Council tight-lipped on second borough manager to leave in under a year

The retirement of Steven Kaufhold (above) was announced at Tuesday's Columbia Borough Council meeting.  [Columbia Spy file photo]

Columbia Borough will be searching for new leadership once again after council announced the retirement of Borough Manager Steven Kaufhold at Tuesday night's regular meeting, marking the second departure from that position in less than a year. 

Councilwoman Barb Fisher acknowledged receipt of the resignation notice, without comment. Kaufhold, who attended the meeting, provided no further information, nor did council. 

In a 5-2 vote, council voted to advertise for a new borough manager. Councilors Eric Kauffman and Kelly Murphy cast the two votes against advertising the position. Again, no further information was provided. 

Resident Sharon Lintner asked who will do the interviews and if a headhunting service will be used to search for a new manager. Council President Heather Zink replied, "We haven't decided that. This literally just happened yesterday." Zink said council planned to discuss personnel issues at an executive session after the meeting. 

Kaufhold, who began as manager in September 2024 has served in the position for about eight months. His retirement comes after the borough invested $15,000 in a professional headhunting firm to fill the position vacated by Mark Stivers' resignation in July 2024.

Despite the search, Kaufhold was ultimately recruited through personal connections; a borough councilman who knew Kaufhold from his previous work with the borough recommended him for the position.

Kaufhold previously served Columbia Borough as code compliance manager from January 2017 to January 2019. Following his departure from the borough, he worked as a project manager and estimator for Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment. 

The borough manager position isn't the only leadership role facing a vacancy, however. The borough is also operating without a finance manager after losing several individuals from that department consecutively, as Columbia Spy reported HERE. Council has not yet announced plans for a job search to fill the finance position.