Later this month, the borough hopes to roll out a community policing program paired with codes enforcement to address problems head-on.
By dividing the borough into three zones, officers will be assigned to patrol one of those zones each day that they work.
Officers have been asked to get out of their vehicles and walk the neighborhoods.
Columbia code enforcement is horrible! Even though we have made several improvements to our property and we are not some of the "trashy" homes you see in Columbia we have received several citations. One for having our son's toys in the yard! That's right if you live in Columbia your kids can't have a bike or a ball in the yard. Another time I put two trash bags of clothes at the end of our yard that I was going to take to donate the next day but when I woke up I had a fine on my door! Now all of our old clothes go in the trash to keep the code guy from fining us. Maybe they would treat us better if we were on welfare and lived in section 8 homes!
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound fair. Enforcement does seem to be arbitrary.
DeleteClarification - there are no section 8 homes or properties. There are property owners who accept Section 8 vouchers.
Deletehttp://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8
That's the way it should be, but not how it works in Columbia. Who, when, and what gets enforced is at Jeff's sole discretion. I complained for months to the interim borough manager and the council president. Both agreed the issue should be corrected but said it was up to Jeff if he wanted to enforce it or not. I do not even get the courtesy of a return call or email from any of them anymore. What dark secrets doe this man have over everyone at the borough office?
Deletesounds ridiculous to me. and you SHOULD attend boro council mtgs and tell that to the councilpersons......and oh didn't we ALREADY have all this onthe books??? they don;'t enforce now...why the hell spend more money and hire more people for codes???? it's absolutely unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteseriously???? i'm not stupid. this is positively ridiculous! want to know why aren't the police ALREADY walking beats downtown? want to know why Codes dept is so dysfuntional? and now you have the audacity to hire 2 more people to do what you should have been doing all along. this is ludacris. we ALREADY pay for 3 code officers now 2 more. we have had enough. go to the next council mtg monday MARCH 23 @ 6 pm and Voice your concerns.
ReplyDeleteWhen was the last time anyone in Columbia was cited for littering ?
ReplyDeleteevery year i get fined for my neighbors weeds. they even take pics from their code truck. did i say from their truck yes i did and that my friends is why they dont know the weeds belong to my neighbor. lololololololol
ReplyDeletehow about the old bank on locust and second .since when is ok to cover your doors and windows with painted plywood. i was told this was unacceptable during a construction project. these people have had that sh#t up for 6 years. but hey that plywood sure looks good. code tip how about them there extention cords ! bet thats safe for the neighbor kids. then again the kids gotta walk to school past molesters and rapists so their chances are slim from the gate.
ReplyDeletedont get me wrong jeff helm is an awsome guy. columbia is just a dysfunctional town and i doubt jeff is the one calling the shots. there is people in town that do as they please... same ones that call to report everyone else... do as i say not as i do !
ReplyDeleteThe truth and/or fact is that the codes are not enforced equally. One of the code officers actually told me that they do not cite everyone breaking a particular code, only if there is a complaint. In other words, they are not looking for violations, they are waiting for complaints. This unequal treatment will lead to a lot of animosity among residents.
ReplyDeleteI have found that if you are in the historic district or if your home is in the "right" section of town, the code officers will look the other way. There are violations at these homes, but it is and will continue to be tolerated. Some residents are just given preferential treatment.
ReplyDeletewell people can't you see? NOW is the time to attend boro council mtg of the whole mon march 23 at 6 pm...it's INFORMAL and you don't have to sign up to speak. we HAVE got to get thru to these councilpersons ALL the above. this is totally unacceptable and WE AS TAXPAYERS AND CARRIERS OF THIS TOWN HAVE HAD ENOUGH.
ReplyDeleteI see the mayor's cousin spoke. Now we'll get some action since it's all in the family.
ReplyDeleteLet the Borough do what they want! No complaints, just set back and watch the town go UNDER!! Bankruptcy is just around the corner!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNow the sewer sold wait til you see how money is spend, see new faces running?
ReplyDeletegood people pay so slumlords can slide !
ReplyDeleteyep another HUGE mistake....selling the sewer plant to LASA......what goes around comes around and i agree....the boro will be in bankruptsy within 2 years. oh and the money they get for selling the plant...GONE. they get $8.6 million and HAVE to satisfy a $5 million debt FIRST. now is it worth it for $3.6 million????????? and just how long do you think that will last the way these clowns like to spend money. i give them 1 year and they will be totally broke!
ReplyDeleteSince when does a borough street clean in the middle of Winter? Actually, they don't. In Columbia, they merely push the dirt and debris into the yawning chasms (better known as potholes/cracks/roadbed subsidence). Why bother calling a Snow Emergency, make people move vehicles and not do a da**ed thing to the snow lying on the streets, anyway. Neighbors shovel snow right into the middle of the street, and when the plow comes through it gets pushed into the cars that law abiding neighbors dug out and placed NOT in the street. Dysfunction IS the motto for Columbia Borough, PA, USA.
ReplyDeleteSee today's post for pics of the street sweeper stirring up dust.
DeleteGet ready property owners. Got a small crack in your sidewalk, a small amount of paint chipping away from your brick wall......fix it now. Over aggressive enforcement will follow if this is initiated. No citations will not look good for the mayor.
ReplyDeleteWhen is the last time that someone was cited for littering ?
ReplyDelete