that each shall be accorded the full recognition and protection of law; and

Whereas; Pride Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the impact of LGBTQIA+ individuals locally, nationally, and internationally; and

Whereas; our community is strengthened by the rich diversity of our residents, and LGBTOIA+ residents and visitors should feel valued, safe, empowered and supported by their peers, educators, and community leaders; and

Whereas; it is essential that our LGBTQIA+ youth be accorded the freedom to be themselves without fear, and live free from reprisal, discrimination or bullying; and

Now Therefore, I Leo S. Lutz, Mayor of the Borough of Columbia, Pennsylvania proclaim June, 2026 as Pride Month in the Borough.

Proclaimed this 9th Day of June, 2026"

Columbia weighing another round of bids for former McGinness property

CHRIS REBER | LNP Staff Writer

Columbia Borough Council will decide Tuesday night if it wants to again seek bids for the sale of McGinness Innovation Park, two weeks after rejecting a widely unpopular proposal that included a data center.

The agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting at Borough Hall, 308 Locust St., includes a possible vote on authorizing borough staff to advertise the property for sale for the second time this year.

It would come two weeks after council rejected Saadia Holding LLC’s lone, $6.35 million bid for the property at a meeting packed by residents concerned that the buyer was considering a data center.

Council Vice President Heather Zink told LNP | LancasterOnline on Monday that Saadia’s submitted proposal called for a data center. But because the property is only 41 acres, she said it wouldn’t approach the size of the largest data centers being built across the country, known as hyperscale data centers.

Council rejected the bid in part because of a state law requirement that the borough receive full payment within 60 days of awarding the bid. Saadia wanted to wait until site plans got approval.

Zink said she expects the second request for proposals to be similar to the first, requiring a minimum bid of $6.2 million, and a detailed proposal on the developer’s plans, but it will ultimately be up to the full council.

Under state law, if council puts the property out for bid two times and neither one draws an acceptable offer, it can negotiate directly with buyers, she said.

“We have been marching toward the same goal since we purchased the property in August of ‘21, and that is to expand the tax base and create jobs for people in our community,” she said.

Agenda — Columbia Borough Council Meeting — June 9, 2026

The meeting packet is HERE.